Microsoft has outdone itself yet again. I have never seen a company do what they do best with so much passion before. And what has Microsoft done to receive so much praise, you might ask. Copied Apple…
Here’s a hypothetical situation..
Steve Jobs : Lets make a new product. A product that will start a revolution. A product who’s sophistication stems from it’s simplicity. A product that the world’s never even dreamt of before.
A Product That Will Put A Dent In The Universe.
Microsoft : Let’s wait till Apple launches their product, and we’ll copy it. Except we’ll add bad software.
Yes. The Surface is just hopeless from every angle. Microsoft started having problems with it in their keynote itself. And might I add, after 10 minutes of droning, Ballmer finally revealed the Surface and stated, "The only way to make good products is to have the hardware and software push each other".
If anyone has read Steve’s biography, they know who’s ideology this is. Hell, even their keynote was a copy of Apple’s, minus the class and swag and revolutionary product of course. Their "tablet" is basically a laptop with a touch screen and a pen.
Now, from a neutral point of view,
iPad vs Surface
The table pretty much sums it up everything. To make it simpler, I’ll compare the Windows RT version as Microsoft hopes to make it the marquee tablet in their stable.
Weight
iPad beats Surface
The iPad wins by 14 grams, which isn’t much. Unless you’re below 50 lbs and anorexic, the difference shouldn’t really matter.
Thickness
iPad loses to Surface
By 0.1 mm, the Surfaces edges the iPad. Again, this shouldn’t matter either as both the tablets are extremely sleek.
Display
iPad beats Surface
The iPad pummels the Surface with it’s revolutionary retina display.
Battery
iPad beats Surface
On paper, the 10 hour battery life of the iPad makes the 31.5 watt hour Surface battery look microscopic(pun intended). But as the Surface hasn’t been tested yet, we cannot make rash pronouncements.
Interfaces
iPad loses to Surface
The Surface has all the important ports, mainly USB 2.0 and Micro SD in the RT and a USB 3.0 with Micro SD in the Windows 8. The iPad can be used for transferring pictures from a USB through a splitter, but is limited to pictures only.
Memory
iPad loses to Surface
As we’re comparing the RT to the iPad, both are configurable to 64 GB flash memory. However, the RT has 2 GB of RAM, twice as much as the iPad.
CPU
It is difficult and near impossible to compare the A5X to the NVIDIA T30 without hands on testing. So we will probably put them as equal
UI
iPad beats Surface
This section changes from person to person. However, common logic suggests that a person moving from Microsoft to Apple will adapt but the other way round can be counted as pure, inhumane torture.
Once you go Apple, you never go back.
Apps
iPad beats Surface
Apple demolishes Microsoft in this. With near infinite number of apps, Apple provides unlimited utility with your iPad.
From games to guides to bar code readers and so much more. From Microsoft’s point of view, their product comes with Microsoft Office Home and Student RT 2013.
Looks
iPad beats Surface
This is a no brainer. The iPad 3 is the best looking tablet on the market and it will remain that way until the iPad 4.
The Smaller Things That Matter
The Stand
Microsoft is making such a big deal about the stand and I honestly don’t see why. The iPad has one too, disguised to the magnetic cover, also disguised as a Sleep / Wake button (Copied by Microsoft in the Surface).
The stand just adds more bulk to the Surface and is unnecessary. If you’re whacking the magnetic cover idea, might as well copy the whole thing.
The Keyboard
Tablets are tablets for a reason. They do not need keyboards. That’s why they have a touch screen. Otherwise, there’d be no difference between a PC with a touch screen and a tablet.
Tablets are meant for use everywhere. They are easily portable and neat. I can hardly imagine the need for a separate keyboard on the iPad I’m using right now. Besides, the keyboard is rendered useless once you flip your tablet to the vertical position.
The Pen
The Surface uses a pen. The iPad uses and I quote, "The best pointing device known to man, a finger.".
Printing
The Surface’s USB port allows it to print through any printer. However, the iPad doesn’t fall way behind as it can print through AirPrint enabled printers.
Overview
The Surface might have what it takes, on paper. Microsoft Office and Student RT 2013 Preview are essential for work. The keyboard, albeit unnecessary, is a fresh change from current tablets. Compatibility with all your old Windows files and a familiar environment for the Windows user are added advantages.
The USB port and Micro SD card reader enable it to transfer data easily. However, this is where Apple comes in. In an age where CDs and pen drives are considered old fashioned and cloud computing is considered the best and safest way to store data, Apple has the Cloud. Simple, Efficient, Safe.
It transfers all your data automatically to your other Apple devices and you can store everything up in the Cloud to prevent the risk of losing your data.
Final Verdict
Whatever Microsoft claims the Surface has over the iPad can be simply overcome or is unnecessary. The iPad is still the most dominant tablet on the market today and will further strengthen its hold this April with the next generation.
Another important aspect is, Microsoft has priced Surface in similar range as iPad, which erodes an important “value for money” advantage, that could have gone Surface’s way
However, in no way is the Surface a bad tablet, it actually might be the second best on the market today. If you are already a Windows user, looking for half a PC, half a tablet and don’t want to go through the pain of reformatting your files to work on iOS, go for the Surface.
[About the Author: Ganesh Agni Jasthi is a fifteen year old who has an opinion on everything and plans on putting a dent in the universe.
A tenth grader from Bangalore, studying in National Public School, Indiranagar, Agni is an avid writer, sportsman and entrepreneur who hopes his work will make a change somewhere, somehow, someday.]
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4 Comments
pratik
Nice writing….but disagree with the conclusion…i'm purely a microsoft and nokia fan…apple is living on its blind fan following…apple made iphone once…got so much appreciation…great UI and apps support…agree…but than what…where's innovation???…its 0…apple brought ipad with "retina display"…its a SAMSUNG's creation supplied to apple…(u can search on net)…iphone 5….again nothing new…mark my words…this apple-mania is just for 2 more years…let nokia's lumia 920 get launched…which i think is really innovative…!! Dear Apple,you can't sell the same phone every year in different looks…!
Raghavendra Kopalle
Such a naive article!
"Tablets are tablets for a reason. They do not need keyboards. That’s why they have a touch screen. Otherwise, there’d be no difference between a PC with a touch screen and a tablet. Tablets are meant for use everywhere. They are easily portable and neat. I can hardly imagine the need for a separate keyboard on the iPad I’m using right now. Besides, the keyboard is rendered useless once you flip your tablet to the vertical position."
1) Show me an All-in-one PC with a touch screen like you said which you can lug around in a bag, run without external power supply! Sorry I wasn't aware of an All In One PC of that sort!
2) Heard of Asus Transformer? It was a run away success because of its keyboard. People are dumping(not in India yet) Desktops & Laptops these days for tablets. Typing a long mail or some document with the on screen keyboard is such a pain. Manufacturers are not selling keyboards for no reason. Unless you have a tablet just for playing games ofcourse!
"The Surface uses a pen. The iPad uses and I quote, "The best pointing device known to man, a finger." "
1) Apple is a master salesman! The fanboys may drool over their stuff but lets get real. Check out the stylus on Galaxy Note for example, how useful it is. Try making some sketches/notes/etc with the so called "finger" that apple refers to, surely you will show your finger to the one who gave that statement. Styluses are not mere pointing/selection devices like they were when touch screens(resistive ones) were first introduced. Any entry level tab with capacitive touch works perfectly with "fingers". Stylus serves a different purpose. Kindly "Note" this.
Having a proper USB is bloody useful! You conveniently swept that aside.
Coming to Apps, wait for the Windows 8 version of Surface. You will have loads of fully blown software not just cr'apps'!
Agni Jasthi
Not So Dear Mr Raghavendra,
1) The Lenovo Yoga is an "all in one PC which you can lug around in a bag". And yes, it has a touch screen too. The only reason you weren't aware of such a device is because you made no effort towards having a well informed debate.
2) Secondly, when you're talking about the iPad, calling the Asus Transformer, which I'm very well aware of, is like comparing a band that plays at Indian weddings to the Beatles for God's sake. (Mild exaggeration intended) Also, would you please tell me, out of the billion tablets consumers have purchased so far, how many have bought keyboards to attach because "typing with on screen keyboards is such a pain".
Now, the stylus may be useful for sketching down something but how frequently do you have to do that on your tablet? I can't possibly imagine whipping out a stylus every time I use a 9.7 inch tablet. And have you, by any chance, considered the possibility of the Galaxy Note NOT being a tablet? I have compared tablets here and you, are bringing a knife to a gun fight. Why do you think the Galaxy Tab 2 doesn't come with a stylus? Because, IT'S A TABLET.
Your argument of not being able to sketch is just a little weed in the beautiful garden of "Apples". I have merely scratched the "Surface" here.
Having a USB is pretty damn useful, but so is an automatic backup system that makes sure you get all your files on all your devices and never lose anything to system crashes, which are pretty common in PC's, don't you think?
Thank you, but no thank you. While you keep waiting for Windows 8 or any other software that you feel will better Apple's, I'll bide my time staring at the new 2048 by 1536 resolution iPad 4 screen, which is unrivaled, btw.
And now, for the finish. The above comparison was between the iPad 3 and the Surface. I dare you to compare the iPad 4 with the Surface and not declare the iPad as the winner.
Praveen
Just another biased article. This kid has an article which is just like Vadlamani's