Convince me

[co4nd]

Why should I get a Surface 2 over a iPad Air?

 

[Guytronic]

Welcome to WPC.

 

[oditius]

No, simply because you can't make up your mind. Go try them and see which is better to you. I happen to like my Dell Venue II Pro. It's got a i5 CPU and 128GB of storage. But if you need someone to convince you to get a certain tab, then go for the isheep. Then Apple can always guide you.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 1520, w/AT&T using Tapatalk

 

[BobLobIaw]

You should get the tablet you want to get. Why should anyone convince you otherwise?

Edit- In the interests of full disclosure, OP has posted quite a few times in CrackBerry how much he hates Microsoft.

 

[Reebs Reebs]

Don't get the surface 2. Get the surface pro.

 

[co4nd]

Wouldn't be interested in a Surface Pro or similar, Arm is more where I want to be with a tablet, Pro's aren't powerful enough for what I use a PC for and too powerful to be a good mobile device.

I'm really only considering Windows RT.

 

[co4nd]

In response to BobLoblaw,

You are correct, There are many things that make me loath micorosft, and I express those frequently, but I've made a living for the last 18 years implementing and developing enterprise Windows applications, I was a PC only person until about 5 years ago, and I still use Windows, Visual Studio, and MS Office every day (from a Macintosh though).

I do not mean to cause problems by posting here, I want to know what the Surface 2 fans really love about there device. I just got an idea today that I should reconsider the Surface 2 and check my bias, some people I know really like it and I want to hear from more.

Also I'm not planning on giving up my iPad, though I may get a Surface 2 in addition or recommend one to someone.

 

[Ed Boland]

I have a Surface 2 (RT) and couldn't be happier. To me, this is the perfect device.. for someone who already has a main desktop/laptop PC (I have both a Win7 i7 gaming desktop, and a dual core AMD Win8 lappy) The Surface 2 does everything I want it to do; watch all my 1080p HD movies, listen to all my music, browse the web, read e books and email, manage all my files/folders on my home network, and control my PCs via remote desktop from the comfort of my couch or bed, play casual/portable games ((ARM) when I don't feel like sitting at the gaming desktop) even cool games like Halo Spartain Assault and GTA San Andreas! The list goes on, but really the Surface 2 (RT) is the perfect "companion device" for a Windows ecosystem.

 

[xandros9]

while positioned as direct competitors, both devices are pretty different.

iPad is a blown up phone, and that works.
The Surface RT and 2 with their "Windows RT" software is a shrunken computer. And that works too.

In a nutshell, I would say the iPad is better for games (iOS is the de facto game mobile platform for the most part from what I see) and the RT 2 won't be able to take advantage of PC games like Starcraft. (not talking about other Windows tablets, like the Surface Pro 2, Dell Venue 8 Pro, which can.)

The Surface is better suited for advanced work, with Office onboard, first party keyboard solution and a USB port. It can handle lots of USB peripherals and deal with flash drives etc. unlike the iPad. Windows RT is more powerful than iOS with split-screen multitasking among other features (like the desktop) however it doesn't necessarily mean its better. For me, it would be, but other people might not care as much for those. (I won't mention x86 compatibility as both can't do it)

But it doesn't mean you can't use either one for everything. Windows has games in the Store, Halo: Spartan Assault is quite good, theres a GBA emulator and the iPad doesn't necessarily suck for productivity, there are keyboard solutions up the wazoo and Office for iPad is a nice option for 365 subscribers. (probably businesses)

 

[WillysJeepMan]

In response to BobLoblaw,

You are correct, There are many things that make me loath micorosft, and I express those frequently, but I've made a living for the last 18 years implementing and developing enterprise Windows applications, I was a PC only person until about 5 years ago, and I still use Windows, Visual Studio, and MS Office every day (from a Macintosh though).

I do not mean to cause problems by posting here, I want to know what the Surface 2 fans really love about there device. I just got an idea today that I should reconsider the Surface 2 and check my bias, some people I know really like it and I want to hear from more.

Also I'm not planning on giving up my iPad, though I may get a Surface 2 in addition or recommend one to someone.

I own both an ipad 4 and Surface 2. The greatest deficit, in my opinion, is the lack of quality apps available for Windows RT.

I recommend browsing the Windows App Store for what is available (make sure that the apps have an ARM version available) if you find the apps that you need, then you'll be pleased with the Surface 2.

the hardware and connectivity options make the Surface extremely useful in situations that are more difficult or impossible with the iPad.

it is a mixed bag. I can directly connect my Blue Yeti microphone to the Surface... It is recognized and supported without any additional driver or hardware. (The iPad requires the use of a powered USB hub in order to use the Yeti). But there are only basic and intermediate audio recording apps available for the Surface, and nothing close to Boss Jock Studio.

if you like to tinker or like the challenge of trying to do things beyond what is available, I think you'll enjoy owning a surface 2.

 

[Cobb]

I got 2 reasons not to, Siri / Google Now. Maybe Im missing it, but I like how you can talk to the other 2 tablets and they do stuff and respond back. Ive had a pc since I was 4 years old with dos 3.2 and deskmate.

 

[Ed Boland]

Oh don't worry, Cortana will be coming to Windows PC soon enough.

 

[Cobb]

A friend has an ipad air and my mutha has a samsung galaxy tab 8.3(SP?). Both you can talk to and they talk back and perform. The samsung tablet you just start off by saying hey galaxy and it starts responding, no button pushing necessary.