Why I'm opting for the Surface Pro 4 over the iPad Pro

[Dammit Cubs]

Yeah I don't really get why reviewers keep using the "magnet attachment of the SP4" - its so easy to come off - i think its really misleading considering that you can easiy knock it off in your bag and do you honestly trust this magnet when walking around the office? Is it worth losing a $50 dollar replacement?

 

[biosci]

I like the idea of Urban Armor but... It just seems so bulky and not that 'sleek' looking.. Here's a link to see what you guys think of it.. But it does have the kickstand. http://urbanarmorgear.com/collections/ipad-pro-cases

 

[Dammit Cubs]

What is really comtemplating me was that my original purchase was suppose to be the Ipad Mini 4 to replace my iphone 6s as my Drone FPV screen. But since i bought the Ipad Pro, i cant find mounts big enough to hold the Ipad Pro yet. So I wonder if I still should buy the mini but i feel like that would be waste...

 

[whtrbt7]

While I agree that Microsoft right now has great bang for buck and the system is basically useful for a lot of things, I think the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and iPad Pro are in entirely different product categories. I think when people are thinking of the iPad pro being a laptop replacement, I think it is for basic usage cases and not advanced usage cases. The same can be said of Surface Pros and Surface Books replacing tablet usage. When you boil down the tasks, all three can do the basics such as web browsing, email, PIM, Word processing, some spreadsheets, some presentation work, and some other basics. The competing product running OSX on something like a Surface is basically the Modbook. Both can run an x86 OS, and both can run virtually the same applications with the same type of usage cases. The new iPad pro I think would only fit some workflows out there and when the apps do come to iOS, I think they will be more touch optimized. I know I can't pull off the same kind of work from a Surface compared to the iPad pro. There are some applications that run on x86 that I hope get ported over to ARM so that the iPad pro can be my main field processor that would allow for full photo editing.

 

[npmacuser5]

Yeah I don't really get why reviewers keep using the "magnet attachment of the SP4" - its so easy to come off - i think its really misleading considering that you can easiy knock it off in your bag and do you honestly trust this magnet when walking around the office? Is it worth losing a $50 dollar replacement?

I had the same worries. The magnet is very strong, so far mine is still attached as it should. I give this feature a thumbs up. The iPad ones were always lost.

 

[Jetfire]

I had the same worries. The magnet is very strong, so far mine is still attached as it should. I give this feature a thumbs up. The iPad ones were always lost.

I got scared the second day when my SP4 pen was missing. Luckily it was in the sleeve that I got bundled with the SP4. It would have been nice if you could attach it in different spots.

 

[whodatrr]

I never did get the pen thing, but my penmanship sucks and I'm no artist. Only time we ever use it is when my kids play with Fresh Paint.

 

[QquegChristian]

Yeah I don't really get why reviewers keep using the "magnet attachment of the SP4" - its so easy to come off - i think its really misleading considering that you can easiy knock it off in your bag and do you honestly trust this magnet when walking around the office? Is it worth losing a $50 dollar replacement?

Best way to store the pen is by clipping it to the type cover. The magnet makes a great docking place while working. When you go to put it in a bag, clip to the cover. It does not scratch the screen as there is a divot in the cover there and the clip is rubber coated.

 

[MH01]

Surely the iPad pro failed as a tablet as well? You have people on here already complaining it's too big, too heavy etc

As a laptop replacement it fails as well? Remember on here people complaining about the fact you canr place the surface on your lap as good as a normal laptop? Well guess what, the iPad pro doesn't even have a kick stand....

It depends what you want out of an ipad. For me, it's great to surf the we and look at media handheld, just typing on it is ackward, while I really enjoy it, I will grab the air if I am leaving home.

I am rethinking then LTE model I bought as this is a stay at home device for me. If I have to take it and the Smart Cover somewhere , might as well take my 15 rmbp or 12 rmp.

To be honest when I want to look something up, I grab the air also, it's faster for me to type on. I suspect I will adjust to it, if I keep it

 

[bnmcj1]

While Microsoft is 3-5 years ahead of Apple with the Surface Pro 4, consider the battery life on the surface pro. Reviews say 5-6 hours, which is less than half of a MacBook Air and an iPad. Add to this that dedicated MacBook and tablet is 12 + 10 hours of total battery life. But still, I find it logical to only buy one device today, when surface pro is that good.

Brilliant marketing from Apple to let people think iPad pro is pro and do not need a mouse input. Just brilliant. It is no more than a toy with toy apps. Especially the creative apps like those from Adobe can't be compared to a real work machine. And the workflow is so slow on an iPad even with keyboard. Just to scroll a page without a trackpad when doing real work. Omg.

That said, I totally agree that many, many people do not need more than an iPad pro. But I just think surface pro is superior. And I own MacBook Air 2015 and iPad Air 2.

 

[thedon1]

It's good that Microsoft has an option for you in this category. Competition leads to greater products for us.

There have been soon many posts and threads talking about the iPad Pro and what it lacks, how much it costs etc. Microsoft has a viable alternative that gives people what they might want.

 

[Faelan]

I've been seriously considering both devices and ended up spending all that money and then some on a new gaming PC instead. Don't get me wrong. They're both great devices. The hardware is superb. Especially the performance of the iPP is downright scary. Makes me wonder if ARM has a future in the laptop/desktop space. But, put in a simple way, they both suffer from the same problem. Lack of software. The Windows 10 app store is... well... it might as well just not be there. It's that bad. End result is that while the SP is an OK laptop, it's a poor tablet because there's almost nothing worth running in tablet mode. The iPP on the other hand is hamstrung by iOS limitations and the fact that it's going to take a while for developers to update their apps with the latest iOS capabilities and iPP optimizations. I got the Mini 4 when it was released and I'm still waiting for quite a few apps that I would love to use in split view mode to be updated with this feature. Hardware is moving faster than software it seems. I took a good long look at the devices I use and my old I5-2500K Sandy Bridge w/GTX 670 needed the upgrade the most. I'll give it another year and then see where it all stands. Until then, my 13" rMBP hooked up to an Intuos4, when needed, will serve me just fine.

 

[RickTaylor]

I originally opted for a surface pro over an iPad pro, then I was going to opt for a surface book book over a surface pro, and finally I opted for a Lenovo yoga think pad 14 with active pen over a surface book. I decided I didn't really want a laptop with a detachable keyboard; I wanted a laptop where the keyboard could be folded back to allow for drawing with a pen, and the model I got allows that.

 

[mrklaw]

When Tim Cook talks about it replacing the laptop for many people, he doesn't mean it can do all the things a laptop can do. He means it will be able to perform the tasks that many people *use* their laptops for. Many people only use their full OS laptop/desktop for email, web, office apps and maybe a specialised app or two.

 

[bowlman2345]

When Tim Cook talks about it replacing the laptop for many people, he doesn't mean it can do all the things a laptop can do. He will be able to perform the tasks that many people *use* their laptops for. Many people only use their full OS laptop/desktop for email, web, office apps and maybe a specialised app or two.

This.

 

[mi7chy]

Looked at the iPad Prosumer then went and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Things SP4 is better than iPP:

- Base storage is 128GB instead of 32GB

- Better value at $899 for 4GB/128GB model with pen vs $1048 for equivalent iPP 4GB/128GB plus pencil

- Pen is included, metal instead of plastic, battery lasts up to a year vs ~4 days, has eraser end, functonal button, useful top button shortcuts with single-click to go direct to OneNote, double-click for screen shot and click-hold for Cortana

- Much better and more versatile Type Cover keyboard with touchpad and fingerprint reader, you can flip it around with keys facing the back when used as tablet

- Kickstand is very useful for when don't want to hold it for extended movie watching, presentation, etc., doesn't kill your neck vs only laying flat on a surface, more stable and thus safer than propping up against something

- Run professional software instead of blown up limited phone apps

- Full foreground and background multitasking vs very limited on iPP with two apps plus maybe PiP, background multitasking on iPP for apps like SSH/telnet, RDP, VNC, etc. is limited to 3 minutes

- Full desktop Chrome browser with Flash support and add-ons like uBlock Origin is superior to any mobile browser including Chrome mobile, you can render all sites with one universal browser vs wasting storage requiring an app per site

- Play immersive Steam games instead of shallow phone games that pretty much all make you grind for upgrades or milk you for IAP

- Mini-display port to output to external large screen

- Micro SD card slot to expand storage with 200+GB card

- USB 3.0 port

- 5MP vs 1.2MP front facing camera

- Sufficiently sized charger that charges while using unlike iPP


Things iPP is better than SP4:

- Tilt pencil shading makes up for the crappy keyboard

- Connected standby time for ARM

 

[npmacuser5]

Looked at the iPad Prosumer then went and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Things SP4 is better than iPP:

- Base storage is 128GB instead of 32GB

- Better value with at $899 for 4GB/128GB model with pen vs $1048 for equivalent iPP 4GB/128GB plus pencil

- Pen is included, metal instead of plastic, battery lasts up to a year vs ~4 days, has eraser end, functonal button,

- Much better and more versatile Type Cover keyboard with touchpad and fingerprint reader, you can flip it around with keys facing the back when used as tablet

- Kickstand is very useful for when don't want to hold it for extended movie watching, presentation, etc., doesn't kill your neck vs only laying flat on a surface, more stable and thus safer than propping against something,

- Run professional software instead of blown up limited phone apps

- Full foreground and background multitasking vs very limited on iPP with two apps plus maybe PiP and background multitasking of apps like SSH/telnet, RDp, VNC, etc. is limited to 3 minutes

- Full desktop Chrome browser with Flash support and add-ons like uBlock Origin is superior to any mobile browser including Chrome mobile, you can render all sites with one universal browser vs wasting storage requiring an app per site

- Play immersive Steam games instead of shallow phone games that pretty much all make you grind for upgrades or milk you for IAP

- Mini-display port to output to external large screen

- Micro SD card slot to expand storage with 200+GB card

- USB 3.0 port

- 5MP vs 1.2MP front facing camera

- Sufficiently sized charger that charges while using unlike iPP


Things iPP is better than SP4:

- Tilt pencil shading makes up for the crappy keyboard

- Connected standby time for ARM

 

[ZBoater]

I'm not sure why we continue to compare an iPad to a Surface Pro. They are not the same thing.

 

[Marshall73]

After having a Surface Pro 3 for 6 weeks and updating to to Windows 10 i would not buy a Surface Pro anything. I don't hate windows as such but as good as the hardware is I can't live with Windows on a daily basis. So I will be living with my MacBook Pro an iPad pro as my mobile devices and my iMac as my desktop.

 

[bnmcj1]

I'm not sure why we continue to compare an iPad to a Surface Pro. They are not the same thing.

Because on this price level one should not accept less than what a Surface 3 non pro can handle. I am not even talking about OS X on it. I am talking about producitivity. Either apps with full and not toy functionality. Also a trackpad so scrolling is user friendly.

 

[ZombiePete]

Looked at the iPad Prosumer then went and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Neat.

 

[ZombiePete]

Because on this price level one should not accept less than what a Surface 3 non pro can handle. I am not even talking about OS X on it. I am talking about producitivity. Either apps with full and not toy functionality. Also a trackpad so scrolling is user friendly.

If you need a trackpad for user-friendly scrolling, maybe there's something wrong with your touchscreen. Having used a Surface 3, comparing the performance to the iPP is kind of a joke.

 

[ZBoater]

Because on this price level one should not accept less than what a Surface 3 non pro Can handle. I am not even talking about OS X on it. I am talking about producitivity. Either apps with full and not toy functionality. Also a trackpad so scrolling is user friendly.

Not sure what "this" price level means. It's an iPad. Everyone knew it was an iPad. It didn't suddenly grow a USB port. Or iOS didn't suddenly gain file access. It's a tablet. A big and nice tablet. And yes, it's $1000. So?

I accept it. I bought one. But I still have a real computer. Not sure what all this fuss is about. Tablet. Laptop. Apples. Oranges.

 

[AdonisSMU]

No... it won't. Developers for IOS only care about one thing and that is reaching the most devices possible. That is why even when the latest iPad Air comes out, games are still not as graphically intensive as they could be so that people with older IOS devices can still play the latest and greatest games.

Why would a developer spend their money and resources to cater to an audience that is a small small fraction of the total IOS community?

Apps will continue to be designed with the regular iPad, mini and iPhone in mind. If you don't believe me read some reviews of new games that have come out and then been updated with decreased graphics to reach a larger audience.

Yeay but theyll get eaten by those who provide dedicated experiences. Sorry, there is no getting around that for games. The iOS isnt the web only doing limited things. You arent going to be gaming on the web like you do natively. The iPad is what made me a fan of Apple. Responsive games are bad for performance reasons. You have some people getting dumbed down experiences or bloat because of the one size fits all mantra the web tries to force on everything. One size doesnt fit all for everything.

 

[tottenj]

Looked at the iPad Prosumer then went and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Things SP4 is better than iPP:

i went with the iPad Pro because I can't trust Microsoft and their talentless shills with their astroturfing campaigns. My wife likes my iPad Pro so much that she's actually going to buy one and NOT give $1200 something to Microsoft!