#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST FULL VERSION#
#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST PORTABLE#
#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST BLUETOOTH#

I purchased the foldable keyboard as a gift for someone else and to do a review but the freedom it gave me has kept me from wanting to go back to the attached Type Cover (I’ve had to buy another to give as the gift since I loved mine so much).

#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST PORTABLE#

When I’m not using it as a tablet, I have my Surface set up with my Microsoft Arc mouse and Microsoft Foldable Keyboard competing my portable work station. I just don’t use it as a traditional laptop. To the contrary, it’s working so well that I can’t justify buying a new one. That doesn’t however mean I don’t like my Surface. The lack of a hard hinge connecting the keyboard and device and the bulk of the weight being in the Surface itself make using it on my lap awkward. I can easily bring it from desk to desk, but rarely find myself using it on my lap. Yes, it can be used on your lap and the new design of the Type Cover for the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 help, but at least for my personal use my Surface is more of a portable mini desktop that is also a tablet. I’ve now learned over years of use that if the literal definition a laptop is something that can be used on your lap, the Surface line doesn’t exactly qualify.

#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST FULL VERSION#

I would point to its full version of Windows, ability to run programs, and its processor.

When I first got the Surface Pro 2, I was quick to defend its status as a laptop. Often being used on a desk, the freedom to have the keyboard detached allows users more options for their setup. But for many the Surface is more of portable work station.

For many, the Type Cover stays permanently attached to their Surface, a protective cover that can also flip down to a keyboard or be hidden behind the device when used as a tablet.

#SURFACE PRO 4 KEYBOARDS THAT LAST BLUETOOTH#

These improvements have made the Surface a more viable laptop replacement, but one feature that Microsoft could bring would provide a functionality that would separate the Surface line from laptops even more, built in Bluetooth connectivity.įirst, to be clear, this would be an additional feature, not replace the current snap in to connect method. In addition to the strip across the bottom of the Surface connecting to the keyboard, the keyboard also folded up, introducing new design that placed the keyboard at an angle and changed the overall typing experience. Between the second and third generation we saw new way for the keyboard to attach to the tablets. Jumping from the first to the second generation brought backlit keys, a must have for many typists. Now it seems that Microsoft has refined their attachable keyboards for the Surface and decided to stick with the Type Cover.Įach generation of Type Covers saw improvements. In just three years since the introduction of the Surface line, we’ve seen a Type Cover (the standard now), a Touch Cover that was thin but awkward to type on for many, a Power Cover which addressed the short battery life issues by having a significantly thicker keyboard body, and even the DJ keyboard which didn’t seem to be used by many mix masters. It took Microsoft a few tries to find the right form factor and feature set. Surface covers in general have a surprisingly information laden history despite only being on the market for a few years. Whenever the Surface Pro 4 is announced, one feature that would bring a major boost to the Surface Pro 4 would be a Type Cover that can also connect via Bluetooth. One specific piece of hardware attached to the Surface line (both literally and figuratively) that has continued to improve is the Type Cover. The Surface Pro 3 brought the new 12 inch form factor and it and the Surface 3 are thin, sleek, and a sporting silver color. Each new generation of Surface devices has improvements over the last and they have yielded two gorgeous devices. The Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3 were leaps forward for the family of what Microsoft bills as tablets that can replace your laptop. The Surface line is a growing family of solid devices from Microsoft.

Surface pro 4 keyboards that last