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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Compared to Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pen

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Apple released the iPad Pro last week as a direct competitor to Microsoft's new Surface Pro 4. The high-end tablets are primarily targeted at creative professionals, with the companion Apple Pencil and Surface Pen available as precise input tools to complement your finger.

iMore has shared a new video that compares sketching with the Apple Pencil on the iPad Pro to the Surface Pen on Microsoft's new Surface Book, which has equivalent display technology as the Surface Pro 4.


Editor Serenity Caldwell found the Surface Pen to be "about as responsive" as the Apple Pencil, but said Microsoft's stylus pressure was slightly harder to control and had more trouble at writing small type.

The Verge has created a similar video that provides more of a high-level comparison of the iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro 4, while also touching upon the Apple Pencil and Surface Pen and showing some limited usage of each accessory.

Editor Jacob Kastrenakes called the Apple Pencil "one of the best" he has ever used, adding that the Surface Pen "can be a little less natural" but benefits from having a hardware eraser -- which the Apple Pencil doesn't have.


Kastrenakes said the Apple Pencil is "really responsive" and has "amazing palm rejection," and he offered similar accolades for the Surface Pen, although quality will vary from app to app on both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4.

Apple Pencil online orders began to see movement earlier this week, while Apple retail stores started receiving more reliable Apple Pencil shipments on Tuesday for in-store purchase. The accessory is available to ship in 4-5 weeks online.

Article Link: iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Compared to Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pen
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/11/19/ipad-pro-apple-pencil-vs-surface-pen/
That iMore video REALLY annoyed me the way the angle of the camera prevented you seeing the tip of the pencil touching the screen to see the latency.

Any direct angled shot of "pen to pad" was sped up, and the real time shots were obscured by her hand.

Surely deliberate? Unquestionably annoying.
 
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JackieInCo said:
They just want to pass the iPad Pro off as one. It's no Surface competitor.
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For what kind of user? If you actually watched this video, that user is better off with an iPad and Apple Pencil, because the iPad does that better than the surface. You can clearly see how clunky, laggy, and imprecise the surface is.
 
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Best thing about the Surface Pro is the angled keyboard. I'm tempted to buy one just for that as I'm finding the flat iPad Pro keyboard not very comfortable to use. In contrast the Apple Pencil is definitely the best stylus I've ever used.
 
I like the comparison of tablet first or PC first. I used to be a huge proponent of PC first and wanting OSX on my ipad. But I have changed over the last year. Once I got my Air2, it is my goto device for most of the basic stuff -- mail, browsing, lightweight game, even writing documents thanks to the keyboard case I added. For better picture management and editing I still use the computer. But in reality I am now a tablet first type. I think Apple is going in this direction and it makes sense since they still sell way more ios devices then OSX devices.
 
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dannys1 said:
She's wearing an Apple Watch. 1. According to this forum no one bought one 2. She's drinking "that Apple koolaid" (whatever that ridiculous expression means) so her opinion is massively biased towards Apple...



And no. No they shouldn't.
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Not only that but I noticed she also has the $1500 Hermes strap....
 
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No eraser?...Wouldn't that just be a function of the drawing or writing program? Although that could be a bit cumbersome if you were trying to take notes.
 
Apple has made it clear that their vision for tablet computing is limited to mobile devices, essentially PDA's, and they have no greater vision of how creative people & professionals will work more efficiently going forward into the future. ...or they can see it, but have decided that like every other area of the once thriving "pro" product line, it's not worth the investment. They'd rather sell short lifecycle watches and phones and cars to teenagers with disposable income.

And so, it falls upon, of all companies, Microsoft, to grab the baton and make the bigger strides pushing computing forward again. ...and we know how that goes.

This will be the biggest missed opportunity for Apple to lead of Cooks career.
 
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bstpierre said:
I think he refuted every point made by the original poster about why there should be a Mac Tablet.
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It makes sense to have a tablet with a full OS, as we have seen with the surface- hence why Marx55 didn't need to explain. It doesn't make much sense to say Apple shouldn't make one and that we want limited options, hence why Icarus might have taken a moment to add some detail.
 
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