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Macbook vs New Surface 3

S

Serban

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Original poster
Jan 8, 2013
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The new surface 3 will begin shipping 05.05.2015 with Intel Atom
What are your opinions about them? what macbook has over surface and the other way around?
Will Core M will be more performant than that Intel Atom? I guess 2 Gb Ram it will be the weak point vs the 8Gb Ram from the macbook

Lets forget the OSX vs Windows and say the macbook in this comparison will have windows as well
 
Well, if the Macbook has Windows as well, then it can run two operating systems, the Surface won't.

On the other hand, the Surface is half the price.

I'd go with what you need to use the machine for and the kind of experience you want out of it.

I've had a Surface and it's a nice machine, but still not as smooth as a Mac. I'd wait until Windows 10 before getting a true comparison.
 
I think if you need pen input and tablet form factor, surface will be better. If you need more ram and storage space, and integrated keyboard for better lap usage, macbook is better.

Otherwise they'll probably do what most people need them to do (email, Facebook, Netflix, YouTube)
 
The surface just looks cumbersome to me. If you want to use it on a flat surface, you need to use its kickstand and a separate keyboard. If you want to use it on your lap, you have to use it like a tablet. Neither of those scenarios sounds very appealing to me.. I would rather keep the traditional laptop form factor, the way the rMB does.
 
Serban said:
what surface you had? what model?
Click to expand...

I had the Surface 2. It was the RT version, but it's easy enough to get a feel for how the full version would work as it was mostly there--I just couldn't add my own programs to it. It's a very solid tablet/notebook and I had the keyboard as well. There's a LOT I liked about it. As an MS Office machine, it was awesome. But the OS made it a bit clunky. Windows 8 isn't sure if it wants to be a touchscreen tablet or a laptop. It throws you between an icon rich tiled environment and the standard "Windows 7" desktop you're familiar with. And that's actually quite jolting.

I think by the time Windows 10 comes out, they'll have worked through most of those issues, but I'd wait because of that. (Of course, it'll be free, so you can always upgrade, but if it's a bust, you don't want to find that out after the fact.) On the other hand, you know your Mac just "works." And that's ultimately why I switched. I don't have enough time to fight with my computer. I want it to work for me.

----------
eifer said:
The surface just looks cumbersome to me. If you want to use it on a flat surface, you need to use its kickstand and a separate keyboard. If you want to use it on your lap, you have to use it like a tablet. Neither of those scenarios sounds very appealing to me.. I would rather keep the traditional laptop form factor, the way the rMB does.
Click to expand...

The kickstand is actually awesome--so easy pop out, and solid construction. And the keyboard clicks in so tightly, it feels like part of the unit. All that may look cumbersome, but it's actually extremely intuitive in use.

The OS, on the other hand, needs work.
 
yes, but is the Intel Atom in this thing+2Gb ram will run ok on Windows 10??
Is Intel Atom better than Core M?
 
Serban said:
yes, but is the Intel Atom in this thing+2Gb ram will run ok on Windows 10??
Is Intel Atom better than Core M?
Click to expand...

I'd be shocked if they didn't take that into account. These are some of their core products and they're pushing the Surface hard.

Then again, Windows 8 went to market before it was ready (clearly!) so who knows. :D
 
Who knows

Serban said:
yes, but is the Intel Atom in this thing+2Gb ram will run ok on Windows 10??
Is Intel Atom better than Core M?
Click to expand...

it could well run ok on 2GB but I'd not want to open more than a couple of things at a time.

The Core M is a step up processor wise from the atom.
 
so i think microsoft will sell more with the config up $100 more and double the storage and ram. At 599 you get 128 SSD and 4 gb Ram
But lets say someone will buy the 64 storage version, after you install windows 8.1 or windows 10, what space you end up with?
 
Serban said:
yes, but is the Intel Atom in this thing+2Gb ram will run ok on Windows 10??
Is Intel Atom better than Core M?
Click to expand...

Core M is ahead of Atom in the performance stakes. Surface is a well made and designed product, given it`s Microsoft`s own hardware 2Gb should suffice. personally if I was looking at a Surface I would go with the Pro version with i5 CPU, 512SSD and 8Gb RAM.

Q-6
 
Queen6 said:
Core M is ahead of Atom in the performance stakes. Surface is a well made and designed product, given it`s Microsoft`s own hardware 2Gb should suffice. personally if I was looking at a Surface I would go with the Pro version with i5 CPU, 512SSD and 8Gb RAM.

Q-6
Click to expand...

yea but for that price point isn't the 15" macbook pro better?
 
Serban said:
yea but for that price point isn't the 15" macbook pro better?
Click to expand...

Not sure, I have looked at the Surface, equally if I wanted a Windows based system I would be more inclined to go for one the transformer types like a "Yoga". you can compare on pricing equally the MBPr and Surface likely serve very different audiences, as ever small and fast equals more cost.

As for the question have three MBP`s :) admittedly two are now retired, as new the 13" Retina offers very decent performance. All the same once Skylake is release I will be buying the fourth :rolleyes::cool::D

Q-6
 
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Compare the operating systems. Because at the end of the day that's all what matters. User's need to decide which operating system they want to use and which will fit their lives most efficiently.
 
Some nerd benchmarking, but I managed to install win8 on a 768mb ram system. It was no slower than xp on the same system, it ran the same stuff*. I heard some people install as low as 512 but I haven't tested it my self.

I think 2gb will be enough within its own limits for email/youtube/netflix/facebook and typing.

*same stuff I was running before, like above.
 
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Commercials

I can already see the Microsoft commercials comparing this to the retina macbook.

Surface 3....
Weights less than retina macbook
More battery life
Over half the cost
More portable
blah blah blah

Its going to be mud slinging come late April/early May
 
macguy360 said:
I can already see the Microsoft commercials comparing this to the retina macbook.

Surface 3....
Weights less than retina macbook
More battery life
Over half the cost
More portable
blah blah blah

Its going to be mud slinging come late April/early May
Click to expand...

But I think Samsung will be doing more mud slinging.
 
iRun26.2 said:
But I think Samsung will be doing more mud slinging.
Click to expand...

Samsung has never been a real competitor. Sorry but Android can't compete with a full fledged operating system and it never will.

Not to mention the Android operating system as a whole is like a team of alzheimers patients trying to make a decision. One device has one version while another has a different version. There is no consistency across devices for versions of Android like there is for iOS.
 
macguy360 said:
Samsung has never been a real competit or. Sorry but Android can't compete with a full fledged operating system and it never will.

Not to mention the Android operating system as a whole is like a team of alzheimers patients trying to make a decision. One device has one version while another has a different version. There is no consistency across devices for versions of Android like there is for iOS.
Click to expand...

I am talking about a Samsung Windows Ultrabook
 
macguy360 said:
I can already see the Microsoft commercials comparing this to the retina macbook.

Surface 3....
Weights less than retina macbook
More battery life
Over half the cost
More portable
blah blah blah

Its going to be mud slinging come late April/early May
Click to expand...

You forgot the most important thing. It's got a USB. Can't wait for the MICROSOFT christmas time jingle.
 
macguy360 said:
I can already see the Microsoft commercials comparing this to the retina macbook.

Surface 3....
Weights less than retina macbook
More battery life
Over half the cost
More portable
blah blah blah

Its going to be mud slinging come late April/early May
Click to expand...

Funny how Apple hasn't run a Mac vs PC ad since 2009 yet a number of Microsoft's Surface ads directly attack the iPad and/or Mac. I'm sure Microsoft has Surface 3 to rMB ads ready to air as we speak. Hopefully Apple will continue to eschew direct swipes at competitors in their ads.
 
I'm not sure they are aimed at the same market.
The surface works really well and is much more useable for most things (games aside) than the iPad.

horses for courses - id try one and see how it feels.
 
yes this one can be more a hybrid than the surface pro because its more compact and lighter and as a tablet is more natural

The surface pro you buy only if you want more a laptop than a tablet..12" for a tablet is too much in terms of portability and dimensions
 
The Surface Pro looks nice on a table but seems clumsy on a lap (I'm basing this off of videos, not hands-on). The keyboard looks flimsy in The Verge video that I watched when he was typing on his lap and it seems awkward to have to account for the kickstand when you place it on your lap. I think it's funny that Microsoft touts the 3 position kickstand in the Surface vs MBA ads when laptops can achieve a zillion more angles.
 
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