Microsoft Surface Touch keyboards self-destruct – and more
Who'll be the first to cry 'Keyboardgate!' Oh ...
It appears that your brand-spanking-new Microsoft Surface may need more than the security patch The Reg told you about – you may also need a physical patch for its Touch Cover keyboard.
According to multiple posts on Microsoft's Surface Forum, the edge of Surface Touch keyboards can split open at the seam where the keyboard-cover magnetically attaches to the tablet unit, exposing wiring within.
As one Forum poster notes, "my touch cover, in the middle at the join to the screen is peeling. like the top layer has come loose and is ruffling up." Another writes, "Mine, too. Right in the middle on the seam it tore open, and pretty quickly too."
Another: "I had the same issue with the Surface touch cover I bought for my wife and exchanged the cover for a replacement at my Microsoft store (extremely simple and quick process). However, within 24 hours it was peeling back again at the same place." And so on.
The splitting keyboard is not the only problem being reported. One support forum thread is devoted to users who have experienced audio muting. "Glad I found this thread," one poster posts. "I've had the problem happen about 10 times and it's all on different occasions."
A Microsoft moderator jumped into that popular thread with advice. "Regarding the issue of having the sound mute randomly ... please get in touch with the Surface Technical Support to exchange the Touch/Type Cover," he wrote. "We're still investigating the issue, however it appears that the cover may be the issue."
On a minor, cosmetic note, a number of posters also report that the Microsoft logo on the Surface's cover is quickly wearing off, even if the device is handled respectfully. As one of many posters commented, "No big deal, but seems odd."
Of course, it's entirely possible that the problems with the Surface are limited to a botched bunch of early models, or are simply garden-variety "version 1.0" glitches and gotchas.
However, as The Guardian pointed out about the splitting keyboard, "the fact that users in the US and the UK have reported the problem suggests that it is not isolated to a single manufacturing batch." ®
Bootnote
Apple fan site MacDailyNews was predictably scathing in its commentary on The Guardian's article about the Surface Touch keyboard's problems. "Microsoft. We make garbage with a kickstand," they scathe. "Plus, we're run by a clown. You can be a clown, too, if you waste your hard-earned money on our half-assed, ill-considered crap." It's not only Apple-haters who can be trusted to reliably resort to overheated invective.
COMMENTS
Was it not tested by Microsoft upper management?
You'd think gorillas would have found this flaw.
Re: "just pull an apple... " Well it is tempting to pose a few apposite questions is it not?
1. Are they pretending that the problem does not exist?
2. Are they blaming the customer for the problem?
3. Do they appear to be promptly replacing the equipment?
It would appear that the answers to questions 1 and 2 at least are an interesting study in contrasts to A Certain Famously Cool Hardware Producer.
just pull an apple...
and tell people they are holding it wrong, etc.
It was to be expected...
As much as I respect some of the things Microsoft does there's one thing I've learned over the past years when dealing with Microsoft products...
You should never get a version 1.0 product from Microsoft; whether its hardware or software is totally irrelevant. That is; unless you're willing to play beta tester and are prepared to deal with several flaws which most likely are going to surface (some pun intended).
And I'm not saying this to badmouth MS; I'm saying so because this is exactly what MS history has shown us, time and time again. MS Expression 1.0 (website editor somewhat based on Dreamweaver)? 1.0 has potential but was full of bugs and often crashed. The current version (4) has become much more stable and is actually quite usable (and enjoyable if you're into this stuff). Windows Vista first release? Windows XP first release? Windows 7 first release? They all got their service packs and from there on things became a lot better.
More recent hardware examples? Windows Phone 7? The first release didn't even have a task scheduler; while Outlook is very useful (IMO) for task management; the first release of the Windows Phone didn't bother to support it. Only the first major update (7.5) brought in task support. And even that is still lacking because while you can sync your appointments and contacts over the Internet with Outlook (or other software) you still can't do this with task lists (not even with Windows Phone 8).
Microsoft ergonomic keyboards anyone? Their current versions are pretty slick and useful, but I've heard just too many complaints about earlier versions to include as an example too.
Of course not all their v1.0 products are 'bad'. But history does show you that if you pick up a v1.0 you're taking certain risks to be confronted with design flaws and other bugs.
As such; I'm not really surprised here.
Re: It just keeps getting better,
Get real. I'm not sitting stewing, I'm laughing at how badly they take being on the bottom, They take it poorly.
They assumed they owned the world. They lost an election and now they want to form new parties because the Republicans were not CONSERVATIVE enough! They felt their cause was too holy to be taken out by a majority. They needed a reality check and we gave them one.
There is no reason hate them? These are the people who spent millions of dollars on trying to make sure I can't get married. They have had my family made illegal in 31 states, They tried it in mine and we won by the skin of our teeth after a year long fight.
These are the people who reduced our government to a standstill. Did they care about jobs? No, did the care about the economy? NO, but they tried to overturn the law that keeps insurance companies from denying care to sick children 31 times. Because helping people is supposedly "socialist" Rather than work on the any of our many problems, their only goal for the last four years was to grind government to a standstill so Obama would be a one term president. This is not tinfoil hat stuff, this was their expressed goal. Enough people saw through it, and we voted. In unprecedented, unheard of numbers we voted.
These are the people who are trying to make their very specific stripe of religion the law of the land, the ones who feel that the promise of religious freedom only covers THEIR faiths, they wanted to take that freedom and replace it with theocracy. We said no.
These are the people who are trying to stop the health care that keeps me alive. The people who consider the social security I WORKED for to be the same as welfare.
These are the people who took one business after another, looted its resources and outsourced the work to line their pockets. Then they called the people who suddenly found they were unemployed in an economy with no jobs unregenerate takers while they lined their pockets with bailout money and other peoples pension funds.
These are the people who have tried for fifty years to rid the US of Social security, as its an "entitlement" unlike, billionaire parents and untaxed trust funds.
These are the people who are derisive on the news bout how we want "things". Yes, we want things, food, shelter and medication. Gosh, how evil.
I don't know how you can say there is no reason for animosity,either you don't live here, you are colossally ignorant, or you simply have not been thrown under the wheels of this phenomena. Yet.
