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I still really like the form factor, but what a review like this doesn't capture is the long-term reliability and service quality that comes with the device

Someone did a review of the Nexus 7 1 year after they bought it: http://androidandme.com/2013/06/opinions/one-year-later-the-...

Warning: there is an auto-play video on that page.

This sort of thing is problematic with such short release cycles of products, but maybe something like, initial review, then small updates 1month in, 3 months in, 6 months in, might be useful for non-early adopter consumers.

My experience with MS re: the SP2 was quite different. I bought the SP2 in Dec 2013, within a week it was ruined by a failed MS firmware update. The SP2 began randomly waking up from sleep mode, annoying, and hazardous when it did that stored in a briefcase (because it would heat up).

A few weeks later the MS store exchanged it for a brand new one without hesitation. Subsequently I've had other problems with the SP2: the Type Cover failed, the power supply connector came apart, each time the broken item was replaced with little hassle.

That's not to say the SP2 has been trouble-free. Numerous software/firmware issues were evident but most were resolved in the first 10 months it was on the market, coincidentally about the time the SP3 was being introduced.

The SP4 seems like it offers substantial improvements, though it is costly. I'm inclined to wait a while before seriously considering purchase, give it some time to get the bugs worked out, and who knows, the price may come down a bit next year.

This is exactly what's holding me back from buying Surface devices. I rather stick to Thinkpads and Macs that I can replace/fix easily and which have great build quality/durability and available parts.

> Macs that I can replace/fix easily

How come? MacBooks were the first laptops in becaming fix unfriendly and every vendor is actually following that lead.

A good example is battery replacement. Yes, MBP batteries are glued in, but Apple has an official service that will replace it and the top case for not much more than it costs to buy say a Lenovo battery at retail. Also, eBay has a big supply of Mac parts that make replacing things pretty easy once you recognize that you gotta replace larger functional units together (e.g. LCD with cover glass).

The Surface is just as hard to repair, but without the official service options and fewer parts on eBay.

Microsoft has different levels of support as well as Apple and you can find parts on Ebay easily too. I honestly don't see how Macbooks are any easier to repair than any other ultrabook really.

If I type in "Macbook Pro battery replacement" the first hit is an Apple website that informs me of the official service to replace my battery for $129-199.

When I type in "Surface Pro battery replacement" I get a link to an iFixit page that informs me I have to undo the adhesive on the screen with a blow dryer to get at anything inside. Even an iPad is easier to open!

Step 1 to getting Mac fixed. Take it to Apple Genius who may well just fix it for free (definitely if it's under warranty and quite often if it isn't) or tell you exactly what's wrong and how to fix it yourself or where to get it fixed cheaply.

Assuming your problem isn't already solved, then Apple products are no easier than rival brands aside from being better built in the first place, having standardized parts, a simple range of models, and an active third party market.

I'm sure Microsoft has different levels of support, but I suspect everyone you're talking to is referring to Apple's standard warranty coverage. I'd rather have an Apple product with standard coverage than anyone else's product with "gold" or "platinum" or whatever they call it support. (From my experience of high-end corporate support the only benefit I found was that when I told the support person "assume I tried all that crap" (rebooting, reinstalling Windows, rebooting anything else on the network, etc.) he actually went off script and got to the useful stuff.

The tip of my Pen on my Surface Pro 3 broke (I wasn't even sure when, or how, it could have been entirely my fault). I walked into a Microsoft Store and showed them the problem.

They weren't able to remove and replace the tip itself, so a few minutes later the CSR went to the back and brought me a new pen, and mentioned that it wouldn't appear as warranty service so I would be free to replace it down the road if necessary through "normal" repair channels.

This was without any additional warranty coverage. I can't speak for other Microsoft products, but they seem to go out of their way to support the Surface to provide a similar, if not superior, repair/replacement experience as Apple (I previously owned a MBP and had its screen repaired for free as well at an Apple Store).

MS support suggested (off the record) that I find someone who had a Surface Pro still in warranty and ask them to ask for a replacement power adapter. Said that they'd get one free of charge, no questions ask. Unfortunately I don't know other people who own a Surface Pro so that didn't work for me. Anecdotally I've heard of Apple offering informal service outside of warranty, so was hoping I'd get something similar as it felt like a borderline case, but no luck in my case. Even a reduced price to replace the faulty accessory would have gone a long way to improve the support experience for me. In the end I got a half-hearted apology from them and that was it.

I've had nothing but great experiences with Lenovo, Apple and Dell's customer support. As others have mentioned, there is also a fantastic third party ecosystem for parts and services. I can not say the same for other companies and would welcome others experiences with them.

I wasn't talking about all Macbooks. Anything older than a Retina is pretty upgradeable and fixable.