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Adds are not that bad. I hope they will sell a few Surfaces. At least just enough to make Apple upgrade MacBook Air display. And that is when I am getting my Air

They will. It is the mythical 12" iPad that won't be an iPad. It will be the retina Air. They will discontinue the 11" air and have the non retina 13" air be the cheap Mac to replace the one with the dvd that is just about to get killed.
 
Surfaces are so nasty.

Maybe they should work on making a competent windows laptop, because Apple seems to be dominating the laptop department in terms of both light and heavy users. Everyone I know seems to be switching to mac...
 
They should be going after PC people... I doubt many Mac OSX owners will be switching to Windows, Vista is what told me I could have better things :p

For the record, I use Ubuntu Linux as well, I just find Windows to be a mess, I still have to use it for work though.
 
I can't believe I just read through this whole thread...

Why did I? Because I'm probably one of the three people who responded in here that actually use an SP3 as well as Apple products.

1) They are NOT trying to convince MAC users to switch to SP3. They are trying to convince people who are ready to buy a new laptop to consider the SP3 versus the MAC. Apple is doing an incredible job switching people over to their ecosystem...of course, driven by iPhone and iPad sales. Not because the MB is the end all be all of laptops.

2) Yes...the SP3 DOES work on your lap. I use it with the type cover every day on my lap. Sitting at home in my chair ON MY LAP....in my bed ON MY LAP. And guess what, my lap doesn't catch on fire like it did with a traditional laptop.

3) It seems as though EVERY person who replied on here has a MB. How many of you bought it yourself because you are a student? Guess what, MS has the huge market share they have because of enterprise business. It won't happen to all of you, but if any of you expect to get a job someday with a large business, get ready for them to hand you a MS laptop. Believe me...if you had a choice, you would want an SP3 instead of some 7 lb. dell laptop.

4) Office on iPAD is NOT the same as full Office on the SP3. And it never will be because the iPad is not powerful enough. Again, Office is HUGE in the corporate world and if you expect to create content on a decent level, you will need full Office.

5) Yes...Windows 8 sucks in many ways. OSX is much more mature and smoother. But it isn't unusable or as "awful" as many on here claim. The biggest issue for me personally is that there are two OS's on the machine. I'm hoping Windows 9 is the first step in finally joing the two together. We'll see.

6) Viruses? What viruses? You people are living in the past. Windows is on a gajillion more devices than Apple, so yes, there are MORE viruses, but the percentage of viruses to machines is nearly identical...and I'm too lazy to find the link saying so...:p

7) Weight? I'm really confused as to what position you are holding an iPad air that would cause any less fatugue than holding an SP3.

8) Thank you for some of the folks on here at least admitting that if Apple came out with the SP3 it would be considered the greatest thing in the world. I'm extremely excited for the 5.5" iPhone....just so I can laugh at all the comments on here about how it is the greatest thing in the world (years after Samsung and Microsoft have shown that the smaller form factor is not enough).

9) Someone on here mentioned a really key point...the SP3 combined with OneNote is the greatest thing to happen to note taking and organization at both school and work. The SP3 really opens up the capabilities of OneNote. A program I never used until now and don't know how I ever lived without it. The pen integration is great. The ability to edit Office documents and share with others through OneNote is awesome.

10) Meh...10 points is enough. I love my Apple products and I love my SP3 and Lumia phone....oh...and to the cars and trucks analogy, how many people are buying pick-up trucks and driving them to the office every day? Wouldn't it be amazing if a pick-up truck became the number one selling vehicle in the United States? Oh wait......:p
 
Mmm, I'd rather have the MacBook Air. A Wacom tablet is not much heavier (you'd be using the small versions with a small screen like that), has a pen holder and can easily be carried along with it. I have no problem using mine next to the bluetooth keyboard, so I presume I could use it nicely next to a laptop keyboard.

They have flicks you can setup to use, but I like tactile buttons and currently take advantage of all eight on my Intuos.

I personally think they're going after the wrong crowd with these ads. They also don't tell you about how these apps cost you hundreds of dollars.
 
Surfaces are so nasty.

Maybe they should work on making a competent windows laptop, because Apple seems to be dominating the laptop department in terms of both light and heavy users. Everyone I know seems to be switching to mac...

Market share wise that is not true at all, I think the perception is there, but a huge majority of people end up getting a windows computer.
 
The Surface Pro may also be a tablet, but it runs a desktop OS so your apps won't be touch optimized. Photoshop is touch optimised in the most buggy, laggy way, so you'll just want to stick to using it the traditional way for now. Yes I know, Windows 8 also has a "tablet mode", but it's kind of crap, and having paid for the full on Surface Pro, you won't want to use a dumbed down OS that the cheaper version runs by default.

Plus, if you want the real benefits of a tablet (other than the lack of a keyboard), then you'll want long battery life, and a thin and light body. Which the Surface Pro doesn't do, unlike the iPad.

Having tried both products, my opinion is that Windows 8 sucks in both desktop and tablet mode, it's just a bad experience. The Surface Pro is basically a laptop with a detachable keyboard, not a laptop that can turn into a tablet. You won't be using it as a tablet.

Tablets and laptops are different things, aimed at different tasks and different people. Why make them the same product?
 
Jayomat said:
while, to be frank, most people don't use their laptop on their lap at all.

Do you have anything to back that up? I use my laptop on my lap quite regularly.
 
I've seen people install OSX on their Surface Pros. Not sure what kind of experience they get since OSX isn't touch-enabled but no need to stick with Windows. Specs-wise, the Surface 3 Pro is fantastic.

did it on my SP2 for a bit. Horrible experience for me. OSx is not touchscreen optimized.
 
Until it runs OSX, it's not replacing anything for me personally.
You - and everyone else here - knows full well that Apple does not sell licences to use OSX on any machine that they do not sell. This sentence is always pointless and adds nothing to the debate. Add to that, you can actually Hackintosh OSX onto the SP3.

Seriously, when I see those products next to each other all I keep thinking is that the MBA looks like the solution of the problems that the surface has. It seems like such a fiddly device, that kickstand, the keyboard, the pen. Why do I need to keep track of three separate parts to use it to it's full extend?

I don't know what it is, but it seems like a really naive approach to the problem.

"We want a device that's a tablet and a notebook at the same time"
– add a detachable keyboard​
"How do we keep the keyboard from getting lost?"
– add some magnets​
"It doesn't stand upright"
– add a kickstand​
"But you can't really use Windows with your fingers"
– add a pen.​

It's just like the designers failed to see the whole picture and that whatever they came up with is just a bad idea. All problems that the surface solved are solved MUCH more elegantly in every notebook, except the idea that it should be a two in one device. So to me it seems like that's the problem: Microsoft was so inhibited by the idea of this two in one device that nobody else had yet, that they just were too afraid to drop the idea altogether and consequently lose the opportunity to be the market leader in some domain.

In the end – and not for the first time in their history – the market needs to make the decision, and I guess it's thumbs down again.
I don't think that was their approach, actually. The SP3 is really a unique device and for a lot of people it will be perfect. The bit about the magnets is kind of a pointless post, as the magnets don't add to or detract the experience nor the cost of the device. It's just good design, as Apple would know. The pen is much more advanced than iPad's capability or the capability of any other touch screen notebook. It's a proper addition that opens up the SP3 to artists and students especially engineering or science students.

Too bad the battery power sucks and it runs WINDOWS!!!!
The battery does not suck - you're thinking of the Surface Pro 1. This device has 7-9 hours, which isn't bad. Granted it's not as good as the Mac Book Air but the MBA has an abysmal screen. And as above, shouting about its lack of OSX is pointless.

The one thing that these commercials don't address is, "What is the value of these things?"...meaning, poor keyboard, smaller screen, Pen that you will use and touchscreen. What is the benefit of the touchscreen? Unless you detach the keyboard, then what you really want is a tablet, which it is clearly not, by MS's own ad...

All they show is the differences, not why that is better for MS. Also, in the end, it is running 'Windows', not OSX. So, not really a direct comparison.

I'm all for competition and the Surface Pro 3 is 'finally' a competitive product. It's just too bad that their marketing is so horrible. They need to take some queues from the guys that presented it, when they first showed them at their event.
I agree in that the keyboard cover is a necessity. But yes, the SP3 IS a viable two-in-one. The value of the touchscreen is very clear to people who like annotating documents, drawing pictures or diagrams or simply handwriting notes. It works much, much better than on an iPad. Let me tell you now, the touchscreen does not exist solely for someone to reach over with their hand to resize a window or tap on an icon. I'm disappointed that these adverts don't address the pen capability enough but there we go.

As I've said twice previously in this post alone, there is no way to achieve a direct comparison because it's not possible for Microsoft to run OSX on a SP3, as Apple won't allow it. Can we stop pretending it's Microsoft's choice and a limitation set by Microsoft? If you watch the 'Head to Head' video, you see it compares the specs - 128GB SSD, 4GB RAM. There's a direct comparison for ya, and you said it only showed the differences! It even ran Photoshop on both devices for you, that's as close a comparison as you can get for that scenario!

Pretty much.


It's always funny when clearly biased comparisons focus on similarities rather than differences. For example:

The Galaxy S5 has an 16 megapixel camera, the Canon 1DX has an 18 megapixel camera! Look at how amazing the S5 is!

Canon 1DX Low Light, original resolution: 5479x3652

Image

Galaxy S5 Low Light, original resolution: 5312x2988

Image

Wow! Look at how similar the resolution on these two products are! 5300 vs 5400 pixels. They're basically the same, and the S5 can make phone calls! Throw away your DSLRs now!

The thing is, it's not the similarities that differentiate products. It's the differences. And showing the similarities and a bunch of one sided differences is a textbook attempt to be misleading.

And if you buy in to these ads you're going to get about the same results as you would between these two photos.
Whilst I don't doubt that a Canon 1DX is better than a Samsung Galaxy S5, it's worth pointing out that in the Canon shot the model has a bright light source illuminating both the room and her face, which helps considerably.

Oh and what you're saying about only showing similarities is a complete opposite to codewrangler who complains they only show differences! ;)

I'm not a fanboy on either side, but I am very clued up about the rMBP and the SP3 as I've been researching them. I'm just trying to counter point some points, lay out fact over fiction, and add to the debate :)
 
most people don't use their laptop on their lap at all.

I didn't at all when I owned a 15" Macbook Pro. However, when I switched to my 13" Air I found the size and weight much more comfortable for using it on my lap. Now I use it on my lap quite frequently.
 
They didnt mention the "free botnet" you join within minutes of firing the surface up without any antivirus.
All that power at someone else's fingertips.

The 1990s called. They want their FUD back.

Besides... Windows 8.0 and 8.1 come with appropriate malware protection out of the box, and unlike OS X, it even comes with an ACTIVATED, full featured firewall.
 
They will. It is the mythical 12" iPad that won't be an iPad. It will be the retina Air. They will discontinue the 11" air and have the non retina 13" air be the cheap Mac to replace the one with the dvd that is just about to get killed.

Hopefully they will just upgrade 13.3 Air with the release of new Intel processors. 12" is too small for me and I still want to run windows/ linux x86 on it so ARM stuff will not do it for me.
 
These commercials, while done well are all pretty stupid.

1. It doesn't matter if they use the same processor if one device throttles it into oblivion to keep temps down.

2. So I'm supposed to lift my arm to pinch/zoom in PS when my finger is already on the mouse..? How about you compare the time it takes to do a gesture on the Mac trackpad against using the Surface's touch screen. If MS is trying to push productivity mixing touch/mouse is not ideal.

3. Nobody cares about Office. Enterprise management does, users and consumers do not. There are plenty of free alternatives that are sufficient for the majority of users.

4. Notes with a pen are interesting but I don't see many people using this method regularly. It's faster to type and a lot of us have poor penmanship. They should be pushing drawing apps or creative work, that's a market where a portable pressure sensitive pen would shine.

5. As a Windows user from 3.1 on, Win8 is one of the worst releases yet. I upgraded my desktop to 8 during the $40 pricing at launch, and even at that price I wish I could downgrade. It's a mess compared to OSX and Ubuntu. After using a Windows phone I would never willingly chose Windows on any mobile device.
 
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You - and everyone else here - knows full well that Apple does not sell licences to use OSX on any machine that they do not sell. This sentence is always pointless and adds nothing to the debate. Add to that, you can actually Hackintosh OSX onto the SP3.

I wasn't being literal. The point is that it doesn't run OSX, so it's inherently not useful to me personally. I have every right to state my opinion here, and I will continue to do so every single time I feel like it. Your post changes nothing.
 
to be fair, Apple bashed windows with the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads.

And in the Middle Ages, guys banged each other's heads with big iron swords.
Can we move on already and stop giving that one predictable answer time and time again? Please?
 
It already is. There's a 7.9" one.

----------


Yes, That's my point.

Before.... Note the word "BEFORE" the iPad mini was brought out, ANY thought of a smaller than 9.7" iPad was totally and utterly rubbished on these forums by the vast majority.

In exactly the same way the concept of a Tablet running a proper full OS is being rubbished here now.
 
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