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Comment by phrz | Hacker News Reader

(Not specific to Surface Go 2) I assure you there is sometimes a reason, which in my mind can be generalized as lack of attention to detail: I deployed Surface Laptop 3’s to my SMB and now hairline screen cracking [1] is popping up left and right. Why? Because MS opted not to put a rubber gasket around their screens so when they changed from fabric to metal wrist rests, the imperfect closure fit led to pieces of sand etc. obliterating screens.

When I account for my lost time dealing with support, and the occasional cost of replacing devices/accessories that support will not, MS devices are far more expensive than Macs.

[1] https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/8/21252634/microsoft-surface...

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The build quality in Surface devices is terrible, ABSOLUTELY terrible.

I have a Surface Pro 2 where the (in)famous "VaporMG" coating layer was completely gone by the first year, leaving a pinkish-blueish-silverish combination of colors that makes the device look as if it was on ground zero at Hiroshima. The power button is flaky and no longer reliably turns the device on, the keyboard cover connector is flaky and covers periodically stop to work, etc. All of these are common issues.

Ironically I bought a Surface Pro 3 later on where the LCD connector died within warranty, so I just returned it and forgot about the Surface line altogether.

I have a dirt-cheap Acer laptop that has also been with more for a _decade_ now and it still looks better than the Surface Pro 2.

Weird, at my work there hasn't been a single problem with the Surface Pro devices in 2 years.

the surface pro 2 was released seven years ago. whatever your experience was then, it isn't relevant now. the surface pro line has undergone big design changes and improvements since then.

After being subscribed to Louis Rossmann's YouTube channel for a while, I'm not sure Macs are much better in that regard (e.g. butterfly keyboard issues and replacement program, the bizarre cooling solution in new MacBook Air, pin layout that's very susceptible to liquid damage, etc.)

Most of Louis' criticism of Apple are not about the frequency of problems, rather on how they treat the consumer once problems happen.

He often makes fun of their "small number of users were affected" press statements that follow a certain pattern - denial, blaming the users (you're holding it wrong - though most of that is coming from tech media, not Apple themselves), begrudgingly admitting fault, addressing the issue after much pressure. So frequency also plays a role in it.

Not that other manufacturers are much better of course...

Apple has curiously "periods" -- there are times in which they build reliable stuff and then there are times in which they just don't. E.g. 10 year old MacBooks which still work despite the fact that they are heavily dented, while the new keyboard breaks just by staring at it wrongly.

I have a 2011 model Mackbook Air. While it is not the best or powerful laptop I've used, the only problem it gave me so far is the power chord (which I had to replace). It is still working after all these years.

I am not a Apple fanboy - I hate that Apple makes shitty decisions (soldiering everything, removing headphone jack from phones, removing ports...) and everyone else copies them. That said, they do make good stuff, at least compared to others.

My next computer is likely going to be a windows one though - Thinkpads and Dells are much more value for money than Macs.

I’m not defending that design flaw but MacBook Pro’s haven’t exactly been free from issues themselves (up until their recent generation they had an ongoing problem with their keyboard that went on for years).

Frankly I miss the days when business machines weren’t made with aesthetics given as a priority.

Had the same experience with the pro 2 i think. Ran a small shop(15 peeps) and everybody liked the pro 2. I think we bought 5 or 6. One of those lasted more than a year. Heating, battery, screen, charger. And the dock was badly missing USB ports.

Hah. Reminds me of getting shards of plastic in my wrists from the original whitebook: the screen lid had two hard plastic "feet" rather than some rubber thing, over time the pressure and variour other stresses (that thing was full of hairline cracks all over the body) would chip away right where your wrists would rest: https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/155554040

The funny thing is they advertised this as a feature when it was launched because it was supposed to be more aesthetically pleasing and not collect dust etc. I guess there's a reason Apple still uses rubber after all...

Huh, wow. I got a hairline crack on the screen of my Surface Laptop 2 and thought it was just me and my carelessness. I will have to see if there’s any recourse for me since it’s outside the warranty window.

I agree. It is a design flaw I was well aware before making a purchase and bought a screen protector for Surface. It served me well so far, I am also more careful of not holding the laptop by the edge or slapping it too much. However, I think it is good since it forces you to be careful with the expensive gadget. Yes, the repairability is very bad and yes such are the costs for being detachable.

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