Articles about Surface Pro 4

If you have a Surface Pro 4, you might be one of the unlucky tablet owners to suffer from a flickering screen -- a problem predictably dubbed "flickergate". Unable to come up with a fix, Microsoft has opened up a replacement program that means that those affected by the problem will be able to get a new Surface Pro 4 free of charge.

Microsoft says that it has been unable to produce a patch to address the issue, and is therefore simply going to offer replacements to people. What's not clear is why it has taken the company so long to do something; Surface 4 owners have been complaining about screen flicker since the tablet launched back in 2015.

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When Consumer Reports announced that it was dropping its "recommended" status from Surface devices, Microsoft was quick to defend itself. While the software giant disagreed with the move, saying it doesn't believe the "findings accurately reflect Surface owners' true experiences or capture the performance and reliability improvements made with every Surface generation," a leaked internal memo shows high return rates for Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book.

While it's certainly true that return rates have dropped over time, the information contained in the memo goes some way to explaining the decision taken by Consumer Reports. The memo also shows that Microsoft is ready to communicate with the ratings group and encourage it to "reverse [its] findings." The company is prepared to go on the offensive to defend its reputation.

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Earlier today, Consumer Reports caused a huge controversy by pulling its "recommended" status from all Microsoft Surface laptops and tablets. While I personally swear by the consumer-focused organization for its coverage of vehicles and appliances, I take its computer coverage with a grain of salt. After all, it infamously panned the 2016 MacBook Pro for poor battery life, even going so far as to say Chrome provided longer usage than Safari -- totally wrong, by the way. It turns out Consumer Reports's testing of the MacBook Pro was flawed and it later reversed course, recommending the Apple laptop after all.

With all of that said, I was obviously a bit dubious of its criticism of some Surface machines. In my experience, the Surface hardware is extremely well made and owners are generally satisfied with the computers. That's not to say they are perfect -- quite the contrary. Actually, they have been prone to bugs that were later fixed (mostly) with firmware and driver updates. Despite those issues, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any Surface product. Obviously Microsoft and Panos Panay -- father of Surface -- would share my disagreement with Consumer Reports. To solidify that, Panay has now penned a response titled "We stand behind Surface."

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When Microsoft announced the Surface Pro in May it also unveiled a couple of new Type Covers to go along with its latest Windows 10 hybrid device. And, now, the software giant is making sure that the keyboards work with the Surface Pro 4 as well.

Microsoft has added support for the Surface Pro Type Cover and Signature Type Cover via a new firmware update, that it just released for the Surface Pro 4. It comes with an updated keyboard driver, version 1.1.504.0.

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After unveiling an affordable alternative to the Surface Book in the form of the Hi13, Chuwi is now setting its sights on Microsoft's other hybrid device, the Surface Pro 4, as it just unveiled the SurBook.

The SurBook offers similar specs to the Surface Pro 4, but it will likely be offered at a fraction of the cost. It comes with some pretty interesting hardware, but the 12.3-inch 3:2 display with a resolution of 2,736 by 1,834 is probably the most impressive thing about it.

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The Surface line of computers are absolutely wonderful. If you want one of the best experiences for running Windows 10, it is hard to beat Microsoft's self-made PCs. Heck, they recently beat Apple's iPad tablets in overall satisfaction. Not only can they serve as laptops and tablets, but desktops too. By connecting the Surface Dock to the Surface Pro 4, for instance, you can easily connect a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. The problem? That dock costs $199.99.

If the thought of shelling out two "Benjamins" for the dock gives you pause, I have great news. Starting today, Microsoft is giving away the Surface Dock when you purchase the Surface Pro 4! To get the deal, you must make the purchase from the Microsoft Store.

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Moving from one operating system to another -- be it Windows to Linux, Mac to Windows or whatever -- can be fraught with tension. Microsoft wants to make life easier for anyone who has decided to ditch their Mac, by releasing the Mac to Surface Assistant to help migrate data to a new Surface Pro, Surface Book or Surface Studio.

For some time, Microsoft has featured detailed instructions on the Surface support pages that explain how to backup and transfer different types of data from one computer to another. With the Mac to Surface Assistant, however, all of this is taken care of by a wizard-led interface.

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To make it easier for enterprises to install Windows 10 updates and perform maintenance tasks during off-hours, Microsoft has introduced Wake on LAN support on Surface devices connected to wired networks through a Surface Dock, Surface Docking Station or Surface Ethernet Adapter.

The Wake on LAN support can be leveraged through device management tools like System Center Configuration Manager, and is available for the Surface 3, Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, paired with any of the aforementioned accessories.

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While there is a lot to love about Surface Pro 4, the price tag can be a little off-putting to would-be buyers. Microsoft has clearly heard the complaints about pricing and has introduced a cheaper option.

For the first time, it is now possible to buy a Surface Pro 4 without a pen, shaving a not-insignificant $100 off the usual price. Somewhat strangely only one model is available without the pen, but this is something that could change further down the line. Even if you want a pen, buying without actually works out cheaper!

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Black Friday is just around the corner, and Microsoft is already talking about what special offers it's going to have on the big day. Whether you're looking for a new desktop PC, an Xbox One S, or a Surface, you could save yourself hundreds of dollars.

In fact, if you are in the market for a Surface device, there's never been a better time to consider making the leap -- you could save up to $430. Microsoft is also offering the Xbox One S at its lowest price ever, and there are savings to be made on games and much more.

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Apple is clearly hoping you'll spend your hard-earned cash on making your next laptop a new MacBook Pro, but Microsoft has other ideas. If the lure of the Touch Bar is not enough to convince you to buy from Apple, Microsoft is dangling a carrot to sway you towards a Surface.

As the company has done before, Microsoft is offering a trade-in program for anyone willing to ditch their old MacBook in favor of a Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book. If you're ready to make the switch, you could save up to $650.

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Alongside an updated Surface Book and the all-new Surface Studio, at its event today Microsoft also presented an interesting accessory for its Surface line that is designed to help users be more productive while using their device -- and make it easier to control.

It's called Surface Dial and what it does is enable Surface Studio, Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 adopters to handle content, access various and functions, and use various features on their device. But how does it work exactly?

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For many people that work in the corporate world, Skype for Business (formerly Lync) is an indispensable collaboration tool. Not only does it keep employees under the same roof connected, but it keeps remote workers in the loop too. Quite frankly, working remotely without Skype for Business would be a real chore -- it is that good. It can even be quite brilliant for remote group meetings -- connecting two rooms in different buildings.

Today, Logitech announces a device called 'SmartDock', which it designed in collaboration with Microsoft. This is a hardware solution that is designed to make Skype or Business easier to use in conference and meeting rooms. It is essentially a dock that turns a Surface Pro 4 into a centralized communication hub.

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There is no place for bullying in the world. Schools around the country are teaching this important lesson. When one person is mean to another, that is very bad. When two people join forces to bully someone, it can be even worse -- it is hard to stand up for yourself when you are outnumbered.

When Microsoft ran mean-spirited advertisements against Apple's MacBook, my colleague Mark Wilson took umbrage, calling the ads 'childish and imbecilic'. Today, in an all-new ad, Huawei MateBook is joining the Surface Pro in the Apple-bashing. The personified versions of two Windows 10 tablets come across as bullies, belittling Apple's iPad Pro.

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For a little while now Microsoft's ad campaigns have been less about highlighting its own products, but a vehicle for knocking others'. It's something we've seen numerous times with the company's Surface ads, and now there's another one.

This time around we see the Surface Pro 4 compared to a MacBook Air. Microsoft says the former is better than the latter because it has a pen. Oh, and a detachable keyboard. But the tone of the ad is just so ridiculous, it serves only to make Microsoft look pathetic.

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