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Joe1

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 11, 2013
18
0
I am new to the iPhone world as I recently got a 5s which I really do like with exception of the small screen. My question is, is it work getting an iPad if I have an iPhone. I currently have a Microsoft surface pro tablet that I love but I was thinking it may be better to have the same os tablet as my phone for ease of use. I mainly use it for work, viewing MS office files and very lite editing of MS office files. Also some web browsing, email, etc. I probably don't even come close to using the surface to its full potential. Has anyone gone from a surface to an iPad. What are your thoughts.
 
iPad is essentially just a big iPhone. I've come to terms with that over the years. I used to be a big ipad fan, but not anymore. Sounds like a decent tablet like the surface pro is all the tablet you need.
 
Don't bother if you already have a surface pro. The Surface will allow you to do more and you won't really be missing out on anything since you have the iPhone for iOS apps.

It is a big iPhone without the phone. It's a great tablet, no doubt. But in your case it would make no sense whatsoever to get one. Spend the money on some nice accessories for your iPhone/Surface instead.
 
iPad is essentially a bigger iphone which is good in some areas and not so great in others. I love iOS so that's not a big deal for me. Just weigh the pros and cons first, I'd go to your local walmart or best buy and try one for a week if you don't like it return it.
 
While it's technically correct to dismiss it as a big iPhone, I feel that they are very different in how I interact with it.

In fact, I'd sooner replace the iPhone with a non-Apple product than the iPad.
 
If an iPad is just a big iPhone, then a swimming pool is just a big bathtub.

That said, if you like the Surface and it fits your needs, there may be no need to switch. On the other hand, if you want something that works more closely with your iPhone, then the iPad may offer some advantages. For instance, you can sync calendar, contacts, notes and reminders across your iPhone and iPad. If you know other people who have iDevices you can FaceTime and iMessage with them from any device. Safari bookmarks sync between iPad and iPhone, too. Many apps are universal, meaning you buy once and you get them for both your iPad and iPhone.
 
In my opinion, iCloud makes owning an iPad and iPhone together a stronger combination than mixing up OSes and hardware. You literally just log in to your iCloud account once on all your devices and everything stays in sync seamlessly.

Of course I'm an Apple fan but I've had very great experiences being in the Apple ecosystem running only Apple hardware and services. Couldn't be happier :)
 
The Surface Pro is better compared to the Macbook Air. Similar price, specs, and capabilities. It's a full PC in tablet form. The iPad is a different class of device.
 
I use my iPad much more than my iPhone, you might say that technically it's the same but the larger screen size makes it much more useful for browsing web, email, working via Pages and (the excellent) iAnnotate, this app isn't available for the iPhone btw. With the small screen I generally only read web pages which support the "reader" on the iPhone. Movies etc are not worth it on the iPhone as the screen is too small. The interaction via iCloud between the two is excellent, really useful for creating and editing documents.
 
Is a swimming pool really just a big bath?

No, you do completely different things with them.

And I use my iPad for different things compared to my iPhone.

Anyway, an iPad is not a big iPhone because first off you can't make calls on it. If you wanted to compare it to anything maybe an iPod might be nearer the mark. But, that would be assuming you were only running upscaled iPod-sized apps. Which generally isn't the case.
 
iPad is essentially just a big iPhone. I've come to terms with that over the years. I used to be a big ipad fan, but not anymore. Sounds like a decent tablet like the surface pro is all the tablet you need.

What exactly decent in surface? clumsy windows interface, horrible on battery life, ugly not even close to retina screen, should I continue with size an look? Not that I am apple only fan, but iphone and ipad is very different in purpose, most people don't care if it is same or almost same hardware inside. I don't mind this too.
 
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I am new to the iPhone world as I recently got a 5s which I really do like with exception of the small screen. My question is, is it work getting an iPad if I have an iPhone. I currently have a Microsoft surface pro tablet that I love but I was thinking it may be better to have the same os tablet as my phone for ease of use. I mainly use it for work, viewing MS office files and very lite editing of MS office files. Also some web browsing, email, etc. I probably don't even come close to using the surface to its full potential. Has anyone gone from a surface to an iPad. What are your thoughts.

There is a lot of hype about the Surface but only from Microsoft because everyone else says "dont buy it". I have an Iphone 5 and an Ipad 2, I love them both and before I got an ipad I did think the same "oh its just a big iphone" but since it does not have internet (only wifi), my ipad has different uses sometimes than my iphone, I love both, both have their uses, now if I already had a different tablet that did everything that I need I would not change to ipad just to say "oh i have an ipad and an iphone", when I the ipad I did not have a tablet and wanted one.
 
In my opinion, iCloud makes owning an iPad and iPhone together a stronger combination than mixing up OSes and hardware. You literally just log in to your iCloud account once on all your devices and everything stays in sync seamlessly.
iCloud for document sharing isn't the only service integration that's helpful, either. I'm in the medical setting, and many members of my team use iPhones (texts go through iMessage). I'll be working on my iPad Mini and can see and respond to the text messages straight from there, without having to take out my phone. It's incredibly convenient. Unfortunately there are enough Android users that I still have to resort to the phone for standard text messaging at least a few times throughout the day :p

For Joe1, though, the issue is slightly complicated by the fact that we don't yet have an iOS version of Microsoft Office (although according to the rumors, it's coming). Sure, we have Keynote, Numbers, and Pages, but those can introduce some formatting issues when viewing and editing Microsoft Office documents. Heck, there are even minor issues when going between the iOS and OS X versions of those programs. If his work wouldn't be affected by that then it's a viable option, as it sounds like everything else he needs would be covered.

People here are going to hate on the Surface (no big surprises), but I honestly think it's a pretty nice device. If I weren't so firmly entrenched in the Apple ecosystem I'd be all over it. It's up to personal usage, then: would Joe1 (or anyone making a similar decision) benefit from the tighter integration between devices? If not, the Surface is technically a more capable device than the iPad, and going from a Surface to an iPad might be a downgrade.
 
I have an iPhone and a mini due to the crossover in certain apps and in general due to iCloud and having my contacts available and synced.

Some apps have greatly functionality in their ipad form.
 
I love the size of the iPad but I also love the cloud integration. My calendar, my pictures, my contacts, and my notes are synced between my devices (iPhone, iMac, MacBook Air and iPad) making it easy to run my life from any screen I find myself using. It's THE most important reason I stay with Apple products.. This is especially true of the iPad which I find I use the most of all my devices-- by far!
 
More accurately, it's just a big old iPod ;)

I'd keep the surface for sure if you use it for Microsoft Office.

Someone posted about iMessages on the iPad so he doesn't have to pull out his iPhone. That would be better if you could reply to an iMessage right from the notification overlay. Having to switch apps constantly might make you miss the Surface.

It really isn't as bad as people make it out to be. Seeing as the iPad is just an iPod touch with a big screen. iPad might be more stable (or at least was before iOS 7), Surface tends to make better use of its screen size.
 
It's an oversized iPod Touch.

But that bigger size gives you much more usefulness in reading, browsing, editing, office work, etc. Maybe games as well. And some iPad apps utilize the extra space in a new way. It's not just iPhone/iPod apps on steroid.
 
Yes

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What exactly decent in surface? clumsy windows interface, horrible on battery life, ugly not even close to retina screen, should I continue with size an look? Not that I am apple only fan, but iphone and ipad is very different in purpose, most people don't care if it is same or almost same hardware inside. I don't mind this too.

Why don't you do some research before commenting on things you don't know about :) thanks.

Btw, now that iOS7 looks terrible, windows looks more attractive imo. I don't own a Surface Pro, but the specs crush the iPad, and it offers a true tablet experience, not just a larger screen iOS device.
 
Yes but for email, browsing and reading a bigger iPhone is just what you need.

However, I do feel apps aren't as good as they could be. I know people consider good iPad app quality an established fact, but I think a lot of apps are really just big iPhone apps, the UI is equal to the iPhone UI in lots of apps. That's a shame.
 
Someone posted about iMessages on the iPad so he doesn't have to pull out his iPhone. That would be better if you could reply to an iMessage right from the notification overlay. Having to switch apps constantly might make you miss the Surface.
That was me. Most of the time simply being able to see the message is enough and there's no need for me to reply. Switching between my active application and the messaging application isn't a big deal, though. Use a four-finger swipe to the left (or to the right) to cycle between your active applications. It's a gesture that a lot of people don't seem to know about, but it makes things pretty easy.
 
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