Microsoft is an Apple wannabe. They want Apple's short technology refresh cycles, like the fact that there is a new iOS every other week and a new iPhone every year, and they want way more money for their devices than should be charged. I'm a pro IT guy, and I don't know anyone who has a Surface. I'm sure that the Surface Book is a nice computer, but I didn't buy a gold plated Apple Watch, either. What utter DREK!
The Toshiba P35W-B3226 Click 2 Pro, at $700, is a comparable machine at less than half the price:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RWKR6O4?colid=35Q0DJ3L429LD&coliid=I33OHF4CEBAIOV&ref_=wl_it_dp_o_pd_S_ttlBut I wonder if I even need to spend that much. The refurbished ASUS transformer that I previously posted a link for is $225. A number of factors make this a viable machine for most needs:
1. You can get a free upgrade to Win 10.
2. If you are an Office 365 subscriber, you can stream Office to just about anything, including a transformer.
3. If you have USB 3 throughput, you can use a port replicator or "dock" to run the machine as a full desktop productivity machine.
4. Even USB 2 can support huge media libraries, effectively providing unlimited local storage. Sorry, iPad.
5. Being a Windows machine, it will (probably) run MC and can support a USB DAC.
6. Browse, stream audio or video, and work. So there's really no need for another computer.
The last question I have is whether the Atom processor and 2GB RAM is enough. If no one at JRiver and no one on the forum knows, I think I will do a live-in, long-term, hands-on test of this type of machine at my local Best Buy and report back to the forum.
Does anyone know the answer?
Thanks again to everyone who has chimed in!