Thanks! And “soon enough” means “Not yet because none of the authorized sellers have them listed yet"? Not that I tried to look or anything.
Don’t know how you do it - let me rephrase that - I don’t want to know how you do that… 
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I actually meant I don’t know how you get this advance intell…
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TD Synnex. 
I have a limited account that lets me see the SKUs as they trickle into the distribution system which in turn feed into the dropshippers’ websites.
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Asking for a friend: if a given sku is listed as temporarily out of stock, would it still make sense to order, i.e. would it put a user at/near the front of the line? 
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Yes, friend of a friend.
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Ah, the Sonic effect…now I’m feeling all those troubling urges I felt the first time around on the old forums (legendary thread btw, @Hifihedgehog).
Ok @JoeS, could you help a man rationalize? In your experience, how would you rate the various modes of this tempting “everything” device:
- Laptop Mode
- Easel Mode
- Slate Mode
Particularly for slate usage, does the weight and heat make it uncomfortable in clipboard mode (effectively making it a ‘desktop slate’, more than unicorn power tablet)?
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Disclaimer: I never carry it around like a clipboard, but I imagine it would be pretty uncomfortable. Picture taking notes on a stack of four 10.5" iPad pro’s (and that slightly underestimates the weight!!).
Laptop mode: almost perfect. Screen is a tad heavy, so the balance is quite far back, but not a problem.
Slate mode on desk: great, imo. I thought the thickness would be annoying (high front edge digging into your hand as you write) but in practice I write more toward the middle of the screen. Not an issue.
Easel mode/stage mode: rarely use it, it’s fine, brings the screen a little closer, but not a major benefit of the device imo.
Biggest benefit: very easy to go from laptop mode to quickly writing something, without having to lift the device (big plus when connected to a dock with a short cable).
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Ah this is a little disappointing, as it was one of the much-touted features of this form factor as I recall.
So is the unusability due any structural reason, eg. screen instability due to using a magnetic vs latching mechanism, or the screen angle being too upright for comfortable stylus use?
Considering that desk slate mode was great, I imagine those are main culprits…and therefore might be fixable in the second iteration with adjustments to the magnets? 
Well, every user is different, but yes, for me that “stage mode” is only used when watching videos. It’s not an issue with the magnet strength, it’s just too vertical for writing or drawing. One other scenario that works well: it’s good for showing something to someone sitting next to you. Easy to touch for navigation, pinch zoom etc.
Note that you can manually hold the screen sort of halfway between modes, but of course that wouldn’t make for a very stable drawing platform. Probably not what you want to hear! 
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Appreciate all these anecdotal notes.
So regarding the easel hinge mechanism, does it ever accidentally open while opening the lid? Conversely, is it always easy to go into Stage mode when you do want it?
Essentially, I’m just wondering how ‘minimal’ the mechanism is in terms of user consciousness. These kinds of things while seemingly trivial, are part of the reason why the Surface Book didn’t catch on: the futziness of the detach.
A family member had one for a time and the magnetic hinge mechanism was so strong and precise, I don’t think it ever once had a malfunction for him. The only thing that made him sell his unit was the fan failed making a grating noise both on the original and replacement. He finally gave up, got one more replacement and immediately sold it off. Granted, these were all initial batches and the new model purportedly has substantially improved the cooling system as well so I would hope the grating fan of death is no longer an issue.
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I think in over a year of ownership I’ve had the screen “kink” (flip partly open) by accident maybe twice. It basically doesn’t happen. As for going to stage mode, it took some getting used to (trying to grip only the screen corners can actually bend the screen 
) but these days it’s effortless.
The main improvement in quality of Surface life occurred when I was informed about the @Dellaster flip, see here. That makes it very easy to switch from laptop to tablet mode and vice versa.
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Wow, so three in a row had the fan grating problem? But @JoeS’ demo unit (which should be from the initial run) had no problems, wow @JoeS count your lucky stars!
Really appreciate all these user testimonials.
To be clear, I would be perfectly ok using 4 iPads stack together if it also offer 3-4x the power! 
While it may seem crazy to use the SLS in clipboard fashion, as a slate aficionado, I’ll tell you why it’s not:
First, is there is a ‘grip lip’ on the left, which actually improves the ergonomics relative to a uniform chassis: it allows a secure grip, recessed inside your finger joints, as opposed to downward pressure on the screen face.
Second, the pen storage is within the cavity on right. Again, this is superior to say the iPad Pro, where a casual bump can completely dislodge the pen. And I’m not talking the pen catching and sliding off (which is also a problem), but a lateral impact that causes the ‘torque’ off magnetic alignment.
I’ve randomly dropped my pen quite a few times this way, and am therefore extremely wary of bringing the IPP on traveling sketching sessions (frequent stops to sketch). With the SLS on the other hand, I’d be confident the pen would never slip out, no matter how I handled the tablet.
So actually, I think the SLS has a great draw for ‘power’ slate user!
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That’s definitely true. I like how they handled the pen on this one. Very secure, and still pretty easy to grab. I would still like a divet behind the pen so it’s easier to pry off, but it’s already pretty good. As for using it as a slate, maybe you can get shoulder straps like those on an accordion. 
BTW @Hifihedgehog any demo stock at ProVantage? Not that I should try them again after the huge delay on the TAA certified models…
No, just two but he had his fill and wanted a small gaming laptop anyway so he went for a Razer Blade 14.
No, they seem to be keeping their shields up with demos these days and both them and CDW seem to be the worst at actually fulfilling orders unless you bug them multiple times per day for several weeks. Provantage is also exceptionally lazy at updating their stock, and so they have yet to update their stock for the new Surface releases.
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It did take 7 months for me to get my SLS with Provantage…
I do now have an active itsavvy account… Hmm…
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The man, the legend 
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