Technology & Social Media Surface Pro 4 or iPad Pro?

Hey guys

Have a first world dilemma.

My trusty work iPad is on the way out (dropped too many times and is barely functional) so would like to upgrade before EOFY.

I was just going to buy a new iPad but the Surface Pro has gotten me a little excited.

Anyone own one? What are your thoughts? From the limited research I've done - it seems far superior for "work stuff" than an iPad given it's basically a laptop running windows 10.

Any feedback, pros/cons would be appreciated.

Cheers

Jamie

 

We're currently migrating all our office machines to the Surface Pro 4.

With a docking station it can act as a fully powered desktop. Keyboard, mouse and dual monitors. It's also highly portable as a tablet or lap top. Combine it with cloud storage for all your files.

The Stylus Pen works very well. Handwriting recognition is excellent. We can sign documents directly onto the computer.

The only advantage the iPad has (that I can see) is an integrated SIM card. Not a real problem as you can use your mobile phone for internet access.

 

let me start by saying that historically I HATE laptops with a passion, they are underpowered and as a developer that just will not do for me.

The Surface Pro has completely blown me away, It's the first portable machine I have ever used that covers my needs. I push this thing hard and I have not broken it yet.

Work have just hooked me up with a second one now which is off the domain so I can install other development tools on it (doing some Raspberry Pi (of course) dev for work on it).

I will honestly and happily shout my support for the Surface Pro's to anyone who is considering one.

 

Awesome feedback - thanks heaps guys.

I'm probably going to get the i5 version - that should suit fine.

I was looking at the 128GB i5 - the storage should be plenty (don't have much media, etc that I'd need to store on there).

So my next question is - do you think there'd be much difference in 8GB of ram compared to 4GB? The price difference is $500 (you also get twice as much storage with the 8GB ram model though)

Cheers

Jamie

 

A couple of exec's where I work use them and they're Ok although i'm sticking with my laptop. My impression is the Surface is trying to be too much. From my observations, a few colleagues have had problems with them (software corruptions, hardware failures) so the company had to purchase a couple of extra replacement devices.

Some people like them but not me. A laptop better suits my needs as a 'power user'. Each to their own.

 

What are you doing with it?

I5 is a good choice, I7 is only really a beneficial architecture for video editing, I5 is fine for everything else.

I run 8 gig in all my windows devices but as previously stated i'm a coder (predominantly involved with analytics so maths heavy) and I tend to push my devices pretty hard.

If you are using it for presentations and simple basic spreadsheeting then 4 is fine, if you plan to do any financial modeling on it then the extra 4 gig wouldn't hurt but it's up to you if you think it's worth another half a grand.

 

oh you know - surfing property chat

Pretty much emails, spreadsheets, net browsing, a bit of video watching/streaming. I have some broker software that uses lotus notes.

I won't be editing photos on it - or gaming, etc.

Mostly just work stuff.

Cheers

Jamie

 

I got the i7 for the extra hard drive storage. The extra processor speed is not really required. Most of the office is on the i5 with 256MB HDD, 8GB RAM.

The 8GB RAM is nice, but knowing the applications you run, you're unlikely to need it. It's more for the offline databases that you'd see any performance difference.

 

I've been using a Surface Pro 3, i5, 8GB, 256GB for the past months. I often have 20+ browser windows open, multiple Word, Excel docs, and sometimes Visio and Project. It's been mostly ok. I definitely use it as a laptop and desktop replacement though, not a tablet - the times I've tried to use it as a tablet have made me aware of just how good the iPad interface is as a tablet (i have an old iPad Air that is still going very well). I have it setup with two external displays and docking station. Haven't missed anything desktopy since getting it.

I'd go nuts with the Windows interface and Surface as a tablet. Don't like it at all. But conversely I hate using the iPad Air as a pretend laptop that it simply isn't. I've no knowledge of the iPad Pro though.

 

I've had the Surface Pro 4 i5 for about a month and no regrets. It's been great and works well as a deck top with dual monitors. I think you will like it.

 

Thanks guys.

Would it be practical to rest on a treadmill/cross trainer when exercising or a bit too big?

Cheers

Jamie

 

Little bit too large for that. An iPad mini would be better for that. The SP4 is more like a desktop/laptop/large tablet solution. Not suitable for exercise. Deb is currently using hers for watching videos.

 

I just bought the new iPad Pro (same screen size as my old iPad but a bit shorter in height and lighter - so more portable than the large Pro).

Huge improvement on my first gen iPad!

Bought it before going overseas so claimed the GST back at the airport.

 

Thanks heaps guys - think I'll go and grab the i5 256 GB today.

Cheers

Jamie

 

Sounds perfect for your needs .

 

Ahhhh Geoff.......

I'm actually flying up to their tomorrow to check in on @Rolf Latham

Cheers

Jamie

 

Ok - so I've only owned this thing for 8 hours but I think I'm in love It's incredible! I've done a couple of hours work and it has no issues keeping up with my broker software/demands.

I've also downloaded some apps - I practically replicated the apps that were on my old iPad (podcasts, social media, etc) and they all function great. I love that you can simply switch from a laptop view/function to tablet view/function by removing the keyboard (which just snaps in and out easily).

The battery life is superior compared to my toshiba laptop - and it seems to operate much quicker than it.

I love how I can log in via facial recognition.

It's light, reasonably compact and easy to carry around. I purchased a cover for it -which has added a fair bit of wait and made it more chunky. I'm still debating whether I need it (I know it's practical and could prevent some tears if I drop it - but it's also doubling the size of the device).

I think I'll actually be able to mount the screen on my treadmill/cross trainer's iPad stand without the risk of it falling off so that's a bonus.

All in all - I went in to buy a replacement tablet but now I have no use for my laptop either :-0 It could also replace my office desktop if I purchased the docking station and plugged in a larger monitor/keyboard/mouse.

This little machine is incredible! Kicking myself for not getting one earlier.

Thanks again for all the advice. It's appreciated!

Cheers

Jamie

 

They are great!!!

 

I run a Surface Pro 3, I'm a bit behind the times.

I'm happy with mine, but I'll probably upgrade to the Surface Book next time round. It's not a lot bigger and heavier, but adds a better keyboard.

I agree that the docking station is great. It's one plug on the Surface to connect power and further ports, so you can go from tablet to desktop easily.