Items tagged with surface pro 4
Last month reports were making the rounds that Microsoft had started to issue replacements for Surface Pro 4 devices that had screen issues due to faulty firmware updates. Some Surface Pro 4 owners were able to get Microsoft to give them a warranty replacement, and others were unsuccessful in getting that done. Microsoft has now stepped up and acknowledged the Surface Pro 4 firmware issue and all affected users will be able to get a warranty replacement for defective devices. Microsoft has acknowledged the display issues that owners of these devices are seeing is a direct result of the July firmware update for the tablet. That firmware update caused driver issues that had to do with the Surface...
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Microsoft's Surface Pro line of devices have been increasing in popularity, as witnessed by the company's fifth-place showing in U.S. PC sales. However, problems for some Surface Pro 4 owners started creeping up after an update that was issued on July 26 which negatively impacted the touchscreen on the device. Many users flocked to Microsoft Answers to complain about problems with their devices after applying the update. On a Microsoft Answers thread dedicated to the problem, over 600 people are posting similar issues, and there are some responses from Microsoft in the mix. One of the posters in the thread,BryanH_[MSFT], wrote that Microsoft was officially investigating the touchscreen issue...
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Apple has seen some renewed interest in its iPad family of tablets over the past year. In 2017, the company launched a "new" 9.7-inch iPad priced at $329 and followed up this year by incorporating an A10 processor and support for the Apple Pencil. Microsoft has been watching carefully and is rumored to be launching its own low-cost Surface tablet to rival the iPad during the second half of 2018. According to a new report from Bloomberg, the entry-level Surface tablet will have a display the measures 10-inches across (compared to 12 inches for the Surface Pro) along with more curves in its design compared to the more squared-off look of the current Surface Pro. The report...
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Back in early February, we brought you a story about Surface Pro 4 owners that were encountering some rather distressing problems with their tablets. The displays on affected machines would flicker continuously for no apparent reason. A lengthy thread on Microsoft's official forum gathered comments from many users experiencing the problem and FlickerGate.com was established to shine a spotlight on the display failures. At the time, Microsoft said that it was "aware that some customers have experienced a screen flicker on Surface Pro 4 and are monitoring the situation closely” and that "customers impacted by this should contact Microsoft support.” Apparently, Microsoft...
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When Microsoft first announced the Surface Studio all-in-one desktop back in late October 2016, we were amazed by its sleek design and zero-gravity hinge. However, it was an accessory for the PC that especially caught our attention: the Surface Dial. The Surface Dial is a radial input device that can be placed directly on the display and sprouts out a menu that can be used to adjust colors and ink thickness (among other things) in supported apps. Microsoft has now announced that all of the Surface Dial goodness is being added to the Surface Pro 4 courtesy of a new firmware update. The support was initially due to arrive in early 2017, but encountered significant delays (as...
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Do you remember back when Consumer Reports pulled its recommendation of all Surface-branded laptops and convertibles over questions about reliability? Well, a brewing controversy surrounding the Surface Pro 4 convertible is adding more ammunition into the publications' rifle. Growing reports indicate that Surface Pro 4 owners are suffering with displays that continuously flicker for no reason. The problems are well documented on Microsoft's own support community for the Surface Pro 4, and seem to be related to thermal issues with the convertible. AbbasHaroon posted a thread on the subject way back on January 19th, 2017 and it is now 138 pages long. In fact, there is even a website that is dedicated...
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Microsoft has a public perception problem on its hands. The company’s Surface family of PCs has run afoul with Consumer Reports, which could be detrimental in its efforts to win over mainstream shoppers. In a survey of its readership, the publication found that Microsoft’s Surface line was “significantly less reliable than most other brands” and decided to drop recommendations for the products. We’ve already seen Microsoft’s public response to the damning Consumer Reports takedown, but veteran Microsoft watcher Paul Thurrott has some insight into internal discussions that have been brewing within the company for quite some time. For starters, Thurrott reports that initial problems surrounding...
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Microsoft recently announced a refresh to its Surface Pro 4 models with upgrades to Intel's latest generation processors (Kaby Lake). Part of the promise in upgrading to 7th generation Core CPUs is better batty life—Microsoft said its updated models offer up to 50 percent more run time than the previous generation with Skylake inside. To help meet that promise, Microsoft released new firmware for its Surface Pro 4. The newest firmware addresses battery life when the Surface Pro 4 goes into Sleep mode. This probably will not have a dramatic effect on things, though every little bit of additional run time that Microsoft can squeeze out of its popular 2-in-1 device is appreciated. Here is a look...
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It looks as though Hewlett-Packard has a new 2-in-1 convertible alternative waiting in the wings if you’ve been disappointed with the longish life-cycle of Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4. HP today announced the Elite x2 1012 G2, which appears to have many of the feature that Surface Pro 4 owners have been looking for in a replacement device. For starters, the MIL-SPEC tested Elite x2 1012 G2 is available with Kaby Lake Core i5 and Core i7 processors, which can be paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR3-1866 RAM. You can configure up to 512GB of storage via either a M.2 SATA or M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD (we should mention that the Surface Pro 4 tops out at 1TB). HP, however, doesn’t skimp out on the Gorilla Glass...
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The Microsoft Store is in the midst of a Spring Sale event in which many products are available at a discount, including the Surface Book, which now has a starting price of $1,299 instead of $1,499. If you prefer the Surface Pro 4 tablet to the Surface Book, there is not a discount available at the moment, though Microsoft is tossing in a free Surface Dock accessory worth $199 (streets for $137 at places like Walmart and Amazon). Using the included SurfaceConnect cable, the Surface Dock transforms the Surface Pro 4 into a desktop PC, or so that is the pitch from Microsoft. It certainly makes the Surface Pro 4 more flexible—the Surface Dock features four USB 3.0 ports, an audio output, a gigabit...
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Leading up to the launch of new MacBook Pros in October, it was pretty well understood that Apple’s Mac hardware lineup was a bit stagnant. Its MacBook Pros had been without any meaningful updates in over a year, while its Mac Pro professional desktop [still] has gone over three years without any updates. Couple that with the fact that the public and critical reception to the new 13- and 15-inch MacBook Pros (with and without the Touch Bar) have been overly critical, it stands to reason that some Mac users are looking for alternatives — even if it means leaving the relative comfort of macOS. One such company that has benefited is Microsoft, which says that its Surface lineup has seen a sales...
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Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 is long due for an upgrade -- while the current convertible is still a potent beast, it was originally released back in October 2015. A new report, however, suggests that we may have to wait a few more months for the Surface Pro 5, which will reportedly debut in Spring 2017. When the Surface Pro 5 launches, it will sport Intel’s latest Kaby Lake processors, which is to be expected. The source for this information, The BitBag, says that the Surface Pro 5 will come paired with up to 16GB of RAM and a “massive” 512GB SSD. We question the excitement over the 512GB SSD, as the current generation Surface Pro 4 is already available with 512GB and 1TB SSDs, and up to 16GB of...
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Happy Halloween, folks! The annual day of handing out free candy to neighborhood youth dressed as ghosts and goblins (or more likely Harley Quinn and creepy clowns, according to this year's most frequently searched costumes on Google) means October has come to an end and that the holiday shopping season is right around the bend. If you want to get a head start on your holiday shopping, head over to the Microsoft Store and check out the Surface Pro 4—the entry level model is currently on sale.The asking price is now $749, a sweet discount over the system's regular selling price of $899. The guts of the thing consist of an Intel Core m3 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB solid state drive, a serviceable...
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Are you the owner of an older MacBook Air or MacBook Pro and aren’t impressed with what Apple has to offer with the latest 2016-edition 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros? Well, Microsoft is definitely looking to get your business and it’s willing to throw quite a bit of cash your way to join the Surface family. Microsoft for a limited time is offering MacBook Air or MacBook Pro owners up to $650 off the purchase of a Surface Pro or Surface Book convertible if they trade-in their device. Microsoft is confident that Apple fans will appreciate the long battery life and added functionality that its Surface mobile devices have to offer. “97% of people that have a Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book use on-screen...
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