I was really going to buy the surface but figured I would finally try the apple echo system again. The mac book with parallels and Office gives me all I need. That plus an 8" Asus vivo pro with wacom and OneNote is a good fit.
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Why Surface Pro?....
- Thread starter inmnbob
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It's a tablet in the sense i can take the keyboard off and run full windows apps...
I can read, use office, my engineering software, windows explorer etc I don't need a full keyboard for that uses. A little on the big side yes but the thing is light what it is. I can use onscreen keyboard for the basic tasks and click the on type cover when needed.
software, programs, apps, applications, they are all the same thing. If you think that they are different things, what are the differences in your opinion?
The guy commented and say they had the worst apps. How can they have the worst apps? Unless he means apps from the windows app store, which makes them different from software that you buy from 3rd parties. Windows has the highest software compatibility compared to other OS's.
To me they are all software, but there seems to be a misconception that "apps" are watered down programs available only through an OS related store. I don't see it as such.
All I know is that Windows is the only OS that can natively run solidworks. The iPad can't. I would love it if the iPad did, but it can't. The mac can't, but OSX can run parallels which can run solid works, but there is no OSX tablet. So yes, I would buy a windows tablet because it can run solidworks. Solidworks is not an app that can be found on any app store.
I guess he means that its not a great tablet for crap like programs such as angry birds... I want a tablet that can do everything a laptop can, Surface Pro 3 can. So I don't see how it is the worst. Just my opinion
First, if you gonna quote me, at least make sure to get it correct. I never said it has the worst apps. I said it was the worst tablet. Also, if your main concern is some app called solid works, sounds like you need a laptop and not a tablet. You aren't going to be running that non-touch optimized application in Metro enhanced tablet mode are you? Again, using the right tool for the job.
It depends on the consumer. For me it's the BEST tablet, while the iPad is EASILY the worst tablet. Once again it depends on the consumer and how they use their tablet. I disagree that it's just a laptop, by definition it's not just a laptop and indeed is a tablet.
The apps issue has always been an exaggerated, overblown issue by FAR. Different studies like how many repetitive apps there are, how many consumers truly download apps, the gross exaggeration of windows not having apps, etc etc. just make it a non issue IMO.
I'd say spend your money wisely and buy a SP3 which is an outstanding tablet, a great laptop which only has one very minor argument against it, a slightly reduced typing experience. Save your back from the weight of carrying a laptop AND a tablet, and also save your wallet. Once again contingent upon the consumers needs.
Hardly an exaggeration. It all depends upon one's needs. That is why you can say that the SP3 is the best tablet, and others can say it is a great notebook but poor tablet. This is something that you once espoused yourself
.... Did something change or did someone hack your account?
Hardly an exaggeration. It all depends upon one's needs. That is why you can say that the SP3 is the best tablet, and others can say it is a great notebook but poor tablet. This is something that you once espoused yourself
.... Did something change or did someone hack your account?
I put up an entire thread to see what apple users thought they were missing with windows app. It turns out there were very few things missing. Yeah id say exaggeration is a good term, ignorance is another one, not meant in a derogatory way but simply a lack of knowledge of how far windows apps have come along.
Interesting study on how most don't even download apps or spend most of their time on just a few apps: http://time.com/3158893/smartphone-apps-apple/.
"a staggering 42% of all app time spent on smartphones occurs on the individual’s single most used app.”
"Only about 35% of smartphone users download any apps at all in an average month, says Comscore’s Mobile App Report—put another way, 65% of smartphone users don’t download a single app in any given month."
Also interesting: http://utbblogs.com/problackberry/what-happens-when-we-dont-want-apps-any-longer/
◾Almost a third of smartphone users do not download any apps in a typical month
◾90% of people say they never spend money on apps
◾The number of users who do not download apps has increased to 31% up from 20% last year.
◾For those that do download apps, the number of apps downloaded has decreased from 2.32 to 1.82
This one is a couple of years old, but I'll bet nothing has changed, or it's worse now:
http://appleinsider.com/articles/12...store_populated_by_zombie_apps_estimate_finds
2/3 of Apple's iOS App Store populated by 'zombie' apps, estimate finds
Actually it may be closer to 80% in 2014 (PDF warning): https://www.adjust.com/assets/downloads/AppleAppStore_Report2014.pdf
Or here: http://techcrunch.com/2014/07/10/the-app-store-six-years-later/
Once again I said the sp3's superiority as a tablet is based on MY needs, I thought repeating this THREE times would have been sufficient, but I guess not. Certainly if your tablet use absolutely depends on an app that is not on windows then a non windows tablet might be the answer for you, although I can't see someone being so dependent on an app, especially when the research shows us most users just stick to the core apps. Still I'm not discounting the point and never was, its a valid point in those rare instances, its just nowhere near as common as some make it out to be.
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I have a Surface RT. For what I use it for (work, productivity) I would take it over an iPad any day. And the Surface RT is far worse then the Pro in terms of usability (but I only paid $180 brand new with the keyboard).
If instead I was looking for a purely media consumption device, the iPad is vastly superior.
Do not limit yourself to a particular brand or technology. Find what each thing is useful for.
I use Windows, Linux and OSX on a daily basis. And they each provide valuable abilities.
If instead I was looking for a purely media consumption device, the iPad is vastly superior.
Do not limit yourself to a particular brand or technology. Find what each thing is useful for.
I use Windows, Linux and OSX on a daily basis. And they each provide valuable abilities.
I know you are advocating windows tablets, but I'm curious. Why would an iPad be "vastly superior" as a media consumption device?
Regarding the app disparity issue, I don't think it's overblown I also don't think that third parties providing substitute apps is the same as actually having the first party app available. When a first party app implements a new feature, the third party app is incompatible to that feature and many times may never be updated to have that feature.
I also don't take a lot of internet metrics and graphs seriously because with numbers, you can tell any story you want. I don't know how anyone could tell if you are downloading apps versus using core apps. Sure you can look at app store metrics but again that's flawed. On Android alone, you can go download torrents and side load them which Im sure most younger folks with budget phones are doing these days.
Lastly, lets look at weight:
Macbook Air: Weight: 2.38 pounds
iPad Air: Weight: 1 pound
Surface Pro 3: Weight: 2.4 pounds
Surely one extra pound isn't gonna break someone's back is it?
The type cover weighs that much? Hmm. I'm not denying you're right, but it feels like way less than half a pound.
The weight is balanced quite nicely. Personally I'm amazed daily that they could fit in a desktop class CPU and a FULL version of windows with up to 8gb ram and 512gb SSD into something .76 lbs heavier and 1.6mm thicker than the freakin ipad air, that's just sick. The heavier weight is also offset by the larger screen so it's a wash IMO. Putting something like iOS into a thin package gets less and less impressive every year.
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Fair enough, we can agree to disagree. Those numbers are the only ones available, and I think the type of consumer who doesn't even download official market apps is NOT going to the type of consumer who downloads torrents and side loads apps IMO.
In terms of apps versus apps this was a fairly long discussion already. Most of the big apps that most consumers download are there. Most of the rest are 3rd party approximations, how well they mimic they original app is certainly up for debate, I just haven't seen a rational and logical debate discussing this.
IMO it was pretty clear that the app disparity was overblown and exaggerated, especially after exploring the apps that people on this forum claimed were missing or dysfunctional on windows, which in fact were not. The numbers generated by that research certainly is just illustrating that consumers just don't care about apps as much as a company boasting about how many apps it has in its appstore claims, at least outside of the core apps already installed and a few apps here and there outside of that.
Heck even the number of apps claimed is so grossly overestimated, I think I read somewhere there are thousands of flashlight apps on iOS, lol thousands! Add that to the thousands of fart apps and the thousand flappy bird clones and it would probably make up half the app market (sarcasm), lol.
Look at the link directly from Microsoft and check out the weight section under Surface vs MacBook. It shows 2.4lb. Earlier in the same website, it shows 1.76lb. Weird.
Linky
I see, but you said the least amount of apps, it clearly doesn't have the least. Solidworks is a touch optimized program that runs on the desktop. Metro more is crap, desktop mode is everything. The best tool is always a tablet, finding a tablet that does what you need is the key.
It does have the least amount of apps compared to iOS and Android. It's not even close and those two are the only ones considered with a serious ecosystem.
I'm not sure the best tool is always a tablet and disagree with that. Sometimes you need the power of a laptop or 27in monitor. At least I do. To each their own though.
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Ah ok, so my original weight comment stands. Most folks will buy the keyboard and have it with them.
I think apps are the new hotness that is taking the world by storm. If it were like you say, developers wouldn't be building apps in the first place to make money. The App Stores are the Gold Rush of this era. I understand that you are attempting to marginalize them because your platform of choice is lacking in this area and I get that. I will say that legacy apps is more along the lines of what you say and is in decline. This makes wanting a Surface Pro 3 a questionable investment.
Are people really going out and buying full blown applications and OSes these days? Maybe Office. Are folks still developing big time applications for the desktop these days? I'm not sure. Windows 8 store selection says no.
"Apps" are just apps... there are no apps to replace office, lightroom, editing softwares, etc... apps to make any of these are just bad jokes. For sure, there are photoediting apps for duckfaces to make them look more ridiculous, but for a serious use? No.
Because it's cheap, lightweight and well made?
I acquired one brand new from Microsoft for less than £300 after a cashback offer. It kept me going through the Radeongate problems with my 2011. I really should sell it now...
I acquired one brand new from Microsoft for less than £300 after a cashback offer. It kept me going through the Radeongate problems with my 2011. I really should sell it now...
What do you call "apps" because this may be the misconception. Its got a very high number of programs. They aren't in the windows "app store" but programs are programs which are apps.
Developers have been doing "apps" because the cost barrier is low. Distribution is digital and automatically taken care of by Apple or Google. You don't have to be a big software house making a deal with a publisher to bring your software to market.
But since the cost barrier is low, the mobile market is crowded, the pricepoint has dropped to free.99 + IAP, and mobile app stores are basically budget software stores.
Best part of the SP3 besides the stylus integration is it gives you access to the x86 ecosystem and its higher quality software. I'd rather use Ableton than some $2 toy music app. I'd rather play Wildstar than Flappy Bird.