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Sorry, that's not going to happen. The best you could hope for is a free year's subscription to Office 365. The Surface 2 was the last Surface device to come with a free, permanently licensed version of Office.
Well..i;m sure they'll let us buy one time fee that includes tablet and desktop version.
 
I wanted the iPad Pro but was scared that Apple would not let it be all it could. Now looking at the Surface Pro 4 for sure.
I agree...apple tends to limit their products so that the next version would have better things. As i watched MS trend of improvement..they are going the right way in certain aspects...but still need improvements on other areas.
 
I agree...apple tends to limit their products so that the next version would have better things. As i watched MS trend of improvement..they are going the right way in certain aspects...but still need improvements on other areas.

Yep the only thing I do not see for the Surface Pro 4 is a built in cellular modem.
 
Was not a fan of the Surface line. Terrible app store, not great at anything, but ok at being a tablet, mediocre at being a laptop.

No interest in the SurfaceBook as it is still windows based and having a detachable device is meaningless to me because its still Windows.

Hardware wise, software wise, and app store variety and needs, Apple wins all day, everyday....for me.
 
I mean I need a cellular modem built in. My iPad Air 2 has one. I thought the Surface Pro 4 was to have the option of a cellular modem. We work in the field and WiFi is not always there to use.
OHHH...well in that case...shucks...didn't pay attention to that specific item. I agree.
 
I mean I need a cellular modem built in. My iPad Air 2 has one. I thought the Surface Pro 4 was to have the option of a cellular modem. We work in the field and WiFi is not always there to use.

But (to state the obvious) Apple doesn't put cell modems into its laptops, either. I agree that this is an annoying limitation.
 
Yes, both SP4 and SB impressed me a great deal. I had a feeling they would though, and always intended to wait until I can try them as well as the iPad Pro prior to buying. Really it will come down to overall user experience for me. I have a beast of a PC at home and I don't really require a full PC a la Surface, but it would be nice. On the other hand I really love my iPad and iOS, and how streamlined the hardware and software are for mobile use. It's truly maintenance free. The stylus is a big selling point for me as well, so if either the Pencil or Surface stylus are clearly superior to the other, that could also sway me.

At the end of the day, in the past when I was faced with this decision, the Surface always had nagging UI and hardware issues by virtue of being a full PC crammed in a tablet, and the iPad is just so no frills and headache free making it a joy to use as a mobile device. It doesn't even feel like a computer at all the hardware is so unnoticeable to the user, and the OS and software so basic and well integrated. Just huge battery life and solid performance in a touch based OS with software written for purpose. Whether or not the Surface can finally overcome that and get my money, I'll have to try 'em first. Is pen jitter fixed? Is display scaling better? Does it still throttle and overheat? Those things matter to me.
 
Does the Surface Book have any one second thinking the iPad Pro?
After rethinking things a bit longer then the Surface Book has me ready to purchase of an iPad Air 2.

I'm impressed by the SurfaceBook but I do feel that "Touchscreen Pen Friendly Computer" direction is inevitable for Apple. So, with the Air2 being incredibly powerful but also old enough to frequently be on discount lists, then $500 for a provenly impressive Air 2 makes a lot more sense than investing $1300 into an iPad Pro that may be more ambitious than necessary.
 
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But (to state the obvious) Apple doesn't put cell modems into its laptops, either. I agree that this is an annoying limitation.

Not looking at laptops. Right now my people are using iPad Air 2 will AT&T. Our problem is that we do not even have cell service in the field at times but cellular is a must. The iPad Pro is out, no real File/Folder system and we need SD card readers.

I was hoping that the Surface Pro had cellular modems. Called MS Store and they said they will but not the current models, maybe by Christmas. I will wait.
 
Compromised in what way? It's a tablet. Important key areas are: portability, ease of use, battery life, great display and straight forward usage of OS.

iPad Pro wins SP4 in all of these key areas. And thanks to MS itself and other 3rd part developers you can do some pretty high level productivity on iPad these days.

Surface Pro is the compromised device here. Not the iPad.
Totally 180degs disagree on that one.
The iPad is still an iPad with a very limited use case - the surface is a dual device .
 
This thing is a beast and came out of nowhere. Really impressed with Microsoft today.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/6/9...ace-laptop-announced-specs-price-release-date

Agreed. And I wouldn't say I'm rethinking the iPad Pro per se. The iPad Pro will provide me with what I need in the short term: a digital sketchbook with low latency that syncs well back to my main computer. The lower price is also important since it does need to be a secondary computer.

But, when the time comes for me to get a new main computer in a few years, this all in one laptop/tablet with a desktop OS and everything else is going to be really tempting. Unless Apple can counter with something like this, I might have to go back to Windows for the first time in a decade.

It feels like Balmer leaving did for MS what Jobs returning did for Apple. More innovation, better software, improved user experience. I think Apple can't just keep relying on its incremental updates for much longer. Unless there is an OS 11 coming soon that combines OS X and iOS (they could call it OS Xi) into a unified system, I don't know how much longer Apple will be able to keep up.

But that's just me.
 
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Not looking at laptops. Right now my people are using iPad Air 2 will AT&T. Our problem is that we do not even have cell service in the field at times but cellular is a must. The iPad Pro is out, no real File/Folder system and we need SD card readers.

I was hoping that the Surface Pro had cellular modems. Called MS Store and they said they will but not the current models, maybe by Christmas. I will wait.

We have two SP3s in the house and to me they are more of a laptop replacement than a tablet. As a tablet, they're not really competitive with something like the Air 2 (or the iPad Pro, presumably). On the other hand, the iPad Pro doesn't look like a laptop replacement to me at all, just a huge tablet, and not competitive with the SP3 or SP4. Nothing much of significance here except explaining my post, and YMMV. However, since MS sells the _Surface_ with a cell modem, my hunch is that they think of the SP3 (and 4) as laptop replacements (although that leaves open the question which bucket you put the SurfaceBook into - "convertible" laptop, I guess?).
 
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Totally 180degs disagree on that one.
The iPad is still an iPad with a very limited use case - the surface is a dual device .

My take on the Spd (having two in the house) is that it's not much of a tablet but it's a great ultralight laptop replacement (among other things, runs a desktop OS with desktop programs and an accessible file system. My take on the iPad Pro is that it is probably a great (but huge) tablet (I hope they introduce a wheels kit for this one) but is not going to be a laptop replacement, for the reasons just mentioned.

You and Newton's Apple can both tell me I'm slicing the nouns too thin, though. ;)
 
I hate the fact that today we have way too many devices each doing incrementally better at a specific task.

The new Surface is compelling... This is the first time in a very long time I actually consider Microsoft. I like the direction they are going.

It would be great if iPad Pro could be turned into a full fledged MacBook Pro with the solid keyboard attachment like the Surface Book:
- iPad Pro hosts the SSD A9X processor and battery like it is today
- Bottom is the thinner Macbook Pro/Surface Book like configuration, hosting a dedicated GPU (may not even be needed in the near future if A chip becomes more powerful than AMD/nVidia and games are optimized for the Arm chip), real keyboard, trackpad, and ports.

When connected, it runs full OS with full file system. When disconnected, it switches over to iOS and full touch interface.

I think OS X and iOS are converging and this may not be too far off.

Maybe the operating system will be renamed to Apple OS next year or the year after and somehow enables best of both worlds in ONE device. (For that to happen, both MacBook and iPad Pro sales have to fall off the cliff. Just to wake Apple up)
 
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The SP line has always felt like jack of all trades, master of none. I know a lot of people are frustrated at the limitations in iOS, but I think Apple made a very deliberate decision not to put full OS X on the iPad Pro and focus it as the ultimate iPad for creatives. I think they want to push developers to develop actual tablet apps for a tablet that doesn't have to be switched into laptop mode to really get all the performance.

And as many people here have said, the new hardware looks fantastic, and it's nice to see Microsoft really trying and succeeding at having their own vision, but all of these devices still run Windows and every time I use Windows I can't wait to get back to OS X or even iOS.

I would appreciate if iPad Pro could connect a real physical keyboard and mouse to run desktop/laptop games, and provide access to file systems for my gamer and control freak sides - then it's perfect. It's getting very close!
 
sjleworthy is right, it's all subjective and depends on use case. I was disappointed in the iPad Pro announcement. I was hoping for something closer to Apple's version of the Surface Pro. I love both my Macbook Air and my iPad Air, but I frequently find myself wishing they were the same device so I don't have to switch between the two. Microsoft's new products, as of now, are where I am going next.

Only tasks I do that can't be done on an iPad are: managing files/photos on my own "cloud (external storage)", playing real games that takes advantage of full keyboard and mouse interface, and Xcode. And of course the comfort of a mechanical keyboard and mouse. (I know bluetooth keyboard was available but it was difficult to carry)

iPad Pro solved for the keyboard issue. Now if it can connect to a mouse with a cursor, and have games that I enjoy ported over without getting dumb down with "iOS edition" due to "touch screen only" requirement, and add file system access, this would be a dream all-in-one device for me! (Apple "could" create Xcode for iPad Pro since A9X is now "Desktop class")
 
so MS finally caught up and knows how to put up a fight...

Apple on the other hand still has this very embarrassing excuse of office apps called 'iWork's'....Once, a long time ago, they promised us to give us updates. I thought 'wow, this is finally going to be a step up and we have a good competitor' but no... it's embarrassing to use.

getting tempting to switch again maybe...

if Apple comes up with iWork Professional that is competitive to MS Office... imagine that!
 
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