I finally got to use one (I think it was a bottom-tier gen 2? Whatever was current at the time) about a year and a half ago when we got one for testing stuff in IE/Edge.

When I first heard of the Surface, what I thought it'd be: a bad laptop and a worse tablet.

After I read and heard people raving about how great it was for years, what I thought it'd be when I finally got to use one: a great laptop and a good-enough tablet.

What it was when I finally got to use it, very much to my surprise at that point: a bad laptop and a worse tablet.

I don't get it.

Surface Pro is currently in it's 7th generation. There is an enormous difference between the Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 7, let alone the other products that have come out since then like the Book and Laptop.

Same here. I got one from work for testing with. I was completely underwhelmed.

I think it's a combination of astroturfing and owners trying to convince themselves they made the right decision.

I genuinely enjoy using mine. It has a great screen, and the kickstand + pen makes for a solid photoshop experience.

I wish the battery life was better, and I think Microsoft is missing out by not having the detachable keyboard have a small battery onboard so that you could use the keyboard on the side while you're drawing. But it's my favorite mobile device, and I'm not joking, astroturfing, or anything like that.

It existed for Surface Pro 2 (https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-5VX-00001-Surface-Power-Key...) but was thick and didn't sell as well as the regular so it was discontinued.

Sort of. That cover was designed to increase the battery life of the device itself- it didn't work as a detachable keyboard, and it was very bulky, like you mentioned. I'm thinking something more like a button cell that would get you a day's worth of unattached work simply as a wireless keyboard, then recharge when it's clipped back on at night.

Oh sorry, I missed that part of your comment.

They actually did come out with an accessory that would attach onto the keyboard and do that, but it also was discontinued a long time ago.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-quietly-discontinues...

I assume both devices didn't do well enough on their own (otherwise they'd still be made today) to justify creating one that did both.

Oh, Bummer. I never saw that accessory before! Glad to know they were at least thinking along those lines, though. If they came out with a battery-powered, non-bulky wireless keyboard today, I'd buy it in an instant.

What did you find underwhelming?

Surface book was just the first time ever for me. (Original iPhone was before I cared)

The original Surface Pro was decent, but generally slow and bulky. The first Surface Book, on the other hand, is still a great, versatile piece of hardware several years later.

Of course, YMMV - a tablet alone doesn't cover everything for me, but for some people needing a keyboard/base for connections may not work out.