A Surface enthusiast reviews the new Surface Pro 2:
The Surface Pro had far too many compromises to be used fully in each tablet or laptop mode, and Microsoft is clearly trying to address those with the Surface Pro 2. A new two-stage kickstand improves the lap use and the accessories have been tweaked and refined. Even the battery life is much better to the point where you could realistically use this as a tablet. However, it’s still bulky for its primary tablet purpose and nothing has changed to address that. It’s the same weight and size as the original, so Microsoft still wants you to make compromises on the tablet side. A Surface with the specifications of the Pro and the slim form factor of the Surface 2 is the dream.
The Surface Pro 2’s unique mix of touch, keyboard, mouse, and pen really does work. It does everything you would expect a regular desktop PC to do. But it’s far from the perfect device for all four inputs, as it makes you compromise everywhere, but if you really want it all then there are few other devices with as much versatility. Microsoft is insistent that its Surface Pro can be both, and this second-generation is proof of how hard it’s trying to achieve that. [Emphasis added]
A tablet which excels at no one thing, which doesn’t even excel at touch input, is the result of Steve Ballmer’s insistence on “no compromises.”
And for $899, I’d expect the thing to excel at something.
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