Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Surface Pro Gets Panned

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been looking to move into a new direction in the last few months, heavily marketing its new Windows 8 operating system, and stepping into its own in-house hardware excursion with the release of the Surface RT tablet last fall. Then, the company has put a lot of energy into hyping its Surface Pro, or as the company calls it, the Surface with Windows 8 Professional. However, with the Surface Pro making it way into the market, some techies are giving their reviews – and the device seems to be getting panned more than praised.

Oh, it’s not all bad. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) did get its share of positive comments about the hardware, the speed of the OS and the general performance. However, many of the negative comments surrounded a lack of memory, the weight of the device and very short battery life.  The Surface Pro does run the full Windows 8 OS, which Microsoft claims makes it the first tablet to run a full operating system. The device comes in 64- and 128-gigabyte versions with wi-fi only compatibility. The 64-GB device sells for $899, but the keyboard/cover is sold separately for $120.

Walt Mossberg of AllThingsD wrote, “It ran all the software I threw at it – both the new type and the old desktop type – speedily and well. But the Pro has some significant downsides, especially as a tablet … It’s too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best … Apple’s full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It’s something of a tweener – a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop.” He added that the Surface Pro’s battery lasted just four hours – half as long as an iPad from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

What are some other comments from these tech writers?