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Would you convert to an iPad Pro and replace your SP3?

Would you convert to an iPad Pro in place of your SP3?

  • Yes

    Votes: 2 3.5%
  • No

    Votes: 55 96.5%

  • Total voters
    57
  • Poll closed .

CrippsCorner

Well-Known Member
That's definitely something that frustrates me. You can't tether from an iPhone to an android phone but you can vice versa. That's something I would definitely have to think about

Yes you can? I tethered in this very office!

iPad Pro... would be a compelling product, but I'm a Microsoft fanboy through and through, so I wouldn't change lol. I know my girlfriend would go insane for one though!
 

ptrkhh

Active Member
I think we need to see the actual product first:

Similar specs to SP3, but hows the battery life if it ran OS X-iOS hybrid?
How does the hybrid OS handle iOS and OS X apps? Will they be able to interact between each other?
How touch friendly OS X apps will be?

How about the keyboard? Is it a Surface-like keyboard cover? Or Transformer-like laptop dock?
And the ports? Apple is known to often skimp on ports. If it has only one port (since USB Type-C could handle everything from charging to display output) it could be a dealbreaker.

And finally, will it have a pen? Do they support notetaking apps as robust as OneNote?

But more important than all of that, can it run all existing OS X apps?


As I said in the beginning, I need to see the actual product first before making the decision.
 

GreyFox7

Super Moderator
Staff member
I think that if an iPad Pro will be launched, it is a possibility that it will be launched with an Intel x86-64 processor. So the computing power will be there. The other step that Apple needs to make is to merge OSX and iOS. I think this will happen (in one form or another) in the next 3-4 years. Only after this Apple will have a true business platform suitable for touch input.
Not happening... all the scuttle butt is, the low end Macs are going with ARM CPUs (not necessarily this round but soon). Nothing on Touch in a Mac with OSX. The 12" Samsung Tab Pros are ARM Tablets. Apple is worried about Samsung before Microsoft. There's no indication Apple is even thinking about a 2 in 1, they don't care. Either OS will require major changes to support the functionality, bigger than Android has to tackle 64bitness.

The iPad Pro is nothing more thy an oversized iPad Air 2. It may be bundled with a Wacom CS2 Capacitive Pen and a possibly a not to well integrated Keyboard ala the same Bluetooth fare already flooding the market from every Tom, Dick, and Belkin.
 

Moonsurface

Super Moderator
Staff member
The OP said if the iPad Pro had SIMILAR FUNCTIONALITY to the surface pro would you consider it. Myself yes...but I probably wouldn't get one for the same reason I've never owned an apple device.

Ipad running OSX would be just as horrible to use as a surface pro 3 running windows 7 as all the touchscreen integration is lost and its just a standard laptop. From what I see Apple is behind Microsoft on producing a full operating system with touch integration.. It may happen but not yet. For this reason I think the ipad pro if it comes soon will NOT have all the functionality of the Surface pro.
 
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kodos

Member
I don't see how an iPad Pro (at least as imagined by the popular press, and rumor mills) would be any good. Does anyone even care for tablets in that size anymore? I don't see any excitement for tablets anymore as a whole. They just don't fit into people's lives as neatly as a phone (esp. large phone) or a real computer (like the Surface Pro 3, the new Ultrabooks, or Desktops). They are nice to get your kids something to play with. But they are too large to conveniently have on you all the time (like a phone), and they are too limiting to do anything serious on (like a Surface Pro 3).

All of our iPads at home have been converted to being used by the kids. We use computers and phones. I don't see myself buying another iOS/Android style tablet in a long time, if-ever.

Samsung's foray into large tablets also seems to have flopped. I looked at one at BestBuy once. No thank you.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
The OP said if the iPad Pro had SIMILAR FUNCTIONALITY to the surface pro would you consider it. Myself yes...but I probably wouldn't get one for the same reason I've never owned an apple device.

Ipad tuning OSX would be just as horrible to use as a surface pro 3 running windows 7 as all the touchscreen integration is lost and its just a standard laptop. From what I see Apple is behind Microsoft on producing a full operating system with touch integration.. It may happen but not yet. For this reason I think the ipad pro if it comes soon will NOT have all the functionality of the Surface pro.

"similar specs, size and price" is not the same as similar functionality, hence much of the debate. Just look at an android phone vs iphone, or a macbook vs a laptop, even same specs and price they still have different functionality. If i were to have to boot into a whole different operating system just so i can run a windows program, that is not similar functionality.
I don't see how an iPad Pro (at least as imagined by the popular press, and rumor mills) would be any good. Does anyone even care for tablets in that size anymore? I don't see any excitement for tablets anymore as a whole. They just don't fit into people's lives as neatly as a phone (esp. large phone) or a real computer (like the Surface Pro 3, the new Ultrabooks, or Desktops). They are nice to get your kids something to play with. But they are too large to conveniently have on you all the time (like a phone), and they are too limiting to do anything serious on (like a Surface Pro 3).

All of our iPads at home have been converted to being used by the kids. We use computers and phones. I don't see myself buying another iOS/Android style tablet in a long time, if-ever.

Samsung's foray into large tablets also seems to have flopped. I looked at one at BestBuy once. No thank you.

While i'm sure that the novelty has worn of for some, i do not think that this is the general case. I just read an article today saying tablets days are numbered, dropping ipad sales etc. I think the reality is more along the lines of people still have plenty of use for their tablets at home, but just like with computers these days, the market has stagnated. There is no longer any reason to upgrade your tablet, there is just no software or feature that is actually needed. A few years ago there were many desired features, such as a 1080p screen to actually enjoy content, or a faster cpu/gpu so that the experience was pleasant, however now, well there is no need for a 4K display, no need for a tegra chip, no real need for them to be thinner and lighter. Tablets have a fairly limited usage case, and we have now passed the point where new hardware offers the user anything truly beneficial over the tablet they already own. As i have said previously, i bought an ipad air 2, it was free money, and sure, it was a really nice looking device, good hardware, but after a few weeks, it became very apparent that as nice as it was, it didn't do anything for me that i couldn't already do on my nexus 10, so i gave it to my mother for christmas, who then sold it on gumtree becaue she found no use for it that their nexus 7 couldn't do. There has been no software revolution that actually needs these new specs.
 

dstrauss

Active Member
You responded to my list of actual things that SP can't do that iOS can as 'user preference.' Sorry. That doesn't get you very far. Especially when the favorite defense here is to point out all the things the iPad can't do that the Surface can.

OK - since you insist:

The answer has been given many, many times..

The Surface cannot stream music to a Bluetooth or wireless music system without changing power settings which then consume a considerable amount of power to do this simple task.

1. Jeff already pointed out Xbox does it (you dismissively respond it's an application no one uses - kind of an "iPaddy" response)>

2. For you this may be critical - for most, how often is this even important, much less an issue.


If I want email with a notification system, I have to use the awful Mail app. I use Microsoft's own Outlook on iOS because it is so good on that platform. Where is it in the Windows store?

1. Outlook (Accompli) is coming shortly.

2. Many of us just use that "awful" desktop version of Outlook even though it is "only" a tablet.


There are no decent chat apps, that again, have a good notification system. On iOS I have access to both Google Hangouts and iMessage which means I can send or receive messages - text, video, photo, whatever, from any of those devices, respond via whatever is in hand at the moment.

Absence of Hangouts and iMessage is proprietary behavior of Google and Apple - not Microsoft's fault. You can't get iMessage anywhere except Apple hardware, so same complaint applies to ANY Android tablet - does that make all Android tablets inferior/mediocre.

A number of magazines and newspapers are not available at all on Windows. The majority of the ones that are have apps that are 3 years or more behind their counterparts on iOS.

I find Next Issue to be great on my SPro3 - ever give it a try? Again, show me where your go to magazines are available on iOS and Android, and not on Windows...

Sending video content to a 2nd screen via Miracast is decidedly clunky. It works great if all you want to do is mirror your screen. Less well if you want to interact with the video that is playing on that screen. On iOS this works flawlessly and the controls are always intuitively available from the iOS device with no weirdness. It's consistent and reliable.

It's flawless on iOS IF paired to Apple TV - good luck on other protocols (kind of like complaining that iMessage doesn't work on Android or Windows tablets).

Battery life. I am extremely careful about what I have open when I use the SP as a tablet, have switched to IE, etc. yet my battery life cycles between ~4-7 hours. My iPad consistently goes 12 hours, often 20. I charge it once a week. If it has 10% battery left, I know that will last me at least another hour and a half of normal use.

I'll give you that one, in part, BUT I've never gotten less than 6-7 hours of productivity, websurfing, and WiFi on my SPro 3 - but then again I'm running a Core i5 Intel processor and not a tablet only, app running only, chipset.

Camera quality. We use our iPads to video chat every day. The cameras on the Surface are terrible indoors in the evening. Worse than iPads now 4 generations old.

Got me.

There are apps that are just better than their websites. This definitely applies to Facebook, Twitter, any music streaming site, etc. On Twitter, especially, many sites give you access to their articles through the iOS app links, but not through the website interface or the (terrible) Windows apps.

Again, absence of Facebook, Twitter, streaming, iOS links is again proprietary behavior of Apple and it's slavishly devoted developers, NOT a fundamental fault of Microsoft or it's tablet ability. "Apps" are generally better than website interface BECAUSE it is singular focus - but then do you really want to deal with a separate "app" for every website? Really?

Password managers. Try logging in to your password manager on the Surface without the keyboard attached. On my iPad it takes the touch of a finger and I'm in, or logged in to any compatible app or website. On the Surface I have to navigate a desktop app that doesn't respond well to touch, and type out my 15+ character password on the on-screen keyboard.

Are you touting touch ID here (I love it on my iPhone 6 Plus) - if so this is TRULY a red herring because it only became available with iPad Air 2 - AND SINCE NO ANDROID HAS IT EITHER, then ALL tablets are inferior.

These are just a few of the things that apply mostly to me. Other users could add to this list 10 fold. The Surface is a nice lightweight laptop. It's a great note-taking device with a great digitizer. It's a mediocre tablet.

By your own list above, EVERY tablet, whatever operating system or manufacturer, is mediocre to your iPad Air 2...I'm sure Apple would agree but obviously the rest of the world does not.


The thing about an iPad is that it can begin to fill a space in your life where previously there was no computer that fit there. It's not intended to be a replacement for a laptop or desktop. It's intended to be much better than those devices at a lot of the things people use computing devices for today. And that's why they've sold 250 million of them in less than 5 years.

Only true BEFORE Surface Pro 3 was released. The SPro 3 not only fulfills your needs for a real computer, it more than adequately (I say excellently) fills those other spaces. Face fact friend, until Jobs declared that we must have the third standard (between smartphone and laptop/desktop) none of us even KNEW those unfulfilled spaces exited. In reality, they didn't exist - he just did a masterful job of making it easier to do all of the same things we did with smartphones/laptop with his "tweener" device - the iPad. That in itself was a great achievement, but no better than the inventor of the cordless drill to use what the big powered corded drills did before it.

I'm not denegrating Jobs or Apple - I struggled with "convertible" Windows devices for note taking for years, and without iPad we would have NEVER had Surface Pro 3 - thank you Apple for that competitive punch in the face - but please, all of you fanboys, quit declaring the SPro 3 is a mediocre/inferior tablet, because by your very standards ALL tablets without a fruit engraved on the back are mediocre/inferior
 
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Echrada

Member
Couldn't wait to get rid of my iPad after getting my Surface so definitely no. Do not like iOS or
OSX especially not Yosemite.
 

ptrkhh

Active Member
Some little addition:
The Surface cannot stream music to a Bluetooth or wireless music system without changing power settings which then consume a considerable amount of power to do this simple task.

1. Jeff already pointed out Xbox does it (you dismissively respond it's an application no one uses - kind of an "iPaddy" response)>

2. For you this may be critical - for most, how often is this even important, much less an issue.
Beside XBOX Music, there are some apps that can stream in standby. I use OpenFM. Theres also rdio, TuneIn Radio, Spotlite (Spotify), GMusic (Google Music), and 3rd party YouTube apps




If I want email with a notification system, I have to use the awful Mail app.
Open the Mail app, open Settings, Accounts, pick the Account, and select "All email" on the "Show email notification" drop down list.

Sending video content to a 2nd screen via Miracast is decidedly clunky. It works great if all you want to do is mirror your screen. Less well if you want to interact with the video that is playing on that screen. On iOS this works flawlessly and the controls are always intuitively available from the iOS device with no weirdness. It's consistent and reliable.

It's flawless on iOS IF paired to Apple TV - good luck on other protocols (kind of like complaining that iMessage doesn't work on Android or Windows tablets).
That functionality better be served via DLNA which is supported in virtually any Windows device and any metro app, including music apps I listed above. There are plenty of DLNA receivers, including the PlayStation 3 and XBOX360, which you might already have. Miracast isn't intended for this. Its more of a business application for showing presentations (PowerPoint) or anything on screen, hence mirroring.

Password managers. Try logging in to your password manager on the Surface without the keyboard attached. On my iPad it takes the touch of a finger and I'm in, or logged in to any compatible app or website. On the Surface I have to navigate a desktop app that doesn't respond well to touch, and type out my 15+ character password on the on-screen keyboard.

Are you touting touch ID here (I love it on my iPhone 6 Plus) - if so this is TRULY a red herring because it only became available with iPad Air 2 - AND SINCE NO ANDROID HAS IT EITHER, then ALL tablets are inferior.
If you have your username and password saved and synced to OneDrive, you don't even need to type anything. If you have more than one username on a website, just tap the username input field and IE will show all saved username for you to pick. It will also fill the password automatically.
 

dstrauss

Active Member
Outer Limits Moment:

Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) passed away today at age 83. A sad day indeed...

We now return you to your regular programming...


(Those of you my age will recall he got one of his early starts on Outer Limits - I, Robot)...

 

Liam2349

Active Member
Generally speaking, for most applications, the Surface Pro 3 is the best portable productivity device available.

You cannot match the versatility and convenience of going from keyboard to touch in the blink of an eye, going from pen and OneNote to keyboard and LabView by simply flipping your keyboard over. Whatever this rumored iPad Pro turns out to be, it's not going to run any proper software. I'm sure it will sell well, and I know people using iPads want to write on them - I see them all the time with apps that have to zoom in so far that all you can see is 5 letters because they write with a finger pen, which obviously lacks the precision of the fantastic N-trig pen we have.

It's not going to be for me though - it will be an iPad with a good stylus. Better, but not good enough.
 
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