Real world experience: Surface RT vs iPad

[Luminatic]

You might not understand that, but actually I dislike too many notifications from too many places, they stress me out as more often than not,they give me the feeling if having to check them instead of wanting that. Even the notification light on my old HTC wildfire made me nervous! So, I would be one of those persons who would switch off the notifications and actively go and check the contents I'm interested in when I want and not when my device tells me to. Therefore, I'm happy with my favourites.

Understand me or not, but instant notification is not an advantage to everybody.

 

[martinmc78]

You have your opinion, I respect that, but you're in an extremely small minority there who thinks that. Try searching for 'Facebook' on the Windows Phone store, you'll see some 20 different apps; all garbage.

Sorry but this discussion is supposed to be about Real world experience surface rt vs iPad. Seeing as you have already admitted in a previous post that you don't own a tablet what can you contribute to this discussion? All you have managed to do is steer the discussion into how you think an apple product is better without even having used the product yourself.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Sorry but this discussion is supposed to be about Real world experience surface rt vs iPad. Seeing as you have already admitted in a previous post that you don't own a tablet what can you contribute to this discussion? All you have managed to do is steer the discussion into how you think an apple product is better without even having used the product yourself.

I'm also talking about 'real world' here, not 'dream world'. And 'not own' doesn't mean 'not used'. Not owning has nothing to do it. I've spent enough time with both products.

 

[michfan]

But those 10 favourites won't give you notifications. Apps will do that. If you get a message on Twitter, an app will notify you of that. Otherwise you'll have to open Twitter.com again and again and see if there's a notification or not.

Huh, am I just imagining things when Messaging notifies me if I get a new message, or when Xbox Smartglass notifies me if I'm signed onto an Xbox? How much attention do you think my kids really pay to all the stupid notices they get from their iPad apps? We get it, you love your sound engine, 250,000 apps and app notifications. Accept that we've outgrown our iPads and prefer Surface. Whereas you don't own a Surface, most if not all of us own/owned iPads and speak from a lot of experience with both tablets.

 

[ammarmalik2011]

Huh, am I just imagining things when Messaging notifies me if I get a new message, or when Xbox Smartglass notifies me if I'm signed onto an Xbox? How much attention do you think my kids really pay to all the stupid notices they get from their iPad apps? We get it, you love your sound engine, 250,000 apps and app notifications. Accept that we've outgrown our iPads and prefer Surface. Whereas you don't own a Surface, most if not all of us own/owned iPads and speak from a lot of experience with both tablets.

Look if you can't listen to the other side of the story then stop complaining and come up with a better argument. I thought this thread is to compare which is better; not a thread where we circlejerk about the Surface RT.

 

[ChMar]

Look if you can't listen to the other side of the story then stop complaining and come up with a better argument. I thought this thread is to compare which is better; not a thread where we circlejerk about the Surface RT.

Yes but the thread was supposed to be about real life experience. In the sense that you compare those 2 products(they are complete products not just OSs) by the way they are used one against the other in practice(not how one would use of other speculations). If this thread degenerates to a point where apple is so great we get no where.

Comparing real life experiences while subjective by nature is more to the earth and appropriate than comparing some number out of context(like resolution and number of apps) which beside evangelists of the OSs in question no one cares.

iPad has great ppi and resolution. Is it the best solution? No of course not, I won't sell my tv to watch movies on my ipad Do document look better? do web pages look better? that's subjective and real case examples from people can make others judge from them self.

Same for the number of apps. No one uses anymore throw the dice, ifart, flip coin and that sort of apps. Comparing numbers is out of context and pointless in most cases as it's not a comparison of real life cases that people report. Its more an what if scenario and those scenarios go no where.

So please stick to real life examples not if cases or out of context number comparison. Better arguments do not mean comparing numbers mindlessly or what if scenarios that are not common or relevant to day to day uses of those devices.

 

[Dratwister]

I'll go for a wedding foto trips with my friends for some days. She bride is basically a Apple fan, she's using a iPhone5, a Macbook and an iMac, now she's considering a mini iPad, but she's struggling with my surface RT and she asked if she could use my surface on this trip to test it out. I said yes.

Of course I'll recommend her the ipad so she can get a unified UX throughout her products. But well, just to see if the surface can get her interest, like many of my friends did too after looking at my surface.

 

[GSOgymrat]

I have both Surface RT and iPad. Familiarity is more relevant than "intuition." How do you close a program on an iPad? You double click the home button, hold on the program you want to close until a red minus symbol appears and then press that. On Windows 8 you swipe the screen from top to bottom. How is either of those procedures more intuitive to someone who is unfamiliar to computers? Similarly when I picked up a Android tablet I could not figure out how to start the internet browser. Apparently the app is called "Chrome." How was I "intuitively" supposed to know that? What does chrome have to do with the internet?

I also feel that the number of apps available is much less important than having quality apps users want. When I first got an iPad I quickly realized that the vast majority of apps are fluff and variations of themselves. Type "photo" into the Apple app store and how many iPad apps come up? 16,076. How many apps do I need? One. Most people are not going to complain if Microsoft's app store doesn't have 500,000 apps but they WILL complain if it doesn't have the quality apps they want. Overall I prefer using my Surface to my iPad but I am disappointed every time I read books on my Surface because the reading apps on Surface SUCK compared to iPad, just like iPad not having native flash support is a repeated source of irritation.

Returning to the purpose of this thread, the main reason I prefer Surface to iPad is because Surface allows me to carry a tablet and an ereader instead of a tablet, an ereader and a laptop. I could not get by just carrying my iPad because if I wanted to type something of any substance I wanted a keyboard. I still use USB devices such as flash drives, cameras, etc. I dislike cases for phones and tablets (making something you hold in one hand heavier and bulkier makes no sense to me) so I was always trying to find something with which to prop up the iPad and the kickstand on the Surface is a seemingly little feature that was a revelation when I started using it. Surface was exactly what I wanted-- a tablet that also has some laptop productivity.

For example, I was at work and my boss wanted me to work on a project that involved incorporating some Word documents from different websites. The computers in my department use Windows XP and Word 2003 and I was having difficulty trying to use some of the online documents. Fortunately my Surface RT came with Word 2013 so I was able to crank out a 50 page report with my Touch Cover keyboard, email it to my boss and upload it to Skydrive for safe keeping. I would not have even attempted that on my iPad.

 

[Luminatic]

Good Explanation on the word "intuitive" when it comes to OS experience, I couldn't have explained it better (But I'm not a native English speaker, so I don't worry).
For now, I only used my Surface at home - we're not allowed to bring our own gadgets to the office and connect them to our Network (Fear of data theft is too high, especially in Banks).

But I'll take it to a holiday trip and will use it to feed my People left at home with photos and travelling reports. The type cover will be very useful for that.

In a way, my Surface RT is, for the Moment, more like a netbook replacement than a tablet to me. This might change when I'm back home from my holiday and show all my Pictures to Family and friends. :wink: (Sorry for using so many capitals, autocorrect is switched to german and I'm too lazy to change it)

 

[someoneinwa]

GSOgymrat:
Thank you for this real world example. I have enjoyed all of the similar examples. While I have enjoyed the civil debate generated by my report on a recent work experience, it does seem that someone was trying to hijack the thread for yet another Apple is better thread. Apple is a great company, founded by a visionary, quirky, egomaniacal genius, that makes attractive, popular and expensive products. I don't begrudge Apple anything and I know many Apple users like the frequent poster here who are quite devoted to the company. Good for them. The purpose of my OP was to share how the more beleaguered Surface RT is actually quite capable in real work situations, and in the instance I reported, offered me greater efficiency than my colleague with an iPad. My second post in this thread about a rather symbiotic relationship between my RT and my Lumia was offered in the spirit of that same real world example.

Now, if there is a thread here about how many apps are required for a phone OS to be considered successful, please point me there. I think I want to join that debate.

 

[NickA]

You have your opinion, I respect that, but you're in an extremely small minority there who thinks that. Try searching for 'Facebook' on the Windows Phone store, you'll see some 20 different apps; all garbage.

The biggest issue for me with the Windows Phone Store, is how some developers use actual trademarked names. I saw an app call "CNN" the other day. I'm not sure how they are able to get away with that.

Actually it does. It's what has propelled iOS and Android to the top and it's the single biggest hinderance in the way of Windows Phone and RT gaining any momentum. Go to Windows Phone.com and see the very big '130,000' apps sign. Tell Microsoft it's a meaningless number.

My quote in context was that a platform doesn't need 250k apps to succeed, just that 1 app that 1 person is looking for. MS could have 130k apps, but if someone is looking for Instagram it doesn't matter. If there are a million people who would buy a Windows 8 Phone if it had Instagram, then those other 129,999 apps are meaningless to those 1 million people.

 

[NickA]

Now, if there is a thread here about how many apps are required for a phone OS to be considered successful, please point me there. I think I want to join that debate.

FYI: Threads get derailed sometimes, that's how a forum works. It's called a discussion, and there is some real good discussion going on here right now. This is one of the few threads I have seen that hasn't turned in to "my <insert OS/device here> is better than your <insert derogatory remark here>" type of thread.

 

[michfan]

iPad in my office: EIS won't allow iPad to access WiFi unless it is a company-provided device
Surface in my office: Connect to WiFi, enter ID and password, good to go

iPad when traveling: need to e-mail myself any files that I may want to use, due to company limit on email file size there are many files I can't bring, need to use "Office compatible" apps that don't work seamlessly
Surface when traveling: Load up files on micro SD card and/or bring USB stick. Native Office support works perfectly. Charges my cell phone via USB if needed.

iPad at customer locations: Rarely able to use company WiFi. Need to bring laptop to drive presentations and use large files that exceeded company limit for emails.
Surface at customer locations: No problems connecting to WiFi. No need to bring laptop, hooks up to projector and runs native ppt. Plug in USB hub and have multiple USB sticks, mouse and a remote control all working at once, in addition to Bluetooth keyboard.

I was in a meeting where the laptop being used crapped out. Plenty of tablets in the room -- iPad, Android and me the lone Surface. I was the only one who could step in and run the meeting from my tablet. One Android owner muttered at a break that he could do the same with his tablet, when I invited him to take over he wasn't interested in trying.

 

[dgr_874]

iPad in my office: EIS won't allow iPad to access WiFi unless it is a company-provided device
Surface in my office: Connect to WiFi, enter ID and password, good to go

iPad when traveling: need to e-mail myself any files that I may want to use, due to company limit on email file size there are many files I can't bring, need to use "Office compatible" apps that don't work seamlessly
Surface when traveling: Load up files on micro SD card and/or bring USB stick. Native Office support works perfectly. Charges my cell phone via USB if needed.

iPad at customer locations: Rarely able to use company WiFi. Need to bring laptop to drive presentations and use large files that exceeded company limit for emails.
Surface at customer locations: No problems connecting to WiFi. No need to bring laptop, hooks up to projector and runs native ppt. Plug in USB hub and have multiple USB sticks, mouse and a remote control all working at once, in addition to Bluetooth keyboard.

I was in a meeting where the laptop being used crapped out. Plenty of tablets in the room -- iPad, Android and me the lone Surface. I was the only one who could step in and run the meeting from my tablet. One Android owner muttered at a break that he could do the same with his tablet, when I invited him to take over he wasn't interested in trying.

So what you are saying is that its a better device for work. I think most people would agree that if you stay in the Microsoft ecosystem, work is a lot easier to get done. Most people only used ipads for work because it was the only high quality device out there, not because it ran Microsoft apps better than anything else. What those people found out after buying an ipad, was that it was far and away better for consuming information than it was for creating it. So while they grudgingly used it for creation, they found a lot of joy in the consumption side of it. The surface has the creation side nailed down pretty well. Office on the go is a great product, no question. But, its failing on the consumption part. Xbox music is a disaster, Windows RT app store is sluggish at best, etc. Microsoft has to step up the consumption side of the house or it wont be successful in my opinion.

 

[GSOgymrat]

The surface has the creation side nailed down pretty well. Office on the go is a great product, no question. But, its failing on the consumption part. Xbox music is a disaster, Windows RT app store is sluggish at best, etc. Microsoft has to step up the consumption side of the house or it wont be successful in my opinion.

You make a good point. Xbox Music is certainly Microsoft's fault. Unfortunately part of the problem has been the apps produced by other companies, or not produced, and I don't know how much influence Microsoft has with these app developers. As I mentioned before, the reading apps produced by Barnes and Noble and Amazon are nothing like for Apple and Android. It is not enough for companies to make an app for Windows 8/RT or WP, it needs to be as good as the apps for the competition.

 

[berty6294]

Idk what xbox music is like for somebody who doesn't have the Xbox music pass... but as somebody who DOES use the music pass, Xbox music is a gift from heaven! If I play something I like on my pc at home, I add it to my collection. Turn on my surface at school and BAM there it is! Right in my collection! If I want to play that file when I'm offline I just download it real quick and its available whenever I want! Even on my phone everything shows up nicely! If I not want to have to stream a particular album I just download it to my phone and its available without using my data.

I don't understand everyones fuss over this.

 

[GSOgymrat]

I don't understand everyones fuss over this.

Please allow me to explain the fuss. I transitioned from Zune Music Pass to Xbox Music Pass. I listen to a lot of music and I loved Zune Music Pass, which was $14.99 per month including 10 songs I could download and own (I miss that plan). Zune desktop made it easy to organize your music, see which tracks you owned, chat with other Zune owners, etc. So when Microsoft announced the change to Xbox Music I anticipated it would have even more features. Unfortunately Xbox Music app was a step backwards.

- Initially Xbox Music app was unbelievably slow, particularly on Surface RT, and while it is still not fast it has at least become bearable.

- Initially I could not get Xbox Music to recognize my Windows phone and then when that problem was resolved the playlists would not synch properly, for example on my Surface I had playlist "Country Favs" and on my phone I had "Country Favs" listed 5 times with no tracks. I somehow got that resolved.

- Music management on Xbox Music is much more cumbersome than Zune desktop. How do I see a list of songs that I own rather than songs I have downloaded with Xbox Music Pass? How do I identify songs I like? Where are the little Zune hearts?

- The biggest problem I have at the moment is I can't change playlists on my phone and have those changes synch to my other devices.

- The social component of Zune is gone and nothing replaced it. With Spotify I can share songs and playlists with friends or on Facebook.

- Am I the only one who experiences a skip with every song I stream 5 second before the track ends?

I still use Xbox Music and Microsoft has made improvements. They have fixed some initial glaring problems-- I am now able to return to the home screen after exploring artists and they included a "Now Playing" list. I admit that part of my dissatisfaction with Xbox Music is that Zune worked perfectly and I am the victim of my own expectations.

 

[berty6294]

Please allow me to explain the fuss. I transitioned from Zune Music Pass to Xbox Music Pass. I listen to a lot of music and I loved Zune Music Pass, which was $14.99 per month including 10 songs I could download and own (I miss that plan). Zune desktop made it easy to organize your music, see which tracks you owned, chat with other Zune owners, etc. So when Microsoft announced the change to Xbox Music I anticipated it would have even more features. Unfortunately Xbox Music app was a step backwards.

- Initially Xbox Music app was unbelievably slow, particularly on Surface RT, and while it is still not fast it has at least become bearable.

- Initially I could not get Xbox Music to recognize my Windows phone and then when that problem was resolved the playlists would not synch properly, for example on my Surface I had playlist "Country Favs" and on my phone I had "Country Favs" listed 5 times with no tracks. I somehow got that resolved.

- Music management on Xbox Music is much more cumbersome than Zune desktop. How do I see a list of songs that I own rather than songs I have downloaded with Xbox Music Pass? How do I identify songs I like? Where are the little Zune hearts?

- The biggest problem I have at the moment is I can't change playlists on my phone and have those changes synch to my other devices.

- The social component of Zune is gone and nothing replaced it. With Spotify I can share songs and playlists with friends or on Facebook.

- Am I the only one who experiences a skip with every song I stream 5 second before the track ends?

I still use Xbox Music and Microsoft has made improvements. They have fixed some initial glaring problems-- I am now able to return to the home screen after exploring artists and they included a "Now Playing" list. I admit that part of my dissatisfaction with Xbox Music is that Zune worked perfectly and I am the victim of my own expectations.

- I agree with this point. It is a little slow, but it is getting faster and faster on RT. On desktop it runs just fine!

- I've never had a problem like that, just a glitch or something for you I guess

- I guess I'm one who would prefer one library to work from, but I believe you can screen your library to show just your local music or just your cloud music. Zune hearts.. people used those?

- Zune never offered this. Not a step backwards but parallel I guess. Id love the feature too I agree

- The social part of Zune was bs in my opinion. I didn't realize people liked it. For the most part I don't think anybody really cared.

- that is a problem I've had! Only while playing through Bluetooth in my car though... I thought I was alone with that too lol

I think you have valid points, but I think you are nitpicking. It's a new concept that's getting better and better. I hope with Blue it satisfies everybody

 

[dgr_874]

- I agree with this point. It is a little slow, but it is getting faster and faster on RT. On desktop it runs just fine!

- I've never had a problem like that, just a glitch or something for you I guess

- I guess I'm one who would prefer one library to work from, but I believe you can screen your library to show just your local music or just your cloud music. Zune hearts.. people used those?

- Zune never offered this. Not a step backwards but parallel I guess. Id love the feature too I agree

- The social part of Zune was bs in my opinion. I didn't realize people liked it. For the most part I don't think anybody really cared.

- that is a problem I've had! Only while playing through Bluetooth in my car though... I thought I was alone with that too lol

I think you have valid points, but I think you are nitpicking. It's a new concept that's getting better and better. I hope with Blue it satisfies everybody

I dont see how you can call any points that GSOgymrat brings up nitpicking. He was using a service that fit his needs pretty well and then Microsoft comes out and brags about how wonderful the new service is going to be that replaces it. Then, when the new service comes out, it has much less functionality then what it replaced. To top it off, Microsoft has been almost completely silent about what they are going to do to fix it. That hardly qualifies nitpicking in my book. Everyone has different needs from a service. You obviously find the service satisfactory. Many of us do not. For me, its the last straw. I wanted so bad to like windows phone. I have had 3 over the past year including a brand new lumia 920. But xbox music so mangled my experience that i dont even have it installed anymore. It changed track information without asking. It matched songs automatically that wasnt even close to what the real song was. The Zune software was pretty good and a majorty of people like it and want to go back to it.

 

[berty6294]

I dont see how you can call any points that GSOgymrat brings up nitpicking. He was using a service that fit his needs pretty well and then Microsoft comes out and brags about how wonderful the new service is going to be that replaces it. Then, when the new service comes out, it has much less functionality then what it replaced. To top it off, Microsoft has been almost completely silent about what they are going to do to fix it. That hardly qualifies nitpicking in my book. Everyone has different needs from a service. You obviously find the service satisfactory. Many of us do not. For me, its the last straw. I wanted so bad to like windows phone. I have had 3 over the past year including a brand new lumia 920. But xbox music so mangled my experience that i dont even have it installed anymore. It changed track information without asking. It matched songs automatically that wasnt even close to what the real song was. The Zune software was pretty good and a majorty of people like it and want to go back to it.

um because it is wonderful what they've done to music. Taking somebody's library and making it available on the cloud is awesome! What functionality did they take away? Cause the things he mentioned either belonged to the stupid "Social" aspect of Zune which was complete garbage or things Zune never even had to begin with!

You can turn off the song matching and cloud services if you so please to do and you're back to the basics which seems to be exactly what you want.