Last week I posted about my need to purchase a new laptop and my excitement about the release of the new Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. I am now travelling weekly and really need to invest in a more portable shiny new laptop or tablet/laptop mix and having done my research I decided that I absolutely have to have the new Surface Book. It ticks all of my boxes in that it is a powerful laptop, is far more portable than my current 18″ big boy, runs Windows (my current tablet doesn’t that well), and can work as a tablet with the keyboard providing the extra battery life and oomph to give you a full day’s work (like my current tablet) – and of course it looks shiny. OMG I want this shiny toy!!! I had heard of the announcement and whilst I really need a new laptop immediately I waited until October 6th as knew Microsoft would make an announcement and there it was – my new desire. Whilst the Surface Pro 4 also looks great it doesn’t quite hit the Book in my opinion. I was so very excited!
You can then imagine my displeasure when the next couple of days there was still no mention of a release date for Europe. To me this seems very odd – in today’s global age why would you only announce for the US and not the ROW? Then my displeasure turned to horror as I found out that Microsoft probably won’t be releasing in Europe until sometime next year – with the vague mention of somewhere between January and March (which to me suggests it will probably be more likely to be March). OMG NOOOOO!!! How could this be?! How could a global company not be selling in Europe?! How could Microsoft get my hopes, and other laptop seekers like @Ubermarketer, so excited and then dash our hopes so cruelly?! Like myself @Ubermarketer needs a laptop now – not sometime next year! Microsoft is making us have to make the painful choice of either waiting 6 months or going with another brand – when we know our desired new shiny toy is already out there but just out of our reach.
Naturally I turned to Twitter to vent my pain and anger. I tweeted @microsofthelps to beg for help. I really need that new Surface Book laptop could they please help me? Pretty please? They responded pretty promptly with a lovely tweet asking how they could help. When I told them they forwarded my tweet to @SurfaceSupport who responded with what looked like suspiciously like an automated response sending me to the US online shop. I responded that I was not in the US (as already mentioned in my previous tweets with @Microsofthelps) – could they help? They then responded asking me where I was in Europe – I replied in Switzerland and the UK (I am British but live in Switzerland) and that I would travel anywhere in Europe to get my hands on the Surface Book – that is how much I want one!! Now of course I realise that that may not be ideal as I want a UK (or at least a US) keyboard not a German, French, or other language one.
So now I wait. Anxiously. Checking my twitter every 30 minutes. Hoping. Praying. Will they have a solution for me? Will they be able to help me in my desperate plight to get my hands on a Surface Book this year? My heart is beating with anticipation and nervousness. What will they reply? What this space to find out …..