The other day i saw in a friends home the MS Surface Pro and i must say that it looked pretty interesting despite the fact that in the beginning the styling looked as if it was a mac! The detachable screen seemed very interesting too and i gotta say that it put me into thoughts... why would a new user (not acquainted with macs) wanna get a mac when he can get the SurfacePro? I wouldn't cause im a mac fan, but a new byer... why would he?
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a MacBookPro or the MS Surface Pro?
- Thread starter zoran
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I think a lot of it comes down to the Apple ecosystem and why the new user is looking at a Mac vs a PC to begin with. I think a lot of times a new user looking at a Mac got there because friends or family have them or they already have a lot of Apple devices such as iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, etc. If that is the case it is a natural progression to gravitate toward a Mac and the Apple eco.
For someone who has been an Android phone user, used to Windows 10, maybe even prefers it, then maybe the Surface Pro is the more attractive option.
If you're not invested in the apple ecosystem, then the Mac would have to have something that is absent in a windows machines. In the past that would be a great design, high quality, better components. Today the competition has largely caught up and for the platform agnostics, they have full freedom in choosing something that best fits their needs and budgets.
I think some (many?) people who are invested in the apple ecosystem are rethinking their brand loyalty. With apple ever increasing the prices, and the issues with the T2, the keyboard, the speaker crackle, the coil whine. it makes sense that some are reevaluating whether a nearly 3,000 dollar laptop is a good value for the price. I am happy with my laptop, and its been solid, no coil whine or T2 issues, but I'm right on the fence for any future purchases. Hopefully I'm years away from making that decision but I nearly went over to the dark side in 2018 (windows machine) before buying the 2018 MBP.
As for the Surface Pro, its not really a competitor of the macbook pro. This is coming from an old SP owner. I did get one to replace a MBP, and found it limiting at times. The MBP offers more power and better usability as a laptop. The surface pro is a nice machine, but it does have drawbacks, for instance. center of gravity is different then a laptop. Its more wobbly on your lap when typing because the keyboard is so light and all of the weight is in the display. I now view the SP as a iPad or a Macbook competitor. Something small light for nothing too intense. Just my two cents.
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I totally agree with your post. Furthermore the battery of the detaching tablet is pretty bad, a friend that after 90mins its over. Also the detaching mechanism doesn't work properly and there are often connection problems.
So, no thank you. By the way I have a MBP 2018 15" since...November or end of October and had no problems at all. No crackling, No keyboard issues, no coil whine or what so ever.
One has to really sit back and think through your real personal usage to see if a SB is a better fit
As others have already noted despite the Apple ECO advantages on MBP being almost trivial these days there remains a strong pull and of course on paper the number crunching capabilities
SB is not a competitor to the MBP simply as 2 in 1 although displaying many similarities to a conventional clamshell like the MBP they have far more to offer, if it suits your usage.
Whilst the MBP displays some pro's in the professional sustainability for continuous high load which is only exploited by a few software programs. Even Apples own metrics shows that it is generally mostly amateurs that use them and small % of professions.
Given that the few power users are likely to be plugged in the mains in running high load/intensive apps the casual lap use of the MBP being marginally better pales in to insignificance if you find use for all the other permutations open on products like the SB
As most amateurs are dabbling in many aspects and broad spectrum of hobbies and other forms of entertainment or research the SB is more likely to fill all or most of these potentials than any MBP or conventional laptop is ever likely to do without resorting to further addon purchases or devices
In truth most people over spec and devices like the MBP and even the SB they are more about the pleasure of ownership and potential than real needs as most tasks and dailies can be completed on much lower spec, all be ae it a few seconds or mins slower
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For me it comes down to MacOS and Windows. I have to use Windows for work, thank god I can choose MacOS for my personal use.
Maybe also the trackpad. I haven't tried any recent Windows trackpads but when I last did they were horrible compared to Apples'.
One thing that has almost swayed me though is that I'd really like a 17" laptop. Every year I hope Apple re-release a 17" version.
Maybe also the trackpad. I haven't tried any recent Windows trackpads but when I last did they were horrible compared to Apples'.
One thing that has almost swayed me though is that I'd really like a 17" laptop. Every year I hope Apple re-release a 17" version.
I think there is a mix up here in the description of the Surface Book 2 and Surface Pro.
As Maflynn suggests the Surface Pro is a suitable comparison to the iPad / MacBook where as the surface book 2 is a suitable comparison to the MacBook Pro.
Suffice to say I would still buy a MBP to run windows over a SB2 simply due to to TB3 and egpu possibilities. However I do think out of all the PC laptops out there the SB2 is probably the best competitor to the the MBP in terms of aesthetic, quality build, speed etc [although the CPU are a lower wattage and last gen now].
Now if MS decides to launch a Surface Book 3 with an Nvidia RTX GPU and and TB3 port I will be very tempted indeed to jump ship for that as it will tick all my boxes. I think it will be highly likely this will happen too.
But in choosing laptops we all have different priorities - cost, portability, speed, aesthetic, egpu etc. that not one is perfect for all, and it does take a bit of research. Even though I am embedded in the Mac ecosystem in the end of the day my core apps are system agnostic with several benefits on the PC side.......
As Maflynn suggests the Surface Pro is a suitable comparison to the iPad / MacBook where as the surface book 2 is a suitable comparison to the MacBook Pro.
Suffice to say I would still buy a MBP to run windows over a SB2 simply due to to TB3 and egpu possibilities. However I do think out of all the PC laptops out there the SB2 is probably the best competitor to the the MBP in terms of aesthetic, quality build, speed etc [although the CPU are a lower wattage and last gen now].
Now if MS decides to launch a Surface Book 3 with an Nvidia RTX GPU and and TB3 port I will be very tempted indeed to jump ship for that as it will tick all my boxes. I think it will be highly likely this will happen too.
But in choosing laptops we all have different priorities - cost, portability, speed, aesthetic, egpu etc. that not one is perfect for all, and it does take a bit of research. Even though I am embedded in the Mac ecosystem in the end of the day my core apps are system agnostic with several benefits on the PC side.......
Who is this question for exactly? If me I use it at least 50% of my time and quite enjoy using it, and in a lot of ways prefer the desktop these days.
It is not a matter of Mac vs windows, but what tool works best for your productivity. Windows is without a shadow of a doubt more 'productive' for me [due to apps], but I still prefer working on a Mac.
And yes, I have been using MS products since DOS.
The way you are talking about the detaching tablet is about the Surface Book, not the Surface Pro. I think you are confusing Surface devices.
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I did not read one post properly. I see this is already addressed.
I disagree slightly
The SP is a suitable comparison with the rMB, MBA and lower tier MBP when combined with an IPP +$1000
The SB2 is a suitable comparison with a higher tier MBP+ eGPU+ IPP, although you would added over $1600 just to out spec the SB2
a new SB3 may well be performance wise mush closer or possibly better and cost considerably less overallOf course the essential requirements for the addons to your Apple core device will depend on your usage, but they are simply bundled already with your Surface device which is why like for like is not straight forward
I mostly agree.
The Surface Pro is not a real competitor to the MacBook Pro, to the MacBook, or to the iPad. It has its own unique features. It is a tablet, with a pen, that runs a desktop operating system, and has all the features it can offer, including a pointing device, and has all Windows software available for it. None of Apple's offerings combine these features in a single product. At the same time, the Surface Pro, as you mentioned, is somewhat awkward to be used as a laptop, as it is not a clamshell.
So, I would say the Surface Pro is a different concept entirely, and one that Apple refused to adopt since day one. The Surface Pro evolved to become an interesting device. But there are certainly other real competitors to the MacBook Pro in the Windows world, which are also well-built machines. I would say that someone thinking of an alternative to the MacBook Pro would have somewhere else to look at before choosing a Surface Pro.
There are lots of reasons to choose a MacBook Pro over a Surface Pro. The MacBook Pro runs macOS and Surface Pro runs Windows: they are two different operating systems and you can only replace one for the other if you do not really care in using a specific one of these. Plus, the MacBook Pro is a real laptop which can be better used as a laptop than a Surface Pro. And finally, a MacBook Pro is (most of the times) a more powerful machine than a Surface Pro.
Surface Laptop 2. Unless you want 12.5" SP. The touch aspect is lacking in implementation.
The Go seemed ideal but then 4/64 doesn't cut it and I find the cpu to be wanting. With 8/128 it's better but now $999 and same price as IPP 11" it SL2.
SB2 is a year old, the 3 would be interesting ... end of the year/fall? And heavy.
I still use 2015 MacBook 8/256 and 2017 IPP 10.5 along with Note 9 and Samsung Tab S3 (which is light and decent tablet), the S4 could be a choice.
I had hoped for Surface Go with Snapdragon 850, Windows on ARM, until the SD1000 comes out. The Pentium cpu is under-whelming. Yes cooler and better battery hours.
I prefer Note 9 with SL2 as best pair.
The Go seemed ideal but then 4/64 doesn't cut it and I find the cpu to be wanting. With 8/128 it's better but now $999 and same price as IPP 11" it SL2.
SB2 is a year old, the 3 would be interesting ... end of the year/fall? And heavy.
I still use 2015 MacBook 8/256 and 2017 IPP 10.5 along with Note 9 and Samsung Tab S3 (which is light and decent tablet), the S4 could be a choice.
I had hoped for Surface Go with Snapdragon 850, Windows on ARM, until the SD1000 comes out. The Pentium cpu is under-whelming. Yes cooler and better battery hours.
I prefer Note 9 with SL2 as best pair.