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Microsoft Windows Hardware Technology

Microsoft Wants You To Care For Your Surface Like a 'Luxury' Handbag (theverge.com) 83

Posted by BeauHD from the luxury-is-as-luxury-does dept.
sqorbit writes: Microsoft has some fancy Alcantara fabric on its Surface keyboard. How well does it hold up to the use and sometimes abuse that portal devices go through? Well, Microsoft wants you to care for it like a "luxury" handbag. Pete Kyriacou, Microsoft's general manager of Surface Engineering, said in a statement provided to The Verge: "Just like anything luxury that you buy, like great handbags or a pair of shoes or even expensive cars, there is a care that's needed for the device. And so from the materials perspective, we will ask customers -- specifically customers who might stain it or drop something on it -- to go ahead and wipe that right away. There's a simple way of doing that with a microfiber with a soap and water solution on it. You don't need any special chemical and you can wipe it off. Then just care [for it in the same way] that would go into anything that luxurious. That's more of a periodical thing, not super frequent, something you might look at doing every six months or something. And so if you think of the livelihood of this laptop, somewhere between four and five years, it's not that often you have to do it in terms of taking care of it." Would you walk around with a device requiring that much care?
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Microsoft Wants You To Care For Your Surface Like a 'Luxury' Handbag More

Microsoft Wants You To Care For Your Surface Like a 'Luxury' Handbag

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  • Shit, I wipe my phone screen several times a day and Lexol my $120 leather messenger bag monthly though I may only carry it once or twice a month. I suppose my monthly keyboard cleanings (de-crumbings, that is) are also too much for most people?

    We really and truly have become a throw-away society, haven't we?
    • I think they're probably just trying to deflect some complaints about how easy it is to get dirty. I've had a Surface Pro 3 for almost two years and the keyboard was filthy in a couple months. I'm not a dirty person and I wiped off anything that spilled but it's more just general dirt and dust and being in the world.

      I'm a huge Microsoft fan (I have a Windows tattoo) but they fucked up when they chose whatever fabric this is.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        "I'm a huge Microsoft fan (I have a Windows tattoo)"

        Does it help to talk about it?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by guises ( 2423402 )
      Yeah, it's not like handbags aren't also portable and also subject to abuse. And people manage to take care of those well enough.
      • Bingo. Hell, my wife manages to keep her entire collection of handbags safe from our two cats, which is a feat in and of itself. The average life of one of her handbags far outlives the amount of time her and I have known each other which, itself, exceeds the expected lifetime of the Surface as explained by Microsoft. She's not exactly the type to fanatically care for her things, either, if you know what I mean.

        That is to say, she's lazy and she'll admit it. If she can take care of her things, so can ever

    • Re:The much care? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by fuzzyfuzzyfungus ( 1223518 ) on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @07:10PM (#54388643) Journal
      The annoying bit isn't the absolute amount of maintenance required, which is fairly low; but the fact that it's required more or less entirely because somebody thought that coating the parts of the laptop that you touch with fabric(among the more efficient materials for removing crud from your hands, which is why we make washclothes and towels out of it) would be cooler than boring old plastic or metal.

      Even small inconveniences are galling when they are for stupid, pointless, reasons. When the person in charge of defending those reasons tries to insist that the inconvenience is just part of the product being 'luxurious' that doesn't help at all.
      • The feel of that fabric is much nicer than that of plastic or metal, which may well be why they used it. I don't own the device myself, but I have played with one for a bit; I prefer the physical keyboard cover, rather than the touch cover (which is the one with the fabric) because I prefer physical keys, but if I could get a keyboard for my Dell 7275 covered in that fabric, I probably would. It really does feel nice.

      • The Surface keyboards have been held up well. They are not going into this blind.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        It's the same material that high end car manufacturers like Porsche use in their interiors. Should be okay to touch but not as durable or dirt resistant as cheap plastic or common synthetic materials.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by swimboy ( 30943 )

          And one of the biggest complaints that luxury car buyers have is the Alcantara steering wheel coverings that get stained from skin oil and can't be cleaned. I would suspect that most people rest their palms on their laptops for a significantly longer period of time than they spend behind the wheel.

          • And that time is every bit as "white knuckle" as the time spend driving a Porsche, I'm sure.

          • Why on earth would a luxury car use a synthetic microfiber for a steering wheel instead of good ol' leather? Leather is a little expensive, but these are luxury cars so that shouldn't be a problem, and leather is long-lasting and easy to clean and condition, and feels a lot better than plastic. You can even find leather steering wheels on mid-grade and lower cars these days.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by swimboy ( 30943 )

              Why? For the same reason Microsoft is putting it on this laptop. When it's brand new, it looks and feels great. A year or two later, not so much; but by then they have your money.

              • Yeah, but while MS can probably get away with fleecing customers with short-lived crap like that, I would have thought high-end luxury car buyers would be more discerning and more likely to spread the word about short-lived cars to their rich buddies while at the golf course or country club. Again, while I haven't sat in a 6-figure car for a while, I thought they were generally decked out in (genuine) leather.

                Is this Alcantara stuff like the microfiber sectional couch I have? If so, it's OK I guess, but h

    • We really and truly have become a throw-away society, haven't we?

      I've never thrown away a laptop because it stopped being pretty. Hell, I've never thrown away a car because it stopped being pretty. Then again, I've never purchased a laptop with fur on it.

  • It's a turd that can't be polished!! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    The surfacd book is a turd that can't be polished

  • It seems that the intepretation of Kyriacou's comments seems to be twisted. Seems to me he is saying a Surface, like any luxury, requires some care to be taken with it. But he highlighted that it is quite easy to care for, as far as comparing it to other luxuries. I didn't realise that people were complaining about getting their surface dirty? I have owned the Surface Pro 3 for years, and I have never had that problem. I use it a few times a week, at a minimum, and I keep it in a simple bag when it isn't

  • No wonder (Score:4, Informative)

    by Trogre ( 513942 ) on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @06:49PM (#54388515) Homepage

    I hope the fabric keyboards are made of better material than the surface cases themselves.

    Go to any high school where Surfaces have been forced upon the classrooms (generally the more gullible schools with too much money), and notice the kids have, as kids will do, covered the backs of them with stickers. Then note the ugly gaps where stickers clearly used to be but have fallen off, taking the top coating of the case with them.

    This shoddy design is typical of Microsoft engineering - looks (arguably) nice in a store and falls apart shortly thereafter.

    • I have no idea what you are talking about. I have had Surface Pro, Surface Pro 3, and now Surface Pro 4 and I put stickers on all of them. In every case, the stickers came off without hurting the tablet at all.

    • Which other products are you referring to? While their software is second rate garbage, I've always been pretty impressed with Microsoft branded hardware and haven't had the experiences with falling apart shortly after purchasing that you describe.

    • I'm going to guess that you've only ever seen a Surface in a school.

      I've seen em all (wife's a teacher). I've yet to see any device stand up to the abuse of students. In the mean time I try and mistreat my Surface as much as possible. It's scratch, scathed, the alu case is showing through, and that super fragile keyboard? Well that's a $100 replaceable part.

    • It's a good thing children aren't really the intended audience for a $1000 tablet.

  • I plan to do exactly what they want. (Score:5, Interesting)

    by waspleg ( 316038 ) on Tuesday May 09, 2017 @06:52PM (#54388525) Journal

    I don't want or own a luxury hand bag either.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by hawk ( 1151 )

      Treat it like a luxury handbag or shoe?

      Uhm . . . I'm a guy. Do they have a guy's version of this thing?

      Or maybe I can just use one of those shoe-polish sponges?

      hawk

  • was literally just cleaning my old Original Surface Pro, and i just noticed how screwed up my screen is, mostly caused by the flip hardcase keyboard thing. i really wish i had taken better care of it. like that bump on the j and f keys, there are now scratches in the screen from them and me having thrown it around and stuff on top of it. at least it all works still. but still.

  • People care about expensive items because replacing them costs a lot of money. If you want your chromebook knock-off to cared for then you should price it like it's valuable. If you can't do that because it doesn't seem valuable then people will treat it like that soon-to-be-trash that it is.

    People also care about things they love because they have gained sentimental value. If you want your chromebook knock-off to cared for then it needs to be nice enough that people love it. If you can't do that becaus

  • But in the case of fads they can change as fast as they come out, computer hardware can't.

  • It's nice to want things (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    These will be dingy and grimy 90% of the time.

    How about you want people to buy them in the first place before you worry about how they treat the fine corinthian leather?

  • Substitute "luxury handbag" for "Apple product" (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Substitute "luxury handbag" for "Apple product" if you want to understand what Microsoft are really saying. Of course, Microsoft can't come out and say that.

    • Yeah, except I care for my Mac because it's the tool of my trade, and like any craftsman will tell you - keep your tools sharp.

      If the Surface becomes equally important to someone, then I'm sure they'll look after it. However, if it's a PoS that got given to you by work and you have to use, then you're probably going to be less inclined to look after it as it fails to give you 'the love' first.

      I suspect there are going to be some beautiful tech recycling centres quite soon ;-)

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by HiThere ( 15173 )

      Point taken. But I still don't understand why they went with pseudo-suede rather than pseudo-cork, or even a tough pseudo-sponge (though that might not look as nice).

      OTOH, from the comments above, his comments about cleaning are unjustified. Apparently it's usually easy to clean.

  • I take good care (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    I take good care of all of my devices. They last longer that way. I have found over the years that its better to try not to let devices get dirty. I clean them when they need it using microfiber cloths. As for Micro$haft, they can FSCK themselves! I won't let the Win10 Spy-Virus near any of my devices!!

  • Windows looks cheap (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    To bad then Windows looks really cheap.

  • Do not touch the operational end of The Device. Do not look directly at the operational end of The Device. Do not submerge The Device in liquid, even partially. Most importantly, under no circumstances should you ^^/-#+$*./#^+\?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by HiThere ( 15173 )

      That comment about liquid is one of the reasons I hate e-books.

      OTOH, they do have advantages, and I've been thinking of getting a paperback sized phone or tablet to see whether modern screens are more readable. (Besides, more of the stuff I want to read is no available DRM-free. The rest can go stuff itself. It will either be paper or ignored.)

  • Is that what the question was? Would I own a device I should wipe down when I spill something on it? Yes. Yes I would, and yes I do.

    The media is falling over themselves over wording here. There's nothing on the Surface line that requires more care than any other device. But as they are marketing it as a luxury item of course the product directors will use those words.

    Situation Normal Everyone Panic For No Reason.
    SNEPFNR is the new SNAFU.

  • "There's a simple way of doing that with a microfiber with a soap and water solution on it."

    So a special cloth, soap, and water is "simple" -- as opposed to when I get something on a plastic or metal laptop and I can wipe it with just a single napkin or paper towel?

    • When I can buy a bag of 5 multi-use (e.g. not throwaway) microfiber cloths at a dollar store, for literally $1, I'd hardly call them special. They're also in the cleaning supplies aisle at Walmart. You can get them at practically every grocery store, auto parts stores dedicate entire bays to them, and I'm pretty sure I saw one on the shelf at 7-11 the other day.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by HiThere ( 15173 )

        They're special is they're something additional that you need to have. If you wear glasses you probably already need them, and there are other needs.

        OTOH, *SOAP*??? You don't want to use something that leaves residue on a screen! Water?? You want to be careful about water around powered on electronics. (Yeah, you can use it, but in tiny amounts, and be careful.) And he's saying this to the public? This idiot doesn't know what he's talking about.

        • I'm almost certain a damp paper towel would do the trick just the same. The benefit of microfiber is that it's lint-free, so you don't have to go back and pick up little bits of towel afterward.

          Almost every piece of equipment you buy recommends cleaning with soap and water, right down to the last 5 laptops I've owned. Now, if I could just figure out why they stopped working after I ran them through the dishwasher...

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by HiThere ( 15173 )

            I've seen recommendations for water...but always emphasizing care in application. The people who write the instructions have a better idea about their audience. Soap? Are you sure? I don't even recall a recommendation for the use on soap on the case, much less the screen (and it's the screen where the micro-fiber cloths are appropriate).

            Still, I only read the summary. Perhaps he was misquoted. But I doubt it. It sounds like the kind of recommendation that marketers often make.

            • You clearly did not RTFS as you claim...

              Pete Kyriacou, Microsoft's general manager of Surface Engineering, said in a statement provided to The Verge: "Just like anything luxury that you buy, like great handbags or a pair of shoes or even expensive cars, there is a care that's needed for the device. And so from the materials perspective, we will ask customers -- specifically customers who might stain it or drop something on it -- to go ahead and wipe that right away. There's a simple way of doing that with a microfiber with a soap and water solution on it. You don't need any special chemical and you can wipe it off. Then just care [for it in the same way] that would go into anything that luxurious. That's more of a periodical thing, not super frequent, something you might look at doing every six months or something. And so if you think of the livelihood of this laptop, somewhere between four and five years, it's not that often you have to do it in terms of taking care of it."

              Emphasis mine. Unless Engineering management is a branch of Marketing now, this wasn't just some Marketing wank speaking and, while I don't really trust Slashdot's editorial staff to do a whole lot of real editing, there is plenty of context in that quote that I don't think even they could have fucked it up that badly.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by sootman ( 158191 )

        They are "special" because I don't carry them with me. I have tissues and napkins on desks and tables at home and work, but since I don't use microfiber cloths for ANYTHING, I never have them on me. I have a few -- one that came with each device -- in a drawer at home. If I sneeze on my laptop, I'm not going to make a special trip to the store to take care of it.

  • I treat my devices better than I treat myself (Score:3)

    by acoustix ( 123925 ) on Wednesday May 10, 2017 @09:28AM (#54392259)

    I don't use screen protectors or cases on my smartphones because I don't treat them like shit. I can count on one hand the number of times I have dropped them in the last 10 years. My 3 year old Dell Latitude E7440 doesn't have any scratches. It's in mint condition and I use it 5-6 days a week or more.

    I don't care if it's my device or my companies device. It is going to last for it's designed lifespan and then some.

  • Sure enough, the pic at amazon shows fabric palmrests.
    The keys themselves don't seem to be fabric.

    To quote Alfred E. Neuman, "yecch".
    I guess if MS can convince people to chuck 'em and buy an new one every few months it's not a problem.

    As I'm not trying to impress people with a luxury handbag, Mr. Neuman's most famous statement comes to mind.

  • ...as soon as this Surface can be out on a shelf for 6 months and when I take it, it has do do its task, without complaing about virus checks, important patches and other stuff making apparently the sky fall down.
    My handbags never do that, not even the non-luxary ones.

  • Holly Golightly gets off the bus. She takes a few steps onto the sidewalk and reaches into her luxury Microsoft handbag and pulls out a danish. She bites it then sips some coffee in a foam cup. She saunters over to the window and gazes wistfully at things she will never have, like the displayed iPad on a velvet podium.

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