For me it was a few things:

  1. Small size (easy to carry around)
  2. Keyboard that's even smaller, super light, and optional (easy to carry around)
  3. Fantastic pen (better usability)
  4. Full OS Capability (better usability)

So, they focused on portability and usability, and did really well with both. And when compared with Apple tablets, they have better non-trivial usability, and when compared with Apple laptops, they have better portability.

My wife has an SP3. Not only does it work fine on a lap, but it has a very nice stylus. It runs Adobe Indesign just fine. It runs Steam just fine, along with many slightly older games. The builtin speakers are good, as is the keyboard cover. It's quite portable and has a battery life of several hours when running Word + browser.

The Surface RT on the other hand remains kind of pointless.

Well, seeing as Windows RT is not receiving updates and the Surface 3 runs full Windows, isn't the "Surface RT" essentially dead?

The branding of the surface has been pretty successful with the removable keyboard and especially the pen. The pen makes it really easy to take notes on lecture slides so you do not have to have mess/organize/maintain physical paper.

I've found the pen to be the one part of my Surface that I don't use all, maybe it's because I am left handed and it leaves OneNote registering a ton of false navigation gestures but it's basically unusable for me.

Overall, I still like my Surface (non Pro) but it's mostly for web browsing and media consumption.

I've heard [1] that you can go into Device settings for the pen/handwriting-recognition and set it to left handed and it will get better at ignoring the touches from your hand to the left of the pen.

[1] Not left handed myself.

Just verified this on the 1st gen Surface Pro I've got here at work. Hit the Win key, type "pen", open "pen settings" and the three basic options are "choose which hand you write with", "show visual effects", and "show cursor".

I'm not left handed so I can't comment on efficacy but the option is indeed there.

I am surprised it does not come with a "left handed" setting! (Even if not two pen container compartments)

There is a setting for handedness in Windows (or at least there was in Windows 7). The most visible change was that context menus appeared on the other side (so that they don't appear under the hand). But if there is some kind of disabled touch zone near the stylus pointer it may be that it's in the direction of the hand as well.

It does. Hit the Windows button and type "pen" and go to "pen settings" and you can change it there.

New SP4 owner (never had a surface). It's well on your lap. The back angle is infinitly adjustable, so that's not an issue and the key type cover is solid so typing isn't an issue even if on your lap - I read flex in the previous covers made this tricky.

> being subject to a wall of glowing bitten apples staring at you

Remarkable imagery.

Yep, it conjures up "angry" without saying it, nicely done! :-)

It actually works perfectly well when on your lap!

Having a computer that wasn't super expensive to take handwritten notes with was a dream for my undergrad. And now the surface offers that. I think that is a more unique benefit for students than in other cases.

There are actually multiple lap modes that both work great.

1) Like a regular laptop.

2) Fold the keyboard back and open the stand so it makes a right angle. Place the right angle so that the keyboard is parallel with your stomach and the Surface is perpendicular. Now the Surface is floating above your lap near the bottom of your chest where it's easy to read and write on.

3) Completely remove the keyboard.

I feel sorry for people who are using products from Apple's sterile and completely un-innovative product lines that are all moving closer and closer to the locked-down anti-consumer, anti-developer iOS business model.

Admittedly I haven't used one aside from once briefly in a store, but seeing people balance them on their laps using the keyboard just looks awkward. Like they are top heavy? Or just too small for that purpose, necessitating one to keep their knees close together.

Works fine for me, but I can imagine issues for people with short legs. If the kickstand needs to be out past the end of your knees you're going to have a problem.

Using a Surface in ones lap looks more awkward than actually is.

I feel like all the people responding to you here have never actually used one on their laps. Particularly not to type for very long. It really doesn't work well for that.

Honestly I think the product is pretty poorly designed, its just marketed well. Thats why the product hasn't turned much of a profit. Microsoft spent 400 million alone for the NFL to use them.

Now with all the problems surfacing(kek) they don't appear to be well built either.

Surface Pro 3 lapability test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvNSVjI02wI

Looks fine.

I own the SP3, and that video is accurate.

But I disagree that the SP3 works well on lap in laptop "mode." The keyboard is so close to the crotch that he can barely get his hands in to type, and it doesn't seem workable medium to long term, I have exactly the same experience.

I never use the SP3 on my legs with the keyboard cover, only as a tablet + on-screen keyboard. However the keyboard cover works great on a bed, tablet top, or even floor.

PS - The Windows on-screen keyboard is garbage. Still no swipe/gesture-entry support even all these years later. It is as bad as Apple's default keyboard (REALLY bad).

Actually watching that video demonstrates its not that great. Sure its doable, but as a device touted to be a productivity device that combines the best of laptops and tablets. Its more of a mediocre laptop and mediocre tablet.

Who uses a laptop that far up their gut?