COMMENTARY | Ready to purchase a Microsoft Surface Pro tablet? If you were hoping to cram your device full of applications and documents, you might want to hold off. According to a new report, the 64GB edition will only provider users with a lousy 23GB of free storage space while the higher end 128GB model will leave just 83GB open for consumption.
The lack of memory is a problem that also plagued the Windows Surface RT tablet. Microsoft in its never ending quest to screw up its own brand has packed the device full of pre-installed apps and a bloated OS that barely belongs on a computer let alone a tablet.
In a pathetic response to the memory issue, Microsoft is telling customers they can free up a “small portion” of available space by “creating a backup bootable USB [device] and deleting the recovery partition.”
If that isn’t enough to turn users away from the device, Microsoft OS updates and security patches will eat through even more memory, leaving many users of the lower end 64GB version with less free space than found on their smartphone.
Sure users can attack device storage via microSDHX and USB 3.0 slots, but that defeats the purposes of remaining ultra-portable.
To top off a rather lousy offering, Microsoft will charge $900 for the 64GB model, approximately the same price you can pay for a suitable ultrabook and nearly enough to acquire an Apple MacBook Air. The 128GB model (83GB free space) will run you $1000.
Your other option is to purchase the new Apple iPad 128GB model and pair it with a bluetooth keyboard. Sure, the OS isn’t as powerful, but it sure beats paying $1000 for a device that delivers around 60 percent of its promised storage space.
Perhaps the lack of storage space would be worth the frustration if Windows 8 was a competent operating system. As it currently stands, users are paying more money for less storage on a weak OS that has been riddled with complaints.
