Microsoft Surface Pro vs Apple iPad 3 (with Retina Display)
While some analysts blame Microsoft for creating an illusion of Surface Pro being sold out, that might be a pointless argument, as well. It is true that the ground level reports few to none devices were delivered to the local retain shops. However, this doesn’t eliminate the possibility of a major sold out. This is because Microsoft also had it in their online store and they probably had a large stock. We are more than familiar with the Nexus crisis when Google couldn’t handle the load coming to play store and started to do all kinds of things. Fortunately it didn’t happen to Microsoft, it might be because of the excellency in their store, or it might be because it didn’t have to handle as much crowd as Google Play store. The fact of the matter is that we still don’t know what happened and might not know at all if Microsoft isn’t forthcoming about their sales records. Let us hope they are and let us witness the sold out of one of the best Microsoft devices ever. In the meantime; we decided to compare it with another prominent tablet in the market that would come forward readily to fight off the opposition. Apple new iPad is a standard setter in the tablet market although it can’t be considered as a laptop. We will compare the pure tablet with the tablet-laptop hybrid and report the lucrative points in each of them for your reference.
Microsoft Surface Pro Review
You may be familiar with Microsoft Surface, which was released last year with Windows RT as the operating system. In addition to that, we can now purchase Microsoft Surface Pro which would give you a fully-fledged system running on Windows 8. It is powered by Intel Core i5 high power processor with 4GB of RAM and Intel HD 4000 graphics. The internal storage comes in two versions; 64GB SSD or 128GB SSD. However, the available space in the 64GB SSD is only 29GB, which is not quite attractive. Microsoft Surface Pro has a brilliant 10.6 inches ClearType full HD display featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 16:9 aspect ratio and 10 point multi touch. It also features a capacitive stylus which will come in handy when you are drawing or even as a substitute for your finger input. It is a pressure sensitive pen meaning the harder you press, the thicker the line you draw will be. In addition, Surface Pro will disable finger touch when the stylus is near the screen effectively eliminating the fudges that can be created by your fingers. A separate keyboard can be purchased and plugged into this device, as well. It comes with the same form factor as the Surface RT and can be placed at a good viewing angle using the kickstand. Microsoft Surface Pro feels rather solid and sturdy but weighs rather heftier at two pounds.
Surface Pro has a powerful processor and hence reinvents the problem of ventilation. Microsoft has used the technique called peripheral venting that runs a ventilation strip around the beveled edges of the Surface Pro. The noise is at minimum levels as well which is admirable. Microsoft has been generous enough to include a USB 3.0 port in Surface which gives you super-fast transfer speeds from and to the plugged in media devices. The battery life expectation for Microsoft Surface Pro is around 4 hours as per unofficial records although this hasn’t been verified. We’ve seen mixed reception about the recent release of Microsoft Surface Pro which was sold at $900 and $1000 respectively for 64GB and 128GB versions. Many tech websites were quick to report that Microsoft Surface Pro devices were sold out within one hour of their release. However, some analysts allege Microsoft for creating an illusion of selling out to create an artificial demand for Surface Pro. Their rational is that Microsoft only provided few to none Surface Pro devices to retails outlets across the country and hence a sold out was out of the question. Hence to gauge the Microsoft’s claim on Surface Pro been sold out, we need to have details on the number of devices available for sale at the time of release.
Apple iPad 3 (iPad with Retina Display) Review
There had been many speculations about the new iPad because it had such a pull from the customer’s end and, in fact, many of those features were added up to a consistent and revolutionary device that is going to blow your mind. Apple iPad 3 comes with a 9.7 inches HD IPS retina display that features a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels at a pixel density of 264ppi. This is a huge barrier that Apple has broken, and they have introduced 1 million more pixels to the generic 1920 x 1080 pixels display which used to be the best resolution a mobile device provides. The total number of pixels adds up to 3.1 million which is now the highest number of pixels available in a mobile device. Apple guarantees that the new iPad has 40% more color saturation compared to previous models. This slate is powered by A5X dual core processor with quad core GPU although we don’t know the exact clock rate. It is needless to say that this processor will make everything work smooth and seamlessly.
There is a physical home button available at the bottom of the device as usual. The next big feature Apple introduces is iSight camera, which is 5MP with autofocus and auto-exposure using a backside illuminated sensor. It has an IR filter built into it which is really great. The camera can also capture 1080p HD videos, and they have smart video stabilization software integrated with the camera which is a good move. This slate also supports the best digital assistant in the world, Siri which was supported by iPhone 4S only.
The iPad does come with LTE connectivity apart from EV-DO, HSPA, HSPA+, DC-HSDPA and finally LTE that supports speeds up to 73Mbps. The device loads everything super-fast on 4G and handles the load very well. Apple claims iPad 3 is the device that supports most number of bands ever. It has Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for continuous connectivity, which was expected by default. Fortunately, you can let your iPad 3 share your internet connection with your friends by making it a Wi-Fi hotspot. It is 9.4mm thick which is amazing and has a weight of 1.4lbs which is rather comforting.
The iPad 3 promises a battery life of 10 hours on normal usage and 9 hours on 4G usage, which is another game changer for iPad 3. It is available in either Black or White, and the 16GB variant is offered at $499 which is rather low. The 4G version of the same storage capacity is offered at $629, which is still a good deal. There are two other variants, 32GB and 64GB which comes at $599 / $729 and $699 / $829 respectively without 4G and with 4G.
A Brief Comparison Between Microsoft Surface Pro and Apple iPad
• Microsoft Surface Pro is powered by Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD 4000 graphics and 4GB of RAM while Apple new iPad is powered by 1GHz Cortex A9 Dual Core processor on top of Apple A5X chipset with PowerVR SGX543MP4 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
• Microsoft Surface Pro runs on Windows 8 while Apple new iPad runs on Apple iOS 6.
• Microsoft Surface Pro has 10.6 inches ClearType full HD display featuring a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with 16:9 aspect ratio and 10 point multi touch while Apple new iPad has 9.7 inches LED backlit IPS TFT capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 2048 x 1536 pixels at a pixel density of 264ppi.
• Microsoft Surface Pro comes with Wi-Fi connectivity while Apple new iPad features 4G LTE connectivity as well as Wi-Fi connectivity.
• Microsoft Surface Pro comes with a Stylus while Apple new iPad doesn’t come with a stylus.
• Microsoft Surface Pro features USB 3.0 port while Apple new iPad doesn’t have such features.
• Microsoft Surface Pro features two cameras that can capture 720p videos while Apple new iPad features 5MP camera that can capture 1080p HD videos.
Conclusion
Let me cut down the chase and list you a couple of facts that I think is important when purchasing a laptop or a tablet. Contemplate on your requirement; a slight change in requirement would make you change the choice. Microsoft Surface Pro is marketed as a tablet-laptop hybrid, but it is a little bulky and hefty to be a tablet in the sense of the word. However, if you are in the market for a laptop and you also want a tablet, Microsoft Surface Pro would fulfill both these needs and give you a significant margin in your pocket, as well. That is one serious fact you can consider. Other than that; Apple new iPad clearly has a better display panel although it’s comparatively smaller. It also features a better battery life with ample amounts of apps. On the other hand, Microsoft Surface Pro is essentially synonymous to your laptop and comes with Windows 8 which only means that you can run any program you run on your Windows 8 laptop in Surface Pro. It’s, actually, a win-win situation in our opinion. Thus, we leave you to make the actual choice in between these two devices because we are in favor of both.