iPad Pro vs Surface Pro 4

[nwoods]

I look forward to Annandtech's inevitable detailed performance analysis. I'm mildly shocked at apples claim on the A9X chip's performance

 

[turboale]

Interesting comparison... Not sure why they didn't mention the i7 Surface, did mention the i5, then showed the prices of the i3 (unless the i5 has significantly dropped the prices in the last month).

To me, it isn't really a apples to apples comparison. After using the Surface, I just don't see it as a tablet. The app store is minimal at best, after having touch and a mouse I go to the mouse 95% of the time. With screens being such high resolution (ie text and buttons are small) and detailed a finger is like using a paint roller instead of a paint pen. Its actual Apple competitor is the MacBook Air. The only thing in common with the iPad is the shape.

Looks like the iPad will be a better tablet and Surface will be a better computer. Just depends on what you want to use it for. I'm sure there will be a slew of new iOS apps that will use all that horsepower but until that happens, its just a big iPad.

Have the released how much ram the iPad Pro has? I'm not quite sure why apple has been holding off on the ram front. It only helps things and is very cheap. Their stuff has always been waaaaay more efficient than android but now that it is so cheap, not sure why they aren't using more of it.

 

[nwoods]

Yes, the iPad Pro has 4GB of ram, twice that of the iPad Air 2. Your comment:

With screens being such high resolution (ie text and buttons are small) and detailed a finger is like using a paint roller instead of a paint pen.

This is my chief complaint with the Surface. It's not really the Surface's fault, it's just that Windows does not have a good DPI Scaling capability. I had hoped Win10 solved that, but no.

 

[turboale]

Are you using one?

There is an option to scale up, I just don't really use it because I have good eye sight and don't want to waste the screen realestate. I wonder if you can set it differently for when you enter "tablet mode" ie remove the keyboard.

 

[nwoods]

Are you using one?

There is an option to scale up, I just don't really use it because I have good eye sight and don't want to waste the screen realestate. I wonder if you can set it differently for when you enter "tablet mode" ie remove the keyboard.

Yes, on occasion. A few times a week at most. But my primary machine is a MacBook Retina running Win7 in Parallels.

 

[kojackJKU]

Surface 3 (without the "Pro") also runs full Windows OS.

As does the pro 1 , and pro 2. FYI>

 

[cactusjk]

I'm still looking for a good tablet to replace my netbook with Overland Navigator. I am leaning towards an iPad Pro. Will have to figure out GPS, etc.

 

[1Louder]

I'm still looking for a good tablet to replace my netbook with Overland Navigator. I am leaning towards an iPad Pro. Will have to figure out GPS, etc.

Search the threads. Plenty of discussions. I am a full sized iPad Air 2 GAIA person. Many use that and many others use an Android Tablet running GAIA, or Orux Maps, or Backcountry Navigator. I have used all of the apps and found GAIA to be the easiest to use. Especially when it comes to downloading offline maps. Since I have a non-3G iPad I also use a Dual GPS Bluetooth puck.

If you want a dedicated tablet for your vehicle (as in rarely remove it) then an Android tablet may fit the bill since the price points are lower. I'm still not a fan although I have a Nexus 7 and still play around with it every once and a while. Just like this thread opinions vary greatly.

My take on the iPad is that I don't need external storage for it that is not cloud based. For certain users I can see the need and see why they like the Surface. I still hate Windows and have become a Mac person over the years. If you have a Mac, iPhone, and whatever else in the Apple realm then yes I would get an iPad or Pro. I think the Pro is too big to mount in a vehicle but that's just me.

- Chris

 

[cactusjk]

Good observations. I like the pro and it is a little big. Maybe I'll dust off my gen 1 iPad 3G and try GAIA. Maybe get the pro for other uses...

 

[OCD Overland]

Frankly, I think Apple is really going for Wacom's market with this iPad rather than anything else. I've come close to getting a Companion 2 myself, even though I use a Mac.

 

[Root Moose]

Good observations. I like the pro and it is a little big. Maybe I'll dust off my gen 1 iPad 3G and try GAIA. Maybe get the pro for other uses...

If you have a 1st gen iPad w/ 3G just use that until you feel a need to upgrade. It has a built in GPS receiver so its gud-2-go. There's really little to be gained to upgrade. Sure, a new device is always nice/fun but get your work flow sorted with what you have first before throwing money at new equipment. This type of usage is more about the apps than anything.

2¢

 

[cactusjk]

More good advice! I'm not using it for much now and would prefer to put that in the FJ vice a new one...

 

[mpinco]

Success of Apple's latest product announcement is dependent on the new installment plan, not technology.

 

[Scott Brady]

If you take twenty or forty pics a day, then apple's wifi solutions are okay. If you take eight hundred or a thousand a day, then no, wifi won't work.

If you apply a fun little Instagram sepia filter and then post to Facebook, then IOS will be fine.

I disagree only because I currently use IOS to handle hundreds of images a day over wifi for both commercial work and editorial. I am refering specifically to travel, outdoor, and adventure photography. So far it has worked fine.

HDR- really?

 

[nwoods]

Success of Apple's latest product announcement is dependent on the new installment plan, not technology.

While I agree it's a big deal for Apple to finally break the lock the phone carriers have traditionally held, by no means is this how Apple defines their success. They measure success one dollar at a time. It's all in hardware sales, plus revenue off iTunes, App Store, and iCloud.

I do predict that Apples installment plan will have a big disruptive impact on the carrier industry. Maybe now they will focus on their actual product, which is connectivity, instead of skimming off the handset revenue for things they don't even make.