Surface Pro 3 LGC Battery Degradation

If I paid $1,500 to $2,000 for a computer and then had to pay $550 to replace a battery, I wouldn't think that is reasonable.  I have laptops that I paid $40 to replace a battery.  That's reasonable.  I can get (albeit not as nice or nimble as a surface) a weighs a ton HP for less than $550.

Maybe I want my hardware to last longer than a year so I don't fill up recycling locations with hazardous materials more than we are now. 

Bottom line I expect hardware to last longer than a year.  Given that the Surface team has stated that they designed in from the get go that software could fix many issues, I'm still leaning towards that glimmer of hope for anyone impacted.

I dont know what the big deal is. $550 to replace a battery is perfectly reasonable. 

Whys everyone harrassing the Surface team. Have they not been completely transparent since before the release? They even did a Reddit AMA!

In fact, why do you even want to use a year old Surface when you could buy a new one with volume knob?

No, $550 is not reasonable for a battery replacement if it's software/hardware failure on Microsoft's part. You don't just pay $1200-1500 for a device to have it fail a year after you buy it. It's meant to be a long term investment. If it happened 4 years after the fact then maybe it's legitimate, but a year or half a year later is unacceptable. When people buy a MacBook for example, they intend to keep it for the life of the product which is not a year.

Paying $1200-1500 for a device that only lasts a year is not fair at all when there other options and competitors who will actually address the problem instead of leaving their customers in limbo.

A simple suggestion to the Surface engineers from an IT Admin and Repair Tech since 1986.

1.  Take the previous firmware update BEFORE the LGC Battery issues started.  Update the date/time/version ID on it.

2.  Find a way for Windows Update to ID the Surface Pro 3 that have the LGC Battery (Don't want to break the Simplo  equipped units again).

3.  If a Surface Pro 3 with LGC battery is identified via Windows Update then reissue the last working firmware with the new date/time/id stamp previous Firmware.

4.  Let the Surface Pro 3 LGC users get on with their lives until/unless the MS Surface team can actually fix the issue in a properly regression tested Firmware to be released some time in the future.

MS Leaving a significant portion of their SP3 customers twisting in the wind will NOT keep them as future customers.

I have 5 LGC Battery based Surface Pro 3 units (All Win 10 Pro TH2/RS1) stacked up on a workbench due to this.  I expect to receive more.

I am actively replacing ALL Surface Pro 3 tablets now will the Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 14 (20FY0002US).  It is about 1.2 Lbs heavier but every user who has received one like it better than the Surface Pro 3 (More ports, Dual GPU - Intel /NVidia 940m, built in rechargeable stylus) and a real ThinkPad keyboard.  And you can open it up to access Ram, SSD, AND Battery if necessary.

A Tablet/Ultra-book is USELESS if it has to be tethered to the Wall to function.  :-(

The ThinkPad Yoga 14 (20FY0002US) is also cheaper at $900 too.  No extra accessories required to use it.

Especially since they won't honor the commitment they made on Reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/26m9cu/we_are_panos_panay_and_the_surface_team_at/chsei5u/

It costs $129-$149 to replace a Macbook Pro battery, depending on how old. The silence from Microsoft is unacceptable.

If a battery needs to be replaced, that's one thing.

For me, and for most of us in this thread, that's not where the concern lies though.  To have your computer suddenly not work unless it's plugged in due to a firmware update is the more concerning part that isn't being addressed or taken care of.  My surface and battery were behaving great before the update.  Now, I'm basically dead in the water for mobility because in order to use my Surface I have to be plugged into the wall all the time.  I don't generally have the luxury of being next to a wall with power when I'm in meetings, on the road, or anywhere else I may need to use my computer that was purchased specifically for the portability reason.