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

[Xanix]

iPad Pro or Surface Pro...


(a) The iPad Pro is a tablet that can’t be a notebook; it has a stagnated mobile OS. It was made to make you buy, limited Apps.


- You can do wat THEY want you too


(b) The Surface Pro is a notebook that can work as a tablet too; it uses an innovative desktop class OS. It can run full Applications and limited Apps.


- You're free to do whatever YOU want *think different...


**About the cloud thing; companies don’t use it, for security reasons and you, shouldn’t do it also

 

[Bumblefutz]

Really no comparison. The Surface run desktop OS and uses an Intel processor while the iPad Pro is just a tablet. Surface wins overall and the Apple pencil wins the best drawing tool.

Yes no comparison, the iPad pro is High end tablet that extends functionality without sacrificing in weight or battery life and integrates with the laptop people already have. The surface tries to make an Intel chip with Intel power efficiency serve a mobile need and it kind of succeeds at being both a mediocre tablet and a mediocre laptop.

The iPad is not a laptop killer and really, why would I want it to be. I already have a laptop that will be perfectly capable for years to come and the iPad pro integrates handily with it through cloud and screen sharing. What the iPad pro is is a Wacom Cintiq killer and that's one overpriced, under developed but absolutely necessary piece of hardware I've wanted to see die for a long long time.

 

[niun]

The surface tries to make an Intel chip with Intel power efficiency serve a mobile need and it kind of succeeds at being both a mediocre tablet and a mediocre laptop.

No.. no.. it succeeds at both incredibly well and replaces the old notion of having to lug around a laptop and tablet.
Also is this based on actual use of say a Pro 3 or Pro 4?

This is coming after years of having to travel with a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, Wacom intuos 3/4 and iPad upgraded to iPad mini.

 

[Roykor]

No, the Surface Book is a laptop. The Surface Pro 4 is a laptabltopletabopletop.

haha, you made me laugh hard, ppl looking at my right now!

 

[Pilgrim1099]

The pencil has 2048 levels of pressure?

I'm sure Apple would have mentioned this. I've never seen any specs on the site.

Maybe because Apple has a bad habit of hiding numbers?

 

[niun]

Maybe because Apple has a bad habit of hiding numbers?

This is true. Still, I've not seen that number quoted anywhere. Just calling out BS when I see it.
Not that pressure levels really matter anymore.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

This is true. Still, I've not seen that number quoted anywhere. Just calling out BS when I see it.
Not that pressure levels really matter anymore.

Right. They never showed the true pressure sensitivity numbers on the Pencil product. Surface has between 256 and 1,025. I think SP 4 can go near to 2,050 close to Wacom's level ( my Intuos 4 ).

 

[QquegChristian]

Right. They never showed the true pressure sensitivity numbers on the Pencil product. Surface has between 256 and 1,050(?). I think SP 4 can go near to 2,000, close to Wacom's level ( my Intuos 4 ).

SP4 is 1024 according to MS. In practice, it makes very little difference from the 256 of the SP3.

The Apple Pencil... Who knows, though I highly doubt it is 2048 as all this pressure level stuff is just outdated Wacom marketing speak.

512 levels that are farther apart will be better than 2048 levels that are within a narrow range of pressure.

I had a SP3 and now a 4. Also an Intuos. The pressure sensitivity on the Surface devices is admittedly narrow. It may be 1024 but the lightest strokes take a little more pressure than I'd like.

Apple doesn't mention these things because it truly doesn't matter as long as it works well. That said, I haven't had a chance to play with the Pencil as they only have the device at my Best Buy, no accessories. Nestled in between all the other iPads, the bare Pro just didn't look like a "new" innovation in any way. Just a larger screen option. That's the Best Buy experience right now anyway.

 

[Winni]

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.

Well, and I can clearly see that the Surface Pro user base couldn't care less about these things. This might be the one and only use case where the iPad Pro might be a better choice -- provided that one day there will be enough software available for that device for this ONE use case.

The Surface Pro is aimed at a completely different audience - the kind of audience that doesn't actually want to draw, the kind of audience that doesn't (pretend) to make a living as an artist. "You know", like around 99.99% of the people who buy gadgets like the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro. Like people who have long commutes to their work place and who work in boring offices and have to sit in boring meetings. "You know", like places where people do actual work and earn their income to pay their bills.

Buying a gadget doesn't make you an artist or any other kind of "professional". Something tells me that most artists rather still draw on a piece of paper and have it scanned later than using these electronic toys.

 

[8281]

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.

Apple's known for improving on existing products. It's a conservative company and they aren't really the first at anything.

But it is annoying that Apple cedes a lot of territory to Google and MS and Adobe on the software side. Apple has the resources, but for some reason just won't compete. ICloud could be so much more and pros would like alternatives to Adobes subscription model.

 

[8281]

But what if you have no desire to run Windows?

I use both. Windows 10 is pretty nice.

 

[Precision Gem]

Procreate is the deal breaker, and only runs on the iPad.

 

[niun]

PhotoShop is the deal breaker for moi. Doesn't run on iPad.
Everyone has different reasons for using different devices. Whatever works.

I personally broke away from iOS and consider it the best choice I ever made.
I never liked all of the restrictions that come with iOS.
What tickles me is:
a. People comparing the iPad to the Surface and using benchmarks as an argument why one "beats" the other.
b. Somehow turning what is a larger iPad into some kind of desktop beating device. It's no more a desktop replacement than the Air 2.

The iPad is an iPad, no matter what the tag line is. When was any iPad - with keyboard and stylus, compared to a Surface / Laptop / Desktop?

 

[Gudi]

(a) The iPad Pro is a tablet that can’t be a notebook
- You can do what THEY want you too

Correct.

(b) The Surface Pro is a notebook that can work as a tablet too
- You're free to do whatever YOU want

No it isn't and it doesn't. The Surface is a Tablet-PC, it's neither a notebook nor does it work as a tablet. Only the iPad is a tablet and works as a tablet. If you want a notebook, buy a notebook! The Surface only let's you do whatever you want, as long as all what you want is what Tablet-PCs do.

 

[TurboPGT!]

Well, and I can clearly see that the Surface Pro user base couldn't care less about these things. This might be the one and only use case where the iPad Pro might be a better choice -- provided that one day there will be enough software available for that device for this ONE use case.

The Surface Pro is aimed at a completely different audience - the kind of audience that doesn't actually want to draw, the kind of audience that doesn't (pretend) to make a living as an artist. "You know", like around 99.99% of the people who buy gadgets like the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro. Like people who have long commutes to their work place and who work in boring offices and have to sit in boring meetings. "You know", like places where people do actual work and earn their income to pay their bills.

Buying a gadget doesn't make you an artist or any other kind of "professional". Something tells me that most artists rather still draw on a piece of paper and have it scanned later than using these electronic toys.

After that whole wall of text, you fail to explain who the Surface Pro market is.

Once it is demonstrated that the Surface Pro is terrible at being a tablet, or a canvas, your response is "well, thats not what is meant for" Seriously? It is absolutely designed to be that. It just gets half way there, "good enough", like everything Microsoft does.

So with that out of the way, clearly I'm better off just buying any number of Windows-based laptops than Surface Pro, because its the Windows/Laptop side of the product that its "meant" for. The other part is for pretenders.

Just like Microsoft, Apple, and the market in general, you have no idea what Surface Pro is good at, or who its for. No one does.

EDIT: To be fair, I mostly agree with you that this "drawing on your tablet" market is ridiculously small for actual professionals.

 

[niun]

After that whole wall of text, you fail to explain who the Surface Pro market is.

Once it is demonstrated that the Surface Pro is terrible at being a tablet, or a canvas, your response is "well, thats not what is meant for" Seriously? It is absolutely designed to be that. It just gets half way there, "good enough", like everything Microsoft does.

So with that out of the way, clearly I'm better off just buying any number of Windows-based laptops than Surface Pro, because its the Windows/Laptop side of the product that its "meant" for. The other part is for pretenders.

Just like Microsoft, Apple, and the market in general, you have no idea what Surface Pro is good at, or who its for. No one does.

EDIT: To be fair, I mostly agree with you that this "drawing on your tablet" market is ridiculously small for actual professionals.

Hello.
Its for me.
Fulltime Web developer. Part time Game Developer, artist and musician.
Has anyone demonstrated that it fails at being a tablet or canvas? I must have missed that meeting. After a year with the Pro 3 is damn perfect at both.

 

[JoeyEatWorld]

I bought a Surface Pro 4 last month when they went on sale. I previously had a Macbook laptop. I moved over to the Surface because I wanted to consolidate my laptop and iPad. And Apple's refusal to make a 2 in 1 device forced me to jump to the Surface Pro 4 despite my wishes for Apple to put OS X on a tablet.

I had an opportunity to spend some time with the iPad Pro, along with type cover and Apple Pencil. Here is my analysis between the two:

Surface Pro 4

The good:
I love the hybrid idea, it is very much a product for my market. I always hear everyone talking how no one uses their Surface Pro like a tablet, but I do and I love it. It is not as good as an iPad when it comes to intuition. But the fact I have access to an entire Windows machine and I can hold it like a tablet or prop it on my body or a table as a tablet is great. Plus I love the kickstand. The Surface Pro pen is fantastic, but I am not a career artist who needs all the qualities the Apple Pencil has. I use the pen for occasional sketching, and I LOVE the eraser. I also do a lot of note taking when I stage manage for theatre, and it is great to have access to One Drive by clicking the eraser top.

The bad:
I have been a Mac user for almost 10 years, and I'm only 29. So basically my entire adult life I have only used Windows for gaming. I like OS X a lot, but Windows 10 is not bad at all. I wish when you went into Tablet mode on the Surface the buttons got bigger and were more touch friendly. I currently use the Surface pen to tap around when using the tablet. The biggest travesty here, which may turn some off on the Surface, is the thing is buggy. Not as bad as the Surface Book I have heard. But the Surface Pro 4 display drive crashes every so often. The type cover sometimes won't connect or work, causing me to restart it. And in the past 3 weeks with the device, on two occasions the entire touch screen will just stop working, forcing me to to a hard reset. I would hope Microsoft takes care of these soon, but it doesn't happen enough to really bother me. But I can see some others being bothered. Oh yeah, if you have to do more than 5 hours of work you better plan on taking your charging cable and plan to live near an outlet for a couple of hours to charge it up. I can make due with Windows 10, but it really does make you love Apple all the better for how the devices hardly ever bug out.

iPad Pro

The good:
The tablet is gorgeous. Apple is so good at creating object lust. The display is a bit better than the Surface Pro 4, but both have great displays. I think the glare is better on the iPad Pro however. I like the quad speakers on the iPad Pro, but I don't like how they are not front facing. The Apple Pencil is awesome as well; I really like how it works every time you tap it, regardless of the angle you are using. The Surface Pro pen does not always work when hitting at a low angle. The battery kills the Surface here. While I have not used the iPad Pro for enough time to kill the whole battery, but reports are showing the iPad Pro battery doubling the battery of the Surface Pro 4. If you own a Surface Pro you will be a wall outlet slave quite a bit.

The bad:
There's not a lot of bad here, so it depends on your POV. I would say the operating system, but only because I want the product to be what it is not. So it is mostly unfair for me to peg the iPad Pro for not being a 2 in 1. But more honestly I do not like the type cover. The Surface Pro 4 along with the kickstand and type cover can easily be used in my lap. I tried with the iPad Pro type cover and it is lunky and does not work very well in the lap. The type cover kick stand not being adjustable kind of is annoying. But if you use it on a table primarily then that will not be an issue.


If iOS can truly be a great alternative to OS X (or blur the lines between the two eventually) I can jump back over to having an iPad truly replace my laptop. Plus I like having file access. Not having access to your iPad's files is so annoying. Anyway, cheers if you read all of this. Thanks so much!

 

[I7guy]

I bought a Surface Pro 4 last month when they went on sale. I previously had a Macbook laptop. I moved over to the Surface because I wanted to consolidate my laptop and iPad. And Apple's refusal to make a 2 in 1 device forced me to jump to the Surface Pro 4 despite my wishes for Apple to put OS X on a tablet.

I had an opportunity to spend some time with the iPad Pro, along with type cover and Apple Pencil. Here is my analysis between the two:

Surface Pro 4

The good:
I love the hybrid idea, it is very much a product for my market. I always hear everyone talking how no one uses their Surface Pro like a tablet, but I do and I love it. It is not as good as an iPad when it comes to intuition. But the fact I have access to an entire Windows machine and I can hold it like a tablet or prop it on my body or a table as a tablet is great. Plus I love the kickstand. The Surface Pro pen is fantastic, but I am not a career artist who needs all the qualities the Apple Pencil has. I use the pen for occasional sketching, and I LOVE the eraser. I also do a lot of note taking when I stage manage for theatre, and it is great to have access to One Drive by clicking the eraser top.

The bad:
I have been a Mac user for almost 10 years, and I'm only 29. So basically my entire adult life I have only used Windows for gaming. I like OS X a lot, but Windows 10 is not bad at all. I wish when you went into Tablet mode on the Surface the buttons got bigger and were more touch friendly. I currently use the Surface pen to tap around when using the tablet. The biggest travesty here, which may turn some off on the Surface, is the thing is buggy. Not as bad as the Surface Book I have heard. But the Surface Pro 4 display drive crashes every so often. The type cover sometimes won't connect or work, causing me to restart it. And in the past 3 weeks with the device, on two occasions the entire touch screen will just stop working, forcing me to to a hard reset. I would hope Microsoft takes care of these soon, but it doesn't happen enough to really bother me. But I can see some others being bothered. Oh yeah, if you have to do more than 5 hours of work you better plan on taking your charging cable and plan to live near an outlet for a couple of hours to charge it up. I can make due with Windows 10, but it really does make you love Apple all the better for how the devices hardly ever bug out.

iPad Pro

The good:
The tablet is gorgeous. Apple is so good at creating object lust. The display is a bit better than the Surface Pro 4, but both have great displays. I think the glare is better on the iPad Pro however. I like the quad speakers on the iPad Pro, but I don't like how they are not front facing. The Apple Pencil is awesome as well; I really like how it works every time you tap it, regardless of the angle you are using. The Surface Pro pen does not always work when hitting at a low angle. The battery kills the Surface here. While I have not used the iPad Pro for enough time to kill the whole battery, but reports are showing the iPad Pro battery doubling the battery of the Surface Pro 4. If you own a Surface Pro you will be a wall outlet slave quite a bit.

The bad:
There's not a lot of bad here, so it depends on your POV. I would say the operating system, but only because I want the product to be what it is not. So it is mostly unfair for me to peg the iPad Pro for not being a 2 in 1. But more honestly I do not like the type cover. The Surface Pro 4 along with the kickstand and type cover can easily be used in my lap. I tried with the iPad Pro type cover and it is lunky and does not work very well in the lap. The type cover kick stand not being adjustable kind of is annoying. But if you use it on a table primarily then that will not be an issue.


If iOS can truly be a great alternative to OS X (or blur the lines between the two eventually) I can jump back over to having an iPad truly replace my laptop. Plus I like having file access. Not having access to your iPad's files is so annoying. Anyway, cheers if you read all of this. Thanks so much!

I love my new sp4. I needed a laptop and this is what I ended up with. Basically used Windows since the IBM PC.

I loaded new updates last night and I haven't hit the issues you describe; but I love I have windows in basically a tablet format and it will run my collection of Windows ware. The keypad is great and so far I'm meh on the stylus.

Microsoft promises 9 hours of battery life but I dont think they meant 9 hours of heavy duty usage like playing a game for 9 hours, the same way I'll bet the battery won't last for 8 hours straight on an iPad pro playing heavy duty games.

 

[QquegChristian]

The biggest travesty here, which may turn some off on the Surface, is the thing is buggy. Not as bad as the Surface Book I have heard. But the Surface Pro 4 display drive crashes every so often. The type cover sometimes won't connect or work, causing me to restart it. And in the past 3 weeks with the device, on two occasions the entire touch screen will just stop working, forcing me to to a hard reset. I would hope Microsoft takes care of these soon, but it doesn't happen enough to really bother me. But I can see some others being bothered. Oh yeah, if you have to do more than 5 hours of work you better plan on taking your charging cable and plan to live near an outlet for a couple of hours to charge it up. I can make due with Windows 10, but it really does make you love Apple all the better for how the devices hardly ever bug out.

Very nice and unbiased post. As a SP4 user, iPhone user, and Apple Watch user, I agree with most of your points.

Just wanted to say to make sure your Surface is fully up to date. They posted another big update 2 days that fixes any freezing. I never had that issue. People are also seeing dramatically better battery life. My SP4 is running smooth and rock solid. Microsoft definitely dropped the ball with so many early bugs, but they patched them quick. Still UNACCEPTABLE.

Apple is definitely more solid but they aren't golden in my eyes anymore. They are really dropping the ball with their product rollouts obviously, but that may just be an issue with scale. iPad Pro has the freezes after charging. My iPhone 6 STILL has to have all transparency/motion turned off to not lag (and can still lag). My last iPhone (5) was recalled twice... Both times MONTHS after I had the issues (battery dying at 40%, broken power button). Apple Music destroyed my iTunes Match and I eventually gave up and switched to Spotify, and now just live without my really obscure music on my phone. But the big one is... I just don't understand why iPhones are always the thing that have the most trouble with my routers. I have had more issues with wifi and my iPhones over the years than anything else. Always having to dive deep into the router settings. I've upgraded my router 3 times over the years. I just don't get it. I don't have any issue with any other devices. I think I'm just unlucky with this. But I've been having a bastard with wifi ever since iOS9.

I don't hold Apple as just "working" any more. But they are still miles ahead of other companies. I expect more from everyone.

 

[IrishMafia]

it's not designed to compete with Surface. Surface is a laptop. iPad Pro is not.

Agree they are two completely different products.

So why did Mac Rumors feel compelled to write such a rediculous article.

 

[BornAgainMac]

For this comparison to be fair, the iPad Pro shouldn't have the keyboard or pencil for now. Compare it as it is today, not with some "future" accessories.

 

[Michael Goff]

For this comparison to be fair, the iPad Pro shouldn't have the keyboard or pencil for now. Compare it as it is today, not with some "future" accessories.

They're comparing within the confines of the pencil and stylus. They can't do that without the pencil and stylus. :|

 

[AZREOSpecialist]

Apple made a big mistake by not allowing the iPad Pro to run a full version of Mac OS X. The fact that I can't draw directly in Illustrator or Photoshop pretty much makes the Pro a no-go. Pros don't use iOS no matter how much Apple would like you to believe otherwise. Content creators are not using tablets. Apple really missed their target here. I have to wonder where Cook is getting his advice.

 

[Precision Gem]

Apple made a big mistake by not allowing the iPad Pro to run a full version of Mac OS X. The fact that I can't draw directly in Illustrator or Photoshop pretty much makes the Pro a no-go. Pros don't use iOS no matter how much Apple would like you to believe otherwise. Content creators are not using tablets. Apple really missed their target here. I have to wonder where Cook is getting his advice.

I don't personally know anyone who actually owns full Photoshop. Not Photoshop Elements but the full program. For most people, editing photo's in Photo's is more than enough, and if not, then $5 for Pixelmator is more than enough.

As far as drawing goes, I just bought Procreate for $6 and am very impressed. I certainly couldn't do what I do with Procreate in Photoshop. Maybe others could, but I couldn't.

For many many many people, an iPad Pro, with Pixelmator, Photos and Procreate is more photo editing and drawing capability than they will ever need, and the cost of the software is only $11 total.

 

[tdale]

You're right. Apple has missed so many opportunities and Microsoft has been there to...do what?

If you don't understand that Apple is trying to merge the pro and consumer markets, you really understand nothing about them. They are willing to alienate some pros in order to move computing forward instead of Microsoft who simply guards their enterprise cash cow and fumbles with their consumer market time and time again. They get props for trying but all this failure gets old and loses anyone with hope for them eventually.

Move computing forward? How? Make a bigger "just" an iPad?


Microsoft has no other cards to play. They are losing to everyone on the consumer level. The only thing left for them was to make their own hardware.

At least they made a true hybrid device that can be a laptop using a full OS and it can be a tablet using tablet apps. Apple just made the same old consumption based iPad, with a couple of nice extras.

At least Apple is creating their own path and not listening to a CFO and shareholders telling them how to stay in the game.

Not sure what the path is, they continue to roll over the same devices year after year, thinner , lighter, faster, with little forward movement. But its a profit based board of directors. iPad wise, its just a consumption tablet, that hasn't changed. And they want you to upgrade as often as possible, that hasn't changed.