Surface 3 vs iPad

[saintforlife]

For anyone that has used both:

1. Does the Surface 3 wake up and go to sleep instantaneously like the iPad does....even when not used for days or weeks, or does Windows go into some sort of deep sleep mode?

2. The iPad has always been great with battery life for me. Just wondering what kind of battery life you are experiencing with the Surface 3.

I am trying to see if I can replace two devices (iPad and MacBook Air) with a single Surface 3. Hence the questions.

 

[eusty]

1. It's called connected standby, such does what it says really, although only store apps can take advantage of it, w32 apps just go into normal standby as on a PC.

2. Like you I was using a tablet and laptop, although Android and Windows and never use either anymore! I'm not sure what you do on your MacBook, but the screen size of the Surface maybe a factor?

Owning a Surface Pro 3 I'm not sure I'd like the Surface without the pen and the screen maybe a bit on the small side.

 

[Senrir]

It goes into sleep mode. It is win8.1 after all. Battery life is good - around 8 hrs

 

[alisaad619]

it goes to deep sleep if you left it too long (but even after deep sleep it will start fast) , the battery life of the Surface will be like the ipad (10 hours) but it will be less if you use heavy apps like Chrome and photoshop.

 

[jbs-horn]

I have an S3 and an iPad Air 2. For instant start and battery life the iPad is substantially better than the S3, though Microsoft may update the S3 to improve those. I also had a MacBook Air (now sold) and still have a MacBook Retina Pro. The S3 is amazingly versatile and could easily replace the MacBook/iPad combo, but you'd need a power outlet more frequently with the S3 than even the MacBook Retina Pro, which gets an honest ten hours on a charge (this is the Haswell processor version).

Another consideration would be how much you depend on Apple's "instant hotspot" feature. There is nothing like it on non-Apple platforms. There are less convenient workarounds.

 

[onlysublime]

Instant hotspot isn't that big of a deal.

You can usually access tethering on any kind of phone with a touch of a button whether it's Android, Windows Phone, etc. And then you only have to enter the password once in Windows and save it. and then in the future, just tap the tethering on and it auto connects to your Windows PC.

It really comes down to how you use your machine. The MacBook/iPad combo gets better performance but it's inconvenient to switch back and forth between 2 devices. I say switching back and forth is far more inconvenient than "instant hotspot". "I need to print a document, oh, let's switch to the MacBook." "I want to just lie in bed and web browse on a touchscreen, oh, got to switch to the iPad." And then going around the office, to the car, to the office, etc. and having to carry two sets of everything.

Sure, there are workarounds for everything (e.g., can print documents IF you have certain types of printers).

And the Surface machines have the great pen input. Be an artist. Be a writer. Be a student. All easy to do with a pen. For all the effort gone into pen input on an iPad, they're all still terrible. Writing with a crayon is terrible. Tried the Adonit and the Pogo Connect 2. Both are terrible even though they're highly rated (apparently, these people have never tried good options since they're stuck to Apple).

 

[taymur]

What do you sue the Ipad and MacBook Air for usually?

 

[SpartanApps]

Which devices are you using, model numbers if possible?

 

[saintforlife]

What do you sue the Ipad and MacBook Air for usually?

iPad for media consumption (YouTube, Netflix) and casual browsing when on the couch and on the bed.
MacBook Air is the personal computer I use at home - Emails, Photos, Office Applications, Web Browsing etc. Nothing too heavy.

 

[saintforlife]

Which devices are you using, model numbers if possible?

iPad Air (1st generation)

MacBook Air 2010 (1.8 GHz/4GB RAM/128 GB). It was my first Mac purchase and still the only Mac I have ever owned. The machine has held up surprising well for something that is 4.5 years old. Still boots up in less than 30 seconds and wakes up instantly from sleep and applications open quite fast. Battery life has also held up well. My main issue with the MacBook Air is the screen. The screen and the pixel density on this machine is quite pathetic when you compare it to some of the newer machines.

 

[jbs-horn]

Since Microsoft made Office available for the iPad, a big advantage to the Surface line was eliminated. Since I already had an Office 365 account, enabling all of the extra features such as revision marking that I need was automatic. So I can get real work done on an iPad, though it works best with an external keyboard. The Surface 3 works better in this mode, but not a lot better until it is time to print. Most of my work doesn't involve printing, so that's not much of a concern. Outlook is a totally different story. It only works properly linked to a Google Apps account in an enterprise context on the PC platform. I don't use it at all on any Apple device. This is the biggest advantage of the Surface.

onlysublime's reply made a very good point. No device does it all. There are work-arounds that enable the user to get by. That said, my first Surface 2 purchase was prompted by a really lousy experience drafting legal language using the Office-like apps then available as a work-around. I was convinced never to travel only with an iPad. Availability of MS Office has corrected the major problem.

Incidentally, any AirPrint capable printer (i.e. most HPs and Brothers) on the same network will print from an iPad. Other printers have apps for the iPad, though the experience is far less satisfying. The Surface line just work like a computer. Install the printer and it prints.

Similarly, you can tether the Surface to an iPhone using wifi or Bluetooth, provided that the phone is turned on and the screen is showing the "hotspot" page. A few extra steps is not a deal-breaker, but avoiding them is a welcome luxury. The more secure method - tethering the iPhone to the computer via USB can be done on either a Mac or a PC, provided the PC has iTunes installed. Philosophical issues aside, this is at least possible on the Surface 3 whereas it was impossible on the Surface 2. But for secure communications in a public setting, nothing beats Instant Hotspot. It enables me to communicate with the "mother ship" in time intervals that would be impossible using any of the work-arounds. Pull out the iPad without taking the phone out of my pocket. Select "jbs's iPhone" from the wifi list, and go. Send the document, close the case cover and I'm done. That experience can't be duplicated on any other platform, and when things are extremely time-sensitive, it makes a real difference.

Our business has a conference room AV setup that includes Apple TV. I can display content from any Apple device during meetings. AirParrot 2 enables a Windows device, including the Surface 3, to do the same thing.

My point is that lock-in is much less of a problem than it used to be, provided that the user is open to using work-arounds. It finally comes down to two simple questions: (1) whether you have access to power, either through a wall outlet or a backup battery, and (2) whether you are locked into an application that only runs properly on one platform.

The answer for me to the above two questions is (1) it depends, and (2) no. So I travel with the iPad and the Surface. Data stays in OneDrive, which is accessible from either. If I had to chose only one, I'm not sure what I'd choose.

 

[Dewg]

For anyone that has used both:

1. Does the Surface 3 wake up and go to sleep instantaneously like the iPad does....even when not used for days or weeks, or does Windows go into some sort of deep sleep mode?

2. The iPad has always been great with battery life for me. Just wondering what kind of battery life you are experiencing with the Surface 3.

I am trying to see if I can replace two devices (iPad and MacBook Air) with a single Surface 3. Hence the questions.

1) It goes into Deep Sleep, but you can disable that easily by running this command from an Admin Command Prompt: powercfg -H OFF
Once disabled, the Surface 3 will instant on no matter how long you leave it. However, it will consume about 0.5 - 1% per hour in sleep (depending on how many background processes are running and syncing).

2) It is rated for 10 hours of battery (watching a movie), but usually drains faster when taxing the system with high end gaming or browsing the web (with lots of graphical elements and flash objects). Realistically you should get around 8 hours.

 

[onlysublime]

Apple TV is only useful in an Apple ecosystem. That's its downfall. Many devices are cheaper and have more or easier functionality (Chromecast, Fire Stick, Roku, Microsoft Wireless adapter, etc.). Even HBO cannot save Apple TV.

Even with the many lame Bluetooth keyboards out there, any kind of Office for iPad is only for brief periods. With my Surface machines, I have my keyboard there attached so I don't have to dig a keyboard out of a bag. I don't have to have my iPad in any kind of sleeve or case with a keyboard/iPad prop. I also have my trusty trackball with me because there are many times that touch isn't the best (even though there are times that touch is the best). The best thing about the trackball is I don't have to have a flat broad surface. I can be sitting on a park bench with the trackball on my thigh or on that thin wood plank. I also find it more precise than a mouse (though often the stylus is even more precise when I'm working in Photoshop).

And Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator are big reason why Surface machines make sense. You have a machine that acts like a laptop but can be laid flat, with a touchscreen, with an accurate pen that helps with brushing and other photo editing tasks.

And I don't have to worry about getting an AirPrint printer. I can get any printer I want (and my Brother, Lexmark, and Xerox machines work great, thank you). In fact, with my Brother multifunction or Xerox multifunction printer, I can scan documents and do all my Acrobat edits to them. Prep them for InDesign conversion. Etc. etc. All from my Surface Pro 2.

If you want a machine that can do it all, the Surface machines are the best at that. The next closest are the tablets with keyboard docks. But the same problem I see in all of them is if you tilt the screen back too far (and the tablet is the screen), the machine tends to topple over because the keyboard is too light to hold the machine down. Asus tried to adjust for that with the Transformer Book T300 Chi by increasing the weight of the base but that only made the combo much heavier than any other system out there including traditional laptops.

I also love touchscreen laptops (that Dell XPS 13 is mighty sexy). But there are times when I wish the keyboard wasn't there. Laptops are kind of awkward to use while standing up. That's something that the Surface is great for (using while standing up). Also, most laptops do not have pen support.

 

[jbs-horn]

Understand that I'm not saying the S3 isn't a great device. That's why I have one and use it more often than the iPad. I also understand that this is a Surface 3 forum. The major problem for me is that the S3's battery life is inadequate for some situations I find myself in. I am If I'm working away from power, I don't want the device to go down in 5 hours or so, which is about what I'm getting on the S3 without streaming media, just web research, spreadsheets, legal documents, and Outlook. I have no need for applications that would require one OS platform or another, so everything else is a toss-up. It seems odd that such a useful device as the S3 would have such poor battery life and take as long as it takes to recharge. Mine might be a different use case than others', but I doubt it is unusual. If I was doing heavy-duty graphic design using InDesign and Photoshop, I doubt I'd be satisfied with the horsepower on either an S3 or an iPad. Professional graphic designers I've worked with generally prefer Macs with large screens such as a Mac Pro or iMac. None would even consider working on a device with a 10 inch screen.

When I travel, I have been taking both an iPad and the S2. Now that the S2 has been traded in on the S3, it will take the S2's place in my bag. Belt and suspenders.

As a side note, I watched a musician whip up an instrumental arrangement on an iPad yesterday using some sort of pen device. He worked very quickly and was able to email pdfs of the parts directly from the iPad. The output looked quite professional, equal to what I've seen produced on Finale. I wasn't able to find out what the app is.

I disagree with onlysublime on a couple of points. Using a full-size Logitech Bluetooth keyboard and MS Word on the iPad, I was able to put together a 35 page operating agreement start to finish, completely formatted and ready to print, in one session on the iPad. It was definitely not a "brief period." The keyboard worked well and the high quality display made reading and re-reading easy. The key there was that the keyboard was large enough to be useful, just as the S3 keyboard is large enough to type with comfortably.

Also, Apple TV is not only useful with Apple devices. AirParrot 2 will allow the user to stream from a PC to an Apple TV device. It is easiest with an Apple device, but it is not an Apple-only environment.

 

[James8561]

to be fair, the "instant hotspot" feature works over bluetooth and will work on Surface + Windows phone combo as well. (just saying since we're on a WP-centric site) select the phone from surface and phone will auto turn on tethering

 

[illegaloperation]

Understand that I'm not saying the S3 isn't a great device. That's why I have one and use it more often than the iPad. I also understand that this is a Surface 3 forum. The major problem for me is that the S3's battery life is inadequate for some situations I find myself in. I am If I'm working away from power, I don't want the device to go down in 5 hours or so, which is about what I'm getting on the S3 without streaming media, just web research, spreadsheets, legal documents, and Outlook. I have no need for applications that would require one OS platform or another, so everything else is a toss-up.

Maybe you can get a battery pack or something.

 

[Pierre Blackwell]

For me it's pretty simple. As good as the iPad is it's still a mobile OS. If you're trying to use it for full blown enterprise style functions, that might require desk top applications, you can forget it. Expandable memory, forget it. Those aren't compromises worth getting some extra time for battery life. The other thing is projection. Remember the Surface 3 is full blown Win8.1 which means there's a strong possibility is will be compatible with Win10. That brings Cortana into the mix.

 

[Kodiak12]

I am trying to see if I can replace two devices (iPad and MacBook Air) with a single Surface 3.

I was in the same boat a year ago. It just didn't make sense to have an iPad and a MacBook Pro. Loved carrying the iPad but still always need to fire up the MacBook at home for the heavy lifting. No matter how hard Apple tries to bridge iOS with OSX they'll always be two different animals.

Not using a Surface but I've seen been carrying a ThinkPad 10 when mobile and just docking it at home to a 24" monitor, Blue tooth mouse and keyboard. (Can't do that with an iPad). At the office it's a wired projector during meetings. Granted, the ThinkPad is only a Bay Trail processor but runs full windows just fine and will eventually run Win10. I don't miss the MacBook one bit (nor do I miss iOS and OSX).

 

[taymur]

iPad for media consumption (YouTube, Netflix) and casual browsing when on the couch and on the bed.
MacBook Air is the personal computer I use at home - Emails, Photos, Office Applications, Web Browsing etc. Nothing too heavy.

that's how i use my Surface 2. and in my opinion it is very good at it.​ so why wouldn't the Surface 3 do it. i say got for it

 

[onlysublime]

To really use Photoshop or InDesign, you really need to carry around a Wacom tablet. That's fine when you're in your own office. But I'm out in the field a lot. Of course, work is easier when you have a bigger screen and that's what my desktop provides. The difference between my 10.6" inch Surface Pro 2 and a 12" or 13" laptop is not significant especially when you can easily zoom in and out. And I don't have to carry a Wacom tablet with me. Of course, you can get by with a mouse but a mouse is annoying in many scenarios for Photoshop.

The real problem I have with an iPad for work is the inability to use a mouse or trackball.

As for music notation, people should try out StaffPad:

More accurate. Palm rejection. It's already gotten great reviews.

The best you can get on an iPad is NotateMe. Pretty primitive and limited by the capacitive nature of those pens. Poor palm rejection is a huge deal when using a pen. Typical demo of NotateMe:

And I'm not advocating the Surface 3 as the ideal do-everything item either. It's great for its price and budget is always a concern. And it will get you by in any scenario (which always comes up). I wouldn't swap my Surface Pro 2 for the Surface 3 (SP2 is so fast!!!). But between carrying a tablet with laptop versus a Surface 3 (as long as the budgets match so it's a fair competition), I'd take the Surface 3.

The true wins for an iPad are a huge app library for when you mostly dabble in tablet apps and the ability to easily do text messages via the iPad. And the battery life.