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iPad iPad Pro to Surface Pro
- Thread starter BigDO
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Did you work for my office? We ditched the Surfaces as well for....iPads. The employees seem to prefer it as well. They still have Mac minis at the desk however. The surface was tried, but it didn't blend well in our Mac environment. Each employee is issued an iPhone 8, and an iPad now. (Except a few like myself, I activated the dual SIM in my iPhone 11 Pro instead, and that way only have to carry one phone)
Well, I had one of the first surfaces and it was a giant piece of crap. I've read good reviews about the latest ones however. But it still comes down to what you need it for. Surfaces can run full windows programs and the iPad is still mostly a media consumption device although it's getting closer to being a laptop/tablet hybrid.
If productivity is your main goal, the surface is probably the better bet.
If productivity is your main goal, the surface is probably the better bet.
I have a surface pro 3 at home (old I know) and it's been a pain in the ass.
The screen broke with VERY little impact. It overheats (when I had the screen off to repair it, I found the fan full of fluff), and the whole experience has been very buggy. And god help you if you ever need to do a complete reinstall from a USB stick - getting that to work is an absolute pain.
The only windows tablet I've ever loved is my little HP Stream 7 - I love that thing and it's still going strong after all these years!
They're very different devices though.
The screen broke with VERY little impact. It overheats (when I had the screen off to repair it, I found the fan full of fluff), and the whole experience has been very buggy. And god help you if you ever need to do a complete reinstall from a USB stick - getting that to work is an absolute pain.
The only windows tablet I've ever loved is my little HP Stream 7 - I love that thing and it's still going strong after all these years!
They're very different devices though.
I switched as soon as the Surface Pro 4 came out and will never touch a mobile OS tablet again
IPads and Android tablets just coffee table coasters and the new Ipad KB is a joke at $350
IPads and Android tablets just coffee table coasters and the new Ipad KB is a joke at $350
I tried a Surface Pro 6, however I couldn’t get along with Windows. i loved the kickstand And the keyboard was nice (it did feel a bit flimsy at first tho). i eventually sold the device when I couldn’t get along with Windows. I do regret selling it and not sticking it out longer.
I wouldn’t say the iPad Pro is junk, my father and mother both have iPads and havent touched a laptop for a few years. The price of the iPad Pro’s along with the Apple pencil and the new Magic keyboard is entering into laptop territory, even Surface Pro/Book territory.
I wouldn’t say the iPad Pro is junk, my father and mother both have iPads and havent touched a laptop for a few years. The price of the iPad Pro’s along with the Apple pencil and the new Magic keyboard is entering into laptop territory, even Surface Pro/Book territory.
What do you mean entering laptop territory
The Pro models are already there on it's own
The Smart KB + pencil is probably the budget price for many low end laptops add them all together and your in serious laptop territory
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What do you mean entering laptop territory
The Pro models are already there on it's own
The Smart KB + pencil is probably the budget price for many low end laptops add them all together and your in serious laptop territory
Point taken, I do agree that the price of the Magic Keyboard is high. I think a lot people stay on iPad because of the OS.
My situation as well. The Surface hardware is very well built but Windows was ultimately the deciding factor. It's certainly improved quite a bit from when I last used it regularly over 10 years ago but I still enjoy MacOS far more and TBH, can do most of my day-to-day stuff on my iPad Pro. If I needed a good Windows option, I'd forgo the Surface tablets and look at a traditional laptop. I never felt any inclination to use the Surface as a tablet--Windows is just not a great tablet interface so I'd rather have a better keyboard/trackpad option than the Typepad cover of the Surface Pro.
Exactly my thinking, i liked the hardware of the Surface (the kickstand is great) but Windows was very daunting and not as polished as MacOS and iPadOS. That being said I do think more can be done on the Surface, for example the Surface Book can have the screen detached and work as a tablet.
I understand but this is just the trap of familiarity
For windows users they do not have these issues and so can easily choose between having 2 devices or one
Apple users are lacking this choice by not having a full OS 2 in 1 format
Most 2 in 1 devices can easily get by as a tablet and even run the majority of mobile apps (Android) , the reverse is not so easy
I'll be interested how this plays out as I will probably upgrade my iPad in the next year either to the newer iPad pro or to a surface device.
I understand but this is just the trap of familiarity
For windows users they do not have these issues and so can easily choose between having 2 devices or one
Apple users are lacking this choice by not having a full OS 2 in 1 format
Most 2 in 1 devices can easily get by as a tablet and even run the majority of mobile apps (Android) , the reverse is not so easy
The problem is that people who come from iPad's or Mac's, have the issue of being overwhelmed. For example when i tried the Surface Pro 6, Windows seemed really daunting, for example how to get apps/programme to run on it, do you need Virus protection, do you still need to use a registry cleaner like the old style Windows.
As i've mentioned in previous messages on other threads, i do regret selling my Surface Pro 6, i'm currently using the same iPad i did before (the replacement 2017 Pro Apple sent me when the original broke). My current issue is that the price of the 2020 iPad Pro with Apple Pencil and the Magic Keyboard, is around there same price as a decent configuration of the Surface Pro X or Surface Pro 7. With the current sale here in the U.K it even matches some configurations of the 13.5" Surface Book 2.
I'm very intrigued by the Surface Book, for example can i use it on my desk alongside my current old 2012 iMac, then take the screen off when i want a tablet and walk around the house with it watching Netflix/my iTunes library. Even reattach the screen the other way and draw/create, pr play games like the Sims 4 and so on.
There is a lot to think about, sometimes going back and forth deciding which one can be so mind boggling.
I understand but this is just the trap of familiarity
For windows users they do not have these issues and so can easily choose between having 2 devices or one
Apple users are lacking this choice by not having a full OS 2 in 1 format
Most 2 in 1 devices can easily get by as a tablet and even run the majority of mobile apps (Android) , the reverse is not so easy
Are you saying that Windows can do both as a 2 in 1 but iPad doesnt?
I dont see it that way. I've owned Surface Pros (thought not since the 3) and the Surface worked great as a mobile laptop but really really poorly as a tablet. Windows app library is appalling in both quality and quantity of good apps.
The way I see it, iPad is the best media consumption device that works as a very limited, basic laptop. The Surface pro is a very good (maybe the best) mobile laptop but has a very low quality tablet experience.
So it all depends on your primary need.
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I've never understood the Surface Book and its spot in the market/Microsoft lineup. They already have a entry 2-1 device in the Surface Pro. They have a higher level 2-1 device in the Surface Pro X. They have the Surface Laptop which is exactly that, a laptop. Then they have the Surface Book which is a big 2-1 which a detachable hard keyboard....why?
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The Surface Book is a device aimed at those that need to do more, it’s more powerful than a Surface Pro with a bigger screen (15” option was added with Book 2). It was created to be a laptop that you can remove the screen from and use as a tablet, pass to someone in a meeting and so on.
The iPad Pro is the best tablet out there, but Apple seem to be trying to turn it into a 2in1 therefore proving that Microsoft right all along.
Ok, then what is the purpose of the Surface Pro X?
I get what the Surface Book is supposed to be for, but for me it doesnt differentiate itself enough from the Pro X or Surface Laptop to justify its existence.
The Surface Pro X is an Arm based 2in1, some people need more power than that. Also the Surface Pro X is just a more premium version of the Surface Pro. The Surface Book is a whole different machine.
I get it. My point is that in general Microsoft need to simplify their lineup. There's too much overlap. It seems like it would make more sense to just have the Surface Pro line and the Surface Laptop line and ditch the Pro X and Surface Book. If users want more power, just add a few more configuration options to make that available.
I get what you are saying, I think Microsoft will ditch the Surface Pro when the Pro X becomes more powerful. The Pro X is more of a modern version of the Surface Pro, (thinner bezels, new Surface Pen, longer battery life and so on).
I don’t see them removing the Surface Book, it seems to be a very popular Surface, also it’s rumoured to be updated soon with the Surface Book 3 (there are a few leaks, the latest being pricing and specs). Surface Go is also rumoured to be getting updated (Surface Go 2).
No I am saying that
Apple do not give you the option of a full OS in a tablet format where in the Windows world there is
So depending on the individual they can choose a 2 in 1 or opt for any 2 devices
Its relatively easy for a full OS to mimic a tablet environment especially for just media consumption and for many the shortfalls of win10 tablet format over a dedicated mobile OS tablet does not justify buying two devices
You almost sound like @Dave245 who misunderstood the flexibility and the extent of the largest selection of software available and thought everything was in the little MS apps store LOL
Additionally most W10 laptops can easily run almost all android apps in an emulator, so choice is simply enormous both for full programs outside the app store, plus the app store and even mobile apps
Surface Go - Compact Windows Tablet (x86) with mini-laptop functionality
Surface Pro - Windows Tablet (x86) with laptop functionality (last regular Pro version?)
Surface Pro X - Windows Tablet (ARM) with laptop functionality (will eventually replace the regular Pro)
Surface Laptop - Ultrabook with integrated graphics
Surface Book - Ultimate 2-in-1 with removable/reversible screen and greater power incl. discrete NVidia graphics
Surface Studio - Desktop AIO with tilting pen/touch-enabled screen
Compared to the Apple lineup, think of it as:
Go = iPad/iPad Air
Pro/Pro X = iPad Pro
Laptop = MacBook Air
Book = MacBook Pro
Studio - iMac
No I am saying that
Apple do not give you the option of a full OS in a tablet format where in the Windows world there is
So depending on the individual they can choose a 2 in 1 or opt for any 2 devices
Its relatively easy for a full OS to mimic a tablet environment especially for just media consumption and for many the shortfalls of win10 tablet format over a dedicated mobile OS tablet does not justify buying two devices
You almost sound like @Dave245 who misunderstood the flexibility and the extent of the largest selection of software available and thought everything was in the little MS apps store LOL
Additionally most W10 laptops can easily run almost all android apps in an emulator, so choice is simply enormous both for full programs outside the app store, plus the app store and even mobile apps
I'm not misunderstanding anything. I'm saying one device is a laptop that struggles as a tablet or media consumption device (but can do it). The other is the best media consumption device and can operate as a pseudo-laptop similar to a chromebook.
You talking up Windows software selection isnt relevant. That software usually isnt optimized for touch screen devices without a mouse/keyboard input which is what the tablet mode would consist of. If you think you can use Windows apps and Android emulators (lol) and compete with the iPad as a media consumption device, you are wrong. Will it work? Sure, but it'll be worse. And saying there are workaround like using an android emulator is just getting way away from the point. Thats like saying you could use an iPad to mimic a PC by remote connecting into one. Its reaching just to make a point.
I'm not defending one side or the other here. But one device is clearly made to be a 2-in-1 while the other is made to be a media consumption device. They struggle and excel in different areas.
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I understand the differences in the lineups. My question was more sarcastic/rhetorical in that I think the Surface lineup has too much overlap. Apple has slightly the same issue but I think they define their niches for each device better.