Customer Ratings & Reviews

I'm a bit of a techno geek so I bought this just because. We have iPads, iPhones, Laptops etc. In our house. My quick comparison between the Surface and the iPad is this: In its "naked" state (without cases) I like the feel of the Surface better. I like the screen dimensions of the Surface better, its not as square as the iPad. I really like the snap on touch keyboard cover for the surface. Its a full functioning keyboard with a mouse. Its also a cover that can be folded all the way behind the surface when using it just as a tablet. The cover turns off when folded behind so there is no worries of accidentally pressing keys. I purchased the touch cover 2, the difference on the 2 is it has backlit keys which are nice in low light situations. Another advantage over the iPad is the FREE Microsoft office suite that comes with it. I use Excel and Word often. One downfall for some people is that the Surface RT uses a ARM processor which will not allow you do add other windows programs that are not in the Microsoft store, For more $$ the Surface Pro will allow you to add your own windows programs. The Windows store is not nearly as extensive as the Apple store for apps, but it improves daily and I have not found it to be a problem myself. This unit has a USB port, which is nice for a lot of things. A micro SD card slot to add tons of storage space if needed, or to transfer photos from your camera etc. And it also has a micro HDMI to HDMI port to connect to your TVs. This works great for doing slide shows of your favorite picture, movies, playing games or whatever, the picture quality is excellent! I bought a 10 foot cable off ebay for $5.39 shipped and it works perfect. The surface cable is $29.99 at retail stores and is only 14 inches. Overall I give the Surface RT 2 thumbs up!!

The build quality of the tablet is top notch. The matte materials used on the device are great. The touch cover with keyboard is surprisingly great for typing. Windows 8 is a great operating system though in need of some tweaks to make it a better experience. From time to time it will slow down and browsing web pages will get wonky. The built in mail app is slightly lacking in functionality but is ok for basic usage. The kickstand on the back is solid and works well. The screen is great. Touch functions are very responsive and consistent. Having a USB port on a Tablet is absolutely awesome. The ability to add additional storage using a microSD card is great too. Overall a great tablet.

Microsoft has a long way to go. I returned this item after 10 days because of the poor quality, lack of apps and when typing it could not keep up with my speed. I returned and purchased a MacBook Pro and wow- the surface is junk compared to MacBook Pro. Don't waste your time buying this.

Difficult to set up, got frustrated, so I returned it to store.

I do not like windows 8. I sold this a got a ipad air instead.

it also would not always recognize my password, frustrating

completely useless device, You cannot use your printer, you cannot load any other browser except useless internet Explorer. you cannot stream to TV, you cannot use it on local network only one way, unable to load ITunes. Do not waste your money!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This definitely not your avg. Tablet, its packed with software that some people use on their desktop. I have all apple products except for my tablet. I was looking for something I could use in the office, meetings, research and entertainment. The split screen function allows you to watch a movie and write a paper at the same time or whatever you want to do at the same time. The screen isn't retina display but its still a great HD screen. At the end of the day if your looking for something close to a "desktop tablet" then the surface tablets are your best pick, they just need more apps to compete with apple. If your looking for something with alot of apps,siri and a great screen then iPad is your pick. I think the surface is great for students, business workers or anyone looking for a tablet with productive functions. Oh the kick stand is a plus and the SD card to add more memory is great, iPad can't do that. Oh and the screen size is great for movies, and its bigger than the iPad.

Everything worked fine on it for a couple of weeks. But now Facebook hangs up, mail doesn't update properly, IE gets hung up. Touch screen doesn'r respond half the time. Not happy. I was expecting it to be more reliable and not have software issues. Also no iTunes.

I am loving this tablet! Finally the best of both worlds. I started with an iphone, but found that I quickly tired of Apples proprietary lockdown. I then moved to the Android market. And don't get me wrong, I still love my Samsung Galaxy SIII for its quick clean interface and more apps than I could ever use. I bought an Android based tablet as well, but quickly tired of it because it did little more than my phone and I found I simply was not using it except to watch movies while travelling. Then I discovered the Surface. WOW! This is the best of both worlds. It could almost replace a home computer entirely with a few exceptions. If you have not yet had the experience of tinkering with Windows 8, you find that you have a fully functioning desktop, with the ease and fun of an apps based overlay. This is the perfect combination for a tablet. While the apps market is currently somewhat limited, I am sure that it will grow over time, but honestly with a full Windows interface and Internet Explorer browser that can do everything your desktop can do, who needs an excessive amount of apps anyway? There is a small learning curve when learning anything new, but once you get the hang of it, the interface is kind of fun to use. And did I mention there is a fully functioning version of Office 2013 Preview? Yes fully functioning! Windows, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. My only complaint is that the Windows RT is limited to software desired for the RT operating system. But if you are willing to upgrade to the Surface Pro, that is no longer an issue. The Pro version also allows for the full version of Office 2013 and Lync for business use. Bottom line, if you are an app junkie, the surface may not be for you. But if you miss your Windows experience and fully functioning desktop, give the Surface a second look.

Item was returned for warranty replacement after 10 days when it wouldn't turn on, replacement quit after 6 days. Unit was returned for refund.

If you have an iPad and iPhone like I do, reset your expectation. This is not an Apple product. This is Microsoft's first attempt at a pad/tablet and they've done a very good job. It's not perfect and does take sometime to understand how to control apps using touch and the keypad but overall it works great. Pros: Great screen and resolution. Integration with MS office and tools works great. Good key touch/type keyboards. Cool features like able to view two apps on the screen at once, one touch switching to desktop mode, easy access to settings, swiping to previous application, able to create multiple users. Can use for business much better than iPad. Magnetic connector for keypads and charger (Like the Macs). USB connector. Excellent Search functionality. Cons: Store has very little to offer right now for apps. Feels heavier than the iPad. Bluetooth feature is buggy. Needs adjustable kickstand. Some apps load slower than iPad

I am a very objective guy and have favored the Apple products over Microsoft for the last three or four years. When this device hit the market I thought, what a great idea to have a hybrid table/pc. I went to my local BB and the sales guy was good and seemed to know a fair amount about the product. So, since he was so nice and helpful I thought I would give this a try. I have been using an iPAd and Galaxy Tab for about two years along with an iPhone 5 and Sammy S3. Keep that in mind. Starting with the good about the RT. It's super light weight and easy to carry. In fact I left my notebook with pen (literally) at home because this this was so sweet. The screen image is killer and the keyboard is optional when I need it. The USB port and micro SD slot blew me away. Now the other stuff......when I went to connect to my online drives at Rackspace, the program would not install because the RT device only supports Windows store applications. It goes down hill from here; the fact that when I have to use the office suite that came with the device, I have to exist Windows 8 and go to what looks like Windows XP Pro or Windows 7. When you launch the program it takes sometimes 45 seconds for it to open. Keep in mind I told you up top that I use Apple and Android devices currently. The other bugger is that I cannot load my own antivirus or maleware detection. Does that make sense??? Isnt this a Windows product??? The internet is waiting for that opportunity. I did find bit defender on the machine but I cannot say I 100% trust it. Anyway, long and short is, great screen size, great resolution and color, light weight device. Also you become a babe magnet at the local coffee house. Down side is finger prints like crazy, no lighted keyboard, little to no apps and this thing is S....L....O.....W....when compared to my other tablets. I suggest waiting on this device until better hardware can be designed to work with the software and more apps are available. Microsoft can capture a yet to be discovered market segment like the phablet did but the hardware has to fast enough to support the heavy Microsoft OS.

I was told that this item was good for my business needs. I cannot even download ExpressScribe on it, which is software I need for my transcription business. Very unhappy with this purchase. Wasted money. :-(

I couldnt download what I liked said it couldnt wasnt load didnt like the way it was touchy wasnt for me but my boyfriend loved it gave it to him for Christmas he loves what it does its not for everyone

I have had a MacBook for over 5 years, recently it died and they told me that they could do nothing to buy a new one. After all my research I found out that the surface had word so I bought it. I am never without with tablet. Along with how portable it is the optional keyboard mat is great. It may be a little frustrating at times, since it is a mat and I do have to repress keys, but to have the option of an actual keyboard instead of the one on the screen is great. The battery life amazed me. I am a full time student along with helping run websites for a business so I am on my computers/tablet almost 24/7 so I needed something with battery. I used this tablet from about 7:30 am till about 10pm and that was when I finally needed to plug it in. It lasted me almost 15 hours. The most amazing part is word. I think it's amazing how well they imputed a full version of word into such a compact tablet. I have written term papers as well as open power points without a hitch. I am able to edit and share the paper on skydrive with people I authorize, also great for group projects or ideas for websites. It also came with a new program called OneNote, it's. Blogging notebook type program but it allows subdivisions of your paper as well as drawing on the paper. It's more of journal than anything that can be used to write serious papers. Also, ipads don't support a lot of school websites to take exams and quizzes, this does. The speakers are not the greatest but they do well in providing music, however, no tablet speaker is Going to be as good as if you bought external ones. Also, when you use headphones the sound is great. The camera is so-so. Not the greatest but that's why I have my phone. If I need the picture on my tablet right away I upload it to skydrive and I have it in a few seconds, or I just take it with my tablet. There is a slight problem with Facebook chat ON the tablet. Microsoft had the messenger app and it's come to my attention that they are replacing it with Skype, however, it's been nothing but awful to set up and figure out. Once you link your Microsoft account to Skype you have to sign off entirely from your tablet and sign in with someone new. Which I find ridiculous. I use Facebook chat often and it would be nice to be able to have an app right on my screen on order to use it without having to open Facebook on the web. The windows store is lacking in games and some very much used apps but all in time. Keep in mind that by buying the 32gb you are actually getting about 12gb since windows program takes about half. Which makes skydrive as well as an external harddrive that much more needed. This tablet replaced a laptop for me as a student. For business people they should look more at the pro version of the surface. The only downside is that it's so expensive, however, if you look at other tablets such as the iPad or the galaxy note 10.1 you will be spending about the same amount of money to get the keyboard, full version of windows and the memory card. Otherwise this is an amazing tablet. There are little bumps on it but it's technology, there will always be something on it that is not perfect but for what this tablet can do it's worth overlooking them. My whole family now has it.

I don't understand all the negative tech press regarding this fine little device. I will not replace or even come close to replacing my iPad, but for relaxing in my recliner and touching up a document or spreadsheet it is great. One thing the iPad can't do is provide a decent MS Office compatible experience...even with office for the iPhone and SkyDrive on iPad. I find the speed, graphics and touch interface each to work fine and very smoothly. I have the type keyboard which is great. I use a USB trackball explorer at times when at a desk. I don't like the power connection at all, I find it very difficult to connect ... not at all like the connection on my MacBook Air or a simple plug in on the iPad or iPhone.... this needs a design review and revision. for a child going to college or school, the Surface RT is a better alternative than the iPad because it has REAL MS Office. As much as I love my iPad and use it for mail, reading the news, magazines, books, surfing the web, keeping up with Farcebook, twitter, etc., the Surface is a practical tool, constructed well, light and easy to carry, and did I say it has MS Office? Well that's the whole reason to have this device isn't it? As people today say, "it is what it is" a fine device, works as advertised, does the things you want a tablet to do, does them well and speedily. I recommend the Surface RT without reservation

The Windows RT Surface is a solid product which offers both productivity (Office Suite) as well as entertainment capabilities. However, there's an old saying...strive to do your very best at the task/job you have before you, etc. I understand this device offers something different than the ipad and android tablets, but clearly, the developers of the Windows RT Surface didn't spend much time, if any, on the quality of the camera and audio functions. They should have simply put forth a better effort or simply by-passed having a camera function all together. The clarity of which the camera projects is horrible, to say the least. I had an old 2004 Motorolla flip-phone that presented a more clear camera picture than this 2012 Tablet...which is quite sad. The volume is decent if one is using headphones, but without headphones, this tablet lacks the loudness in which a 10 inch device should have. I have pretty good hearing and i literally have to hold this tablet up to my ear in order to hear whatever is playing, i.e., music, movies, etc. Other than these two minor flaws, this is a solid tablet, but i returned my Windows Surface RT and will more than likely wait til the second Windows Surface RT is released. Pros touch cover is a very nice addition good picture (excluding the camera# good for getting work done via word, excel, powerpoint usb port, vga capability #adapter required# cons weak volume camera is horrific lack of apps #that should change eventually)

I really think this product can destroy the ipad when the app store gains more apps. The keyboard, full usb, 64gigs on the micro sd, stand and battery life offers so many possibilities. Average users, professionals, educators can use it for various things. The app store definitely needs help. Businesses need to invest in this platform.

I purchased the Surface RT 32GB after some very careful consideration. I find it to run as smooth as silk. I use it to watch Netflix in my bedroom, which means I do not have to buy a Riko. It works very well for me as I do a lot of work on excel and word. The only problem I have is when working on powerpoint. The Surface slows my typing down and makes it hard to fix errors. I do love the fact that I can use my mouse with the surface. When it comes to movies, I have a few USB sticks that I plug in and play off of them. A word of advice, begin each movie as you add them. I purchased Warehouse 13 from the video market and had to press play with an internet connection for the app to realize that I had the right to watch. I believe it is because of my XBOX Live Gold account, but I can stream music from the store for free. I use this all of the time. I have not had to buy any music since I got my Surface. This is a great product, but some may want to wait for the next generation to come out. It does not run legacy programs! That is what the Surface Pro is made for. The Surface RT is made to be a wonderful alternative to the iPad.