School Issued Computer Problematic Or Not?

At the start of the 2021-2022 school year the IT department implemented brand new computers for students. They introduced the Surface Pro 7+, students were ecstatic when they first received their computers on freshman orientation. But with the excitement, also came some let downs.

First, the battery life is extremely short. I would say the life of the battery is extremely unreliable. You could start using your computer In A1 and it would be completely dead by the middle of A3. Microsoft stated that the battery on the Surface Pro 7+ could last, ” Up to 10.5 hours” (Microsoft). This fact is extremely misleading as the time from A1 to A3 is only about four and a half hours. Along with the battery life comes the charger as well. After using the charger for a while it starts to not work. The charging port starts to become unreliable and the charger itself becomes garbage after a while. That’s only if your charger doesn’t get stolen. But that’s a completely different subject for another day.

Secondly, the computers themselves can just shut down and never turn on again. I can tell a personal story from that. Four months into my freshman year, my computer started having problems. I couldn’t turn it on, and exams were starting. I took it down and unfortunately the computer was completely dead, and I had to order a new one. Fortunately, the computer was free, and I didn’t have to pay for anything. I received a loaner and used that until my new one was in.

Additionally, the keyboards are very frail and unpredictable. According to Max Warnecke a fellow senior, he stated, “the keyboards are a big problem.”. Max is on his second keyboard and is on the verge of needing a third. I can personally relate to Maxes problem as my keyboard has been partially broken since freshman year. It is an apparent problem as many students throughout the school have different keyboards that don’t match the original factory issued keyboards.  

In conclusion, it has been apparent that computers have some minor flaws including the chargers, batteries, etc. But with all the problems, it is a good idea to take your computer down to the help desk as they will be able to fix any problems you have. Over the years, I can honestly say that the computers have held up exceptionally well.