Microsoft Surface or Sony Vaio?

[TheKidWiththeBoots]

Hi, I'm 15 and looking for a new laptop. I will mainly be using it for school and for play when I get home. Nothing too serious. Anyways, I've been getting extremely good grades for my first year of highschool, so for Christmas, my dad said that if I could find a laptop that I would like, he would pay $400 and I would pay the rest. I was perfectly fine with that because I babysit almost every weekend, and could come up with the remaining money I would need. So, I've done research, and I really like the Vaio E Series 14 Custom laptop, starts at $499, and the new Microsoft Surface, also starting at $499. I really like both for different reasons. I like the Vaio because it's traditional, and I see it lasting me through high school, which I really want so we don't spend a bunch of money for a piece of technology that will only last a year, and it has all the basics and capabilities that I look for in a laptop. I like the Microsoft Surface because it's pretty much a hybrid, and I could use it as a laptop and a tablet. The downsides are that my dad says that the 10" screen would be too small, and also that it doesn't have a CD drive. It's not that important to me, because I don't really watch movies on dvd or anything, I think it would be good to have one just in case. Also, I could fix that problem with an external CD drive in case I needed one. But one downside to the Vaio is that it's not as portable as the Surface. I don't plan on bringing my laptop to school with me everyday, but when I do, I don't want to be breaking my back carrying around my heavy duty textbooks and a heavy laptop. Right now, there's not much writing, but we still use Microsoft Word (Surface already has it included), Prezi, and we research, but in the later years I will be doing longer papers. When I get home, I usually just check my facebook, go on pinterest, and maybe the occasional YouTube, but otherwise, I'm not a heavy gamer at all, but I still am on the computer a lot of the time. Which one do you think would be a better choice for me for the things I'm looking for, and how it will last me through highschool. Please do not refer me to any other products, I am only interested in these. Please explain your choice! Thank you!!

[jorveg_95369]

There are two varieties of Microsoft Surface. The Surface RT, which has a ARM type processor, and the Surface Pro, which contains the more conventional processor found in most run-of-the-mill laptops. The Surface RT is the one that costs $499 and is currently available right now. I've also considered getting myself one of those but the negatives that I see are the following:
(1) Because of the ARM processor it uses, the Surface RT can only use applications that are installed through the Microsoft store application in windows 8. This means that you can't install normal windows programs that aren't offered through Microsoft's own store. Basically, this kind of like the iPad with its App store. However, they do include Microsoft word so you'd be able to write your papers and do school work.
(2) The keyboard cover costs extra and isn't included in the $499 starting price. You'd have to shell out an extra $199 to buy the keyboard cover.

Later on, they're coming out with the Surface Pro, which uses the same processor as a regular laptop and allows you to run both regular windows programs and software from the Microsoft store in Windows 8. This would solve the first issue. The drawback, however is that the Surface Pro costs about $800 for its introductory model.

The second issue is more a matter of money. If you go with the surface, you'd have to pay out approximately $300 extra along with your pop's contribution to get the Surface RT along with the keyboard.

I'd recommend to visit sites like http://www.microsoft.com. I went there the other day to learn more about the surface while I considered whether or not to purchase and it broke down the differences between the two types of Surface tablets (RT and Pro).

Weighing all the factors however, if I had to choose between the Sony Vaio or the Microsoft Surface, I'd buy the Surface because it looks cooler in my opinion and it give the added utility of it being a tablet/laptop hybrid.

I know you specifically asked not to be referred to other products, you should also look at the other tablet/laptop hybrids if that is more to your liking. The Lenovo Yoga is a good example.

[Doug k]

The Surface RT (the one that's out now and starts at $499) would work well for a high school or college student. It does come with MS Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Those will get you through any research paper prep / project that I can think of. (I am a teacher by the way).

Don't worry about getting the Surface Pro. Many people are really hung up on being able to run old Windows programs (called legacy apps), but I don't think that'll be an issue for you nor would it be one for the vast majority of home users. I agree with you that the CD drive is generally not needed anymore.

You have to ask yourself two questions. If you had to spend a 10 or 15 hour, last minute jam session to get a project done, would you be physically comfortable with a tablet instead of a larger screen laptop? If the answer is no... ask yourself... Is thie loss of ergonomics / screen size offset by the massive portability of the Surface?

My personal thought is that the Surface (since it comes with MS Office) is a better value. I think the increased portability will indeed offset the loss of screen size.

[Spieler]

get the Microsoft surface RT
it really is an amazing tablet
it has a 10.6" screen with very good and high resolution
colors look clear and sharp on it
the tablet build quality is amazing
it feels perfect and its made from solid materials
the os on the tablet which is windows 8 is also amazing
its fast and fluid and also simple and easy to use
its made with touch in mind
the web browser is extremely good its fast and pages load up quickly
and it supports flash which is a huge plus and which is something that is lacking on most android tablets and all ios tablets
battery life is very good and would easily get you through more than 10 hours of heavy use
you can download apps from the windows marketplace which has many high quality apps
thousands of apps are being added everyday
more than 2000apps were added in less than 2 days
it does have more than 25000 apps now and like I said it will keep on increasing
it has dual cameras and both of them take amazing photos and videos
it has deep social network integration(skype,facebook,twitter,linkedin… and so on)
you also get Microsoft office 2013 for free on it
and if you get the keyboard and attach it to it you'll have a laptop
overall the surface is an amazing tablet and you should get it
hope i helped
tell me if you decided to
and if you got any question or need any help you can email me at spieleranswers@outlook.com