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iPad Pro iPad Pro noob

Davefevs

Davefevs

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 14, 2015
181
118
Bristol, UK
Hi. Been reading this forum for a couple of weeks, trying to weigh up getting a Surface Pro 4 or Ipad Pro.

Not got tonnes of money, and wanted the holy grail of laptop replacement and tablet all in one. Was convinced that I would end up getting a SP4. I accepted that I wouldn't find the system I was after for £600-£700.

Having read lots about both devices and trying to work out needs that focus on:

- web browsing
- email
- small amount of MS Office type stuff
- tv streaming (BBC, Sky, BT Sport etc)
- bit of gaming
- etc

I finally went and had a play with both.

I was really surprised at how difficult I found it to use touch screen on the SP4. I know I could buy a cheapy BT Keyboard and mouse if need be but that defeated the object. I didn't like the pen either.

I suspect I've just got so used to using my 3rd gen IPad (which has become sluggish with iOS 9) that it is going to be difficult to match.

I then had a play on the IPP, and felt at home right away. The 'pencil' felt great straight away.

I therefore plumped for the IPP 32gb. £666 with a works discount....and then got an offer for 12 months interest free....£55.50pm. I also get £44 cashback, so not bad

I would love to have spent another £120 on the 128gb, but will rely on cloud and old desktop where I need to. I'd rather use the money to buy the pencil. I know a lot of you will think that is the wrong choice. Most of the space on my current iPad is photos and I'm making better use of onedrive these days.

As yet, I haven't opened it....Xmas present. Although I will do a quick set up this week to make sure it is working.

Anyone else caught between SP4 and IPP....what decision did you make?
 
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Did you see the Microsoft apology concerning the problems they have with the new Surface Tablets? Better check on how long before they start to work well, one article said months......
 
Make sure you use Microsoft one drive in combination with Dropbox cloud services since you only have 32 GB which is really low for a pro device
 
I also tried SP4 in shop against Pro (in John Lewis Store). No doubt that if you want to use office for a lot of stuff then the SP makes much more sense with fully featured apps, though not sure how good the stylus is in OneNote. I played with it a bit but could not see it any better than IPP which was very fluid. Still, I can't really believe you can use Office without an external keyboard, it's an essential for me, anyway.

I think 32g is just about ok if you use cloud for all your documents and just stream media. I have been happy with both ipad3 32g and a mini2 32g. Biggest downside is the wifi only, always prefer to have cellular as you never know when you might need it (as I would want this hardware to last a good 3 to 4 years).
 
A lot of people feel this way. Surface pro is pretty great for some people. Others? The idea is a really good one, but when you actually use it, it's not at all like what you thought you were getting. If you're gonna be using a device as a tablet a good portion of the time, iPad is where you want to be.

Mine is a complete laptop replacement. Couldn't be happier
 
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If you need a laptop replacement, that's not an IPP. If you want a bigger iPad with a stylus, the IPP is perfect. If you want a true laptop replacement in a tablet , it's the surface 4.

It comes down to what you actually use a laptop for. Many people do not actually need a laptop.
 
personally, being a staunt MS fan, i love my ipp. wonderful. the speed jump from ipad normal to pro is stupid nuts.

fantastic for iplayer and all the other channel's players, great for streaming Sky stuff etc. i use all my regular Outlook and other email accounts through the resident mail app, and safari browsing is awesome.

i have a works account for the MS office subscription, but prefer to use Pages and Numbers. I learned to use these apps years ago specifically for ipad usage and find them much much more easier and intuitive and less fiddly than the MS equivs. I'll literally open in Pages, do my stuff in ipp, then send back to head office and they re-open in Word. same with Excel and other crap.

as i say, i'm so used to Windows and MS and use them exclusively in my 9-5, but the ipp is a dream portable support system for me where even office files are easily interchangeable and transportable.

i dont use laptops, but the Pro and smart keyboard are next best thing. for anyone worried, the ipp in use next to a Windows desktop pc is a fantastic combo.

as for space, unless you plan on storing tons of movies, songs, hi-res imagery and games, 32 should be fine.
 
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I actually bought and returned both devices within the past thirty days. BLUF: in my experience the iPad Pro is the best tablet on the market if you can deal with the size; the Surface Pro 4 is a mediocre device that tries to do everything and excels at nothing.

I bought the iPP not long after it landed in stores, and ended up with a Pencil and the Smart Keyboard (all from Best Buy). My intent was to use it in place of my rMBP, which I was carrying around with me back and forth to work and other places daily. I docked my rMBP and it became another desktop for me. I thought the iPP was an excellent device; fast, fluid, and without any quirks or issues (though I did end up having to exchange it for a replacement when the gyro failed on my first one). Office and iWorks were great on it, video was fantastic paired with those amazing speakers...it was an all-around superb experience. I even really liked typing on the Smart Keyboard.

However, I started to feel a twinge of buyer's remorse because I had paid a lot of money for it and didn't really "need" it; though I had for all intents and purposes combined two devices into one with the iPP, I kind of felt like I would have been better off saving that money and buying the new rMBP when it comes out next year. So I returned it, though I find that I do miss using it in-place of my rMBP at times.

When I returned my iPP, I got to thinking about the SP4 and all the conversations we've had here about it as an alternative to the iPP, and I decided to buy it and try it out. I hadn't owned a Windows computer in a few years and hadn't tried W10 at all, so I was interested in giving it a shot. At first I thought it was a pretty cool toy; the keyboard cover is really well-designed, and the kickstand is a nice standout feature even though I ultimately felt like I didn't find it all that much more compelling than a folded-up smart cover. However, the issues with bugs and driver problems quickly overwhelmed me and I found myself growing irritated with the SP4. The battery life was so pathetic it really was shocking to think that this was a current-gen device. And Windows with a touchscreen feels schizophrenic; it becomes clear very quickly that despite the changes to W10 that Windows was designed with a mouse in mind, and though I will give them credit for some things (text selection is far and away better in W10 than in iOS) the experience was never seamless and it really hit home for me that Apple is on the right path by avoiding trying to converge iOS and OSX. Oh, and after using the Pencil the SP4 stylus is clearly the underdog based on my experience.

If I had to choose between the two today, I'd definitely pick the iPP. I actually sort-of regret returning it now, but I am also set on not buying another one until I see what the 2016 rMBP has to offer, and then I'd be waiting for the iPP 2. I think that iOS has so much potential and the hardware has so much to offer that it won't be too much longer before they become mainstream productivity machines.
 
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sjleworthy said:
actually ZB, you'd be wasting your cash as the IPP4, so i understand, will be even better than the 3!
Click to expand...
Is ZB supposed to be me? Normally I would understand/agree with that argument, but if I'm going to be waiting until Spring/Summer 2016 to see what the rMBP has to offer, I don't think it's that unreasonable to hold off on buying another iPP until after it's refreshed.

EDIT: My bad.
 
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Ghost31 said:
A lot of people feel this way. Surface pro is pretty great for some people. Others? The idea is a really good one, but when you actually use it, it's not at all like what you thought you were getting. If you're gonna be using a device as a tablet a good portion of the time, iPad is where you want to be.

Mine is a complete laptop replacement. Couldn't be happier
Click to expand...

I think that was my dilemma - I use tablet 95% of the time, the office stuff is only letters and filling in excel templates. I accept for the rare occasion I want to do some strenuous Office work, then I can head up to the desktop.

I've got so used to my iPad 3rd gen, but it is very sluggish these days that I needed to replace it.

Re getting an IPP with cellular....I just tether my iPhone.

Thanks for comments whether for or against....I think this device will split opinion, but for the right reasons, i.e. Depends what you are using it for.
 
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