Two weeks ago I finally got my Microsoft Surface for Windows RT. On the run up to the launch of the first Surface device, I started to think about if I’d actually be able to use the Surface for Windows Pro as my only computer as I had planned.

The trouble is that the form factor is not a laptop replacement, it’s a tablet which has a ‘ready to work’ mode which can be used easily on a desk. A laptop has a stable base and a screen which can be tilted to any angle – so getting real work done is still doable on your lap. I don’t have a desk at home, just a coffee table, so when I want to write some code or a long blog post – I tend to sit cross-legged on the sofa and type away. This is quite tricky to do with the form-factor that Microsoft has chosen for the first two Surface devices.

As a first time tablet owner there are a huge amount of benefits which are more related to the form-factor rather than the individual device, but for me having the Microsoft Surface has been a really fantastic and new experience.

Being able to surf the web and use application while laying down or standing up are pretty obvious, but there are more subtle benefits like being able to take it to work every day without my bag getting really heavy. Plus it’s always nice to have all your personal stuff available to use at lunch time, including emails and OneNote notebooks.

In the first two weeks have found a few suggestions for improvements to the design of the hardware:

• The keyboard case should really have a magnetic grasp
• Power Cable is a little short (though it can be extended)
• Windows Phone earphones don’t work as expected

These improvements aside, the Surface has already proven to be a fantastic companion device, and due to the nature of the keyboard and kickstand design it has become my go-to device for email and instant messaging. In the last two weeks my MacBook has spent most of its time in a draw while the Surface has been my primary machine for personal use.

As someone who is a Windows developer and lives in a Microsoft ecosystem (Office 365, SkyDrive, Xbox etc.) it’s the ideal tablet for me, and I’m really pleased I got it.

Now if only I could find a Windows 8 laptop to replace my ageing MacBook and I’ll be sorted.

Originally I wanted to get Surface for Windows RT, but I’ve changed my mind about which Surface computer I want to get. Mostly because of two reasons.

1 – I’ve seen no Windows 8 Ultrabooks I like

I have been looking around for a good Ultrabook for a while now, and I had pinned high hopes on Vizio, but lacklustre scores on the touchpad and keyboard have tarred that machine. I have recently had a look at many of the machines shown at IFA – including the Acer Aspire S7) but none have them have really grabbed my attention like Surface.

The Aspire S7 has some fantastic Windows-friendly features, but in terms of traditional laptop design, the MacBook Air still has the edge for me. But I don’t want to have to hack around with a MacBook to get Windows to run well again. True I have enjoyed using Windows on my current MacBook, it’s just such a pain to set up just right.

2 – I really like using Windows 8

Windows 8 became available as an evaluation recently, and I have taken advantage of that to try out this new operating system in day-to-day use. I love how the operating system really does have this no compromises feel to it. It works extremely well on a laptop* and better than Windows 7 when used with a mouse and keyboard.

This has made me think that the best (and cheapest) option is to get one machine rather than two: a tablet that is a PC.

One PC

My experience of Windows 8 has been through the 90 day enterprise evaluation, and I’m still using Windows 7 on my MacBook. Before the Surface was introduced, I set out that I wanted to have only four machines (Xbox, Ultrabook, Phone, Tablet) but now I’m leaning toward having only Xbox, Surface and Phone for personal use.

It’s going to be interesting to see how I tackle the smaller screen size with productivity for personal tasks, but making things as simple as possible is what I always strive for. Though I do get the feeling that there’s room for a device around the 7″ mark to take the number of machines to four at some point in 2013. (NewCo?)

• Processor: Intel Core i5
• Weight: 903g
• Thickness: 13.5mm
• Display: 10.6″ ClearType Full HD (1080p) capacitive touch screen
• Battery: 42Wh
• I/O: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, 2×2 MIMO antennae
• Software: Windows 8 Professional
• Case: VaporMg Case & Stand
• Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
• Capacity: 64GB / 128GB

* Unfortunately the touchpad in my HP Laptop doesn’t have very nice support for Windows 8. Hopefully that’ll come soon.

Yesterday I wrote an article for Branded3 entitled Meet the Microsoft Surface as well as my thoughts on Microsoft as a Hardware Company. Now I wanted to write a little about my thoughts on the Surface itself, and which one of the two that I have chosen to be mine!

A little while ago I detailed my plans for the computers I wanted to have to replace my aging setup. Essentially it is as follows:

• Xbox
• Laptop
• Phone
• Tablet

So which of these two Microsoft Surface computers fits in with this array of devices? I must admit, the Intel version – Microsoft Surface for Windows 8 Pro is a much better device on paper, and also includes some features that the Windows RT version does not have – more pixels, more storage, Wacom digitizer (as well as touch) and the all important ability to run existing Windows apps.

One of the core selling points of the Windows 8 Pro version is that it would actually be more of a laptop replacement than a simple tablet – which is why it is just off the mark for my use. Seeing as I want as little computers as possible, I’d like to be able to have a full keyboard and touchpad that is integrated into a more traditional laptop design – or more correctly – an Ultrabook design to replace my MacBook.

What I really want from a tablet is a thin, battery friendly device for running Metro apps both at home and on the go. I think the Microsoft Surface for Windows RT would actually be the better option in that case.

What is Windows RT anyway? Windows RT is very similar to Windows 8 – but it is not Windows 8. They both share a lot of heratigate, and both share a lot of new Windows features, but the biggest change is that Windows RT breaks the line from previous versions of Windows by limiting the ability to run traditional desktop applications (except for a select few Microsoft titles, like Office).

For me this is fine, I want to have a Ultrabook computer for writing, desktop computing, using Vim and Visual Studio and Outlook and all that existing Windows software.

By having a tablet and an Ultrabook I know all my Metro style apps are going to sync on both machines through the Cloud. I can read mail, manage my time, surf the web and consume entertainment on both machines in exactly the same way. But when I’m using the Ultrabook I also get full access to all my existing applications. The best of both worlds.

For me this is exactly what I want my tablet device to do, and the main reason I’m going to choose the Windows RT version of Surface over the Windows 8 Pro tablet.

Warning: I sound like a gushing fanboy on this post. Oh well.

I have used Microsoft hardware for a long time – from the original optical mouse and Natural Keyboards to pretty much every version of the Zune.

My friends and I often said “If only Microsoft would make X” where X has been everything from laptops to phones. One of the devices that has had these attention the most was actually the Zune HD. Many people have said to me “just imagine if it was a phone” – and while Windows Phone has exceeded this dream in terms of software, I’m still running a Samsung phone rather than a Microsoft phone*.

Simply because I thought it was the best at the time.

Back when Microsoft were trying to push manufacturers into producing high end Tablet PCs – they were recommending the Toshiba R400 as the best Windows Vista laptop (it had Wacom pen digitizer, sideshow, and much more) but I soon ended up replacing it with an Apple MacBook because their hardware was better.

Running Windows on a Apple machine because that’s the best PC I could get at the time. Yay for Apple, Boo for Microsoft.

So here is why the Microsoft Surface is different – it’s PC hardware. Not an accessory, not a games or entertainment machine, it’s an actual general purpose computer. And it’s designed and built by Microsoft, not some old OEM that can produce 100s of crappy plastic laptop designs and live in mediocrity. They’re only producing the very best equipment they can with the resources they have. And boy what resources.

The Microsoft Surface PCs dare other hardware manufacturers to do better, and as a consumer – I want to invest the best I can. For me that’s going to be Microsoft software on Microsoft hardware.

In this way my view is fairly selfish – I don’t care what it means for HP or Dell, the thing I care most about is the software and hardware tools I use every day. I believe that by taking this step into producing PCs, Microsoft is doing the right thing – giving Windows 8 a platform for it to perform exactly the way it was designed to.

* Actually a Nokia would do just fine!