I'm still not in receipt of any
confirmed* specs to report on the upcoming refresh of the MS Surface Go, but I ran across the video linked below which IMHO is both accurate and informative - it does a good job of illustrating the Surface Go as it existed in 08/2018. If you are interested in this topic, I recommend watching the video at your leisure. As usual, I've added some background commentary below
if you care to see why I am linking this video ;-)
*[Edit] - There are some
leaked specs & price ranges which I believe to be accurate, but I'll wait until I have official confirmation on that stuff. Suffice it to say that from what I already know and what is being reported to me by reliable sources, the info below in valid.
The reason I feel that this video is relevant today is that it was part of a more recent article on "Chromebook alternatives in 2020" - i.e. what options do you have if you want/need an inexpensive mobile device for work items and the inevitable personal communications aspect. There are a ton of sources of info for Chromebooks, Android and iOS tablets as (cheap?) alternatives for work, pleasure, school, etc., but they seem to many times point to either massively more expensive Windows laptops/tablets or the really crappy ones as they build their case for why the item they are writing about is a better solution. Fair enough - if an author wants to build their case, that's great but many times, out of ignorance or bias, they may be doing more of an "apples-to-oranges" comparison. Sometimes - not always ;-) Further, I believe that in the coming months, you are likely to see more and more "apps" introduced to the market which are designed to run in more mobile-friendly environments - specifically apps meant to run in a browser. Please note that "running in a browser" does
not mean it
has to be "in the cloud"... A modern browser-based app can (and many times does) work when not connected to an external source, whether it is Wi-Fi or cellular. This is nothing new, really - we (and others) already do this sort of thing with our other (non-fee appraiser) products since it is required to be usable in remote locations, etc. Of course, the "app" has to be written to not crap out when it cannot "connect" - I think this is an obvious thing, right? So, if you find yourself entering into, or already dealing with this situation, you may be looking at a new device or replacing your old device with something which fits your situation better.
A lot of our users simply start looking at a newer/better iPad because that's what they are currently must use, prefer using or whatever. That's fine - I believe one should consider "familiarity" as an important factor for making a decision - much as you would/should other factors such as price, reliability and app availability, etc. So, per my comment in the foregoing paragraph, LOL, I'm building a case for why one might want to get something like the Surface Go instead of a Chromebook, iPad, Android tablet, or whatever. FWIW, I am pretty sure that most readers here might believe that I am biased toward Windows devices. In my "defense", I'll point out that this is a "Windows Tablets For Fieldwork" thread, so that's what I concentrate on here
I try to mention other devices/environments when relating them to what a Windows tablet can do, what they cost, which ones we have user feedback on, etc. Personally, I use Windows tablets myself in both personal use and business use as my
primary mobile devices but I also own and use iPads and Android tablets (but not any Chromebooks.)
The majority of
my business use case scenarios have me using & testing our own software via Windows devices. Other people at Apex likely use other devices for testing to help round things out. Most readers here only know of our "Full Windows" software, but we have made iOS and Android software in the past. Today, we do "Full Windows programs", a Windows "Store" app, as well as browser-based software, which means it runs on iPads, Android tablets and (as far as I know), there is no reason it would not run on a Chromebook. (I have not tested this myself since I've not gotten sufficient call for that to invest in one. Maybe I will soon, I dunno...) Most of you aren't aware of our web apps because they are deployed through other companies and may even have a different name splashed across the screen when launched/invoked. That is, we don't sell it directly to end users, though some readers may participate in "beta" releases from time to time for testing/validation purposes. I only mention that for "context" purposes as it relates to how/why I would also test other devices/OS environments using regular "daily app" stuff as well as things I know very intimately since this thread is about Windows devices and not our software (!)
So, all that being said, I believe that
IF you are a person who is considering the purchase of a device to use in the field, even the (recommended model of the) existing Surface Go is a viable device some of you should consider. One of the primary reasons is that in addition to running modern browsers, it
can run Windows "apps" as well as "Full Windows" programs like your forms software
if you want to. Without some sort of internet connection and some "remote" software, you cannot easily/routinely run Windows stuff, especially specific appraisal software on an iPad, Android table or Chromebook (unless you are a super geek and are willing to do a lot of fidgeting, which is not the point of all of this anyway.)
Now, with respect to existing vs. likely new models, as I've written before, we are most likely going to see an improved model introduced later this month. Additionally, since the current unit is almost impossible to find in the recommended configuration (i.e. 8 GB/128GB with or without 4G LTE), my thought is that you'd be better off making a purchase
after the new model is shipping. Normally, when an improved model is introduced, I have found that IF the previous model was "good enough" for your intended purposes, you sort of get a "best of both worlds" choice - get the previous model at a discount
or pay about the same price as the "old" model for the new one. In the case of the likely upcoming improved Surface Go, there may be a slight revision to this thought - wait for the discounted "refurb" units (with warranties!) to be available from reliable sources
or order the new one for the increased performance. As before, we are likely to see that the new model will be priced very nearly the same price as the previous model. That said, I believe there will be a model with a fairly significant CPU/GPU bump relative to the previous "top of the line" ($549) model and as such there would not be a
direct comparison in that category.
Again, please note that I only recommend the 8GB RAM model with 128 GB SSD storage for most appraisers! Unless you are doing only "app" stuff, email, and other personal stuff, you will likely find the model with 4GB RAM and much slower eMMC storage to be inadequate for (how I observe) most of you actually use a tablet. That is, most disappointment comes when you try to run this $350 device like a regular laptop. The software most appraisers run tends not to be well optimized for low-end spec machines, so it'll chug along and be frustrating. It'll work well enough for light duty tasks, but once you pull up (say) your forms software, it is going to quickly get overloaded. It'll
run, mind you, but you'll experience delays which can really hinder your efficiency. Part of the issue is the amount of RAM and another significant issue is the limited amount and type of storage in the low end model. Generally speaking, when a Windows device is running an unoptimized ("legacy") program, if the
available RAM close to being fully consumed, the device tries to use storage for a sort of "virtual RAM" so you can at least continue, albeit much slower. The lower end Surface Go uses eMMC type memory which is much slower than a real SSD, which is of course itself much slower than actual RAM. In other words, you
really notice it. Those of you who had earlier Windows Tablets have complained about this aspect in the past. I hear from a lot of early adopters of the regular Surface 3 devices about performance issues. Many times they seem to believe that the much less expensive Surface Go must be even slower. This is not the case - even the
the current 8GB RAM/128GB SSD Surface Go beats the pants off a Surface 3 when it comes to performance (and, of course, price!) You'll hear the reviewer in the linked video mention that from time to time, and it echoes what we have found.
So, after all of my droning on and on (surprise), I hope you find this a helpful video. Again if you are interested in this, I believe it is worth your time to watch whatever portion that seems most relevant to YOUR interests.
-Randall Garrett-
+Apex Software+
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