I get about 7 hours on my Surface Go using it for web browsing, a bit of video, and some remote SSH work (coding on a dev machine with vim). The brightness is about 50%-60%, keyboard back light off. Windows power management set to "Better Battery" (2 out of 4).
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iPad Pro iPad vs other tablets - Does iPadOS tip the balance?
- Thread starter maflynn
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I get about 7 hours on my Surface Go using it for web browsing, a bit of video, and some remote SSH work (coding on a dev machine with vim). The brightness is about 50%-60%, keyboard back light off. Windows power management set to "Better Battery" (2 out of 4).
That's where I'm at as well. As I've been using my iPad more and more for the tasks I'm getting more comfortable.
I'll be checking out the surface go later today and see how i feel about it.
Well, I checked out the Surface Go and I'm very impressed. I guess I was kind of hoping (at least subconsciously) that I would hate it as that would help with the decision process 
The screen was fine, performance was fine, size and weight. All good.
So now it boils down to iOS apps and usage vs. desktop apps and usage. I'm looking at around a 750 - $800 price tag depending on the options and peripherals. To that end, I'll probably hold off on making any large expenditures right now. If the iPad continues to function as it does, I'll be saving $$ since I won't have drop a big hunk of money
The screen was fine, performance was fine, size and weight. All good.
So now it boils down to iOS apps and usage vs. desktop apps and usage. I'm looking at around a 750 - $800 price tag depending on the options and peripherals. To that end, I'll probably hold off on making any large expenditures right now. If the iPad continues to function as it does, I'll be saving $$ since I won't have drop a big hunk of money
Yeps. Reached the same conclusion. Except for me it’s the iPad (10.5 Pro) and the Thinkpad X1C6. Plus, my phone of course (1+6t). Probably the best combo I have had in a long while!
I thought I'd revisit this topic,
Below is an interesting video by Brad Sams who gives a 1 year later insight on using the Go.
Now he seems to really like the Go, and promotes it [for a certain segment of users] He does mentions a couple of bugs in the beginning of the video but what caught my attention was his comments about using it a single app at a time, or as he pouts it "low level, low productivity work" I'm paying in the neighborhood of 750 dollars for a fully fitted Go (tablet+keyboard+stylus) and to say that its really best running a single program that is low level/low productivity - that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. He also mentions how windows 10 seems to be less of a touch first type OS and so the tablet only experience is not the best.
This flies in the face where the iPad is headed and how Apple is improving the experience and enhancing the multitasking. I was chatting with the wife about a new tablet and I was going over the positives of the Go and iPad and for my needs/usages the iPad is winning out. I'm still thinking I'll wait until the fall to see what Apple does but over all I'm ready for a new iPad Pro.
Below is an interesting video by Brad Sams who gives a 1 year later insight on using the Go.
Now he seems to really like the Go, and promotes it [for a certain segment of users] He does mentions a couple of bugs in the beginning of the video but what caught my attention was his comments about using it a single app at a time, or as he pouts it "low level, low productivity work" I'm paying in the neighborhood of 750 dollars for a fully fitted Go (tablet+keyboard+stylus) and to say that its really best running a single program that is low level/low productivity - that kind of rubbed me the wrong way. He also mentions how windows 10 seems to be less of a touch first type OS and so the tablet only experience is not the best.
This flies in the face where the iPad is headed and how Apple is improving the experience and enhancing the multitasking. I was chatting with the wife about a new tablet and I was going over the positives of the Go and iPad and for my needs/usages the iPad is winning out. I'm still thinking I'll wait until the fall to see what Apple does but over all I'm ready for a new iPad Pro.
Personally, I think this is more due to the relative screen size than anything else. Performance doesn't suffer on the Go (for me) with multiple apps, but the screen does feel tight when trying to fit two Windows applications side-by-side. This is another advantage of having applications that are specifically designed for touch / tablet vs. "full desktop" applications.
I think Microsoft missed the boat on making the Go a 4:3 ratio instead of a smaller widescreen like the larger Surface Pros. If they would have given it a smaller widescreen, MUCH smaller bezels, they could still fit a very portable machine into a smaller footprint.
This is absolutely true. Windows 10 is absolutely a "mouse first" operating system with touch being an afterthought. This has bugged me with Windows 10 because (I felt) Windows 8 was MUCH more touch friendly. The thing is, Microsoft knew this and promised Windows 10 would become more touch friendly over time and that they would put more work into "Tablet Mode", but instead I think they have actually regressed. "Tablet Mode" has always been a joke.
Having said that, Windows 10 is MUCH more touch friendly than Windows 7 or XP, but that's not saying much on a device that's meant to be touch friendly. I keep wondering what Microsoft is up to on this front, but honestly it feels like they've given up on Touch and settled for being a mouse-driven system.
ipadOs is a joke--even if it is a step in the right direction--its still a mile away from real productivity.
Perhaps it reflects Apple's ambivalence about making the ipad a productive hybrid. Wake me up when
there a usable cut and paste functionality.
Perhaps it reflects Apple's ambivalence about making the ipad a productive hybrid. Wake me up when
there a usable cut and paste functionality.
I find touch in default mode is fine for me. Aside from some settings--which i seldom addresss. Windows is very touch friendly in 'desktop' mode--browsing is very good and itunes on windows with touch is an adequate media option.
I use and ipad for art and design--otherwise--it does not seem very useful to me.
Same. For me, it's a 2018 12.9 Pro, Dell XPS13 with QHD display, and an XS Max.
For me, the best tablet to have is a Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e. Is iOS better than Android for tablets… most definitely yes. The thing is, no matter what Apple does with iOS, or really iPadOS, it doesn't change the fact that for 400€ I get a significantly larger and better display (being 10.5" OLED 16:10 vs 9.7" IPS 4:3) with significantly better stereo sound with the S5e against the iPad. 16:10 is way better than 4:3 when watching Netflix, Amazon Prime, Crunchyroll… or whatever. Its smaller, lighter with a bigger and better display.
Yes, I can get an iPad Pro that is a much better tablet but its still IPS vs OLED… and an iPP is significantly more expensive. The iPP also doesn't fit into my everyday bag (ONA Bowery) and I'm hardly going to replace a 330€ leather bag so accommodate an iPP.
As you can probably guess I use my tablet for 90% media consumption, 9% gaming and well, 1% work. The display matters mutely in my case and Apple's not offering me the best out there for my need nor my budget.
Yes, I can get an iPad Pro that is a much better tablet but its still IPS vs OLED… and an iPP is significantly more expensive. The iPP also doesn't fit into my everyday bag (ONA Bowery) and I'm hardly going to replace a 330€ leather bag so accommodate an iPP.
As you can probably guess I use my tablet for 90% media consumption, 9% gaming and well, 1% work. The display matters mutely in my case and Apple's not offering me the best out there for my need nor my budget.
It's a matter of perspective. When running small, light apps (read: apps in the class of what is available on iOS), the Go will run multiple apps very well. What Brad is referring to are big power hungry "desktop class" apps where the Go's limited processor will be stressed and performance will suffer. These are apps with capabilities beyond what is available on iOS. The Go (at least the 8Gb/128 model) can easily handle apps Ps/CS4, LibreOffice, and Firefox simultaneously while also supporting a second HD display in extended mode without serious performance issues (provided you don't go crazy with massive files in Ps).
I regularly use my Go this way when massaging ebooks and creating new covers for them. I'll have Ps/CS4, Firefox, calibre (and ebook management & editing suite) running at the same time. I often add LibreOffice and Edge into the mix. I'll have an ebook open in calibre's editor, another in its reader (both separate apps), several tabs in Firefox and/or Edge, a document in LibreOffice Writer and possibly a spreadsheet in Calc. The Go handles the well though perhaps not as fast as my i7 based dell desktop. When doing this, I'm not using files that are all that massive. Ebooks are generally rather modest in size and the cover images are no larger than normal screen sizes and not the 48x72" 300ppi 16bpp multilayer 2-6Gb Ps files that I work on regularly in my day job (yes, I work on files larger than the PSD format can handle and do so several times a day). I would think of pressing my Go into service working on files that large, though I have used it to remote in to my office workstation (dual monitor iMac) via Teamviewer to access such files quite successfully.
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While MS could improve the OS's tablet handling in many ways, no one should every expect the OS to automagically change the way applications work. Apps for Win10 that are designed for tablet usage generally work rather well. Apps designed for "old school use" (read: mouse, keyboard, larger monitor, ...) generally fail when used in the tablet mode. There are aids (e.g. TouchMousePointer) but they provide only modest improvement.
I have to disagree, while the amount of change is not huge, the updates that are present are well received and useful. It has suceeded in improving the power and utility of the iPad.
Yeah, that's what I've been leaning towards, at least tablet/laptop. I have an iPad and a Thinkpad X1E. The iPad is what I take into the office.
I'm not knocking the Go, its a nice machine and I was tempted (still am to a degree), but I think the price point is a mistake by MS at this stage, though I'd probably look for a used one. So far however I'm underwhelmed by OneNote, its an app that I just don't like. I keep trying but so far its not happening. Not taking for my meetings and capturing info, is high on my list of tasks when I'm in the office.
My biggest issue with my Surface Pro, is the updates.
The scans & updates with Windows can be brutal, especially if you don't use the tablet for awhile.
There have been times when I literally just let it update the night before I wanted to use it. The updates with iPad just seem less obtrusive. You don't update your Surface, you DON'T get to use your Surface. It seems to be out of your hands.
On the other hand, on my older Surface Pro I can play Steam games. I loved being able to play a game called Fire Pro Wrestling from Steam on my Surface Pro, hooked up to my 42in TV. . Couldn't do that on my iPad Pro!
The scans & updates with Windows can be brutal, especially if you don't use the tablet for awhile.
There have been times when I literally just let it update the night before I wanted to use it. The updates with iPad just seem less obtrusive. You don't update your Surface, you DON'T get to use your Surface. It seems to be out of your hands.
On the other hand, on my older Surface Pro I can play Steam games. I loved being able to play a game called Fire Pro Wrestling from Steam on my Surface Pro, hooked up to my 42in TV.
. Couldn't do that on my iPad Pro!
exactly: its a joke. a lot of fanfare for incremental changes that do not add up to anything, really.
That it is "well recieved" by ipad fanboys means nothing. Oh, and cut paste still sucks.
By no means am I an iPad "fanboy" but I completely disagree with characterization of iPadOS as a "joke". Your wording seems such to simply be inflammatory - there's a word for that.
I’m interested to learn about your dislike for cut and paste, could you elaborate a bit on that? Thanks in advance!
That's your opinion, I'm no fanboy, as I've been critical of apple on many occasions but iPadOS is a nice improvement. Its not for you, I get it, but its not a joke
Actually I totally disagree with that. A small and seemingly insignificant change can make the world of difference to someone.
To give you a direct example to you, my Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e got a software update on the 4th August (5 days ago). Up until then I have been driven mad with its inability to remain in landscape mode. Something my iPads have always done is that when set to landscape mode it remained that way… portrait mode app usage or not. Samsung (or Google). As of 5 days ago my S5e now remains in landscape mode no matter what after I've locked to to that orientation. This one and really minor change (to my mind "fix") has made my thoughts of going back to an iPad go away completely.
Never underestimate the value of a seemingly minor change.
I’m not sure what you mean, I use copy and paste a “zillion” times a day on my current gen 12.9. All my research projects and papers require copy and paste. Works fine for me. Maybe I’m missing something? PadOS has removed the last few things I needed my MacBook for. Now I will say this, I’ve found that most of us prefer the workflow that we’re used to. My kids have always been iPad only for school and entertainment, so they would probably think any other workflow is a joke. In other words, it’s not so much a joke. More like personal opinion and preferences.
Totally disagree here. Adaptive UI SHOULD be expected - especially given that Microsoft has been talking about it since Windows 10 release (but we haven't seen much of it). I get it that the frameworks need to be built at the OS level before developers can do anything with it - I also get that no one has done this (or at least well) yet. We should be holding Microsoft and Apple to expectations of a UI that adapts to the user and task.
Microsoft needs to stop talking about this and either do it, or put it to bed. This is only going to become more of an issue going forward as we step into things like AR and other technology interfaces. If they can't get a transition between a desktop and a tablet right, they really have no business using Windows in devices like the HoloLens - otherwise they have to keep making different versions of the same OS and developers will have to keep remaking their apps over and over again.
Just my opinion.
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While I don't agree with the rest of the sentiment, I can agree with this right here. Copy/Paste on iOS does suck.
(Though I think it's because they're trying to replicate a desktop function which wasn't great in the first place.)
1) grasp ipad and press buttons on sides
2) open floating full screen capture representation
3) select part of page you want with lasso
4) save with long press
5) go to target app page
6) paste with ling press
if you are doing this a zillion times, good luck!
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see above
Not for nothing, but I hate how the implementation of cutting/pasting in iOS. Its kind of clunky
My definition of cut and paste much be completely different than yours. I don’t even know what lasso your talking about. My reference to cut and paste is from website, ebooks, PDF’s into documents. Your above example must be something entirely different and outside my project needs. Lol
If multitasking on the Go gives you pause, I don't see how the iPad is any better in this regard? It still doesn't properly multitask, in that you have to have the app open for it to function. If the Go doesn't do this well, at least it does it at all! Maybe if this is something which concerns you the Surface Pro would be a better choice? Even a core m3 chip should still handle proper multitasking a lot better, the same as a MacBook Air or just about any other ultrabook.
So you’re referring to just using that lasso tool when doing a screenshot? I wasn’t even sure what that lasso would be used for.