I am so sick of dealing with firmware updates and the Windows Device Manager that I’m ready to throw my Surface Pro into the nearest lake. But let me back up a bit to explain what got me to this point.
I’ve enjoyed using my iPad Air 2 as my laptop replacement so much that I rarely ever touch my MacBook Pro. But there are times that I need to haul in the heavy equipment to do things like post an article to Apple News. Yes, I need a laptop to post an article to an iOS-only app, but I won’t get started on that.
I wondered what it might be like to enjoy surfing the web, get some real work done, and post to Apple News all on my tablet. It occurred to me that I could do that today if I was willing to get a Surface Pro. I didn’t want to spend MacBook levels of money for an impulsive experiment, so I went on eBay and purchased a first-generation Surface Pro. Aside from having a relatively short battery life and being a bit thick and heavy, it still looked plenty capable with its i5-3317 processor and 128GB SSD.
So what’s the problem? Getting the Surface Pro to work with Microsoft’s own Power Cover. The Power Cover is a $200 accessory that is basically a Type Cover with a built-in battery. When it’s hooked up to the Surface Pro it’ll almost double battery life from four hours to over seven. The cover alone is as thick as an iPad Air 2, but I was willing to overlook that in the name of more power.
It turns out that the Surface Pro firmware needs to be updated to use the Power Cover. But for whatever reason, the normal Windows Update doesn’t offer the latest firmware as an option. There is no instruction manual anywhere on how to do this, and you’re on your own on finding out where to download the files. No problem, I thought; I can handle that.
I thought wrong. To make a long story short, I’ve spent the last three days downloading firmware and driver files and loading, deleting, and reloading drivers and firmware. In my desperation I even spent an extra day following quack advice on YouTube that was something akin to a witch doctor explaining mystic rituals. My Power Cover sometimes works but often doesn’t. I’m ready to give up and return the cover and sell the Surface Pro. Did I mention that the Power Cover is made by Microsoft?
Even if I had been able to maneuver Microsoft’s gauntlet of drivers, I wondered to myself how most people ever learn to properly use the Windows Device Manager. Simply finding it felt like an accomplishment. I highly doubt your average plumber or busy housewife is ever going to take the time to research message boards for help with diagnosing hardware issues.
Does Apple have it's share of hardware compatibility issues? To a lesser extent yes. But they generally iron them out over the course of weeks or months. Microsoft is still dealing with issues from hardware dating back to 2013.
I think I’m done with Windows from here on out. I won’t be junking the Windows hardware that we still have in the Perez household, but any future purchases will be running either iOS or Mac OS—preferably iOS—from now on.
I'm glad I went thought this exercise though. I no longer cast longing glances at Surface Pros that appear on TV while I’m sitting in my comfy chair working on my iPad. Can I do everything I want to in iOS? No. Do I want to waste literal days in Device Manager hell? No way.
I wondered what it might be like to enjoy surfing the web, get some real work done, and post to Apple News all on my tablet. It occurred to me that I could do that today if I was willing to get a Surface Pro. I didn’t want to spend MacBook levels of money for an impulsive experiment, so I went on eBay and purchased a first-generation Surface Pro. Aside from having a relatively short battery life and being a bit thick and heavy, it still looked plenty capable with its i5-3317 processor and 128GB SSD.
So what’s the problem? Getting the Surface Pro to work with Microsoft’s own Power Cover. The Power Cover is a $200 accessory that is basically a Type Cover with a built-in battery. When it’s hooked up to the Surface Pro it’ll almost double battery life from four hours to over seven. The cover alone is as thick as an iPad Air 2, but I was willing to overlook that in the name of more power.
It turns out that the Surface Pro firmware needs to be updated to use the Power Cover. But for whatever reason, the normal Windows Update doesn’t offer the latest firmware as an option. There is no instruction manual anywhere on how to do this, and you’re on your own on finding out where to download the files. No problem, I thought; I can handle that.
I thought wrong. To make a long story short, I’ve spent the last three days downloading firmware and driver files and loading, deleting, and reloading drivers and firmware. In my desperation I even spent an extra day following quack advice on YouTube that was something akin to a witch doctor explaining mystic rituals. My Power Cover sometimes works but often doesn’t. I’m ready to give up and return the cover and sell the Surface Pro. Did I mention that the Power Cover is made by Microsoft?
Even if I had been able to maneuver Microsoft’s gauntlet of drivers, I wondered to myself how most people ever learn to properly use the Windows Device Manager. Simply finding it felt like an accomplishment. I highly doubt your average plumber or busy housewife is ever going to take the time to research message boards for help with diagnosing hardware issues.
Does Apple have it's share of hardware compatibility issues? To a lesser extent yes. But they generally iron them out over the course of weeks or months. Microsoft is still dealing with issues from hardware dating back to 2013.
I think I’m done with Windows from here on out. I won’t be junking the Windows hardware that we still have in the Perez household, but any future purchases will be running either iOS or Mac OS—preferably iOS—from now on.
I'm glad I went thought this exercise though. I no longer cast longing glances at Surface Pros that appear on TV while I’m sitting in my comfy chair working on my iPad. Can I do everything I want to in iOS? No. Do I want to waste literal days in Device Manager hell? No way.
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