Does the Surface Book have any one second thinking the iPad Pro?

[Supermallet]

It never occurred to me to ever buy an iPad Pro. If you want a productivity machine, buy a MacBook which is the best laptop money can buy. If you want a tablet (for consumption), buy an iPad Air 2 which is the best tablet money can buy.

Well even if you never use the Pencil or keyboard attachment for the iPad Pro, it will be a better tablet than the Air 2. It's faster, more powerful, has stereo speakers that can adjust to orientation, a variable rate display, etc.

The only thing I think you could argue against the Pro for is the size. It may too big to really use well as a good tablet, but that has yet to be seen, and I think it likely ultimately won't be a problem.

 

[TroyBoy30]

You can also just disconnect it from the internet.

Windows 10 removes a lot of control from the user, and yes, there are plenty of privacy concerns with it. From that view, it's the worst Windows version so far.

The Surface Book does look good, and it is essentially (well, in principle anyway) what I would have liked the MacBook Air or iPad Pro to be. But I'm not sure it's good enough for me to deal with Windows 10 and the subscription model that Microsoft is headed to. The hardware is impressive, though, based on what we know so far (most of which is marketing blurb). The $1499 tag is also just for the entry model.

Perhaps this will be a wake up call for Apple.

I totally disagree. People want a personal assistant that it truly helpful and learn but they cry when you give the assistant the access it needs to become that. You can't have it both ways. Windows 10 is awesome. Of course I'm a Windows guy and I hate apples os

 

[asleep]

no. but the SP4 might.

This.

Forcing me to look into these.

 

[EmaDaCuz]

Not me, I said on day 1 that the iPad Pro is inadequate for its intended use.
It may get better in the future, but at the moment the Surface line is, IMHO, way ahead.

 

[jmgregory1]

Attach the keyboard to the back?

http://www.engadget.com/gallery/first-look-at-the-microsoft-surface-book/#slide=3652314

I didn't see that you could flip the screen and connect it face up to the keyboard. That would work. I was talking about MS's comments about being able to lay out the keyboard, flat, along with the screen, which made no sense to me.

 

[Mivo]

I totally disagree. People want a personal assistant that it truly helpful and learn but they cry when you give the assistant the access it needs to become that. You can't have it both ways. Windows 10 is awesome. Of course I'm a Windows guy and I hate apples os

That sounds like nonsense.

Windows 10 removes a lot of control from the user, not even asking permission or offering options, while not providing anything new or different. That isn't like having an assistant. It's like being put in a home, getting declared senile, and having your rights stripped.

 

[sjleworthy]

?....I had hopes for the iPad Pro but "looking beautiful" and "feeling beautiful" only go so far, and not very far at that. So I'll stick with the Air 2 + Anker keyboard cover + Adonit Jot Dash and look forward to what Apple will do (if anything) in response with the iPad Pro 2.

Respectfully, it's all subjective of course.
To me, the looks and feels will go far, they always do with Apple (my ipad2 is still a loved invaluable item in my daily life, typing this on it now). And as mentioned, it will be Apple's current crowning glory and most advanced tablet. For a while.
The old argument of "i'll wait until the next gen" never resolves itself.

And again, Apple produce every conceivable idevice you can think of, so finding one that suits you is such a personal objective.

The more i look at the SP range and love it to bits, the more i ask myself "what exactly do i want, and why?" (Luckily costs arent a factor)
Answer - got all the desktop and processing power, with windows software i need for my job. But I want a fun device. An awesome portible object of desire, that'll even innovate with a Pencil. Ios and non-desktop compatible software are exciting me more and more now i think of it. And of course, they are compatible.

So no, i know this MS stuff, fantastic as it is, would only sit on my desk gathering dust. Whereas the ipp would excite me and join me on my daily journey in life, both personal and workwise.

But its great to hear other people's ideas. Objectivly, i dont take much notice. Its all too personal a device.

 

[engineerben]

MS has really hit one out of the park with the Surface Book, and the SP4 looks like a worthy successor to the SP3.

Having said that, I'm probably still looking at the IPP. I use Win 7 at work and Win 10 on a home machine (accounting and it controls my ham rig) and like both of those OSs. But my MBP is a fantastic go-to notebook and the one I generally prefer to use. I don't really want yet another full-up computer (laptop or desktop). The IPP is a conceptually lighter-weight machine that still has sketch capability and the screen size I'm looking for.

I'm thrilled that Microsoft is pushing the envelope with the SB, and I really hope the manufacturers of Windows computers take the hint. If I were looking for one, do-everything machine I'd be seriously thinking about the SB or the SP4.

 

[jsavvy]

sjleworthy is right, it's all subjective and depends on use case. I was disappointed in the iPad Pro announcement. I was hoping for something closer to Apple's version of the Surface Pro. I love both my Macbook Air and my iPad Air, but I frequently find myself wishing they were the same device so I don't have to switch between the two. Microsoft's new products, as of now, are where I am going next.

 

[Old geek 959]

 

[sjleworthy]

Im completely missing the point of that picture

 

[Skylitfly]

Not really.

I like iOS way more than any "full OS" at the moment. Simple and intuitive. While there certainly are few things missing like a proper file system. For me personally that isn't a problem since I've noticed that even on my Mac I mostly store my stuff directly to the dropbox folder so that goes as a file system replacement for iPad. Also, I'm studying design so my workflow is mostly about sketching, illustration and making presentations, mind maps, mood boards etc. All this can be done easily on iPad Pro.

My iPad workflow relies on apps like:

MS Word / Pages
MS Powerpoint / Keynote
Pixelmator (This is basically a Photoshop for iPad, especially when combined wih the other apps.)
ProCreate
Curator
Adobe CC suite for iPad
Dropbox, Google Drive etc.
Scanner Pro
Genius Sign
Notes and Reminders
Photos app
Camera

I'm even planning on selling my Mac and start using the iPad Pro as my main workhorse if it can fulfill the promises. Time will tell.

 

[Kal-037]

Sounds great Microsoft, I love this... the more each company tries to one up the other we get the better results.
... and no, even with the specs and features of the Surface devices, i'm still going for the iPad Pro.

Kal.

 

[peterpan123]

Although I have been an Apple user since Apple II, this time I would consider buying the Surface Pro 4 or Surface Book. I have a Galaxy Note PRO. I use stylus daily. I don't like to carry a large tablet and a 15 rMBP along with some other stuffs on a daily basis. If they could run Mac OS as well as Windows via bootcamp, that would be perfect.

 

[BornAgainMac]

At work, I hear people's Surface Pro fans always kick on and they are loud. I prefer the Macbook or the iPad Pro to the Surface at least until they resolve those noisy fans and on both the iOS and Mac side I have more software that I normally run anyways. I am not sure what I would run in Windows that is not game related anymore except maybe Office 2016, Visual Studio, and SQL Server. Just need a VM for that stuff.

 

[Cape Dave]

Microsoft, you hit a grand slam. Kudos. I was not sure you had it in you, but you proved me quite wrong. Well done. The gauntlet has been laid down.

On a simpler note, please notice the KEYBOARD with the Surface Pro 4. Backlit. Decent keys, real trackpad. Apple has not managed to do that with the iPad.

I cannot even get an Apple wireless backlit keyboard with a full set of keys for my iMac. (no num pad).

Sorry Apple, your keyboards are not what they should be.

I will be checking out both new MS products before I buy anything more.

And while I am at it, does Lenovo have a freaking patent on sculpted keys? It is so clearly a better key I am surprised that no one else does it.

Please companies, look at the Lenovo keboards!

 

[urkel]

Does the Surface Book have any one second thinking the iPad Pro?

No. I'm still getting an iPad Pro. But.....

SurfaceBook?!? This is EXACTLY the machine that Apple should've come out with. But instead of a forward thinking product then we got what? A thinner and less capable MacBook at a higher price. Hoorah.

I actually bought a Surface Pro 3 this summer (and sold it a few months later). My biggest lesson in that purchase is this:
1) Windows concept of "Tablet + Computer" isn't perfect but its not wrong.
2) Touchscreen works fine on desktop OS
3) Apple isn't as far ahead as people out here think
4) Apple succes is blinding them (and their fans) from the rest of the world


I know that the more vocal people out here won't accept that anyone is doing anything cool except Apple. But I do hope that one day we do see a convertible OS X machine some day because its a good concept that Apple (and Apple fans) shouldn't ignore.

 

[max2]

As a Surface Pro 3 owner I will say this.....The Surface makes for an 'ok' laptop, and a terrible tablet. For those that think you can use the Surface to replace your iPad, I think you might be disappointed. There are almost no good tablet apps available. And before you say "what about all of the regular Windows apps you can run?"; most don't work well in tablet mode.

You will find you barely use it as a tablet. In that case it becomes a mediocre laptop.

This is true that is why I returned my Surface 3 for now.

 

[QCassidy352]

What I have never understood is why a hybrid device is the goal. I like having both a laptop and a tablet, as both are purpose built and excellent at what they're supposed to be. The surface book looks like the best hybrid yet, but it will still give up a lot as a tablet, starting with that abysmal 3 Hr battery life in tablet mode.

And what's the big advantage to it being in one device? Other than price (as compared to buying both a laptop and a tablet), I can't think of one. In fact, having two devices has a fair number of inherent advantages.

 

[Robstevo]

The problem with the SP Book is that once you pull the screen off the keyboard, you loose the power of the GPU. So it's a compromise - either needing to be a laptop, with decent specs, or a tablet with ok specs. It is not going to be both. And drawing on a laptop screen is about as challenging of a thing to do as you can get, unless you have herculean strength to hold you hand up in the air AND maintain fine motor skills necessary to draw on-screen.

I think Apple recognized that the iPad Pro was going to become a Wacom competitor, more than a touch-screen laptop sort of thing. Just seeing how they market it tells me Apple recognizes the difficulty in using a touch screen laptop, while Microsoft pretends that it's no issue (while mostly showing people how they use their devices with keyboards connected...

Having the Option of having a GPU though is Far better than not having any option at all.

It's not a compromise, It's a design choice. If they had the GPU in the main chassis, They would have had to put a bigger, more powerful fan inside the tablet form.

The specs in the tablet part of the device along is far better than the macbook and is currently better than the macbook air. So how is that only just "ok" specs?

 

[cbautis2]

Yeah. With it's horrendous problems with privacy (i.e. phoning home about absolutely everything) I'm not the biggest fan of Windows 10. But, that said, you can turn pretty much all of that nasty stuff off, if you're diligent about it and prepared to sacrifice some less important features. Still not as good as OS X, but getting pretty close.

Any OS is better than Windoze 10. Even Symbian OS is better than that POS.

 

[robertopod1968]

When you pull off the keyboard surface book has integrated graphics. Just like a iPad, and MacBook. Unlike them though, you can hook up the keyboard with the gpu in it and get serious graphic performance. It's really an awesome achievement.

 

[JayHova]

I was very impressed today by Microsoft. So much that I plan to ditch my macbook pro for the Surface Book. The only thing thats holding me back is real-world battery usage. In my past experience using windows laptops, I've never experienced the advertised numbers. Apple always comes close to the advertised times.

I do plan to keep using my iPad and iPhone. I'm a huge fan of iOS.

 

[username:]

Am I the only one that thinks the surface book looks gross?

 

[sjleworthy]

Am I the only one that thinks the surface book looks gross?

no. i dont particularly thinks it's appealing to look at either.

i was so hoping for not only a spec jump, which it had, but a beautifully larger, thinner more elegant body. it's basically the same as last year. a chunky slab. really really put me off now. no chance. complete function over form. same goes for that new laptop thing too.