iPad Pro Outsells Microsoft Surface in Launch Quarter

[MH01]

I feel like the real story here is Amazon's tablet. That has a far higher marketshare than Microsoft's surface, and it jumped from 2.5% (4th place) to 7.9% (3rd place). What is their tablet? I haven't heard anything about it? Last I heard they had the Kindle Fire... did they ever follow up on that with something that was more successful? What has caused this huge rise, from 1.9 m shipments to 5.2 m?

Good point, a 175% year on year rise. Amazon is kicking ass!
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But what does this 65.9M figure include? Is that including all these no-name "white box" super cheap tablets? And some could argue that Surface Pro should be in the laptop category as it's probably used more like a laptop than a tablet.

I think the title is just a bait for debate. None of the reference data supports the headline and is just guessing.

This is just going to be a Ipad Pro V surface debate..... GOOD LUCK moderators

 

[Rogifan]

I'd still take the Surface over the IPP and get far more value and use out of it if I'm honest.... No contest, ones a large iPhone the other's a replacement laptop device.

Hmm...I can't do split screen multitasking or PIP on my iPhone. There are apps I use on my iPad that either don't exist for iPhone or I'd never want to use them on it. Not every app on the iPad is Instagram. And just because iOS on iPad doesn't have a file system doesn't mean it's just a blown iPhone. For many people who weren't doing complex things on their laptops an iPP could totally replace it.

 

[HenryDJP]

Damn, I really like the iPad Pro. I just wished it was a bit cheaper. $100 less would help. I just think the price is too high and very close to entry level Macbooks.

Really? would $100 cheaper really stop you from buying it? I mean, your sig shows that you have a Mac Pro, a 30" and 23" Cinema Display, MacBook ProS, iPhoneS and various others of Apple's expensive products. $100 doesn't sound like it's gonna break you.

 

[GeneralChang]

I see the iPad Pro and Surface as two different types of products. This comparison is not apples to apples.

They are for sure two very different devices. I think the real story here is that Apple's brand and ability to target markets is much stronger than Microsoft's. They didn't market it as "Everybody should want this thing because *undefined reasons*" the way Microsoft continues to do with the Surface, it was marketed toward creative content producers and they apparently went for it.

But yeah, a better comparison would be how did sales of the MacBook or MacBook Air compare to the Surface last quarter. They're much more comparable devices in price and feature set.

 

[cdm283813]

I'm sorry but putting a stretched version of iOS of a powerful device doesn't make sense, the Surface does it better even if their stylus is inferior.

From what I gather people just want a bigger iPad. No telling how many people use the pencil and keyboard.

 

[HenryDJP]

I see the iPad Pro and Surface as two different types of products. This comparison is not apples to apples.

You're right, it's Apples to Surfaces.

 

[KALLT]

I tried the Surface Pro 4, nice concept, at the end of day it was a marginal Tablet and a weak Laptop. The pen was very nice, OS had many driver issues, however I liked the concept. My needs are to have a Laptop for heavy lifting and a Tablet for fun times, as in a few light games, surfing the web, social media, to name a few. Now I have a MacBook and an iPad that works well, with the negative of two devices to manage and carry. If Apple could make an device that integrated the IOS and MacOS I would give it a try. Does not appear to be in the cards at this time.

The entire idea of the Surface just does not appeal to me. People may ridicule Apple for the “stretched” user interface on the iPad Pro, but the system as well as the apps are still clearly optimised for a touchscreen. Windows 8 and 10 may have a tablet mode for the touchscreen, but it was put on top of a classic desktop metaphor. Some apps have been overhauled for it – and I think they look really clunky now, not much ‘desktop-class’ – but many have not been adapted, including plenty of “pro” applications. It just is not the same feeling as a good tablet OS where every app is optimised for it. Microsoft just has not that ecosystem for a tablet yet, partially due to their weak efforts in mobile space.

I can understand completely that many people prefer a tablet with a dedicated operating system like iOS or Android. That leaves the laptop side of the Surface and it is there where the competition is probably the toughest. The Surface devices look flimsy in comparison to the competition. There are fantastic, quality laptops out there that do not compromise on the hardware just because they also need to be tablets. I personally think that these combined devices are not the future. They can certainly co-exist, like netbooks did.

 

[HenryDJP]

The Surface Pro blows away the iPad Pro. No contest.

Right and one person sings the national anthem better than another person, yet the lesser singer gets the job because the public enjoys their performance and what they bring to the occasion far better.

 

[AFEPPL]

Hmm...I can't do split screen multitasking or PIP on my iPhone. There are apps I use on my iPad that either don't exist for iPhone or I'd never want to use them on it. Not every app on the iPad is Instagram. And just because iOS on iPad doesn't have a file system doesn't mean it's just a blown iPhone. For many people who weren't doing complex things on their laptops an iPP could totally replace it.

And so "could" may other things...
I "could" ride my bike from San Fran to New York, it doesn't mean it's the best suited tool for me to travel between those two places! I'll take the delta DAL435 flight...

 

[JackieInCo]

I don't think that this thread should even exist. I love my Surface Pro 3 because it can do so much more then the iPad Pro. I never considered the iPad Pro once it was announced that it was running iOS.

 

[inpinotveritas]

You can't combat declining sales or market share with tepid evolutionary updates that offer little additonal value.

 

[pianophile]

From what I gather people just want a bigger iPad. No telling how many people use the pencil and keyboard.

That's me: happy iPad Pro user, with no keyboard or pencil attached. Bought it for the much-bigger display alone: faster CPU and more memory are just gravy.

 

[apolloa]

I do like the rather clever manipulation of this story's title, it has outsold the Surface, so NOT the Surface PRO of the Surface BOOK then..
And then all you get is shipment stats... and no breakdown in those of the Surface / Surface Pro / Surface Book. I would argue that the Surface Pro and Book have outsold the iPad Pro personally.

 

[Michael Goff]

Neither Apple nor Microsoft provide sales figures so where is IDC getting these figures from other than just guessing?

Yeah, but one is an educated guess while the other is predicting the future.

 

[vertsix]

Doesn't matter.

The Surface has Windows, an OS that allows you to do eons more than iOS on an iPad Pro. The fact that the iPad Pro sold more does not mean that it's the superior "pro" tablet.

If it had OS X, then I would vaguely consider the iPad Pro a "pro" tablet.

 

[rdlink]

ouch.. -24% growth! Welcome to the post tablet era?

I think the real story here is that the iPad ushered in the real tablet era with massive growth, but as it has gotten more powerful over the years, and feature adds are becoming less major people don't feel they need run out and buy a new one every time it's released. I have an iPad Air 2, and honestly I don't see any need to replace it for several more years, unless whatever new one is released has an OMG feature.

 

[RedOrchestra]

And so "could" may other things...
I "could" ride my bike from San Fran to New York, it doesn't mean it's the best suited tool for me to travel between those two places! I'll take the delta DAL435 flight...

On a flight last week, watched someone trying to use their iPP after the gorilla in front of him threw his seat back - it wasn't happening - they finally gave up and packed it away.

 

[xraydoc]

The Surface Pro blows away the iPad Pro. No contest.

Apparently not.

 

[pat500000]

Apple the pimp company.

 

[Michael Goff]

Doesn't matter.

The Surface has Windows, an OS that allows you to do eons more than iOS on an iPad Pro. The fact that it sold more does not mean that it's the superior "pro" tablet.

If it had OS X, then I would vaguely consider the iPad Pro a "pro" tablet.

The Surface is better in every way that doesn't have to do with battery life or being a tablet.

 

[rdlink]

And so "could" may other things...
I "could" ride my bike from San Fran to New York, it doesn't mean it's the best suited tool for me to travel between those two places! I'll take the delta DAL435 flight...

What does that even mean?

 

[glindon]

This feels like an apples to surfaces comparison. Totally not fair.

So when the main comparison was "iPad pro is a Surface clone," and most arguments were to buy the Surface over the iPad pro, that's totally fair-- but when the iPad pro outsells the Surface the comparison isn't fair anymore?

 

[BattleoftheOSes]

Seems like a lot of propaganda. You're comparing Apples to Oranges here. The Surface maybe a tablet but it's in a whole other devision, different from what the iPad is. Also you are throwing out Apples numbers rather then comparing them to how the surface tablet sold. The Article should be called "iPad Pro still leading the tablet industry"

 

[MH01]

But what does this 65.9M figure include? Is that including all these no-name "white box" super cheap tablets? And some could argue that Surface Pro should be in the laptop category as it's probably used more like a laptop than a tablet.

And Congratulations on hitting macrumors "Pentium"!!!

 

[Wowereit]

The iPad Pro did not outsell the Surface, it's just the inner believe of some people at IDC.