FAQ

The following are summary specifications. A detailed specification sheet is available in the right-hand sidebar.

Hardware

• Size: 11.3”×8.2”×0.37”
• Weight: 1.94 lbs
• Display: Screen: 13” Resolution: 2880×1920, Aspect Ratio: 3:2, Intel® graphics
• Touch: 10-point Multi-touch
• Battery Life: Up to 19 hours of typical device usage
• Storage/RAM: 256GB SSD storage with 8GB RAM
• Processor: Intel^® Core™ Ultra 5 135U, Intel^® AI Boost
• Security: TPM 2.0 Chip for enterprise security, Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in
• Network: Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E 802.11 ax compatible, Bluetooth Wireless 5.3 technology
• Ports: 2 USB-C^® with USB 4^®/Thunderbolt™ 4, Surface Connect, Surface Pro Keyboard port
• Cameras: Windows Hello face authentication camera (front-facing), Full HD front-facing camera with 1440p full HD video, 10.5 megapixel rear-facing camera
• Video and Audio: Dual microphones with voice focus, 2 W stereo speakers with Dolby® Atmos®
• Sensors: Ambient light sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, NFC
• Exterior: Anodized aluminum case, platinum color, physical volume and power buttons

Accessories

• Surface Pro Keyboard with Trackpad
• Stylus
• Kensington Black Belt Bumper Case
• Higher Ground Capsule Plus Carrying Case

Software

• Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise x64 Operating System
• Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, and OneNote)
• Microsoft 365 Education Subscription (OneDrive for Business with 1 terabyte cloud storage, Office Online, SharePoint Online Collaboration, Exchange Online Email, Microsoft Teams)
• Microsoft Windows Defender antimalware package

Warranty

• 4-year standard warranty that covers manufacturer’s defects on the main unit (1-year on the Classroom Pen 2, power supply, and accessories)
• 4-year extended hardware service plan with accidental damage coverage on the main unit (maximum of 2 main-unit replacements over 4 years)
• The Surface Pro Keyboard, considered to be an accessory, is covered with a standard warranty for 1 year only. Damage of any type is not covered.
• Theft-deterrent package with prorated loss recovery guarantee

Pricing

• Microsoft Surface Pro (Ultra 5 CPU / 8GB RAM / 256GB SSD) tablet PC bundle $1,687.00 + sales tax $107.54 = $1,794.54

The CCDS Technology Office strives to maintain a functioning tablet PC in the hands of each student at all times by providing hardware service and software support on site. Surface Pro units are not field-serviceable. When hardware repairs are required, the failed/damaged unit is swapped with a refurbished unit, and the user’s data is transferred. Under the manufacturer’s warranty, users also have access to service through Microsoft retail stores nationwide.

The CCDS tablet PC maintenance program offers the following:

• Troubleshooting assistance at the Technology Help Desk
• Drop-off for repairs at the Technology Office
• Data transfer to the replacement unit when a unit swap is required
• System Reloading: rapid restoration of standard software images when software becomes corrupted or when significant upgrades become available
• System Integration: networking and application configuration for CCDS

CCDS participates in the Microsoft Enrollment for Education Solutions subscription licensing program (EES). This program gives students access to the current versions of the Windows operating system and the Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise Suite productivity software package, and client access licenses for Windows Server and Exchange Server. We are fortunate to be able to benefit from the substantial education discounts offered. Under the terms of the EES license, all students in grades 5–12 at CCDS must pay for a license subscription on an annual basis during their tenure at Country Day. The license terminates when a student leaves the school. An additional benefit of the EES program for students who graduate is that those students are granted a perpetual license to the EES-licensed software versions installed at the time of their graduation. Microsoft does not offer this benefit to students who withdraw from the school on any other basis than graduation. When a former student’s EES license terminates, the previously licensed software must be removed from that former student’s computer, or else the student must purchase other licenses covering that software.

At this time there are no separate fees for any subscription software from Microsoft. Where student licensing is not completely free, the costs are low enough for the school to simply absorb them. Fees for software applications used in certain classes are chargeable only to students in those classes though their student billing accounts. Those fees generally are much lower than the cost of textbooks.

A majority of the damage and other problems with student tablet PCs at CCDS are the result of mishandling, dropping, and abuse. Keeping the computer in the case we provide is required of Middle School students. We strongly recommend that all users transport their tablet PCs in the slim, padded carrying cases we provide that are specifically designed to hold just the tablet PC. We strongly recommend against stuffing tablet PCs into backpacks and book bags where they are subject to crushing by other heavy items in those bags. Tablet PCs that are dropped or otherwise impacted when not inside a carrying case are likely to suffer significant, expensive damage to the screen and/or case. While such damage is covered under the accidental damage warranty, that coverage is limited. Accidental damage coverage is likely to be exhausted by multiple repair incidents. Our experience with Surface devices in previous years has taught us that it is highly vulnerable to screen breakage when dropped. For this reason we have adopted and required the use of a bumper case for the Surface Pro that substantially mitigates this problem. We will supply a carrying case and install a bumper case for each Surface Pro purchased.

Everyone purchasing a new Surface Pro tablet PC is required to use the bumper case at all times. We recommend carrying the Surface Pro in its case separately, or placing the case inside a backpack if that backpack is otherwise lightly loaded.

The intended working lifetime of a tablet PC used at CCDS is four years, and warranty coverage extends for this period of time. Students must use a tablet PC that is issued by CCDS and is under warranty. Tablet PCs that are now four years old and out of warranty must be replaced. These include Microsoft Surface Pro 7 units purchased during the 2020–21 school year. If you are not sure what model tablet PC you have, run the Surface app on your tablet PC and view the Device information tile.

We plan for tablet PCs purchased at CCDS to have a useful working lifetime of four years. This coincides well with our academic program: a new tablet PC would typically be purchased for students entering fifth and ninth grades, so that two tablets would suffice for a student’s tenure in grades 5–12 at CCDS. Having said this, it is important to point out that users must take proper care of their machines to achieve this longevity. In our experience, higher than usual wear and tear is the most common reason for a computer to last less than four years.

Every year there is new functionality that the latest device provides, but the functionality and performance improvement over the previous model is incremental. All tablet PCs under warranty are fully supported and are functionally similar in that they have the same operating system and software packages with pen, touch, and keyboard inputs. Another factor to consider is that if your child is in grades 8–11 this year, then you will be facing the purchase of another tablet PC sometime during the remainder of your child’s career at CCDS. If, due to wear and tear, your tablet PC is having frequent maintenance problems now, then purchasing a new tablet this year may be the way to go.

Backup of important computer data is the responsibility of each student. With the school's Microsoft Apps for Enterprise subscription, Microsoft provides each user with 1 terabyte of cloud storage on OneDrive for Business. Students must back up their data to the cloud, including school-related documents as well as personal music and video collections. Tablet PCs may be lost or stolen, and solid state drives may fail. In either case your data will be irretrievably lost if it is not backed up. CCDS no longer provides local server-based storage for students.

Yes. There are many wireless access points on the market that are designed for home use. These work best with broadband Internet connections available from Spectrum Cable or Cincinnati Bell. It is important to set up these devices correctly in order not to disrupt your child’s ability to connect to the network at school. We also strongly recommend that the wireless access point that you purchase include firewall functionality. A popular option today for home printing is a WiFi enabled printer that can be accessed by all computers on a home network. You will want to set up a WPA2-encrypted wireless network with a pre-shared key (WPA2-Personal). If you need assistance with purchasing decisions or setup, please contact the Technology Help Desk at (513) 979-0214 or helpdesk@countryday.net. We can refer you to appropriate consultants for your home networking needs.

Computers will be delivered at the Tablet PC orientation and pickup sessions in August. CCDS must have received payment in full prior to delivery to the student. Note that fifth graders will receive their tablet PCs at a separate Out-of-Box Day event in August. Specific dates and times are listed at the bottom of the Tablet PC Purchase page.

We have been using Windows 11 at CCDS since its release in 2021. We have found it to be reliable and secure. In conjunction with the Microsoft Surface Pro tablet PC, Windows 11 provides for multiple styles of user interaction. The ability to use keyboard, stylus, touch, audio, and video input with a thin and light hardware device provides for unprecedented flexibility for the user. The Surface Pro’s all-day battery capacity in a system with a full-powered Intel CPU is a big advantage compared to older systems. The Surface Pro’s solid-state drive provides a significant performance gain along with the reliability that comes with a storage device with no moving parts.

We sometimes receive inquiries from parents about providing their child with a nonstandard computer purchased outside of CCDS. Usually this is because of a perceived lower cost of doing so. We do not permit the use of nonstandard computers by students at CCDS. Here’s why:

• The level of collaboration and authentic, engaged use of technology at CCDS is second to none. Standard tablet PC hardware running a fully functioning operating system is a major driver in our world-renowned learning environment.
• The perceived lower cost is illusory based on the lack of an apples-to-apples comparison. CCDS tablet PCs are bundled with specific software needed to operate in our environment. We provide significant value-added services in the area of maintenance and support. Purchasing these items separately always results in a higher total cost than the CCDS bundle.
• It is important to understand that with all portable computers, breakage and repairs are facts of life. We have structured our repair services at CCDS to maximize convenience and minimize downtime. Students having nonstandard computers are not able to use our repair facility or loaner pool.
• We carefully configure CCDS standard computers to operate efficiently with our application software and in our networking environment. We provide a system that allows standard computers to be quickly reloaded in the aftermath of software corruption. We are not able to provide this service for nonstandard computers.

See also the Nonstandard Computer Use Policy statement.

All CCDS tablet PCs come with an upgraded warranty that covers both manufacturing defects and accidental damage for a period of four years. Total loss of the machine due, for example, to destruction or theft, is not covered under this warranty. For this reason we recommend that families add coverage for such total loss to their homeowners’ insurance policies. This is usually available as an inexpensive, sometimes no-cost, policy rider. Please contact your insurance agent for details.

CCDS includes a theft deterrent package with all tablet PCs. There is a prorated loss guarantee that pays the owner $1,000 for any tablet PC lost and not recovered in the first year after purchase. The payment decreases by $200 per year thereafter, or $800 in the second year of service, $600 in the third year, $400 in the fourth year, and nothing thereafter. Coverage under the theft deterrent package requires filing a police report. The theft deterrent package does not apply to computers that are destroyed but still in the owner’s possession.

Our loaner pool is available to assure to the greatest extent possible that each student has a functioning tablet PC each day. See the Loaner Pool Usage Policy statement.

Repair services are available worldwide directly from Microsoft. Procedures for accessing repair services are described in detail on the How to get service for Surface website. CCDS is not able to provide repair services or loaner computers for students no longer attending the school.

Because of the licensing restrictions of the Microsoft School Agreement, CCDS is not able to reimage the software on computers for students no longer attending the school. CCDS will advise users how to restore the factory default software configuration on their computers. Contact the Technology Help Desk at (513) 979-0214 or helpdesk@countryday.net for further assistance.

The Technology Help Desk is available during normal school hours. Please call (513) 979-0214 or helpdesk@countryday.net.