Really? I know nothing about programming, but isn't being touch friendly mostly about how the software interfaces with the user and the touch screen? Usually it is having bigger menu items to make it as easy to tap with a finger as clicking it with a mouse. It is difficult in a sense that many apps and hardware drivers are made by third party developers. Multitasking, on the other hand, should give the operating system the ability to perform multiple tasks simultaneously without interfering with each other but also at the same time being able to use one date from one program and using it in another program. The latter sounds more difficult to do, but I guess you're right in saying that it's not really that difficult considering the level of multitasking the ipad pro is capable of...
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iPad Pro and Apple Pencil Compared to Surface Pro 4 and Surface Pen
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I used both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4 w/ pens today.
The Surface Pro 4 has a CRAZY amount of flex to the screen, and when it flexes is that's that LCD distortion under it. The iPad Pro was solid as a rock, with no flex or distortion. That seems kind of like a deal breaker to me on the Surface Pro 4...
The lag on the Surface pen was perceptible slower than the iPad Pro.
That said, having an eraser was kind of nice.
The Surface Pro 4 has a CRAZY amount of flex to the screen, and when it flexes is that's that LCD distortion under it. The iPad Pro was solid as a rock, with no flex or distortion. That seems kind of like a deal breaker to me on the Surface Pro 4...
The lag on the Surface pen was perceptible slower than the iPad Pro.
That said, having an eraser was kind of nice.
I wouldn't call several programs in the background multitasking in previous IOS versions. Last time I used an ipad/iphone, I can't load a webpage with lots of pictures in Safari while playing a game. Many apps go on standby if you try to go on another app.
A lot of the problems with to touch friendly are design related. A lot of applications would have to completely rethink their menu system, for example, because layered menus don't work well with touch.
So goodbye global menu system.
After you come up with something to replace the global menu system, change all the built in apps to make them work good with touch, and actually made the OS UI touch friendly, you now have to have API for everyone else to do the same and convince them that it's financially feasible to change around their entire UI for a system that has less than 100m users.
Not even Microsoft is having a fun time with that last one.
But cook and others had mentioned this iPad is for content creators, so unlike other "pro" products from apple, this one is not just a marketing term (like the MacBook Pro), it is designed for the creative folks.
I'd argue the opposite - this time it is just a marketing term as to the ipad pro.
How do you define win? They are two fundamentally different philosophies as to what a computers should be going forward. Some people prefer MS's philosophy (lots of them visit MacRumors to tell us so), but I certainly prefers Apple's philosophy. You see, I want iPad Pro to sell 50M units through next year because then Adobe will want to get onto it with PS proper, and the only way on is by building PS for iPad with touch not being an afterthought, but being fundamental. That's how you push things forward. Not by selling on a feature checklist and dragging the past (the desktop) forward. The computer user needs to cut ties with the past and move forward and that's how it happens. Not by riding the fence as MS is doing. And the desktop OS stays around but becomes ever more technical and esoteric. And yes, powerful, but not used by most people. This is what Apple understands and why they are holding strong.
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The apple pencil looks good, I'm impressed with the shading ability. What it draws truly looks like pencil strokes. My SP4 stylus doesn't quite get that feel, it still looks a bit like a marker and I can't really shade as well. I think Microsoft made a serious blunder when they ditched Wacom, and now it is coming back to haunt them.
Well it doesn't matter what YOU call it, it is by definition, multi-tasking.
And lets be honest, you don't actually do anything 'pro' that would require an improvement of iOS anyway. An actual pro device is usually limited and niche in doing exactly one thing at a great cost...its consumer devices that are generally jack of all trades and can do anything and everything no matter how poorly the implementation because seemingly thats what the average joe does. I'm going to get the iPad Pro SOLEY to run it as a large multi-touch remote for Logic Pro mixing. Perfect. It doesn't need to do anything but that for me to justify buying it.
The desktop isn't the past, windows 10 is quite intuitive to use on a tablet in terms of transitioning the desktop to it. I beg to differ, iOS is what is stuck in the past, it's overly simplistic for no good reason. Microsoft is trying very hard to move forward, doing things like uniting tablets and laptops, desktop and tablet functionality, even pushing to allow your smartphone to be your entire computer. FYI iOS has a "desktop" as well, but what sucks about it is the lack of file system, and of course the lack of complex programs versus watered down apps. A convergence of desktop and mobile is obvious, but Apple seems like the only one fighting it hard.
I must say I was sorely disappointed when Windows RT came out, that's when Microsoft tried to out ipad the ipad, not realizing that they did not need to dumb themselves down to the level of iOS. RT's death was obvious the instant it was released and thank God, my functionality would plummet if I lost Windows on my SP4 and had to go back to "apps".
The future is convergence, Apple knows it too, they just know their customers are ok with being milked until the last minute when they switch over. Very smart company which knows just how to corral their cattle.
This! Exactly. I have used a Surface Pro, and after the first hour or so, I really couldn't see why this is anything other than a laptop with a detachable keyboard. Hear me out - I think that devices are defined at least as much by software and interface as hardware form factor. What makes a smartphone a smartphone? Not just the fact it's big and has a touchscreen, but the software it runs. The fact that Surface runs a full desktop OS, which needs a keyboard and mouse to use effectively (as do 99% of the apps available for it), makes it a PC in my eyes. Sure, there are some touch-optimised apps for Windows, but despite what the Microsoft fanboys say, there really aren't a lot (and yes, apps do matter - not just quantity but quality....even where there are touch apps for Windows, they are generally light years behind iOS and Android apps in terms of quality and features).
I really think MSFT is fooling people with a big marketing trick here, and I'm sorry, but lots of people here are sure falling for it. They're being sold a tablet, and this idea that they can kill two birds with one stone, but what they're getting is a novelty PC.
Sorry, I know lots of people really like the Surface, and it's fine, maybe it's the perfect laptop for you; it's lighter than many laptops, it's better build-quality than most Windows laptops, and it has great touchscreen features including the ability to use a stylus, if you like touchscreen on your laptop (which Apple doesn't even offer) - but it's not an iPad competitor. Even MSFT knows this - notice how they are mostly comparing it to MacBooks?
The best way to explain it is that I could imagine carrying both a Surface Pro and an iPad in my bag - they are completely different computers, running different software, for different tasks (or different ways of doing the same tasks). They are not the same. I could NOT imagine carrying both a Surface Pro and another laptop - that would just seem silly. That would be carrying two laptops....If it looks like a laptop, and it feels like a laptop, and it works like a laptop - it's probably a laptop.
Well the issue is that you really haven't used the surface pro or windows 10, yet make generalizations about it. You don't "need" a mouse and keyboard in the least, and 99% is quite a far fetched number. I don't disagree about apps, although I suppose that is different for every user. I don't find many apps particularly useful, they are too simplistic for me. Apps are for smartphones, something that has to be light and easy to use. Once I'm on my tablet give me something more powerful, I'm more intelligent than Apple gives me credit for (and Android also). I posted up a challenge to find missing apps on windows, oh maybe a year or so ago, and I don't think there were many, just a few that were actually missing.
Keep in mind there is a surface 3 also, the non pro version, which can and should be directly compared to the ipad. MS wants the surface pro to be compared to a MacBook, but also wants consumers to realize the incredible amount of functionality it has over the MacBook.
And what's a "laptop"? Is it a surface pro with a type cover? Is it a Lenovo Yoga which folds onto itself and has a touchscreen which isn't detachable? Is it a 17" Alienware behemoth with discrete graphics? You see how definitions can be tricky. You can espouse how much nicer your 15" MacBook is for typing and getting work done, but then I show up with my 17" Alienware and it's huge keyboard and discrete graphics and call your MacBook a "novelty PC".
This ain't no mod book. I know I will get flamed for saying that but I don't really see the point of this device. I'm clearly not the intended target.
I'll keep trucking along with the wacom and mac.
This thing...I would be pissed not being able to use layers in certain programs and the lack of keyboard shortcuts I have at my fingertips when editing...Again, I'm not a customer for this product just taking a peep at peoples thoughts.
I'll keep trucking along with the wacom and mac.
This thing...I would be pissed not being able to use layers in certain programs and the lack of keyboard shortcuts I have at my fingertips when editing...Again, I'm not a customer for this product just taking a peep at peoples thoughts.
This is why nobody can take anything else you say seriously. Do you really believe that you aren't being "corralled"?
My predictions
1) Apple invents an eraser for it's pencil 2.0 (in rose gold!)
2) Apple invents a kickstand/case for it's ipad (can't innovate my A%%)
3) Microsoft comes out with multiple Surface Book sizes and takes back major market share
4) Microsoft shares skyrocket because of laptops and hololens
5) Microsoft comes out with a similar spec pen charged via induction (when magnetically held to laptop)
6) Apple Macbooks get a lightening port in it's laptop
7) Beats headphones get a lightening port
8) Windows phone still has minimal market share because they are meh
Apple still will be wildly successful but userbase starts drifting to other plate forms and ecosystems because Tim sucks.
The End
1) Apple invents an eraser for it's pencil 2.0 (in rose gold!)
2) Apple invents a kickstand/case for it's ipad (can't innovate my A%%)
3) Microsoft comes out with multiple Surface Book sizes and takes back major market share
4) Microsoft shares skyrocket because of laptops and hololens
5) Microsoft comes out with a similar spec pen charged via induction (when magnetically held to laptop)
6) Apple Macbooks get a lightening port in it's laptop
7) Beats headphones get a lightening port
8) Windows phone still has minimal market share because they are meh
Apple still will be wildly successful but userbase starts drifting to other plate forms and ecosystems because Tim sucks.
The End
I think the "success" of the Surface with people like me is that I am one of those people that excitedly waited for the unveiling of the original iPad and then thought... It's just a bigger version of my iPhone?
To me, the iPad was always just a larger screen to (better) consume the web, videos, and text. Beyond those things, the apps just aren't compellingly different enough from my iPhone. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, todo list, calendar... These are all things that are in my pocket at all times. It isn't that they aren't richer experiences on the iPad, it is just that the iPhone can't be beat as far as convenience is concerned.
What do I truly need in a tablet? The web. Netflix, etc. PDFs. This is all great on the Surface without any keyboard use at all. Photoshop and the full version of OneNote with the pen and no keyboard are incredible. The rest of the time it is absolutely a laptop.
You are correct though... I don't have a Surface because it is a tablet... I have it because of the pen and because of Adobe. I really do love iOS, but I get enough of it on my phone and (sorta) my watch.
Apple should've just paid Adobe to port at least a few full featured programs to the iPad Pro... It would've pushed iOS so much further than it has ever been (now that it CLEARLY has the horsepower). Instead, Apple didn't even port their own Logic or Final Cut!
I think the future of all computers is closer to iOS than OS X or Windows. Both Apple and Windows are heading in that same direction from opposite ends and we are in the infancy from both sides.