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rMacBook vs Surface 3?

maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
vladi said:
I just cant overcome the notion that paying over $1K for anything less than 15' let alone for 10' or 12'. There is not whole a lot you can do on those small screens and things you can do on them are not worth that steep of a price tag.
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Perhaps, and price has been a complaint regarding the Surface computer line, but by the same token, you're paying > 1,000 for Apple's MBA and MB line.

How different is paying 778 for a mid range Surface 3 (with keyboard/pen) or 900 for a low end 11" MBA? Or take an iPad Air 638 (64GB model plus cover)?

I can't speak about the Surface 3, but I find that the Surface Pro 3, to be more portable, i.e., easier to carry around then my rMBP, more powerful then my iPad and the build quality to be very high.. For me the price point is consistent with the value I'm getting imo.
 
Technarchy

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
I'd take a $599 Surface 3 (+keyboard+pen) over the new Macbook, which I regard as completely laughable and embarrassing at the same time.

I got to try the new Surface 3 at the MSFT store and was really impressed. It was responsive, light, and incredibly portable. It represents the post-PC era a hell of a lot better than the new Macbook and the iPad.
 
S

sickducker

macrumors member
Sep 1, 2014
56
5
I think the surface is a great device that might work well for many people, but not for me. Because of the way I work, prefer a good trackpad over touchscreen. I always have my books right in front of me and my laptop behind them, so a trackpad is much easier to reach. The digital pen is nice, but it's not going to replace my fountain pen. Also, I use my laptop to write reports and my paper notebook acts like a second screen to write down equations. I can't imagine doing everything on one tiny screen.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Technarchy said:
I'd take a $599 Surface 3 (+keyboard+pen) over the new Macbook, which I regard as completely laughable and embarrassing at the same time.
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I agree completely, the extremely poor benchmarks, and the high price, not to mention the dearth of ports. (other then the screen) why buy the rMB over an MBA given the price and performance. Additionally, if you really want the screen, then you can get a rMBP, though you give up the razor thin design.

I got to try the new Surface 3 at the MSFT store and was really impressed. It was responsive, light, and incredibly portable. It represents the post-PC era a hell of a lot better than the new Macbook and the iPad.
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I'm content with my SP3, so I'm not tempted by the Surface 3, its performance will be subpar to what I'm getting now but I'd like to see how it works at a MS store.
 
mattopotamus

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,738
6,109
is portability your biggest factor? If not, why not look at the 13" rMBP. It blows the new macbook out of the water in terms of power and is the same price! Obviously if portability is your biggest concern you can ignore my post :)

You are basically paying for 4 year old specs with the new macbook, when you can get a real powerhouse at the same price in the 13" pro.
 
Technarchy

Technarchy

macrumors 604
May 21, 2012
6,753
4,927
maflynn said:
I'm content with my SP3, so I'm not tempted by the Surface 3, its performance will be subpar to what I'm getting now but I'd like to see how it works at a MS store.
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I'm not conflating the two. The Surface 3 is an iPad competitor and the Surface Pro is a MacBook alternative. If I had a Pro I probably wouldn't bother with an 3 either.

Though I think even MSFT is thinking tablet wars for the Surface 3. The iPad is in decline because it's bag of tricks is empty, while the Surface 3 does bring something new and interesting to the price point.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
Technarchy said:
I'm not conflating the two. The Surface 3 is an iPad competitor and the Surface Pro is a MacBook alternative. If I had a Pro I probably wouldn't bother with an 3 either.

Though I think even MSFT is thinking tablet wars for the Surface 3. The iPad is in decline because it's bag of tricks is empty, while the Surface 3 does bring something new and interesting to the price point.
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Agreed, I think the Surface and SP3 offer increased functionality and performance over the iPads. The SP3 works very well as a laptop replacement, and the Surface is a better tablet then the iPad imo.
 
lavrishevo

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
You can pick up great deals on a new Surface pro 2. I5 processor, 8gb or ram, 256 hard drive. The 2 is just a tad slower then the comparable 3 at 1/2 the cost and honestly the 1920x1080 is a more enjoyable resolution in my opinion. They are very fast machines especially after you tweak windows 8 a bit.
 
spinedoc77

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
lavrishevo said:
You can pick up great deals on a new Surface pro 2. I5 processor, 8gb or ram, 256 hard drive. The 2 is just a tad slower then the comparable 3 at 1/2 the cost and honestly the 1920x1080 is a more enjoyable resolution in my opinion. They are very fast machines especially after you tweak windows 8 a bit.
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The 2 is arguably faster than the 3 since it does NOT throttle like the SP3 does. I still prefer the 3's form factor, but the 2 is a little beast and a very nice deal.
 
lavrishevo

lavrishevo

macrumors 68000
Jan 9, 2007
1,864
204
NJ
Last edited:
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,682
43,740
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