"I am surprised that for all of the online ordering we do in today's society, so many people use bricks-and-mortar stores for their high-tech purchases."

Many tech products, like laptops, are quite personal. You're going to be staring at this thing for several hours a day, almost every day. It makes sense that most people would want to see it in person and try it out. And, at least regarding the Apple Store (and presumably the Microsoft store; I haven't checked), it's not cheaper to buy online than it is in the store.

"In my experience, the Surface Book trackpad is as good as any Mac trackpad. I'd say both trackpads are about 80%, if a good mouse is 100%."

I cannot agree, but I have a feeling that this is one of those things like Pepsi vs Coke: There's no objective measurement, so no one can say they're right or wrong.

I work around a 5 min walk from both Apple & Microsoft stores. When my old Thinkpad laptop died, I went over to the Microsoft store and got a Surface Pro. Much more convenient than waiting for one to be delivered. The annoying thing with the Microsoft store is that you can't order online and pick up in-store. I did the same thing when buying my iPhone. Ordered it online and picked it up in store a few hours later. If you have the store close by, you can get your stuff much quicker.

When I purchased my Surface Book, I was told it's best to purchase it in the Microsoft physical store so I could return it with no questions asked if I encountered any problems. Whereas if I purchase it online, from a website like Amazon, I would have to deal with Amazon's customer service.

Edit: The only problem I have with my SB trackpad is that I normally use two finger swipe to scroll down with my hand slightly at an angle to the touchpad (since I'm right handed). I've never had a problem with any MacBook, but on the SB it frequently registers that as a pinch and attempts to zoom.

For something like a laptop, I <i>have</i> to get my hands on it. I <i>hate</i> any kind of keyboard flex.