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Surface RT vs. iPad: a Comparison

Posted by timothy on from the ok-cupid-would-match-them-up dept.

First time accepted submitter thetechblock writes "On Tuesday, with the release of pricing and pre-orders for the new Surface RT tablets, Twitter exploded with comparisons to the iPad. So, I decided to put together a little comparison chart to contrast two equivalent models." The comparison is interesting, but note the source; you can discount the conclusions of writer Jeff Blankenburg by as much as you want for his role as "developer evangelist" for Microsoft.

9 of 357 comments (clear)

  1. Yawn by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wake me up when there is a review by someone that isn't on either Apple or Redmond's payroll. This was nothing more than an advertisement.

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    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    1. Re:Yawn by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Am I missing something, or did he not even have the unit to review?

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      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    2. Re:Yawn by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      At least the magazines had the excuse of being written a month before they actually got delivered... this guy is running a frigging blog and his "comparison" involves reading down spec sheets and accessory lists. And he dismisses "almost no apps" and "no accessories" and "inferior screen" as not really being that important. And then the really strange part is his assumption that people will use this for Office apps? Is that what people are doing with tablets?

      I've never understood the appeal of the tablets, so I don't really feel like I have a device to "root" for. My wife wanted a Kindle Fire HD, so we got one. I played with it for a few hours and she turned it on once, I think. I asked her why she made me get it and she said "to play videos for the kids in the car". Alrighty, then - glad she didn't ask for an iPad...

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      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    3. Re:Yawn by DanTan · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Mistake #1: He compares it to 32 GB iPad, yet fails to mention that Windows and Office alone eat up about 12GB. So in reality, Surface is 20 GB and not 32.

      Obvious shill is obvious.

      The 20 gb size is for windows 8 pro for intel, there are no numbers yet on how bit the windows RT OS is yet.

    4. Re:Yawn by CowTipperGore · · Score: 5, Insightful

      And nobody wants to have to add and remove cards all the time...

      Absolutely. I would much rather to delete my music and movies, or uninstall apps so that I can free up space for something new. Inserting a microSD card is just so inconvenient.

    5. Re:Yawn by MightyYar · · Score: 5, Insightful

      When I'm stationed in the hotel, I can connect the Surface to the hotel TV and a keyboard+mouse and I have a full office suite right there.

      While that idea does scream "Neato!" in my head, when I think about it a little longer, it is absurd. By the time you carry around keyboard, connectors, and Surface - wouldn't you be better off with a small laptop? And then you wouldn't need to stress over whether or not you can actually jack in to the hotel TV or whether it will be in a convenient spot. Something like a Macbook Air (2.4lbs) or 3lb Ultrabook is a bit larger than a tablet, but not significantly larger than tablet+keyboard+cover+connection cables and adapters, and a lot less unwieldy.

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      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
  2. Joke article by Morpork · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That 'article' is a joke - of course Surface comes out on top - when 'reviewed' by the guy who wrote the book on Windows Phone 8.

    It's also funny - I recall the exact same argument over quantity vs. quality of applications back in the 80's when Apple were the underdog. Seems like MS can't change their habit of... recycling other peoples' ideas.

    I also especially like the sign-off... "It’s time for all of you, my faithful readers, to tell me why I’m wrong"... well, we might if there was ANY option to comment on the page.

    So, why are Slashdot running this Surface ad under the guise of an article?

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    -- Always borrow money from a pessimist; they don't expect to be paid back.
  3. Re:Trash by hawguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I actual bothered to click the link to the article, and all I see is a comparison of the cost of a few accessories and apps? Where's the comparison of the technical specs? How is this garbage even worth posting?

    Tech specs seem less relevant when comparing high-end tablets from different manufacturers running completely different operating systems - I'd rather see end-user impressions.

    Does the higher resolution of the iPad make any difference in real-life use? Is the larger screen of the MS tablet better or worse than the slightly smaller iPad screen with higher dpi? How fast is the device? Can it run multiple applications and switch smoothly among them? Can I play a video in the corner of the screen while I'm browsing the web? Does it load webpages quickly? How easy is it to use the UI?

    Those are the questions I'd like to see answered, if I really want to know what CPU the tablet is running, I can look that up, but knowing the processor and RAM specs tells me nothing about usability.

  4. Two equivalent models by Brannon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How about this for two equivalent models:

    iPad 32GB with 2560x1536 pixels : $599
    4xMicrosoft Surface 32GB tablets to yield a combined >2560x1536 pixel count : $1996

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    iPad looks like a much better deal to me.

    Or, how about we just compare them the way a consumer will:

    cheapest iPad: $499
    cheapest Microsoft Surface: $499

    "The iPad has a nicer screen but the Surface comes with more storage (32GB vs. 16GB). The iPad probably works better and has more apps--decision, iPad."