New tablets coming soon

[Jobydrone]

It's an exciting time for shoppers in the market for new tablets or tablet/laptop hybrids.  Unfortunately I can be counted in to that population since my relatively new iPad Air (first generation) was stolen or lost the day my family returned from our North Carolina vacation last weekend. 

Current rumors surrounding the September 9th Apple event focus on the announcement of the next generation of iPads:  currently I believe people are speculating about a larger screen of 12+ inches and the name iPad Pro or iPad Plus. 

On the Microsoft end, I believe the new Surface Pro 4 has been announced for an mid to late October release.  I haven't read much about these yet but considering how much I've been enjoying my new Windows 10 PC it would only make sense for me to consider the Surface line of products this holiday season. 

Has anyone had any experience with the Surface or Surface Pro?  I am pretty much ready to abandon the Apple ship this time around.  I'd love some input from you guys.  I feel like the Surface would satisfy my need for a laptop much better than another iPad would.

[Rico]

I've heard good things about the latest Surface Pro.  If you need something light and powerful and Windows it seems like a good choice.  I still do like my iPad for comic reading, general web browsing and reading too.

[Bromptonboy]

I like the Surface Pro, but would like to see them come down a bit in $'s before buying one.  I never liked Win 8.x, but am getting used to Win 10.  My kids (14 & 13) really like Win 10 (on a traditional laptop).

[Ktrek]

My next door neighbor works for a city government and the tech specialist for the city warned her not to install Windows 10 because there are too many security risks. She also said that Windows 10 gives Microsoft access to everything on your computer. She advised staying with Windows 7 for now. What do you guys think?

I really like the Surface Pro and have thought about getting one myself. It is a bit pricey but I don't think quality should be compromised over price. It will be interesting to see what Apple announces but it seems their days of being a game changer are pretty much through. There really isn't much more improvements they can make to their tablets or phones outside of design.

Kevin

[MARKO]

Where in  NC did you Vacation?

[Rico]

Kevin - Windows 10 does not grant Microsoft access to your entire PC.  OneDrive (that many have used for awhile) in Windows allows a user to access their own files remotely via their OneDrive account.  It's a feature you can turn on in OneDrive and tell it what files, or drives to make remotely available.  This isn't new to Windows 10 and there are many programs out there that allow you to remotely access your own PC - it's up to you if you choose to use them or not.

[Ktrek]

I'm familiar with One Drive but that's not what the city tech was referring too. My neighbor said that the privacy issues are enough that the city she works for will not upgrade their PCs to Windows 10. I did find these articles which might indicate some of what the tech was referring to:

http://bgr.com/2015/08/13/windows-10-cortana-search-privacy-settings/

http://irishtechnews.net/ITN3/windows-10-security-issues/

And check out this article but especially listen to the YouTube video that talks about the End User Agreement.

http://www.inquisitr.com/2359874/windows-10-faces-torrent-site-bans-over-privacy-concerns/

My wife works for a different city and their tech department has told them they will not be upgrading either. I assume of course that IT personnel that work for city governments know more than the average Joe.

[Rico]

They might know more than the average Joe, but I've followed this stuff for decades. Businesses and big institutions tend to be slow to upgrade for a variety of reasons - usually it's  financial. Everyone should do things like this when they are comfortable. I'm still on Win 7 but that's due to more being very busy lately and I'm also building a new PC soon. Also, if privacy and file access concerns you there are plenty of encryption tools available. Of course, the choice is up to the individual but if you read deeper on the subject of Windows and listen to industry experts it's probably the best version of Windows to date.

[MARKO]

where in NC did you Vacation?

[Jobydrone]

where in NC did you Vacation?

Avon, Outer Banks.  Nice quiet relaxing vacation.  I found my iPad, by the way.  Still might pop for the Surface Pro 4 when it comes out.  Anyone want to buy a used iPad Air?

[Jobydrone]

My understanding of the Windows 10 privacy issues is that you can turn off all the "reporting" of data to MS if you do a custom install.  The EULA issues are supposed to refer to the ability for Microsoft to detect and compromise users that are pirating apps from the Microsoft store.  While I am not crazy about that functionality, in that I feel like it could be easily abused and/or expanded to include other kinds of disabling of content, I don't think we're necessarily at the Orwellian level of monitoring for your average user.  I don't pirate software or plan to overthrow the government so I'm not too worried about it (yet).

[MARKO]

thanks!