surface收購
What is a laptop? What is a tablet? For most people, the answers are obvious. But for Microsoft’s
surface收購surface line, it’s been a bit murky.
Microsoft’s first attempt, the
surface收購surface RT, flopped. So much so that the company had to take a $900 million hit when it failed to sell them all. Microsoft’s second stab at tablets resulted in the
surface收購surface 2 with a sleeker design and better performance. It still wasn’t easy to use on the lap, and the lack of a full Windows OS meant it was never really a laptop and never really a tablet due to a lack of touch-friendly apps.
While mistakes have been made along the way, there’s always been something charming and unique about the
surface收購surface and the fact that it’s not just an iPad clone. It’s never quite nailed what Microsoft was looking for, but there’s always been promise there, hiding underneath that kickstand.
So now we have a third attempt, the
surface收購surface 3. It’s Microsoft learning from all of its mistakes and bringing lessons from the bigger
surface收購surface Pro 3 down to a smaller and cheaper $499 tablet. Because it finally uses a full version of Windows, you can now run all the full Windows apps you’d expect to use like Chrome, iTunes, and Photoshop. But is that enough? Is the third time the charm for Microsoft’s tablet / laptop hybrid?
When I first looked at the
surface收購surface 3, I honestly thought it was a
surface收購surface 2 from a year and a half ago. With the same silver matte aluminum finish, it still looks beautiful, modern, and premium. Dig a little deeper and you find some subtle — but important — changes. The
surface收購surface 3 is both thinner (8.7mm) and lighter (1.37 pounds) than its predecessor, and the dimensions have changed to make this more of a tablet than ever before. There’s now a 10.8-inch display running at 1920 x 1280, which is slightly larger than the
surface收購surface 2, and a 3:2 aspect ratio finally makes it a lot more comfortable to use in portrait mode as a pure tablet. The display is bright and crisp and has great viewing angles. Surprisingly, I find the color reproduction is actually better than the
surface收購surface Pro 3, and the screen is brighter.
The design still looks beautiful and modern
As a tablet, the
surface收購surface 3 is still bigger, heavier, and thicker than the iPad Air 2, but you’re also getting a whole lot more. There’s a single USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, headset jack, and a microSD slot underneath the hinge of the kickstand. They’re not the only ports, though: Microsoft has swapped its magnetic charging mechanism to Micro USB which means you can use a normal phone charger to juice up the
surface收購surface 3. It also doubles as a full-size USB port if you buy the necessary adaptor.
If you really want to have some fun, plug a Micro USB cable into the full-size USB and the charging port, and watch the
surface收購surface 3 charge itself. It doesn’t really, but in a quirky moment, Windows briefly says it’s charging before realizing it can’t actually redefine the laws of physics.
While the
surface收購surface RT and
surface收購surface 2 were difficult to use on your lap as a laptop thanks to the limited travel of their kickstands, the
surface收購surface 3 can work at three different angles. Disappointingly, it’s not the same redesigned kickstand that the
surface收購surface Pro 3 uses, with the hinge to allow you to set it at any angle. On the
surface收購surface 3, the first angle is totally useless for the lap, and the second is only slightly better, but I found the third was the one I used the most. It’s far from ideal, though, and I found myself longing for the adjustability of the
surface收購surface Pro 3. I use my laptop in weird positions a lot, with my legs crossed, on the floor of a trade show, in the back of a cab, and many other places.
Usually I just move the screen back and forth to adjust the angle and rely on the sturdy base, but with the
surface收購surface 3 I found I had to adjust the way I was sitting instead. If you use it on a desk it’s mostly fine, but it still becomes irritating if your desk doesn’t work well with one of those three angles.
Part of the lap use is eased by the introduction of a new Type Cover for the
surface收購surface 3. It’s largely the same as the
surface收購surface Pro 3 version, just shrunk down for the 10-inch dimensions. It has new magnets that attach to both the bottom of the
surface收購surface and the screen so it’s a lot sturdier. This is a great change, and it really makes a big difference for lap use. It features a full keyboard that’s backlit, and I enjoyed typing away on it for brief periods of time. It’s still nowhere near as nice as a real, full laptop keyboard, but it’s close enough for me. Microsoft is clearly looking toward Windows 10 with the
surface收購surface 3, as the keyboard ditches the shortcuts for charms, settings, and other Windows 8 features for PrtScn, insert, and screen brightness controls. You’ll need to buy a Type Cover separately for $129.99 as Microsoft still doesn’t bundle the keyboard.
While the trackpad has improved, it’s still far too small. I complain about PC trackpads all the time, and I wish Microsoft and other OEMs would take note that they’re simply not doing a good enough job. This is the primary input mechanism if you’re using the
surface收購surface 3 as a laptop, and it spoils the experience if it mis-clicks or starts dragging files around randomly in File Explorer.
The
surface收購surface pen is accurate and natural to use
A new way to interact with the
surface收購surface 3 is with a pen. While this has traditionally been part of Microsoft’s
surface收購surface Pro offering, the same pen from the
surface收購surface Pro 3 now works with this cheaper model. It’s functionally identical, and it’s really accurate and natural to write notes in OneNote, or just draw something in Fresh Paint. Like the
surface收購surface Pro 3, you can click the cap on the pen at any time (even when the screen is off) and it will launch OneNote immediately so you can start taking notes. It still feels like Windows needs some work to fully accommodate the pen in a more natural way, but using it inside certain apps makes me want to use it more. I just wish I could stow the pen away inside the
surface收購surface, but instead there’s a weird loop you can attach to the
surface收購surface or the cover. Unfortunately, this pen doesn’t come in the box like it does with the
surface收購surface Pro 3. You’ll need to spend $49.99 to purchase it separately.
But the biggest change to the
surface收購surface 3 is what’s inside. Microsoft has opted for an Intel Atom x7 processor, which means the
surface收購surface 3 can now run a full version of Windows 8.1 with support for traditional desktop apps. This isn’t the same Atom processor from the dreadful days of netbooks, but the performance still isn’t great compared to $499 PCs. I’ve used iTunes, Chrome, Photoshop, and a number of other Windows desktop apps, and most of them run just fine at a basic level until you start to push things further. Steam is the big exception, as most of the modern games just won’t run well at all. That’s not really surprising, as this isn’t exactly designed to be a gaming laptop for those titles, but if you want to play some basic mobile games from the Windows Store, it should handle those okay.
During my days of testing I found that the
surface收購surface 3 just about got me through a day of work before needing to be plugged in. It stayed alive for 7 hours and 7 minutes in our battery rundown test, which is only 40 minutes shy of the
surface收購surface Pro 3. I’d expect a little more from the
surface收購surface 3, but for many it will be enough. I have found that the
surface收購surface 3 is pretty aggressive at dimming the display or putting itself to sleep, even when it’s plugged in. If you’re charging and stop using the
surface收購surface 3, then it will sleep after just two minutes, so I’d regularly go and grab a drink and return to a black screen. It resumes instantly, but I’m not sure I need my laptop (or tablet) to turn off so quickly when it’s charging.
Nearly enough battery for a working day
One of the irritating parts of the previous
surface收購surface models is the battery drain when it’s not in use. I would regularly come back to my
surface收購surface RT or
surface收購surface 2 and find it had an empty battery, but the
surface收購surface 3 is much better. I found that it drains around 2–3 percent of battery over a 12-hour period without entering hibernation mode. That’s pretty impressive, and I haven’t worried about just putting it on standby and in my bag ever since. During all this time of battery testing and running apps or games, I never found that the
surface收購surface 3 got warm. There’s no fan, no noise, and no heat, just like a tablet should be.
Though it will be upgraded to Windows 10, the
surface收購surface 3 ships with Windows 8.1. The fullscreen apps and awkward navigation with a keyboard and trackpad on the
surface收購surface 3 is still a frustrating experience in Windows 8.1, but as a pure tablet, I still enjoy the gestures and the Start Screen. It’s the mix that Windows 8.1 doesn’t really get right, and it underlines the
surface收購surface as a product. It’s a mash up, a weird combination of legacy and new. A laptop that isn’t really a laptop, and a tablet that’s nearly a tablet but doesn’t have the touch-friendly apps to back it up. The Windows Store is at a standstill, and I’m increasingly finding it hard to discover any meaningful finger-friendly apps. StaffPad surprised me last week as a stunning Windows app, but it’s designed more for the
surface收購surface pen than it is for touch.
Microsoft has this same lack of apps issue on Windows Phone, and it feels like the company is waiting on Windows 10 as its hope for developer interest. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for the
surface收購surface 3, and it should fix a lot of the weird inconsistencies of using this as a hybrid laptop and tablet, but it’s not clear if it will lead to more touch-friendly apps for Windows. It also won’t address the fact that the
surface收購surface 3 doesn’t really know what it is. It’s a beautiful and confused machine. It’s fun to use, and it’s really sleek and pretty, but I’m not sure I’d use it everyday. I love the fact that it’s more versatile than an iPad, and I can immediately transition from playing a game to writing an article for The Verge without switching machines, but it’s not good enough in either mode for me to justify giving up separate devices.
At its core, the
surface收購surface 3 is a shrunken-down version of the
surface收購surface Pro 3 that’s cheaper and less powerful. For many, the $499 price is attractive, but once you’ve added the Type Cover, it’s nearly $630 — and that’s just the base model. I reach for my
surface收購surface Pro 3 a lot at home because there’s something about it I just love, but I always travel with a laptop. The
surface收購surface 3 won’t change this for me. There ought to be a market for the
surface收購surface, because having the power of touch, keyboard, and pen in one single thin and light device is really compelling. But even three years into this experiment, there are just compromises I’m not willing to make, especially on the laptop side. Unless you’re on a tight budget, I would just recommend a laptop or at least the
surface收購surface Pro 3 with its adjustable hinge if you really want the pen and touch input.
It’s time for a
surface收購surface laptop
Perhaps that’s just the story of the
surface收購surface. It’s not the “tablet that can replace your laptop” so much as it’s a tablet that wants to be a laptop, and maybe it’s just time Microsoft made a
surface收購surface laptop. That’s really what the
surface收購surface wants to be.
Photography by Sean O’Kane
▲三級警戒帶來在家工作及網路學習新生活方式，也帶來筆電銷售暴增的市場狀況。（圖／i-Buzz網路口碑研究中心授權，下同）
圖文／東森分眾傳媒提供
五月中台灣新冠疫情升溫，三級警戒使得所有實體活動被迫轉到網路進行，帶來在家工作及網路學習新生活方式，也帶來筆電銷售暴增八倍的市場狀況。目前筆電市場的品牌競爭、產品競爭狀況如何？消費者在選購筆電時考量哪些要點？將透過產業口碑數據庫資料告訴你！
Apple聲量冠軍 台灣三大品牌緊追在後
透過i-Buzz產業口碑數據庫檢視2020筆記型電腦數據，雖然Apple遙遙領先其他品牌，但Apple好感度卻明顯低於排名居後的雙A，在十大品牌中更是敬陪末座，有較多的負向評價，主因在於消費者的使用習慣差異，國人還是習慣與Windows系統相容的文書處理軟體。
後段品牌則有兩個值得注意的地方，一為日系品牌TOSHIBA的聲量僅第七名，但好感度卻以91.9遙遙領先其他品牌，網友表示雖然東芝已宣布於2020年退出個人電腦市場，然而網友仍滿意其筆電的精緻耐用度；二為美國品牌DELL，好感度高於平均，雖然價格競爭力稍顯不足，網友卻表示其保固服務遠勝他牌，是少數由工程師到府維修的筆電品牌。
筆電產品各有千秋 滿足學生族、電競族及商務族群需求
進一步檢視筆電Top10熱門產品，果粉擁護的Mac兩大系列MacBook Pro及MacBook Air最受歡迎。2020年Apple推出M1系列，改採自家研發的ARM架構M1晶片，帶來超過一般文書筆電的兩倍續航力與效能，相當適合純Mac環境使用者，且規格升級卻未漲價，因此有高度的討論聲量。
在Mac後面脫穎而出的是Acer Aspire 3系列，網友表示此系列適用於執行輕型任務，適合預算有限的學生或小資族，相較於同等價格筆電，該產品邊框設計更薄，有大尺寸螢幕亦可180度完全推平，有全尺寸鍵盤及觸控板，適合學生上課和討論報告；而Genuine 15H及ASUS-TUF Gaming系列則是網友推薦兼具性價比的電競筆電，散熱表現佳足以支應長時間的影音娛樂。
商務人士專用的Microsoft
surface收購surface及ASUS Zenbook系列，是兼具輕薄及效能的商務筆電，重量皆不到1.5公斤，輕巧高質感的外型適合在外處理業務，Microsoft
surface收購surface搭配的觸控螢幕及手寫筆，延伸消費者對於手機及紙筆的使用經驗，因此累積不少的擁護者。
筆電五大購前考慮要素 網友關注規格及保固服務
專家語詞庫筆電產業熱門關鍵字顯示，台灣消費者購買筆電主要關注「硬體規格、保固服務、外觀設計、遊戲體驗及價格」五大面向。硬體規格來看，消費者看重筆電的運行穩定度、性能和電池續航力。為提升使用效率，網友偏好省電及防震的固態硬碟（SSD），硬碟部分若有玩遊戲或是編輯影像，容量需求則超過1TB，同時期待配備容量較高的記憶體（RAM），中央處理器（CPU）至少在i5以上，若基於頻繁外出，續航力持久為消費者的關鍵考量。
從保固服務來看，消費型電腦保固1-2年，商用型電腦則可能提供至3年保固，消費者表示保固時間長，能提升其購買意願。外觀設計方面，消費者看重筆電的重量和尺寸，特別是商務族群，輕巧機身和輕薄螢幕很重要，偏好13或14吋的筆電；學生族群則偏好適用學習的15吋以上尺寸螢幕，但是輕薄可放置書包的筆電。
整體而言，若是消費者需求為入門型文書筆電，可接受價格約落在2至3萬元，通常品牌也主打高效能及輕薄；若是需求為電競型筆電，消費者可接受價格約3萬元以上，期待高效能硬體規格滿足遊戲體驗及繪圖用途。另外，台灣消費者相當仰賴Mobile01、Dcard 3C或PPT NB shopping版分享或獲取筆電即時產品訊息，品牌也能藉此關注網友對於產品的評價，作為產品改善及行銷的參考。
塑造產品區隔性 養成擁護者的再購意願
綜觀台灣的筆電消費市場，消費者考慮購買筆電的關鍵要素為效能、外觀輕薄及價格，促使各品牌百家爭鳴皆有擁護者。疫情帶來重度網路使用需求，台灣筆電品牌可蒐集分析消費者使用需求的轉變，祭出適用的筆電機型，透過市場的熱門機型觀察，以及熱詞關鍵字需求探勘，去開發出對應各族群需求的相關產品，藉此品牌得以在高度競爭的筆電市場殺出重圍。
●本文轉自i-Buzz網路口碑研究中心授權，東森分眾傳媒提供。
●以上言論不代表本網立場，本網保有文字刪修權。
surface收購
surface收購