Foto: Microsoft
Hatte sich Microsoft bei seinem ersten Versuch als Tablet-Hersteller noch an den vermeintlichen Wünschen der privaten Nutzer von iPad und Co. orientiert, steht beim Surface Pro die Business-Klientel im Vordergrund. Immerhin versteckt sich unter dem Mantel des kleinen 10-Zoll-Tablets ein richtiger PC mit x86-Prozessor und vollwertigem Windows-Betriebssystem, der sich in die Unternehmens-Infrastruktur integrieren lässt, erweiterte Datenschutzfunktionen zulässt und neben Apps mit Touch-Bedienung auch spezielle Desktop-Anwendungen, die unter Windows 7 laufen, unterstützt.
Mehr noch: Wie Microsoft als Entscheidungshilfe auf seiner Website angibt, liegt der Fokus des Surface Pro zudem auf Verarbeitungsgeschwindigkeit und Kompatibilität. Dafür müsse man allerdings Kompromisse bei Gewicht, Dicke und Akkulaufzeit in Kauf nehmen, so der Hinweis des Softwareriesen auf Abwegen.
Worauf sich der Nutzer einlässt, zeigt sich bereits bei einem direkten Vergleich mit dem Surface RT: Von vorne betrachtet sehen die beiden Varianten mit dem kantigen aber gut verarbeiteten Gehäuse aus Magnesium-Legierung und dem lang gestreckten 10,6-Zoll-Display im 16:9-Format nahezu gleich aus. Nur bei genauem Hinsehen erkennt man, dass der Bildschirm des Surface Pro deutlich schärfer ist - die Auflösung wurde gegenüber dem ersten Microsoft-Tablet von 1366 mal 768 Pixel auf Full-HD (1920 mal 1080 Bildpunkte) erhöht.
- Surface-Pro-Launch
Selbst ausprobieren: Zum Verkaufsstart stattet Microsoft über 600 Händler mit Surface Display-Stands und -Tischen aus. - Surface Pro Seitenansicht
Der leistungsfähige Core-i5-Prozessor braucht aktive Lüftung und schlägt etwas auf die Taille. - Surface Pro Notebook-Ersatz
Der metallene Aufsteller verwandelt das Surface Pro in Kombination mit der Tastaturerweiterung in eine Art Note- oder Netbook. - Surface Pro Notebook-Ersatz
Leider lässt sich die Neigung des Kickstand nicht verändern. - Surface Pro Tastaturerweiterung
Wie beim Surface RT gibt es auch die per Magnet-Clip andockbaren und in mehreren Farben erhältlichen Tastaturerweiterungen Touch-Cover... - Surface Pro Tastaturerweiterung
...und Type-Cover (mit mechanischen Tasten). - Surface Touch-Bedienung
Auf der Kacheloberfläche von Windows 8 kommt man auch gut mit der Fingerbedienung zurecht. - Surface Pro Digitizer
Zusätzlich gibt es einen Digitizer-Stift, der sich präzise nutzen lässt und insbesondere bei der Arbeit im Desktop-Bereich von Windows 8 und unterwegs (z.B. Handschrifterkennung) gute Dienste leistet. - Surface Pro Digitizer
Leider gibt es für den Surface Pen keinen speziellen Schacht für den Transport, er teilt sich mit dem Ladestecker den Magnetanschluss an der Seite zur (mehr oder weniger stabilen) Befestigung.
Auf der Rückseite befindet sich auch der metallene Aufsteller, der das Surface in Kombination mit der Tastaturerweiterung in eine Art Note- oder Netbook verwandelt. Leider lässt sich die Neigung des Kickstand aber nicht verändern, sondern der Nutzer muss seine Körperhaltung entsprechend anpassen, um Spiegelungen am Display zu vermeiden und das Gerät ideal einsehen und bedienen zu können. Damit nicht genug: In dieser Position zeigt sich deutlich, dass das Surface Pro mit 13 Millimeter Dicke wesentlich pummeliger ausfällt als das Surface RT (9 Millimeter) und so ziemlich alle am Markt erhältlichen Tablets. Mit einem Gewicht von 910 Gramm ist das Pro-Gerät außerdem fast ein Drittel schwerer als das erste Microsoft-Tablet, rechnet man noch die zur Nutzung fast obligatorische Tastatur hinzu, kommt man auf über ein Kilogramm – das Surface Pro bewegt sich damit schon fast in Ultrabook-Sphären.
Mehr Ultrabook als Tablet
Auch sonst ist das Surface Pro näher mit der besonders schlanken Notebook-Gattung verwandt, die die Ähnlichkeiten mit dem RT sind eher äußerlicher Natur. So ist im Inneren des Geräts anstelle des stromsparenden ARM-Prozessors eine 1,7-Ghz-Dual-Core-CPU von Intel (Core i5-3317U) verbaut, die von vier GB RAM unterstützt wird. Diese Kombination bringt ordentliche Rechenleistung, um herkömmliche Windows-Anwendungen ohne Verzögerungen und Ruckeln zu nutzen, lediglich bei grafikintensiven Spielen dürfte das integrierte HD-4000-Grafikmodul an seine Grenzen stoßen.
Gleichzeitig benötigt der Notebook-Prozessor aber auch zusätzliche (leise) Lüftung und -Schlitze sowie allgemein mehr Platz als die ARM-CPU. Wenig überraschend liegt auch der Stromverbrauch deutlich höher, trotz der von 35 auf 42 Wattstunden vergrößerten Akkukapazität machte das Surface Pro im Test bereits nach gut vier Stunden Laufzeit schlapp – als wir Ende 2012 das Surface RT unter die Lupe nahmen, schafften wir immerhin einen knappen Arbeitstag. Leider ist ein einfacher Wechsel des Akkus nicht möglich, womit die Mobilität deutlich begrenzt ist. Wenig überraschend ist das Surface Pro auch kein Always-On-Gerät – wird der Einschaltknopf auf der Oberseite betätigt, wacht das Tablet aber in nur wenigen Sekunden aus dem Standby-Modus auf.
- Walt Mossberg, "Wall Street Journal"
"Some users may not mind the price or bulk of the Surface Pro if it frees them from carrying a tablet for some uses and a laptop for others. But like many products that try to be two things at once, the new Surface Windows 8 Pro does neither as well as those designed for one function." - David Pierce, "The Verge"
"Even a well-executed Surface still doesn't work for me, and I'd bet it doesn't work for most other people either. It's really tough to use on anything but a desk, and the wide, 16:9 aspect ratio pretty severely limits its usefulness as a tablet anyway. It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do. In its quest to be both, the Surface is really neither. It's supposed to be freeing, but it just feels limiting." - John Biggs, "TechCrunch"
"In short, the Surface Pro is so good that it could drive Windows 8 adoption with enough force to make people reconsider Microsoft’s odd new OS. Microsoft bet the farm on a new paradigm and it needs a champion. Surface Pro is the right hardware for the job." - Iain Thompson, "The Register"
"But if you're stacking the Surface Pro up against other Ultrabooks, then the system's cost is within the bounds of sanity. If Windows is your thing and you're not often working on the go, it's worth taking a look at the Surface Pro." - Peter Bright, "Ars Technica"
"Surface Pro's major selling point over Surface RT is that it can run almost two decades worth of Windows apps. But those apps are almost universally mouse and keyboard apps, which means you're going to want to treat Surface Pro more like a laptop and less like a tablet. Maybe other people can make use of the form factor better than I can. I'm sure the same markets that have used Windows tablets for the last decade will leap at Surface Pro—if they haven't already gone for the iPad. I'm sure some people will find it "good enough" as a laptop-like device, and for them it may be a viable purchase. But it's not for me." - Ed Bott, "ZDNet"
"In short, this is a great product for anyone who’s already committed to a Microsoft-centric work environment. It isn’t likely to inspire many iPad owners to switch, unless those Apple tablets are in the hands of someone who has been eagerly awaiting an excuse to execute the iTunes ecosystem. I don’t expect Surface Pro to be a breakout hit for Microsoft. Too many people will have good reasons to say no, at least for now. But it does represent a solid, interesting, adventurous alternative for anyone who wants to spend some quality time today exploring Microsoft’s vision of the future. The big question is how large that market is, and whether Microsoft can evolve both the Surface hardware and its accompanying apps and services so the next iteration is capable of breaking out in a big way." - Alexandra Chang, "WIRED"
"WIRED: Sleek and well-designed hardware. Sharp, beautiful touchscreen. Speedy performance. Runs all legacy Windows desktop applications. Great pressure-sensitive pen. Additional USB port on the charger so you can charge your phone at the same time. Type Cover is pleasant and forgiving. TIRED: Lacking in usable storage space. Short on battery life. Non-adjustable kickstand becomes a burden with long-term use. Pricey; you’ll need to drop extra money on several accessories (mouse, keyboard cover, external storage). Too hot, heavy and thick to comfortably use as a tablet." - Steve Kovach, "Business Insider"
"Microsoft created a very strange product category with the Surface Pro, one that will likely only appeal to a slim number of people who want to try a funky form factor but still work in a classic desktop environment when they need to. My experience with the Surface Pro was nearly identical to the one I had with the Surface RT, which makes it tough to recommend a pricier and heavier device with bad battery life. If the Surface intrigues you, check out the RT model first." - Tim Stevens, "Engadget"
"That it offers compatibility with the massive back-catalog of Windows apps gives this a strong leg up over the earlier Surface RT, but the thickness, heft and battery life are big marks against. We're confident Microsoft will keep refining Windows 8 to make the OS as a whole more seamlessly tablet-friendly, and we look forward to testing the dozens of touch-friendly hybrid and convertible devices due this year, but sadly Microsoft's second tablet doesn't have us reaching for our credit cards. Not quite yet." - Kyle Wagner, "Gizmodo"
"If it fits your professional needs, you'll at least want to consider it. Same goes if you have enough scratch to take a flyer on a secondary computer (that also happens to represent the future of computing). For anyone else, the Surface Pro probably isn't worth it. The Surface Pro is ultimately the best answer to questions a lot of people haven't bothered asking yet. That's different from being extraneous—it's more like being the girl who shows up 30 minutes early to every party—but it still means the Pro isn't for everyone. For a lot of you, a thick, superpowered tablet isn't necessary, and a laptop-like (and laptop-priced) machine that makes it harder to bang out emails, IMs, and tweets while on the couch or in bed is nothing you're interested in." - Walt Mossberg, "Wall Street Journal"
"Some users may not mind the price or bulk of the Surface Pro if it frees them from carrying a tablet for some uses and a laptop for others. But like many products that try to be two things at once, the new Surface Windows 8 Pro does neither as well as those designed for one function." - David Pierce, "The Verge"
"Even a well-executed Surface still doesn't work for me, and I'd bet it doesn't work for most other people either. It's really tough to use on anything but a desk, and the wide, 16:9 aspect ratio pretty severely limits its usefulness as a tablet anyway. It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do. In its quest to be both, the Surface is really neither. It's supposed to be freeing, but it just feels limiting." - John Biggs, "TechCrunch"
"In short, the Surface Pro is so good that it could drive Windows 8 adoption with enough force to make people reconsider Microsoft’s odd new OS. Microsoft bet the farm on a new paradigm and it needs a champion. Surface Pro is the right hardware for the job." - Iain Thompson, "The Register"
"But if you're stacking the Surface Pro up against other Ultrabooks, then the system's cost is within the bounds of sanity. If Windows is your thing and you're not often working on the go, it's worth taking a look at the Surface Pro." - Peter Bright, "Ars Technica"
"Surface Pro's major selling point over Surface RT is that it can run almost two decades worth of Windows apps. But those apps are almost universally mouse and keyboard apps, which means you're going to want to treat Surface Pro more like a laptop and less like a tablet. Maybe other people can make use of the form factor better than I can. I'm sure the same markets that have used Windows tablets for the last decade will leap at Surface Pro—if they haven't already gone for the iPad. I'm sure some people will find it "good enough" as a laptop-like device, and for them it may be a viable purchase. But it's not for me." - Ed Bott, "ZDNet"
"In short, this is a great product for anyone who’s already committed to a Microsoft-centric work environment. It isn’t likely to inspire many iPad owners to switch, unless those Apple tablets are in the hands of someone who has been eagerly awaiting an excuse to execute the iTunes ecosystem. I don’t expect Surface Pro to be a breakout hit for Microsoft. Too many people will have good reasons to say no, at least for now. But it does represent a solid, interesting, adventurous alternative for anyone who wants to spend some quality time today exploring Microsoft’s vision of the future. The big question is how large that market is, and whether Microsoft can evolve both the Surface hardware and its accompanying apps and services so the next iteration is capable of breaking out in a big way." - Alexandra Chang, "WIRED"
"WIRED: Sleek and well-designed hardware. Sharp, beautiful touchscreen. Speedy performance. Runs all legacy Windows desktop applications. Great pressure-sensitive pen. Additional USB port on the charger so you can charge your phone at the same time. Type Cover is pleasant and forgiving. TIRED: Lacking in usable storage space. Short on battery life. Non-adjustable kickstand becomes a burden with long-term use. Pricey; you’ll need to drop extra money on several accessories (mouse, keyboard cover, external storage). Too hot, heavy and thick to comfortably use as a tablet." - Steve Kovach, "Business Insider"
"Microsoft created a very strange product category with the Surface Pro, one that will likely only appeal to a slim number of people who want to try a funky form factor but still work in a classic desktop environment when they need to. My experience with the Surface Pro was nearly identical to the one I had with the Surface RT, which makes it tough to recommend a pricier and heavier device with bad battery life. If the Surface intrigues you, check out the RT model first." - Tim Stevens, "Engadget"
"That it offers compatibility with the massive back-catalog of Windows apps gives this a strong leg up over the earlier Surface RT, but the thickness, heft and battery life are big marks against. We're confident Microsoft will keep refining Windows 8 to make the OS as a whole more seamlessly tablet-friendly, and we look forward to testing the dozens of touch-friendly hybrid and convertible devices due this year, but sadly Microsoft's second tablet doesn't have us reaching for our credit cards. Not quite yet." - Kyle Wagner, "Gizmodo"
"If it fits your professional needs, you'll at least want to consider it. Same goes if you have enough scratch to take a flyer on a secondary computer (that also happens to represent the future of computing). For anyone else, the Surface Pro probably isn't worth it. The Surface Pro is ultimately the best answer to questions a lot of people haven't bothered asking yet. That's different from being extraneous—it's more like being the girl who shows up 30 minutes early to every party—but it still means the Pro isn't for everyone. For a lot of you, a thick, superpowered tablet isn't necessary, and a laptop-like (and laptop-priced) machine that makes it harder to bang out emails, IMs, and tweets while on the couch or in bed is nothing you're interested in." - Walt Mossberg, "Wall Street Journal"
"Some users may not mind the price or bulk of the Surface Pro if it frees them from carrying a tablet for some uses and a laptop for others. But like many products that try to be two things at once, the new Surface Windows 8 Pro does neither as well as those designed for one function." - David Pierce, "The Verge"
"Even a well-executed Surface still doesn't work for me, and I'd bet it doesn't work for most other people either. It's really tough to use on anything but a desk, and the wide, 16:9 aspect ratio pretty severely limits its usefulness as a tablet anyway. It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do. In its quest to be both, the Surface is really neither. It's supposed to be freeing, but it just feels limiting." - John Biggs, "TechCrunch"
"In short, the Surface Pro is so good that it could drive Windows 8 adoption with enough force to make people reconsider Microsoft’s odd new OS. Microsoft bet the farm on a new paradigm and it needs a champion. Surface Pro is the right hardware for the job." - Iain Thompson, "The Register"
"But if you're stacking the Surface Pro up against other Ultrabooks, then the system's cost is within the bounds of sanity. If Windows is your thing and you're not often working on the go, it's worth taking a look at the Surface Pro." - Peter Bright, "Ars Technica"
"Surface Pro's major selling point over Surface RT is that it can run almost two decades worth of Windows apps. But those apps are almost universally mouse and keyboard apps, which means you're going to want to treat Surface Pro more like a laptop and less like a tablet. Maybe other people can make use of the form factor better than I can. I'm sure the same markets that have used Windows tablets for the last decade will leap at Surface Pro—if they haven't already gone for the iPad. I'm sure some people will find it "good enough" as a laptop-like device, and for them it may be a viable purchase. But it's not for me." - Ed Bott, "ZDNet"
"In short, this is a great product for anyone who’s already committed to a Microsoft-centric work environment. It isn’t likely to inspire many iPad owners to switch, unless those Apple tablets are in the hands of someone who has been eagerly awaiting an excuse to execute the iTunes ecosystem. I don’t expect Surface Pro to be a breakout hit for Microsoft. Too many people will have good reasons to say no, at least for now. But it does represent a solid, interesting, adventurous alternative for anyone who wants to spend some quality time today exploring Microsoft’s vision of the future. The big question is how large that market is, and whether Microsoft can evolve both the Surface hardware and its accompanying apps and services so the next iteration is capable of breaking out in a big way." - Alexandra Chang, "WIRED"
"WIRED: Sleek and well-designed hardware. Sharp, beautiful touchscreen. Speedy performance. Runs all legacy Windows desktop applications. Great pressure-sensitive pen. Additional USB port on the charger so you can charge your phone at the same time. Type Cover is pleasant and forgiving. TIRED: Lacking in usable storage space. Short on battery life. Non-adjustable kickstand becomes a burden with long-term use. Pricey; you’ll need to drop extra money on several accessories (mouse, keyboard cover, external storage). Too hot, heavy and thick to comfortably use as a tablet." - Steve Kovach, "Business Insider"
"Microsoft created a very strange product category with the Surface Pro, one that will likely only appeal to a slim number of people who want to try a funky form factor but still work in a classic desktop environment when they need to. My experience with the Surface Pro was nearly identical to the one I had with the Surface RT, which makes it tough to recommend a pricier and heavier device with bad battery life. If the Surface intrigues you, check out the RT model first." - Tim Stevens, "Engadget"
"That it offers compatibility with the massive back-catalog of Windows apps gives this a strong leg up over the earlier Surface RT, but the thickness, heft and battery life are big marks against. We're confident Microsoft will keep refining Windows 8 to make the OS as a whole more seamlessly tablet-friendly, and we look forward to testing the dozens of touch-friendly hybrid and convertible devices due this year, but sadly Microsoft's second tablet doesn't have us reaching for our credit cards. Not quite yet." - Kyle Wagner, "Gizmodo"
"If it fits your professional needs, you'll at least want to consider it. Same goes if you have enough scratch to take a flyer on a secondary computer (that also happens to represent the future of computing). For anyone else, the Surface Pro probably isn't worth it. The Surface Pro is ultimately the best answer to questions a lot of people haven't bothered asking yet. That's different from being extraneous—it's more like being the girl who shows up 30 minutes early to every party—but it still means the Pro isn't for everyone. For a lot of you, a thick, superpowered tablet isn't necessary, and a laptop-like (and laptop-priced) machine that makes it harder to bang out emails, IMs, and tweets while on the couch or in bed is nothing you're interested in."
Speicherplatz ist Mangelware
Einschränkungen gibt es auch beim Speicherplatz: Beim Surface Pro stehen SSDs mit 64 und 128 GB zur Auswahl, auf ein Modell mit 32 GB wie beim Surface RT hat Microsoft sinnigerweise verzichtet. Dies geschah aus gutem Grund, denn selbst in der zum Testen zur Verfügung gestellten 128-GB-Version stehen nur 88 GB zur freien Nutzung bereit, der Rest ist mit dem Windows-Betriebssystem und der Wiederherstellungsdatei belegt – diese immerhin 8 GB kann man jedoch bei Bedarf auf einen USB-Stick auslagern, um Speicher freizumachen. Weitere bis zu 64 GB Speicherplatz erhält man durch die Verwendung des schwer auffindbaren, da unscheinbaren MicroSDXC-Slots auf der rechten Seite (NTFS-Formatierung).
Bei der restlichen Hardware orientierte sich Microsoft weitgehend am Surface RT: Das Pro-Tablet verfügt über einen Umgebungslichtsensor, einen Beschleunigungssensor, ein Gyroskop sowie einen Kompass und unterstützt WLAN a/b/g/n und Bluetooth 4.0. Auf Vorder- und Rückseite ist jeweils eine Kamera mit 0,9 Megapixel (720p) Auflösung angebracht. Außerdem besitzt der dicke Flachmann einen vollwertigen USB-3.0-Anschluss und eine 3,5mm-Kopfhörerbuchse.
Während Microsoft beim Surface RT zum Anschluss externer Monitore auf miniHDMI setzte, erhielt die Pro-Version einen Mini-DisplayPort – eine gute Wahl, denn dieser wird eher den Anforderungen im Business gerecht, zusätzlich bietet Microsoft noch Adapter für HD-AV und VGA zum stolzen Preis von je 40 Euro als Extra an – das Zubehör ist in anderen Shops aber günstiger erhältlich. Hinzu kommt noch als Zusatz-Equipment die per Bluetooth anzubindende Wedge Touch Mouse für 69 Euro.
Fest im Lieferumfang enthalten und Surface-Pro-only ist hingegen ein Digitizer-Stift, der sich präzise nutzen lässt und insbesondere bei der Arbeit im Desktop-Bereich von Windows 8 und unterwegs (z.B. Handschrifterkennung) gute Dienste leistet.
Wohin mit dem Stift?
Foto: Microsoft
Leider gibt es für den Surface Pen keinen speziellen Schacht für den Transport, sondern er teilt sich mit dem proprietären Ladestecker den Magnetanschluss an der Seite zur mehr oder weniger stabilen Befestigung. Schade, dass die Microsoft-Ingenieure ausgerechnet hier nicht mitdachten, während sie andererseits das Netzteil mit einem Extra-USB-Anschluss zum Laden eines zusätzlichen Smartphones ausstatteten.Wer den Stift nicht gleich wieder verlieren will, sollte sich also zum Transport einen anderen Unterbringungsort suchen.
Wie bereits beim Surface RT finden auch bei der Pro-Version die per Magnet-Clip andockbaren und in mehreren Farben erhältlichen Tastaturerweiterungen Touch-Cover und Type-Cover Anwendung. Sie werden allerdings nicht mitgeliefert, sondern müssen extra gekauft werden – zum Preis von jeweils über 100 Euro. Dabei ist das Type-Cover mit seinen mechanischen Tasten dem Touch-Cover in puncto Bedienbarkeit weit überlegen. Berichten von Surface-Nutzern zufolge lässt sich aber auch das Touch-Cover nach etwas Eingewöhnungszeit gut nutzen.