Microsoft's venture into the tablet market continues with the Surface with Windows 8 Pro tablet.
With the new Surface tablet making its debut, the reviews are flowing in and it's so far mixed.
Microsoft has reportedly been struggling to make a dent into the tablet market that is currently dominated by Apple, Amazon, and Samsung. Microsoft launched the Surface with Windows RT, which has sold 900,000 units since its late October debut, according to an analyst.
So what's being said about the Windows 8 Pro tablet?
"The Pro isn't that different in look and feel from the RT, but it does check in a bit thicker and heavier than the RT," noted Ian Paul of PC World.
In regards to battery life, he later added, "Depending on whether you think of this device as a tablet or laptop, the battery life either sucks or is respectable. Most reviewers got around 4 to 5 hours of battery life out of the device, which is ridiculous compared with the 8 to 10 hours or more you can squeeze out of most tablets. But for a traveling laptop PC it's fine. It just depends on your point of view."
The New York Times' David Pogue noted the price tag, "For that money, I could buy a very nice lightweight laptop with a dedicated keyboard and much more storage. Why should I buy Surface Pro when I can have more for less?"
However, he reviewed that the new Surface tablet "is beautiful," but that "This is a PC, not an iPad."
SlashGear's Vincent Nguyen's wrap up included, "The Surface Pro is slickly designed, its digital pen a joy to use - if you have the need of it - and it comes without the software niggles that dampened our enthusiasm about the Surface RT last year. Think of it as a touchscreen notebook with an optional keyboard and it makes the most sense."
Engadget's Tim Stevens commented on the Surface Pro's performance.
"Overall performance of our Intel Core i5 Surface Pro more than met our expectations. A cold boot is completed in eight seconds or less, which is quite impressive indeed, and apps launched snappily and reacted well," reviewed Stevens.
AnandTech's Anand Lai Shimpi's final words included that the new Surface tablet is "well executed as Microsoft could have made it given the currently available hardware."
"At the end of the day I found it difficult to recommend Surface RT because I knew faster hardware was less than a year away," he added. "Surface Pro is an easier recommendation simply because you don't have to wait for the Windows ecosystem to mature, you can already run all of your existing PC apps on the platform and it's competitive with other Ultrabooks in terms of performance."
As for The Verge gave the Surface with Windows 8 Pro a 7.5 score, noting its fast performance and display but once again criticizes the battery life.
David Pierce wrote, "Sure, [the Surface Pro is] heavier and thicker than the Surface RT and has frustratingly poor battery life, but it's worth both the tradeoff and the extra expense. If you're going to buy a Surface, buy the Surface Pro. Period."
The Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro is set to be released with a starting price of $899 for the 64GB model and $999 for the 128GB model.
Related Articles:
For reviews on the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT, click here.
For the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT specs and definitions, click here.
For the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT tablet drop test, click here.
For rumors on three upcoming Surface tablets in 2013, click here.
For the iPad 4 vs. Microsoft Surface with Windows RT, click here.
For the iPad Mini vs. Microsoft Surface with Windows RT specs, click here.
For the comparison of the Microsoft Surface vs. Kindle Fire HD 8.9, click here.