When do you think you'll replace your current tech?

Sorry, just want to clarify that is just through regular use, opening and closing? Typically how many times a day do you switch between tablet and laptop mode?

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Yes, normal use. I’m not dropping it or running it over or something. LOL! :slight_smile: Just normal stuff. I probably switch a yoga-style device around once daily, max. Sometimes less

edit- also worth saying that I don’t baby my devices. I work in the field and carry them around in a bag. So, not delicate either, but nothing crazy IMO

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Bold prediction. I just assume MS is constantly wading through sh*t, sometimes rearing its head to give us something great—but always erratically.

So assuming MS does hit its release date: what if Hamoa underdelivers in the sub-11" form-factor (no compelling performance or battery advantage over the SPX). Will you keep the SPX, or suck it up and buy it, out of pure love for the Go form-factor?

Scenario B: What if Hamoa only delivers in the 13" form-factor and the price is reasonable. Would you upgrade the SPX (committing yourself to the large tablet size), or hope-against-hope that some other manufacturer creates a smaller version that does perform well?

Interested in your calculus under imperfect upgrade scenarios (the challenge of all TPCRers :stuck_out_tongue: ).

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No question. Upgraded form factor wins.

Tougher one. Probably keep the Pro X hoping for an 11" tablet from someone else.

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You and @Bronsky are both wrong - I don’t think MS has the capacity any longer to get it’s sh*t together. Ever since they handed the reins to Nadella, they have been on one consistent path - subscription based cloud services, and all efforts drive that narrative. Who needs productivity software, cutting edge hardware, and a flawless operating system when you have Azure, unlimited GPU’s, and mystical content eating sage to answer your every question (rightly or wrongly)…

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But then how does the Surface division fit into this?

When the MS Stores closed down, I feared the Surface hardware division was next, but somehow it has continued to eek out a niche within the trillion-dollar behemoth. What do you think that niche is under Nadella?

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Avoidance of total embarrassment. If they were to shutter Surface it would be an admission that hardware no longer matters in the Microsoft walled garden. It would be worse than Kin, HoloLens, Bob, Clippy, or any of MS’ other Google-like disasters. As long as it is not a net loss, let Panos and company dabble in hardware or Panos may end up with Timmy building the real MS killer hardware…

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Are you sure this is one of their priorities? :laughing:

But in seriousness, I don’t think this is enough reason for a company to keep a whole division alive. Think of the bad press all the tech companies garner for any number of reasons: mass layoffs, privacy violations, wasteful proprietary standards. When it comes to cuts, Nadella is as ruthless as the rest of the titans.

In my opinion, Surface stays alive because of the business side, as is a path to Azure integration. It is also useful as a hype tool, when Panos does his yearly runway walk for the tech press. (And to be honest, I often tune in just for that. :wink: )

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Maybe “embarrassment” was the wrong term - it’s more like “Well, now everybody KNOWS, not just SUSPECTS, what we are up to…”

I really think they don’t give a d@mn about hardware in the C Suite…

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Speaking of Surface products, my SLS came in the mail yesterday. Such a lovely device! Opened it up and put a 1TB SSD in last night, and am setting it up. So far, I’m in the honeymoon phase. My wife has one, and it’s been a great laptop for her. Given my testing on her device, and the last 24 hours, I agree. Great keyboard, stellar sound, lovely screen, good build quality, quiet and cool. Wish it had more ports, but I can take what it offers.

I hope MS keeps on making these and improving the Surface line in general. The products themselves are very nice.

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Pretty late to this particular party, but I’ve only recently turned my thinking to possible tech upgrades. So, without further ado:

<> Aurora R-8 - My Alienware Aurora is about 4-1/2 years old, but I feel no desire to replace it. Still fast and (mostly) trouble free despite many software updates and mods.

<> Surface Studio 2 - If there was ever another unicorn platform for my wife, I don’t know what it would be. She still LOVES it and it seems to be working fine. It hasn’t given us a day of trouble, so no replacements here, either. (Plus MSFT’s timid refresh of the Studio 2+ wasn’t particularly awe-inspiring…)

<> HP VICTUS Laptop - Basically a brand new back-up for my wife when she’s not in her office area. I’d be more impressed with it if it hadn’t promptly developed a cracked screen that we had to pay to have repaired… because it was obviously our fault … Since then it’s been running OK, but I’m keeping my eye on it…

<> Surface Pro 8 - Once again, not much interest in updating UNLESS MSFT does something unique or significant with the SP10 form factor or the pen. So far, I haven’t heard anything to suggest that they will, so will likely live with my SP8 for another year…

<> ZBook X2 - This one’s tough; my ZBook continues to work well, but it’s getting a little long in the tooth, and the new Asus ROG Flow Z13 is looking really interesting. This may be the prime candidate for upgrading later this year when the RTX4060 (or RTX4070???) version in the black form factor debuts. I might end up keeping my ZBook, too. We’ll see…

<> Surface Pro X - My experiment with WOA is over and I plan to sell my SPX sometime soon. It was an OK platform, but it won’t be missed. X86 battery life has never been a problem for me and MSFT’s neglect of the platform made the SPX a needless 5th wheel.

<> iPad Pro 11" - No change likely here, either. This pre-M1 IPP continues to do yeoman’s work in our family room, providing answers for arguments and late-night amazon and food orders. I think I’m noticing a decline in its battery life, but until it gets more significant, it’s livable.

<> iPad Mini - Same here, but for a different reason. The Mini is much newer than the iPP, and it serves as the platform to run all my companion apps for my various gizmos and gadgets, The size makes it very convenient. I can understand why many of us here wish that there was an 8" Surface…!

So that’s my list. Looks like I’m getting off easy, at least this year!

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With Microsoft rumored to be making an 11" Pro with Intel power and the next generation Go to be getting a 7cx series ARM chip, my experiment with WOA may be coming to an end as well. I guess it all depends on how good or bad the Intel power is or the 7cx. It might also depend on whether or not the devices actually get made. Microsoft has had a lot of ideas that never made it off the development table.

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Wintel still going strong.

This is how I feel about the Microsoft - AMD relationship.

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I’m not sure it is even that cordial…

Looking back at my list just now, I realize that I forgot something…

<> Surface Duo 2 - Probably one of the biggest love / hate relationships I’ve ever had with a piece of technology, one could almost weep when one considers the potential that MSFT has squandered by bringing the Duo to market with poorly baked software and lackluster (and apparently now nonexistant?) updates. While the two-screen UI is mostly a wonderful implementation, the interaction between some of the functionalities - in particular the phone UI - is a curse that frequently cripples the Duo and its promise. Dropped calls, phone UI that closes unexpectedly and can’t be recalled, frozen touch response and other anomalous behaviors have all plagued both my Duo and this Duo 2. And MSFT should have made the Duo just a little thicker and provided an external screen so that calls could be answered without opening it up. Lots of problems have cropped up for me while trying to do that. The lost opportunities are infuriating! But enough! My Duo 2 is in great condition, so I’ll continue to use it for at least another year or two. After that, I’ll probably take a serious look at the phone landscape and pick either a folding phone or an ordinary slab phone like a Samsung Galaxy…

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  • AOC AGON Gaming AG493UCX 49" (5120x1440) - This has just replaced my 34" CU34G2X ultrawide screen. It will never be replaced, if I can help it. It’s simply a stunning screen.
  • Surface Duo - I tried replacing the Duo with a Duo 2, but returned to the duo as it’s simply ‘balanced’ without a great, big, camera hump. I use this strictly as a media playback device. It ‘might’ be replaced by Google’s Fold.
  • Pixel 7 Pro - I do love this phone. I mainly use it for camera duty or navigation when on holiday. Sure, it’s my phone, but not many people call these days. It will probably be replaced by the 8 pro, or the Fold (depending on price).
  • Go Pro 12 - Year after year, I upgrade. I really do wish that they’d improve low light performance. Or performance. Or anything, instead of the slow drip of progression.
  • Nikon Z6 - It sits there doing nothing, wishing that I’d use it.
  • Ticwath Pro 3 Ultra - I love this watch. Navigation is more or less fine, with only a few niggles. Patiently waiting for OS Wear 3 or the TW 5.
  • DJI Mini 2 - I did change to a Mini 3, which IS a much better drone, but the 2 was purchased for work so it’s good enough when it’s free to use.
  • Anker NEBULA Capsule Max - I sold the LG OLED TV. I also sold my standard LG TV and moved to this. It’s… okay. 720p is acceptable when only playing media, so I’ll keep it. No need to upgrade as I hardly watch TV anyway (see the 49" monitor above).
  • Honor Pad X8 10.1" - This is for a special project. Not tellin’ anyone. Not a bad tablet and I only paid £115. No need to update.
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I used to replace my tech when something novel regarding EMR comes along: Galaxy Book 12, Galaxy Note 1, Asus Note 8… But irregardless of EMR, nothing tech-wise the past few years has really generated a lot of excitement for me. Even the Fold, in the end, feels like a nice-to-have rather than a must, and this year I’m still going to stay on the Fold 3.

I’d say at this point, given the rise of generative AI and the prospect of training/generating on-prem instances of it, that I’ll wind up replacing my current tech due to wanting an upgrade on my GPU’s power and VRAM.

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At this point it may be never (I KNOW - IMPOSSIBILITYY FOR THIS TECH NOMAD)…

My frustration is OneNote…I even tried a Galaxy Book 3 Pro 360 - beautiful screen by the way - but even with a fresh install of Office and using a totally new notebook in OneNote (never even tried to connect to my business notebook) it would still “freeze up” after 10-15 minutes of note taking and then keep intermittently freezing 3-4 seconds at a time from then on. AND this was with an EMR S Pen - must be my magnetic personality disturbing the universe around me…

The iPad Pro, even with my notebook data, still shows no lag/freeze in extended writing sessions. Do you think Steve’s reality distortion field is counteracting my negative magnetic personality???

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That is absolutely bizarre!

Are you still using your OneDrive? I wonder if the corruption is there somehow?

Could you try it without using your OneDrive?

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OneNote won’t allow me to move my data from OneDrive to a local folder - I’d LOVE to ditch Onedrive…

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