JAN
13, 2016 @ 02:23 PM 7,207 VIEWS
Microsoft
Slams Apple And Believes The Surface Pro Beats iPad Pro
Ewan
Spence , CONTRIBUTOR
I
look at the impact of mobile technology and online media.
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Opinions
expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
Which
is better, Apple’s iPad Pro or Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4?
Naturally Microsoft believes the latter is the winner, and its
argument is clear. The iPad Pro is little more than an oversized
companion device, while the Surface is the only game in town that
will do everything.
Senior
Communications Manager Dan Laycock pigeon-holed the iPad Pro as a
‘companion’ device at CES (reports Trusted Review’s Sean
Keach), implying that an iPad Pro user will always need to have
another computer to be fully productive.
Microsoft
really wants you to only carry one device for tablet and PC use,
whereas the iPad Pro is always going to be a companion device. The
strategies are very different.
“At
one point in time, Apple declared that if there’s a stylus, that’s
failure. We’re a huge believer in the pen; we know our customers
love it. So to see Apple do something that feels a little bit
similar, that is clearly skewed for a bigger screen, and more
productivity built in, and the ability to use a pen.
“We
don’t see it as a one-to-one comparison, because this is a full PC,
you’re running full apps.”
 |
| Microsoft Surface Pro 4 ( image : Ewan Spence ) |
Microsoft’s
principle with the Surface family is to provide a single device that
is suitable for various modes of use, be it tablet computing, a
portable laptop-styled device, or a desk-bound office machine. The
implication that the ‘mythical one machine ‘to rule them all is
the Surface Pro 4, and the iPad Pro is still living in the
gimmick-fuelled land of Cupertino.
Pointing
out that Microsoft has always believed in the pen is an interesting
angle. It’s right to do so, because with the Surface Pro 4′s pen
it final has the combination of weight, design, electronics and
ergonomics in place for a digital pen that works. But it took a lot
of time to get it right, and it is marketed as a key component of the
Surface range.
That
said, referring to Apple’s previous dismissal of the stylus and its
return in the iPad Pro (Steve Jobs’ famous “If you see a stylus,
they blew it”) is a bit below the belt. That quote should always be
put into context – it was highlighting early generation smartphones
with resistive screens that were rarely bigger than three inches, not
monster tablets like the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro 3 or Pro 4.
What’s
more important here is the broad thrust of Microsoft’s argument
that the Surface Pro 4 is able to be used for every task possible,
while the iPad Pro is a much more limited machine, thanks to running
iOS instead of a ‘desktop grade’ OS such as OSX or Windows 10. I
have a lot of time for this argument. I know that with my own
personal workflow I would not be able to do what needs to be done
using the iPad Pro (or any iOS device), including video edition,
audio editing, and live radio broadcasting.
But
everyone’s workflow is different and I acknowledge that mine is a
bit more specialised than most. The iPad Pro can accommodate a lot of
users. The volume of third-party apps have much to offer, including
Microsoft Office to ensure you can stay up to date with documents,
spreadsheets and powerpoints without too much hassle over file
formats and compatibility. But it is certainly a step down in
capability.
Microsoft
is rightly trying to ensure the conversation discussed is about
full-blown productivity apps and experiences, in which case the
Surface range will naturally come out on top. But that’s delivering
to the small subset of users who will need everything. I think the
majority of users are going to be happy with a more focused set of
apps and experiences. The iPad Pro manages email, IM, social media,
web browsing, and most office-based editing tasks.
As
always, it comes down to a consumer having a clear vision of what
they want to achieve with a new purchase, and then making smart
decisions after looking at what they need, not what they think they
need or what a manufacturer tells them they need.
The
Surface Pro 4 is focused on doing everything you will ever want to do
with a computer. The iPad Pro focuses on smaller set of features that
should offer you everything you need to do.
 |
| iPad Pro ( image : Apple.com ) |
Pushing
the Surface Pro 4 against the iPad Pro is a mismatched distraction,
but useful from a PR angle to establish the Surface portables and
their capabilities. The more interesting match-up would be the
Surface Book and the MacBook Pro. If there’s a head to head that
I’d love to run. It’s not a distraction, and if you’ll pardon
the pun it’s an apples-to-apples comparison.
It’s
also a battle where Microsoft’s hardware team simply need to get it
right.
