From macair 13" to surface pro 3

[Kenz1980]

Hey guys I picked up a macair 13" just after Christmas and I've been happy with the battery life and keyboard. I've messed around with the sp3 at bestbuy briefly and the screen is gorgeous but I'm wondering if any one has made this particular switch and how it turned out for you?

I really only use my computer for watching videos/ movies, surfing and typing documents. Any input would be great. Thanks!

 

[GreyFox7]

For your defined use cases the SP3 is much better suited to the task than an MBA. Possible exception would be typing depending on your personal adaptability to the keyboard but you can use any Wireless or Bluetooth keyboard that suits you.

 

[kundas1]

actually a sp3 would be over kill, I would pick up a cheap surface 2 RT on ebay or kijiji and use that as a companion device to your mac air... if the RT screen is too small then I would def pick up the i3 version of the SP3...

 

[Kenz1980]

The sp3 is for me cause I like the bigger screen size and I think it would be big enough to multi task with 2 instances of word open.

By the way does anyone have images of what multitasking with word looks like from their sp3. Thanks a bunch guys!

 

[mitchellvii]

Not sure why people are always comparing the MBA with the SP3 as they are nothing alike. SP3 is a hybrid, MBA is a laptop, SP3 has an active digitizer and can act as an electronic notepad, the MBA does not and cannot.

 

[jnjroach]

Hey guys I picked up a macair 13" just after Christmas and I've been happy with the battery life and keyboard. I've messed around with the sp3 at bestbuy briefly and the screen is gorgeous but I'm wondering if any one has made this particular switch and how it turned out for you?

I really only use my computer for watching videos/ movies, surfing and typing documents. Any input would be great. Thanks!

Search is your friend.....this is one topic with all of the passion and in-fighting has been discussed in earnest here on SurfaceForums.net:

http://www.surfaceforums.net/search/738632/?q=Macbook+Air&o=relevance

Welcome to the forum by the way....

 

[fletch33]

i have an 11' and 13" Macbook and SP3 i purchased about a month ago. i had kept up with Windows via a VM on my Macbooks but did t use it much and so it was about 10+ years since Windows was my daily driver and now im back and almost completely have my Macbooks empty of docs and files and just use the SP3.

SP3 can do all the things you want but will also do other things that you may need later and you wont need both if you have to decide on one. my 11" is now a permanent piece of my turntable setup where i run Serato on it and my 13" is collecting dust and considering getting rid of it because i cant stand to see it just collect dust.

Not sure why people are always comparing the MBA with the SP3 as they are nothing alike. SP3 is a hybrid, MBA is a laptop, SP3 has an active digitizer and can act as an electronic notepad, the MBA does not and cannot.

i understand seeing an issue comparing them but really i think its ok and can make since for some. for example i have yet to use my SP3 in over a month as a tablet and it is either being used with the Keyboard or placed on my work desk in the dock to run 2 x 27" monitors. so when i bought it and had 45 days to return it i immediately set out to compare it to using my Mac laptop and desktop. as a sidenote i also reset and am selling my Samsung Tab Pro tablet since the SP3 could function in the same way when i needed it.

 

[daniielrp]

Not sure why people are always comparing the MBA with the SP3 as they are nothing alike. SP3 is a hybrid, MBA is a laptop, SP3 has an active digitizer and can act as an electronic notepad, the MBA does not and cannot.

Er, because that was literally Microsoft's entire SP3 marketing campaign. When it comes to laptops, there is not really much that can compete with an MBA in terms of design, portability and especially battery life. In fact there was a report not long ago that compared the endless plastic dregs that most windows OEMs drag out, and concluded a MacBook Pro was a much better choice of PC on which to run windows. So in Microsoft's, and many others eyes, if you want to be the best you have to first beat the best.

To the OP, I know many have gone from Mac to SP3, and I guess it depends what you need out of it. You said you've only had the mac for a couple of months, so are you normally a Mac user or Windows guy?

As above, both machines are more than capable of what you've said. The tablet part of the SP3 will certainly be better for watching movies, but I'm not sure how the Type Cover will compare to the real keyboard base of the MBA.

 

[fletch33]

but I'm not sure how the Type Cover will compare to the real keyboard base of the MBA.

its not even the keyboard so much as the trackpad. in fact i can say with most certainty that there is not a Windows laptop from any manufacturer that 100% duplicates the trackpad experience that Apple created on the newish Macbooks. i follow all the tech blogs and about once a month or so you will see a story about a Windows laptop that has outdone itself with the trackpad and you will also generally find a place in that review that says something like this "of course if your a Macbook user then you might find this as close as you are going to get"

i stopped using a mouse when a laptop became my main machine and even on my desk i had a Apple Trackpad in its place and with my SP3 the best i could find was the Logitech Trackpad 650.

 

[daniielrp]

its not even the keyboard so much as the trackpad. in fact i can say with most certainty that there is not a Windows laptop from any manufacturer that 100% duplicates the trackpad experience that Apple created on the newish Macbooks. i follow all the tech blogs and about once a month or so you will see a story about a Windows laptop that has outdone itself with the trackpad and you will also generally find a place in that review that says something like this "of course if your a Macbook user then you might find this as close as you are going to get"

i stopped using a mouse when a laptop became my main machine and even on my desk i had a Apple Trackpad in its place and with my SP3 the best i could find was the Logitech Trackpad 650.

Good point, I use the Magic Trackpad with my iMac and yeh, it is unbeatable. I am rather fond of the SP3 trackpad though, though that's mostly just psychological because I used to have the SP2 and it's horrendous trackpad.

Though now mentioning it, I'm gonna test the Magic Trackpad with my SP3, I've had it working on a Windows PC a few years ago, I wonder if support has improved...

 

[mitchellvii]

Here' the rub.

The SP3, less it can't do.

 

[fletch33]

Here' the rub.

The SP3, less it can't do.

mitchellvii i see your moving from causing trouble from the XDA Tab Pro forum