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Microsoft Pits Surface Pro 7 Against iPad Pro, Says Surface is 'Still the Better Choice'

the surface is basically a mediocre laptop that can be used as a tablet but as a tablet it’s pretty awful.

the iPad Pro is a great tablet with currently mediocre laptop functionality but with a lot of growth potential in that regard. iPadOS wont become full MacOS but I think it’ll shift closer and closer with each upgrade. And more and more desktop class software will become available.

I think the iPad Pro has one of the most interesting growth potential out there still. Not the iPhone, and not even the Mac despite the M1 revolution but the iPad (pro)
 
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There's one thing *both have problems with, in our workshop, there are a lot of tiny metal pieces, they stick to the magnets, the surface I had got those pieces in between the keyboard and in the charging port, what a pain in the behind.


*Haven't used an iPad Pro yet in our workshop.
 
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In the end it’s the same story as with Smartphones vs iPhone in 2007 (albeit a bit slower, because they’re more complex products). Blackberry, Nokia, etc. said that you couldn’t do many things with an iPhone that you could do with their devices. And it was true, but it was a painful experience that would never gain mainstream adoption, more theoretical than practical. Meanwhile, the iPhone built on the idea of a direct interface, focusing on what matters and removing legacy stuff, and slowly gained more capabilities. It’s what Apple should do with the iPad, push it forward while retaining the original right idea of what a tablet should be: touch (finger touch) first and always-touch-available, simple, thin, light, and wireless.
 
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I have an iPad Pro (the 11 inch). I also have the Magic Keyboard). And to be honest I can do all my stuff on it if I choose with zero problems. Office for iPad works just fine, as does Slack. The Files app provides File Management.

Ever since iPadOS was updated to provide a mouse style pointer the main drawback between an iPad and a laptop was eased. So my iPad is a good productivity tool as well as a good tablet. Granted it is not the same as a Mac but I don't want or expect it to be.
 
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thejadedmonkey said:
Try split screening two Chrome windows on a Mac and watch it struggle too. That's a crap comparison. Chrome is crap on every platform, except for iOS, where it's actually Safari.
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actually safari crashes watching disneyplus keeps saying memory is out and it refreshes even on a maxed out 16" MacBook Pro while chrome is fine, also safari cant live stream still
 
QCassidy352 said:
I’m sure this will be an unpopular opinion here, but yes I would choose the surface pro IF I were looking for a single device solution. iPad is a better tablet by far, but even now, it’s a poor substitute for a computer with a desktop OS.
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I don't think it's unpopular at all. Very reasonable statement if you ask me. Apple's not interested in cannibalizing either of their markets with a crossover product, and quite frankly, I'm not looking for one. I carry my iPad Pro with me in my bag because of it's size and weight over other devices. It gives me a way to stay somewhat connected to my clients when I'm out of my office, and in a pinch, I can do a lot of support tasks from it. When I need heavier lifting, I'm not looking to do that sort of work on the go and need to get to a desk. Even a laptop is bigger than what I'm looking to carry around.
 
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I think, no matter how you slice it, a combo unit will never be as good as a separate actual computer and a high performance tablet. It will always be some form of compromise. If you really need a laptop for whatever you do, then you need a laptop.
 
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This ad will be short-lived, once Apple launches their new 2021 iPad Pro. I wish all of Apple’s competitors would scrap the comparison commercials and just speak to, or attempt to speak to, the benefits of their products. The problem is, so few people are even considering the Surface products, that they know they have to do something to stem the slide to further mediocrity. Or they could instead spend the money on developing better hardware and software - or give up on the hardware side and work more diligently on better software that integrates with MacOS and iPadOS and skip the fight entirely.
 
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MacRumors said:


Microsoft today shared an ad that pits the Surface Pro 7 against Apple's iPad Pro, in a continuation of a Surface Pro 7 vs. MacBook ad campaign that kicked off in January.


The ad highlights the Surface Pro 7's kickstand, pointing out that the iPad does not have a built-in kickstand option, and it calls the iPad Pro's keyboard "a lot heavier" than the Surface option.

Microsoft also goes for the dongle angle, pointing out that the iPad Pro only has a single USB-C port while the Surface Pro 7 has several available ports. "You wanna be this guy?" says the actor in the ad, while holding up an iPad with a dongle attached.

"iPad Pro's just a tablet," adds the actor. "Surface is a whole computer and a tablet." The ad ends by pointing out the price with the iPad Pro Smart Keyboard, which comes to $1,348 for the 12.9-inch model ($999 + $349 for the keyboard). Microsoft's Surface Pro 7 is priced starting at $750, and Microsoft says the version used in the ad is $880, which includes the cost of the keyboard.

Microsoft's previous Surface Pro 7 ad compared the tablet to the MacBook Pro, pointing out its touchscreen vs. the Touch Bar and calling the Surface Pro a "much better gaming device" than the MacBook Pro.

Microsoft often likes to position its Surface line as a tablet/computer experience that Apple is unable to compete with because it has no convertible devices. Intel too has been claiming that touchscreen-based convertible computers are better than Apple's M1 Macs in its ongoing anti-Mac ad campaign.

Apple executives have long said that they have no plans to combine the Mac and iPad lineups, and Apple engineering chief Craig Federighi said in November that Apple does not have plans for a touchscreen Mac.

Article Link: Microsoft Pits Surface Pro 7 Against iPad Pro, Says Surface is 'Still the Better Choice'
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Not for the people with limited fund
 
justperry said:
Got one a couple of months ago, work-related, *last week I gave up, what a trash product.


* I returned it.
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My previous employer's IT department also deployed these to those of us in the field. They were worthless. Brand new and would over head, keyboards would intermittently just not work, and Surface would randomly restart. Its embarrassing that they are still trying to sell these things.
 
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Everybody tries these ads with Apple....Microsoft, Samsung, now Intel....
This is how you know what a monster Apple really is
 
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It really depends. I much prefer using an iPad Pro for most things and then having a PC for the few tasks I do that aren't feasible or enjoyable on a mobile OS. But if I could only have one device to do everything on I'd probably go with the Surface, but luckily that's not the case :)
 
I'm brand agnostic. I don't hate on Windows for the sake of hating on Windows or Microsoft. I've used both the surface and have a 12.9 Pro. The iPad is a great tablet, and a mediocre laptop. The surface is a good laptop, and mediocre tablet. I did the whole iPad Pro/keyboard laptop replacement and I failed (thus why I got another MacBook), I was annoyed at the multitasking of iOS and the lack of efficiency. I am a whole lot more efficient on a Surface than I am the iPad for general productivity.

I try to use the best tool for the job. Sure I can use the iPad for a productivity, like I could use a handsaw to cut 2x4's all day, when I'd rather have a good circular saw and do more in fraction of the time. That's how I equate (for me) doing productivity related stuff on the iPad with a mobile OS and watered down apps. I love my iPad Pro for what is, and it isn't a productivity workhorse. At least yet, I keep hoping Apple will further branch PadOS and iOS away from each other.

Again, I like both MS and Apple, have since the 80s when I would rock my MSDOS/Win 3.1 for games while having my Mac LC next to it.
 
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Deliro said:
I'm brand agnostic. I don't hate on Windows for the sake of hating on Windows or Microsoft. I've used both the surface and have a 12.9 Pro. The iPad is a great tablet, and a mediocre laptop. The surface is a good laptop, and mediocre tablet. I did the whole iPad Pro/keyboard laptop replacement and I failed (thus why I got another MacBook), I was annoyed at the multitasking of iOS and the lack of efficiency. I am a whole lot more efficient on a Surface than I am the iPad for general productivity.

I try to use the best tool for the job. Sure I can use the iPad for a productivity, like I could use a handsaw to cut 2x4's all day, when I'd rather have a good circular saw and do more in fraction of the time. That's how I equate (for me) doing productivity related stuff on the iPad with a mobile OS and watered down apps. I love my iPad Pro for what is, and it isn't a productivity workhorse. At least yet, I keep hoping Apple will further branch PadOS and iOS away from each other.

Again, I like both MS and Apple, have since the 80s when I would rock my MSDOS/Win 3.1 for games while having my Mac LC next to it.
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Agree...but since the new M1...why you should go with a surface for a laptop purpose when you have a great, really great all around laptop like the M1 MBA or MBP !?
Lets remember now the price is even more competitive
So no...only if you are on specific Microsoft apps i would go with surface
 
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