My Experience With Surface Pro 8 as a Reading Tablet

I set out on a subway trip earlier this week and decided to bring along my Surface Pro 8 so that I could read some comic books via Comixology on the go. It seemed like a great opportunity to test out my Surface as a tablet since its form factor is designed for that function.

First, getting an Android app like Comixology up and running on my Surface Pro 8 was a little more convoluted than I had hoped, especially since I am in Canada.

Android Comes to Windows

One of the big features when Windows 11 was announced was its ability to run Android apps that are available on the Amazon App store. It's a great idea and one of the big reasons I purchased a Surface Pro 8 in the first place. A more "app" like experience on-the-go is exactly what the Surface needs.

Unfortunately, the rollout of Android app functionality on Windows 11 has been a slow process. For a time, it was trapped behind Insider builds of the OS, and I didn't want to touch those. Later, it became available publicly but only in the United States. Frustrating, but I read a few tutorials and managed to side-load the necessary software on Windows to let me run Android apps. I still couldn't get the Android App store to run, but again, I just sideloaded the Comixology app onto my computer.

It was an annoying process but when it was all said and done, I finally had the Comixology app on my Surface Pro 8. I was ready to roll.

Uncomfortable Form Factor

I am not going spend too much time diving into the form factor issues with the Surface Pro 8 as a tablet. It's not too bad. Sure, it's on the heavy side but if you place to use a Surface device as a tablet often your money might be better spent on a Surface Go.

I did have the Surface Signature Keyboard attached as well since I wanted something to protect the screen when I wasn't using it. That's the same arrangement I had with my iPad Pro and the Keyboard Folio case, which was always comfortable to use. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about the Signature Keyboard attachment on the Surface. It was a clunky experience. I never noticed the keys on the iPad's Keyboard Folio case, while with the Surface I was constantly aware that I was clicking the buttons, even if they weren't doing anything.

The issue with the keyboard is a win-lose scenario. Yes, I was aware of the keys but when I actually use the Signature Keyboard as a keyboard the keys are far better than the Keyboard Folio for the iPad.

Form factor was a small part of the issue though. The real problem with the Surface Pro 8 being used as a tablet comes down to the user interface of Windows. No matter what changes Microsoft makes to the Windows experience on a tablet the same issues always come up.

Inadequate User Experience

Touching the screen accidentally can cause Windows to register any number of unintended events to occur. I somehow ended up in guided view mode in Comixology and couldn't figure out how it had happened. There didn't seem to be a simple gesture or button press to get me out of it either. Then, there were random size changes to the comic book on the page that were completely independent of guided view. None of it made any sense. Finally, Windows just locked me out entirely and when I entered my pin for re-entry it would load and then lock me out again.

Sure, getting Android apps on the Surface was a great idea but it doesn't solve the problem that the entire Windows user interface is still designed around a desktop experience. Windows 10 had a tablet mode that informed your device when it was being used in a handheld configuration, which would limit some of these problems. Apparently, Windows 11 still has a tablet mode but whether its on or not is determined by when you have a keyboard attached. Honestly, neither experience was adequate.

Now I am going to say something rather controversial in the operating system community.

Windows 8 Was on the Right Track

Yes, everyone hated Windows 8. I get it. I think the big reason everyone hated it is the one reason I am taking a second look at it now - Metro.

The biggest mistake Microsoft made with the Metro interface was force-feeding it to every Windows 8 user. For most people using the operating system, Metro was a clunky nuisance that threw away simple functionality for something useless-yet-flashy. Microsoft was big on a uniform design across all their devices. Be it Xbox, Windows, or Windows Phone; they were all going to have that new sexy Metro look.

With Windows specifically, the classic interface wasn't broken but they still tried to fix it. Well, at least you could still access that classic Windows interface, but it was heavily tied into Metro.

For those of you unfamiliar with Windows Phone operating system, the Metro style interface it had was its best feature. It was an evolution of the Zune interface. Don't laugh. If Zune had one thing going for it - it was its interface. Windows Phone utilized tiles that could be switched out by the user. It was a tactile and informative experience that was easy to browse on a portable device. I still see some of the design philosophy of those tiles in the widgets on my iPhone today.

Microsoft was on to something, but they just dumped the baby with the bath water after the backlash Windows 8 received.

Microsoft should have continued to iterate on the Metro UI exclusively for the Surface devices to create a more user-friendly tablet experience. If they would have evolved Metro for Surface into something similar to what they had with Windows Phone I think it could have been something special.

Pairing Android apps with a Metro UI on the Surface is something I would love to see Microsoft tinker with. As it stands right now, the Surface as a tablet continues to be a failure and there is no way around that if Microsoft continues to focus on using a desktop UI for a portable experience.