Surface 3 LTE or Ipad Pro LTE

[TLRtheory]

Get what fits your lifestyle.

Personally, I keep enough on me such that I can easily go balls deep in any given ecosystem. Being on Windows Central, you'll likely only be aware of my Surface and Lumia 950... but I also keep an iPad Air/Core i5 MacBook Pro/iPhone 5 around for my Apple fix, and a Nexus 5/Linux Laptop (Arch Linux)/and a gapps-modded Kindle Fire HD6 for my Google fix.

My life revolves around coding and IT work, which means a lot of software that I just can't get without bootcamping a Mac... and with the unreliability of WINE, Linux is still no than nerd cred for the high-school kid who hasn't outgrown contrarianism. I went for an iPad Air instead of an iPad Pro... but I've used an iPad Pro extensively enough to conclude that there's almost nothing that makes the iPad Pro a "pro"fessional or "pro"ductive device seeing as it doesn't actually have a "pro" operating system. Filesystem's too non-traditonal, pen interaction is vastly inferior to what you'll see out of a Surface, and the lack of desktop applications makes it a toy - A big toy... but not a professional's device in most cases (unless your professional life strictly involves replying to emails - as some do).

Surface 3, on the other hand... kind of has a balance. It's not as rich in tablet apps, but it's also not bad either. I easily find plenty of tablet apps to fill my leisure, and I've also found that Windows 10's tablet mode - while commonly thought to not be as good as Windows 8's tablet mode - actually does a significantly better job of making desktop apps work better with touch input.

...all the same, it's also worth mentioning that I'm a specific case, and so are many people. A lot of people aren't in this looking for professional uses or actual productivity... if media consumption is what you're looking for, the iPad is simply better at it. If you're looking for something to use as a work aide/college companion, the Surface can and will destroy the iPad at every damned thing.

 

[anon(7929613)]

It's your choice. But I will like to point one major difference that will help you in your decision. Surface runs the Desktop OS but iPad runs mobile OS. If you connect Surface to a monitor, it becomes a full PC. That is something you should not ignore.

 

[Steve Adams]

It's your choice. But I will like to point one major difference that will help you in your decision. Surface runs the Desktop OS but iPad runs mobile OS. If you connect Surface to a monitor, it becomes a full PC. That is something you should not ignore.

That's exactly right. Tablet when needed, notebook computer when needed, pen and paper when needed, desktop computer when needed. Right now, I am in desktop mode and its just like using my old desktop but with much less space taken up with a big desktop box. And, when I need to become mobile, I just pick up where I left off!

 

[TLRtheory]

That's exactly right. Tablet when needed, notebook computer when needed, pen and paper when needed, desktop computer when needed. Right now, I am in desktop mode and its just like using my old desktop but with much less space taken up with a big desktop box. And, when I need to become mobile, I just pick up where I left off!

This is the big draw for me as well. It's just so extraordinarily damned versatile! Detach the keyboard and just play some BlazBlue or stream a movie on PLEX. Connect it to the keyboard when it's time for the daily grind, grab my pen when I need to take notes in class, dock it in the station when I want that desktop experience.

I actually went all out trying to get a similar feel on my iPad Air. Where I could've just bought any 'ol cheap keyboard, I got a ClamCase Pro. Really expensive keyboard attachment... and it doesn't compare. It simply and absolutely doesn't compare.

 

[Steve Adams]

Nope. it does not. Plus IOS is a horrible desktop OS.