Introduction
The surface pro 8 is pound for pound arguably the very best 2n1 laptop ever built. Utilizing the infamous, pixel sense touch screen technology created just over 12 years ago with the help of Samsung. Microsoft released its first Surface tablet in October of 2012.
What’s In the box?
Included with the Surface Pro is one of the few similarities that has carried over from previous generations. The Surface Pro 8 comes with a 65 wat charger that has the same surface connection creating that magnetic click we all keep coming back for!
Dimensions & weight
The surface pro 8 Stands just 11.3” tall is; 8.2” wide & has a depth of just 54 hundredths of an inch. It weighs just under 2 pounds at 891 grams.
Display
This year's Surface Pro has a 13” Display. Which for the first time ever is utilizing Dolby Vision HDR technology.
The surface has a max resolution of 2880x1920p @ 60Hz refresh rate “internally”
& can utilize flow touch technology, at Full HD or 1920x1080p @ a 120Hz refresh rate you’re getting something rarely seen outside of gaming-grade laptops.
Thanks to the long-anticipated addition of Intel’s thunderbolt port you can achieve the very highest resolution with a Display port 1.4 which is;
(7680x4320p @60Hz)
Or for HDMI 2.06 you will be able to provide an external monitor or TV with up to
(4096x2304p @60Hz)
The above specs are the max resolutions according to the specifications found on intel’s website for both the i7 and i5 models. Which both utilize the same integrated graphics called Intel Xe and also have the capability to display Graphics on integrated flat panels which is higher than Microsoft's listed max resolution for the surface pro 8 @ 4096x2304p@60Hz
The biggest problem I have with the display is it was created for a mobile device. Mobile Ram, Mobile weight, Mobile design. So you would assume they would design the screen to be used on the go.
But in fact, they did not. At a max of 450 nits, you will see screen glare inside your home. Honestly, as I look into the screen now I can see the reflection of myself.
Connectivity
Surface Connect
When it comes to connectivity the Surface Connect is simply unparalleled.
I can honestly say out of every device I have ever owned, the surface magnetic charger Is the best. Not in terms of charging speed. But in terms of reliability, ease of connection, and what really sets the surface connect apart from the rest of the chargers on the market today is the quick connect & disconnect which increases the life span of your PC. By preventing damage to the internal power supply. As a computer tech, it’s something I have seen all too often and is only a single accident away from reducing your computer’s life span down to the time it takes for your battery to deplete.
Thunderbolt 4
One of the most sought-after upgrades Surface users have been waiting far too long for, is Intel’s Thunderbolt port. This takes the Surface Pro 8 to a whole new world of innovation. But there are some key factors that even after Microsoft has kept consumers waiting since the release of the Surface Pro 7 back on October 22nd of 2021.
2 years and we still won’t see Thunderbolt ports being used at maximum potential by the Surface Pro 8. At times yes they may meet them but maintaining the maximum capabilities of thunderbolt 4 is an entirely different ball game.
In order to maintain the Maximum potential of ThunderBolt 4, Intel states a Bus speed of 32 Gbps is required. This is a quite complex issue many manufactures will face as consumer-grade PCs are released with the PCIe 4.0 Motherboards and the respective Ports, RAM, SSD’s, Wifi Cards, and all other peripherals attached to the device whether they are by the manufacturer or the consumer.
PCIe 4.0
Is definitely one of the most important things to understand before buying a new computer as just a single part that doesn’t support it can reduce your computer’s potential by 50% or more.
PCIe or (peripheral component interconnect express) is an interface standard for connecting high-speed components.
If you would like to do your own research I would suggest checking out the link in the description below under PCIe 4.0.
If you want to start running your own tests here are the units of measurements you will need to keep in mind.
Base Clock Speed, Data Rate, Total Bandwidth, & Data Transfer Rate. These are 4 units of measurement that will help identify a computer capable of utilizing PCIe 4.0’s full potential. Trenton Systems breaks PCIe down pretty well so I have included their link in the description.
let’s go back to the “Bus Speed '' This is the speed at which a computer can move data from one component to the next. Intel, the owner and co-company alongside Apple who together developed Thunderbolt states you need to meet the 32Gbps PC Data requirements.
AKA Bus speed” & a 15-watt power output to a single Thunderbolt 4 port, In order to connect dual 4K monitors. The TDP or Thermal Design Power of the Surface Pro 8 can reach a whopping 28watts TDP!
Remember 32Gbps is a “minimum data requirement”.
So using up to 5 other devices, on a second Thunderbolt 4 port simultaneously, is something I can’t be sure is possible with the Pro 8 until I get to try it for myself. Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money. To be honest, so let me know if you are aware of anyone that has successfully done this.
The ability to transfer data at rates up to 40 Gbps allows a portable device like the Pro 8 to connect with E-GPUs, external Displays, and even run the games on external Solid State Drives while meeting identical read and write speeds to your internal drive. Providing huge potential for those big downloads without affecting your internal storage space.
Thunderbolt 3 & 4 appear to be the same at a glance. They both have the same maximum speed of 40 Gbps. The diversification in Thunderbolt 4 is the ability to deliver bidirectional data at 40 Gbps. This means that Thunderbolt 4 can both send and receive data at 40Gbps without seeing a reduction in the max data transfer rate, were as Thunderbolt 3 can only transfer data unidirectional thus reducing performance significantly when receiving and sending data.
Wifi 6
On my con’s list is another 1st for the surface line up: Wi-Fi 6. Which is debatably an upgrade from Wi-Fi 5. The worst part is what it’s not; Wi-Fi 6e which possesses a much lower latency with the 6GHz band and is expected to have an average latency of 2 to 6 ms. Short of a fiber optics connection those speeds are rarely achieved. Especially on a Coax connected device. What makes these ultra-low latencies possible is the 6 GHz band utilizing many channels that before 2016 were illegal for consumer use. Making the channels within the 6GHz band congestion-free. Especially since using these bands requires a proper configuration that will cost an abundant amount of money. Of course, this is all going to be temporary as people start to utilize the 6Ghz band. Which will then become just like the rest of the coax cable-connected devices, getting average speeds of 30-60ms on a good day.
But there is always the option to buy a router that has a 6 GHz band then connect a thunderbolt 4 adapter to a female ethernet port and finally connecting a Cat 6e Ethernet cable. Allowing you to access these channels without Wi-Fi 6e. Which will cost a minimum of 500 bucks.
That is if you can find a deal. The router I have been looking at is the Night Hawk RAXE500 which has an MSRP of 719.97 but is on sale for $599.99. Additionally, you could program your router to connect with those bands after installing a custom firmware like the one I displayed a firmware installation on. Which shows consumers how to utilize a VPN that works for all devices connected to it. That firmware is called OPEN-WRT If you would like the link to this video let me know in the comments below.
To check out, the router I have been thinking of purchasing which comes with the 6GHz bands and respective channels preconfigured; look in the description below for the link under Night Hawk.
LTE Advanced
I am highly disappointed that only ¼ of Surface Pro 8’s manufactured will come with an integrated sim module. Which will allow us to use LTE advanced. Having an E-sim and nano sim slot is ridiculous. But according to Microsoft, half of the business models possess both. The other half don’t have either and the same goes for 100% of the consumer-grade surface pros. But as I was doing some digging into Windows 11 I found a built-in cellular option which is usually a good indication you have a cellular capability. Which is most likely just wishful thinking. But I am keeping my fingers crossed.
Bluetooth 5.1
Something I have 0 complaints about, is Bluetooth 5.1. This will be great for gamers or anyone utilizing a pair of headphones that happens to be individually synchronized. As the new Bluetooth 5.1 allows for the same quality, at half the power. Thanks to the LC3 update which you can read more about @ Bluetooth.com. In addition, Bluetooth is delivering more efficient synchronizing capabilities due to the innovation known as Bluetooth LE. Wich will help provide superior directional audio. Not to mention the increase in data transmission rates for gamers who aim to gain a competitive edge by reducing output latency when using Bluetooth-connected controllers.
There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack just in case you time travel back into the Stone Age.
Hardware & Performance
Thermal Cooling System
The reason the surface pro is able to utilize so many new features including Thunderbolt 4 is due to Microsoft’s decision to finally put a Thermal cooling solution inside of it. This is a big thanks to Intel as after years of co-engineering with the tech industry’s leading Tech Giants such as; Asus, Acer, Apple, Dell, Google, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, & Samsung via the Reference Design Program. They finally have a Thermal Cooling Solution that is thin enough for the surface pro. Microsoft is calling it the “new Carbon Cooling Thermal Dissipation System”. Which is actually a cooling technology that has been around for over a decade now. But new names, and new interests, gain new investments.
CPU
As for the CPU or Central processing unit you can get these in either the i5 or i7 models. These are both built on intel’s Evo Platform. Which a standard ensuring consumers who purchase a computer built on the Evo Platform are guaranteed; an intel 11th gen processor, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, a Minimum 9-hour battery life, intel Xe “integrated” GPU, Wake times that are under a second, and Thunderbolt 4.
The two options you have to choose from are the intel i5 & i7 core processors
I have included the links in the description; to Intel’s specs on each processor if you want to take a look for yourself.
Differences in CPU’s
I personally grabbed the intel with the i7 model. For those of you who want to look up all the specs the product ID # is; i7-1185G7. Or you can just look in the description under intel’s i5 & i7 processor specs to get the official link to intel’s website for each of these processors. The i7 model processor can reach up to 4.80GHz with Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology. It has a quad-core or 4 enabled threads to process data and 4 logical cores that are not pre-enabled to process data. Optionally you can enable these redundant cores and double your processing power. If you are interested let me know by tagging redundant in the comments and I might just make a video on this. The recommended MSRP for the i7 is $480.00. The max configurable (TDP) or Thermal Design Power is 3.0 GHz and the minimum is 1.2 GHz. This refers to the high & low pre configurable state in watts the CPU can operate in. Unless of course, you’re using an application that would require Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology. Which for example would be needed when running dual 4k monitors, rendering 3D applications, or utilizing multiple programs as we see in the adobe creative cloud. But ultimately it will be up to the firmware installed by Microsoft in which regulates when the Surface Pro 8 switches back and forth in between each configurable state.
Optionally you can grab the I5 model with the product ID # being i5-1135G7 which has an MSRP of $309 & The Max GHz Intel’s Turbo Boost Technology creates for the i5 is 4.2Ghz. As far as TDP in watts the intel i5 is identical to the specs of the i7.
The TDP Frequencies however or cycles per second which are measured by Gigahertz where 1 Gigahertz equals a billion cycles per second Has a max configurable state of 2.4GHz & a minimum of 900MHz which would be equivalent to 900 million cycles per second.
RAM
Instead of the traditional DDR4 RAM, we would commonly see in laptops. The Surface Pro 8, has a more power-efficient LPDDR4x Ram designed specifically for mobile tablets & or cell phones. I was kind of disappointed there wasn’t a bit more transparency with Microsoft specs @ the Microsoft store. Which simply displays DDR4. But I am satisfied so far and will have much more time to test the potential of the Surface Pro 8 throughout the next 6 weeks as I finish up with Digital Media Design at TSTC.
But after doing some research I was actually more than impressed with the LPDDR4x ram as it is not only much more efficient than DDR4 ram which operates on minimum voltage levels of 1.2v compared to LPDDR4x Ram which operates at anywhere from six-tenths of a volt or .6v up to 1.1v and also starts off with a minimum speed of (3200Hz or 3200 cycles per second) Which is where DDR4 ram maxes out at. LPDDR4x ram actually has the potential to reach an astonishing 4267Hz.
Microsoft G6 processor
The G6 processor provides Haptic feedback for the Slim Pen 2. It also works with the surface dial but from my research, I don’t see any potential of that when it comes to the surface pro 8 as it is only capable of off-screen interactions with Surface Dial. But I could be wrong.
Sensors
Rear-Facing Image Sensor
The Rear-Facing image sensor comes with 10MP. This camera is capable of resolutions from 1920x1080p all the way up to 4k. This is kind of strange to see so many manufacturers getting this wrong. In my opinion, the rear-facing camera rarely ever gets used, making the front-facing camera; the primary camera so it would be nice to see the higher resolution camera switched to the front.
Front Facing Camera
The Front-facing Camera comes with a half recording aspect ratio at 5mp but it does however come with autofocus and resolutions of 1366x768p aka HD and can render resolutions at up to 4k.
I am not sure of the exact resolution Microsoft refers to when they say 4k. As the resolutions of 4k can vary. Oddly enough the official cinema resolution of 4k is 4096x2160 which is higher than a monitor’s typical 4k resolution of 3840x2160p which is likely due to the fact that monitors are usually smaller than TV’s so it wouldn’t need as many PPI or pixels per inch to display resolutions that appear in 4k. Also, The higher standard of 4096x2160 is set by production studios. Which have to provide high-quality resolution for all displays in which render the movies each production studio creates.
Infrared Camera 4 Windows Hellow
Infrared Camera is Front Facing
The infrared camera is designed for Windows Hello authentication which has worked amazingly for me so far. I am unaware if it is compatible with any other apps or if it is used for other purposes at this time but I definitely will update you guys once I do find out. So if you are interested don’t forget to subscribe.
Accelerometer
The Accelerometer converts motion into an electrical signal. The main use in mobile devices is for changing the orientation in your screen, from sideways to vertical and vice-versa. Also, it is used by your Surface Keyboard.
Gyroscope
The Gyroscope is essential to guidance systems such as ballistic missiles, autopilot, or even navigating humans through apps like google maps. In this case, it is one of the many things required to track your device whether that means your tracking your lost or stolen pro 8. Or someone else is tracking you.
Magnetometer
The Magnetometer is by far the most important sensor. Both NFC or Near field communications & Bluetooth are dependent upon this sensor. NFC & Bluetooth are being used for connectivity purposes, more precise location-based services, device identification, payment authentication, data transfer capabilities that allows us to simply touch each other’s devices together and share videos, pictures and so much more.
Some of the commercial uses of the Magnetometer include but are not limited to:
Much more precise tracking of; consumer movement, shopping, and any behavior that can provide insight into consumer demographics & buying habits.
If you really want to start exploring the potential of your magnetometer I would suggest checking out the EMF Academy, whose link I have added in the description below.
Ambient Light & Color Sensor
This provides adaptive color correction technology. By detecting light that is too bright or images that appear too dark and adjusting them to be more visible.
Dual Far-field Studio Mics
These look incredible & yes I have the ability to test them but nobody really displays them better than what I saw in the Verge’s review of the Surface Pro 8 Hosted by Monica Chin.
Dolby Vision
I felt like diving a little deeper into Dolby Vision, which had some interesting insight, especially for gamers. As there are hints on Dobly.com displaying some serious upgrades for Competitive Gamers. So as I was scrolling through their website I read that Dolby would “soon be adding 100+ Games in Dolby Vision available at launch or coming soon”. Including all native HDR titles available today that have been optimized for Xbox series X & Xbox series S. They also go on to suggest that we should visit the Microsoft store for a specially curated game collection of Dolby Vision & Dolby Atmos Titles. Altho currently, Dolby Vision is not enabled for gaming on either Xbox variant at this time. It is apparently coming soon & will require an Xbox Series X or S, a Dolby vision-supported game & a Dolby vision-enabled TV or Monitor.
In addition, there are Dolby Cinema, Dolby post-production for content creation, and a bunch of other new features Dolby is coming out with for consumers, developers & businesses.
Dolby Atmos
Delivers a 360-degree with the Surface Pro 8’s integrated speakers. In addition to providing superior audio feedback to your headphones. I have to say the audio experience on this 2 in 1 mobile device is hands down the best I have ever experienced.
Windows 11
Windows 11 has been really easy to navigate. The biggest change you will notice is the transformation towards a mobile experience. All the apps you would normally see have been centered on the toolbar. With the addition of a search icon that functions exactly like the search option with windows 10’s start menu. The addition of Microsoft teams is being used for your default video calling & conferencing and quick access to the multi-desktop feature. Which has been around for a while. But now is integrated into Windows much more seamlessly allowing you to access multiple desktops much like you would be able to flip through multiple home screens with an android device. Also, you have a new option for widgets as you would once again expect from an android device. Back on Oct 21st of 2010 Windows released their own mobile operating system for mobile devices. This was a major fail but so was windows 8. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see Windows make another attempt at pushing their way back into the cellular market. We already are seeing the duo 2 released which is much like the Galaxy fold. Despite the many people claiming that Windows 11 has very few upgrades. This new OS is very clean and the compatibility as usual far exceeds any OS on the market today while at the same time Windows has managed to deliver simplicity in terms of user-friendliness and ease of navigation.
In addition to the features windows has added resembling Android. There is a little resemblance to the phone’s operating system as well. In iOS, Apple users hold the power button down and then are required to slide their screen down in order to confirm they want to power down their device. This is exactly how Windows 11 shutdown now, opposed to windows 10 which would simply force shutdown after holding the power button. Also if you’re looking for the old power, restart, logout, and sleep options in the start menu. You will quickly find these have vanished.
Windows has changed for sure. But not in such a drastic way that users will have a hard time adapting to the new OS. Overall the transformation is a pretty simple one.
PixelSense
I feel like one of the most proprietary developments within the surface lineup has simply been forgotten. This is understandable as it is older than the surface lineup. In fact, PixleSense was the original name of surface devices that were created in collaboration with Samsung to create the SRU40. This was a Monsters 40” touch screen table. Yes, I said table 4 legs and all. With an even heftier price tag than I have seen on any of the Surface devices today. It cost a whopping $8,000. Samsung initially intended to market these to businesses but ya it didn’t work out so well. Microsoft worked with Samsung to create the touchscreen technology which originally went into the SUR40. The User interface or system UI was called Microsoft Surface Table. But eventually, Samsung and Microsoft parted ways and PixelSense became the name of Microsoft TouchScreen Software.
Accessories
Surface Pens
When it comes to the Surface Pen that’s a different story. The Surface Pen is far from what I have experienced with my Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s S-pen. Originally I bought the Gen 1 Surface Pen as I wanted the bigger pen for my gigantic hands. A mistake I have regretted. As the surface pen is a huge disappointment and that was the main reason I bought the surface pro 8. However, I did buy the surface pro pen and keyboard which will be arriving in 2 days so If you would like to see a review on my personal opinion of both the pen and signature keyboard let me know in the comments below. I just had to give the haptic feedback motor they have installed in the slim pen 2 a try. Along with the corresponding software and sensors used with the Microsoft G6 processor, which is only available on the Pro 8 and the Surface Studio Laptop.
I couldn’t imagine Microsoft’s Surface Pen ever catching up to Samsung’s S-pen. They sell their Spen for ¼th of the price you can grab the Surface Pen for which is $99.00 compared to Samsung’s much more advanced S-pen which sells for $25 The surface pen Gen 1 is like using a rubber pencil you could expect to find in jail. But my hopes are high for the Surface Pen 2.0.
So the surface pen 2.0 sells for $129.99
The charger for the pen will cost you an additional $34.99
Or you can optionally drop $279.99 on the Keyboard and pen combo and utilize the Signature Keyboard’s built-in cradle that charges the Surface pen wirelessly.
Surface Keyboard
When it comes to the Surface Keyboard you can either use the new version which is created out of carbon fiber. Or the surface pro X edition which is more like the previous model of keyboard. I actually enjoyed it a lot. To tell you the truth when you compare the New signature Keyboard and the surface pro X keyboard, the only way you can tell them apart is by the new slim pen 2.0 holder.
Surface Arc Mouse
The Arc Mouse wasn’t even something I felt was worth mentioning until I used it for few days. You will notice a much slower response time in comparison to the new trackpad. I was thinking one of the firmware updates would improve responsiveness. But I was sadly mistaken. Then I got onto The surface shop and found that every arc mouse was on sale which is a good indication a 3.0 is coming out or there going to end up as a thing of the past for surface accessories.
Surface Sleeves
The surface sleeves sell out quickly so they must be a good quality item. I am not one looking for a bulky case and will be picking one of these up as soon as possible.
Surface Headphones 2
These are not new by any means but if you enable and configure your surface headphones with Dolby Atmos via the Dolby Access app, they will definitely deliver a whole new audio experience.
Surface Docking
There are a few options at the Microsoft Shop.
Currently on sale is the Microsoft USB-C travel hub for 73.99 instead of the original 99.99.
With this, you get 5 ways to connect. A:
USB-A 3.1, Gen 2 with speeds up to 10 Gbps
USB-C 3.1, Gen 2 with speeds up to 10 Gbps
1 Gigabit Ethernet port which has speeds of up to 1 Gbps or 1,024 Mbps
1 HDMI 2.0 port capable of 4K resolution at 60Hz
1 VGA port….
The sale is likely due to the popularity of the sold-out Thunderbolt 4 docking station. No matter where you buy a docking station if your looking for thunderbolt 4 just remember to ensure it has the Thunderbolt logo on it. For more information check out the description below for Intel’s Thunderbolt page link which I have placed in the description below.
The Surface Doc 2 was selling for a crazy 259.99 but is out of stock. Which is crazy!
This Doc provides a 199 watt charging supply and is compatible with nearly every surface device.
It also supports dual 4k monitors at 60Hz which is awesome.
A Surface Connect cable with a length of (80cm)
2 front-facing USB-C ports capable of 10Gbps or 15Watts
2 rear-facing USB-C ports capable of 10Gbps for Video display enabled 7.5 Watt ports
2 rear-facing USB-A 3.2 10 GBps 7.5W ports
A 3.5 mm in/out audio jack
1 Gigabyte Ethernet connection.
Security lock support via a K-key.
That doesn’t sound like a good deal to me as none of those ports seem to be 4 Thunderbolt 4. I also don’t see the Thunderbolt Icon on the Doc so if you have one please let me know in the comments below if there is a thunderbolt icon on the top of the male Type-C cable.
Kingston SD7000 Dual 4K Surface Pro Docking Station
Which has a USB 3.1 Gen 1 port that supports up to 5 volts or 3Amps Charge
& 4 USB A Ports that have the current pressure of 5 volts and can carry up to 0.9 Amps
Needless to say, Microsoft has no options for Surface Pro 8 & Surface Laptop Studio owners looking to buy Thunderbolt 4 docking solutions.
So I have taken the liberty of finding some for us!
1st up Is the Kingston SD700T Which will cost you a hefty 369.99
But you get 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports.
Each Thunderbolt 4 port can deliver up to 90w power supply
The video resolution can support 8K at 30Hz or dual 4k monitors at 60Hz
You can optionally get Kensington Dock Works software for what they say is the fastest speeds and the best security.
You also get 4 USB-A ports 1 on the front which is capable of delivering a pressure of 5 volts and the capacity to carry 1.5 amps while charging.
3 of which are Gen 2 and can carry data at a rate of 10Gbps. All of which can be found on the rear of the device.
A gigabit Ethernet port
1 audio combo jack
1 UHS-II SD 4.0 card reader
Personal Pros & Cons
Cons
In an attempt to transition to an always-on display like Samsung's new phones and most Android Devices.
Finding the power off option is not done in the start menu anymore. Nore is the restart option.
Previously on Windows 10 devices.
When holding down the power button your computer would automatically shut down. Which was a drastic measure only done at times where your computer was unstable. This could have potentially damaged the Software and even hardware of your device in rare cases.
The normal way to shut your computer off was to enter into the start menu where there was a power icon giving you the options to put your computer to sleep, restart, or turn off your device. But this is no longer available.
In android devices, you hold the power button down and you are prompted with power off, restart & emergency mode.
On the surface pro 8 or more particularly Windows 11 when holding the power button down, you are then asked to swipe your screen to turn off the device.
The reason this is on my cons list. Is the fact that it is an obvious attempt for Microsoft who owns Windows 11. To gain more data from consumers who leave their device in a sleep state resulting in more revenue for Microsoft and a less user-friendly experience. Also, it reduces the lifespan of the device as leaving a device in a sleep state will result in your computer being used by any apps that have wake from sleep permissions.
However, when a device is turned off utilizing the device’s hardware or software is only allowed when the FCC deems it necessary which requires a US law to provide the right to access a device that is in a powered-off state.
Microsoft store
This was the worst experience I have ever had buying a device over the web.
I was hung up multiple times.
I was hung up on after asking a rep for a case ID number more than once. Which is a good indication that accountability for each call is dependent on the case ID #.
So I called in to make a complaint on my previous rep. Sure enough the manager I was transferred to informed me that a call could not be located unless I had the case ID #.
One rep told me that the reason I was having issues with the Microsoft store was that I was accessing it through a mobile device. So I asked him why is it that Microsoft has specifically designed a version of the Microsoft store for both Android & IOS devices which are both mobile devices. Then asked for his rep ID or references # to the call & was hung up on.
I received several error messages that stated this is an issue on Microsoft’s behalf when trying to make a purchase. My 1st issue was adding items to my shopping cart. Which after 20hrs of speaking to different reps who all ended up hanging up on me with 0 interest in troubleshooting the issue I fell asleep. The next morning every single item I tried to add to my cart was there. So the issue was likely due to a higher than normal propagation period, which is the time for the servers to respond and upload my request. A simple issue that if a CSR would have looked into… they could have simply seen the pending request and cleared them out, then added them for me internally. But not a single one would even take the error message.
My biggest issue was simply paying for my Surface Pro 8.
I had received several different error messages. Some stated they were issues on Microsoft’s behalf and others simply stated there were invalid funds due to incorrect account information. Finally after being hung up on three reps who refused to troubleshoot this. I found a manager and asked for her rep Id in advance as well as a reference # for the call. So she was then obligated to stay on the phone with me. So for two hours, I had to convince her to try different troubleshooting methods. At times I even gave her navigation instructions for her internal software which I had never used before. Such as try logging out of my account then logging back in since refreshing the current page you are on didn’t work. Amongst many other tips. The rep showed 0 initiative to help me resolve my issue. Yet once I had understood the issue after she rewrote the error messages down that she was getting on her end then emailed them to me. I was able to guide her through her system to identify the core issue. Which was that when my PayPal had originally been synced to the Microsft Store it was using a different account #. So I explained to her how I came about my hypothesis. Then requested she removes my PayPal account as the system was not allowing me to do so. She argued with me about this and even after I asked her to stop suggesting the issue was with my funds in PayPal she did so well over 10 times. I grew frustrated and knew I was on the brink of solving my issue. So I told her if this doesn’t work you can end the call. So she tried removing my PayPal account which I again had to guide her through doing so. Finally, I added the exact same Paypal account and the transaction went through. She said I am happy to inform you I have successfully processed your payment… lol really I replied. I thought I walked you through a troubleshooting process you repeatedly stated would not work. I thought I had to beg for customer service. After some apologies on her behalf, she offered me 50,000 or 5,000 Microsoft points. She said it would be equivalent to $50. I declined as the bigger issue at hand is the fact if I had to fight this hard for help, I can only imagine what the average joe would have to go through. If it weren’t for my experience with many different OS’, Ecommerce patent solutions, and general troubleshooting of servers & network traffic As well as 10 years in customer service I wouldn’t have been able to pre-order the surface pro 8.
The worst part about the whole ordeal was I had originally tried to pre-order a Surface pro X with LTE Advanced. But due to the time, it took to resolve this issue I had to settle for the Surface Pro 8.