Interface
There's no doubt that Surface has a split personality, steeped in its very physical design. It's a tablet, but transforms into a personal computer with the keyboard cover, snapped on using its magnetic spine.
Trying hard to be both means compromises. For instance, a kickstand lets you prop up the screen on a flat surface so that it feels more like a laptop with the keyboard attached, but the setup is clumsy for typing on your lap. On the other hand, you can flip the keyboard cover upside down and use the kickstand to form a supportive triangle for the screen. In this position, the device is a comfy companion while watching TV on the couch.
A big aspect of the split personality comes in the software. Surface's start screen has a bunch of square tiles that represent apps - akin to the round icons on iPhones, iPads and Android devices. One touch, and an app opens full screen. But there's also a tile that takes you to a very different operating system called the desktop. Presumably, this is where the "work" begins.
Because the desktop interface takes on the old Windows style of boxes and icons, your suddenly big-seeming fingers become less well-suited to navigating. I had to give up on touch and use the keyboard cover with its trackpad (The pricier Type Cover with real keys is far easier for typing than the soft, flat Touch Cover, by the way). Swiping around on the cover's built-in trackpad quickly brings up the mouse pointer, whose precision you'll both need and appreciate in the desktop world.
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