Found the Microsoft Surface Go for $498 at Harvey Norman which is a $100 discount. JB have it for $598 still and the Microsoft Student Discount takes it down by $30 only.
Haven't seen it cheaper elsewhere but it is still preorder.
EDIT: Harvey Norman prices back to RRP. JB Hi-Fi still have the deal.
JB Hi-Fi Price Match
Link to 64GB eMMC - $498 (RRP $598)
Link to 128GB SSD - $698 (RRP $839)
Just came here to say this. Avoid the SLOW 64GB, it's there for the price, not to sell to people.
Don't forget the RAM is doubled too. The base Surface models have always been very entry level.
Yep, I'd definitely go for the 128GB version with proper SSD and 8GB RAM, a major performance & memory upgrade for $200.
They're gonna get SOOOO many bad reviews with the slower EMMC storage
Of course the more expensive one is better, but if you're on a budget don't go hating on the occasionally lovable emmc storage! Modern versions will be doing >100mb/s and 15k IOPS for random read or write. Is it going to compete with an m2 970 pro? No. Will it work perfectly fine and have decent boot up times? Definitely!
On the other hand 64gb is a tad small, but if budget is your thing, it's won't be a disaster.
IMO, eMMC storage is absolutely fine unless you are wanting the fastest loading speeds. Boot up times are still respectable, and application loading times are fine too. Though, the 64GB is fairly small, and probably will not be sufficient for everybody.
Got a 32gb emmc HP X2 with 2gb ram. Yeah got it for $200 but the frustration just ain't worth it to ever go there again imo. Everything's soldered so not an easy upgrade either. Admittedly the z8300 is contributing some pain tho, on that account you might be right concerning the Go
damn, 522 grams. so tempting to buy
Nice deal, good find.
pity HN aren’t doing a deal on the keyboard and pen also ..it’s pre order so not like it costs them capital and they’d need to hold the stock.
Wonder if the processor can keep up…
yup that one - dual core, 1.6, no turbo and I'll likely run it as a 10 rather than 10S as the appstore is just horrible. I think I'll wait for reviews
I have a fanless Broadwell tablet with a core m 5y70, 1.1ghz that turbos up to 2.6ghz, but it'll only last at that for 30 seconds or so before starting to scale back down. No turbo isn't a huge deal in a tablet because it's pretty worthless anyway. Dual core/quad thread has been the standard of Intel laptop chips forever, so that's no real concern. It's also the proper Skylake architecture - don't think it'll be like an Atom chip (which was an entirely different architecture that was always much slower).
On the plus side, I'm running Windows 10 on that tablet, 2 cores and a real SSD and it's great. No issues playing back any kind of video, no noticeable lag in anything I do day to day. I used to play DOTA 2 on it, a game released 12 months before the chip was. I'd be surprised if this new chip couldn't handle rocket league on low settings. Only downside is it's Skylake based instead of Kaby Lake is Kaby Lake has a lot more hardware video decoders that would be nice.
Main problem with it is trying to play any game in it on the detachable keyboard. That's a true nightmare.
@freefall101: nice. Looks promising then, I don't intend on putting load on it except Adobe products with the own would be nice
I should not ask this, is that dual core mean, there are two 1.6gb cpu running at the same time and 3.2g in total?
@jjj123: Yes, it means it has two 1.6ghz CPU cores. But not everything can take advantage of both at the same time, so it won't have the same performance as a single 3.2ghz processor. (CPU speed is measured in hertz, or gigahertz these days, not bytes or gigabytes like RAM and disk space).
wow I got negged for wondering lol. At least show yourself :)
Have an upvote. The CPU doesn't benchmark well, and would probably struggle with anything but browsing and Office.
And a bit of oldschool gaming! Some war3 would go down well.
Haha yeah me too, probably the same people.
Look the processor isn't going to do wonders and it doesn't change the fact it's $200 for the keyboard cover.
I have a Surface Book 2 and I'm still interested in this. $690 for higher end model really puts it in striking distance of the iPad, not to mention iPad Pro.
Let's not forget that one is running a mobile OS while the other runs a full-fledged operating system. IMO, the Surface Go is a far superior device. At least I can restore an iPad with it.
You can do a one-way get out of the S mode.
Yes it's running WindowsS, but as above you can easily change for free to the fully pledged Windows 10 OS.
With Windows 10, ipad stands no chance. Windows has billions and billions and billions of full applications!
Full-fledged. I don't normally correct mistakes but I couldn't stop myself for this one.
The majority of those x86 programs will run like a pig on this CPU. And adding the near-mandatory touch cover, pushes this into the $900-1000 range, more with the pen, ie proper laptop territory. While the iPad isn't a tablet trying to be a Windows PC, and all mobile software is designed around those limitations.
wrong spot.
The one annoyance I have with my surface pro is the lack of optimization when operating as a tablet. Internet browser buttons and general layout/icon size are made for use with fingers
Surface Go Type Cover sold separately. It's $199.95 from the MS Store… :/
Surface Pen sold separately for around $139.00.
This is what turned me off the whole thing unfortunately. Especially when you're looking at the 8gb model. That and the concern of trying to operate windows at 10 inches. Might be a bit clunky using touch. I picked up a chromebook instead
I've done it on 8 inches. It's possible but you'll want the pen.
R/nocontext
@juiciness: :D Lol.
I had an Asus Vivonote 8. It's 8" and ran Win8.1 and then Win10. It had low build quality and everything except the digitiser was bargain-basement parts.
But you could browse around the web on it, and sometimes sites would be nice and show you the mobile layout. But without the pen it was big fingers + tiny buttons = not fun.
You'd expect the type cover to be cheaper once its out at JB/HN. I already have the pen so no issue on that for me.
$139 for the pen is a joke. Actually, $200 for the cover is a joke too. Makes the ecosystem undesirable.
You almost have to have the type cover for any Surface IMO - pity they are so exy though… it does double as a case/screen protector - I like the idea of the Surface Go screen size / form factor - the Surface Pro is quite big - I still like the size of the original Surface RT (I still have an RT but the touch screen no longer works - track pad BT mouse only)
The black cover is $150 but yes it’s still expensive.
I'm a little intrigued by this, having a windows hello camera probably means the webcam is quite high quality.
Not always, for Windows Hello it uses an infrared camera that sits next to the front facing camera. That is what allows the device to see your face and make sure it's you.
Its a very polarizing device. I got my Surface pen for the Surface Book 2 for $50 from Ebay as I had a targetted voucher. The Surface Pro is due to have a major refresh next year so not going for that. The 15" Surface Book 2 I have is an incredible device, GTX1060 for gaming AND the tablet mode almost makes it unbeatable.
I have a low end Android tablet, but I thought Surface Go would be perfect for reading in bed, video and sharing among friends (basically a souped up iPad).
If you get the base Surface Go, be prepared for it to be slower than an iPad. 4GB RAM and eMMC is cheap but not good.
The 128GB Surface Go is a much better proposition.
It might be slower, but at least it can get stuff done. iPad is a toy
You keep telling yourself that. In fact, give yourself a pat on the back.
@DonaldDr4per: A month and a half later, a new Apple troll appears. You need to keep up, pal, with your fancy technology that only you and fellow initiates have access to.
Has anyone used any of the non-MS pens with a Surface? e.g. this Laser one or the wacom one? Are they good? Even the Wacom one is cheaper. $140 for the pen is a rip-off.
You can easily get genuine 2017 pens for 89 dollars on eBay. Just got one for my Surface Book 2. AU stock too.
link please
The Surface product line moved away from Wacom technology a few generations back so that second one won't work.
The Laser one is lower specced than the Microsoft one, but should be fine for notes. Personally, I'd go the $90 eBay route, but it's always good to have options.
Wacom are also making pens for n-trig now. According to their support page Wacom Bamboo Ink works with SP3/SP4, so should work with the Go.
I'm surprised they already have discounts. I read online that the Pentium Gold CPU isn't as bad as the typical Pentium/Celeron and still miles ahead of the old Atom (I previously had a Surface 3). I really like the form factor but once you factor in accessories, it's not such a bargain. Build quality/premium feeling on Surface devices is on par with Apple.
Correct, the Gold pentium is equivalent to the i3
No, it's like a cutdown m3, but without the single core turbo mode that makes it passable.
This is a $250 laptop jammed inside a premium laptop build.
Actually, it benchmarked 'significantly worse' than even the m3-7Y30. It's a netbook chip from last year.
Interesting because I just ordered a device with a m3-7Y30 over this!
Unlike a certain other brand tablet, this has built-in Mouse support(via Bluetooth)
IBM?
The other over-rated/over-priced brand. ;-)
Oracle?
Becareful, they may not be lurking on this deal, but they are lurking :)
does anyone know if this one would have active cooling or passive cooling like the core m3 surface pro?
Passive
The latest Surface Pro models have passive cooling across the whole range, though you're right that it was only the m3 model previously.
$141 discount on the 128gb model is great!
What are people's opinion on the Surface Laptop's?
I've been looking at getting a newer windows laptop or hybrid tablet/notebook for a while
I really like my Surface Book. Very good build quality, excellent screen, very nice keyboard (I'm coming from a string of ThinkPads), and solid stability - at least after my original 1st-gen 1st-production-run laptop.
I like how they handle warranty issues too. No need to make an appointment with a genius bar then make a trip to a store to show the issue - I can do an online chat at my leisure, run a diagnostic program, and once the issue is confirmed, a courier will come pick the laptop up from me, or I can drop it off at a post office.
The first SB I had did have stability issues. I pre-ordered it when it was announced so it would have been from the first batch that was mass-produced. I can't remember how, but they ended up sending me an advance replacement.
I've since passed that on to a friend and bought a second hand Surface Book with slightly higher specs. I noticed the hinge clicks a tiny bit when fully open, so I logged in to the surface website and created a new support case. They'll be sending me a replacement once I send this in - no proof of purchase required for the 2-year warranty too!
I've bought a few Surface Laptops for people at work and they've been flawless. One thing to note though, if you keep your laptop for like 5 years, you won't be able to swap the battery yourself when it degrades. You'd want something like a ThinkPad for that.
Agree re MS and warranty replacements - great service. Also good point about battery.
Looks like awesome hardware, can you upgrade this to Android?
Very tempting if so
I mean yes, it's possible to run Android but I don't see why you'd want to run android on a Intel 64bit cpu?
I mean yes, it's possible to run Android but I don't see why you'd want to run android on a Intel 64bit cpu?
So the boot loader is unlocked? I actually would prefer to run Android on this (Intel 64bit cpu and all)
upgrade to Android? Let us know how you go as I'd like to upgrade some of my carrots to broccoli.
Pity Hardly Normal is a rotten business and doesn't deserve our business.
But I understand money talks so OzBargainers are gonna continue to support Gerry despite him giving us a good old rogering.
#lestweforget
people have the memory of goldfish when it comes to things like this
That's what I'm afraid of. It's amazing how much we just take things.
Works pretty well when buying shares though. Wait for a company to get caught doing something bad, then buy the dip and profit (see FB)
Looks like a good device but some serious bezels going on.
Link for 128gb in description please
FYI. Offer ends 9th September for both btw. So there's time to wait for reviews after it releases in the US.
If only Microsoft would stop pushing this Windows S crap (yes I know free upgrade but why push this junk), and include a type cover in a bundle (maybe charge a little more) as the very vast majority of students etc. must have it anyway, this would actually be a great buy.
As it stands…hhmmm.
I think Microsoft wants to show that they have a 'safe' environment, as well as an 'open' environment.
Understood.
The point I think Microsoft misses is that people use Windows BECAUSE it's flexible, and not locked down.
Not sure they should be turning Windows into "Microsoft iOS", but I see your point.
Windows S was never ever targeted at home users. It is targeted at the education market where a locked-down platform is quite desirable since they will be used with specific apps only, and being locked down, admin costs will be lower as there's far less chance of random software installed by students causing issues. That's why it was launched at the #MicrosoftEDU event and not a general event.
@eug: OK so Chromebook competition instead of iOS. Got it. Tough road ahead though both my kids schools are heavily invested in Google ecosystem. MS might be late to that party.
Interesting to see how this goes.
To be fair, they did stop pushing Windows S.
They changed it so it's not an upgrade, just a settings toggle to allow "real" windows applications.
The bezel reminds me of 2014 ipad
THAT BEZZEL
Are there any AMEX offers running with Harvey Norman I think I'm going to bite if I can get an extra $50 odd of it!
Stupid question, is this wifi only ?
Yep! LTE version coming later this year.
Thanks, just plan to sign up iPad 2018 Telstra deal, now I'm thinking to buy this or iPad.
Snapdragon 850 PC
But still a good question. ;-)
Type Cover $199.95
Surface Pen $139.00
Poor CPU
Limited inputs so if you plan to use it as a desktop dont forget a dock.
Such terrible value.
why would you buy a tablet with the primary aim to use it as a desktop??
same as saying buy an ipad and use it as a desktop then buy 20 dongles
if you really wanted to get usb c monitor cable and Bluetooth mouse and keyboard
Because you can? If it had additional ports you could readily use it as a laptop/desktop replacement but no, MS makes you buy a dock. The regular Surface is marketed as a laptop replacement. Yet has limited ports and type cover is sold separately. So factor in those costs if you do want to use it for that purpose.
The ability to buy a BT mouse, kb or third party pen doesnt change the fact the type cover and pen costs $340. It's expensive no matter how you say it.
If you're interested in one of these take note that the 64GB variant is 64GB eMMC storage… And 128GB is a proper SSD, so this will make a big difference in speed, they're not just different in size.