October saw Microsoft release the Surface Pro 6 and Apple release the third generation of iPad Pro. Both are chasing similar markets, both have evolved from the original tablet concepts of Redmond and Cupertino, and it is only natural to compare the tablets.
Let’s be clear, this is not going to be a specs and number breakdown. Both the latest iterations of the iPad Pro and the Surface Pro have impressive specifications, can post up incredible numbers, and no doubt have certain benchmarks that their parent companies PR teams know will lead to the respective devices ‘winning.’
Instead I want to compare the philosophical underpinnings of the two solutions, to show the origins, the strengths and weaknesses, and how that has guided my preference and should guide your choice.
The two pro tablets have wildly different roots. Naturally the iPad Pro can trace itself back to the original iPad launched in 2010. At that point in time the 9.7 inch display was one of the largest mobile devices and part of the first wave of tablets, but it had a significant advantage over the competition. By running iOS, and accessing a ‘double pixel’ mode the full range of iPhone applications could run on the iPad. That gave the iPad a significant advantage with compatible apps, but it locked the iPad family into iOS by design.
If you wanted apps on Apple’s tablets, not only were you going to be following Apple’s rules, but you would be at the mercy of the Apple Store guardians. And iOS (to this day) remains a mobile operating system, while the limitations have lessened over time there are still limitations.
While Microsoft’s first Surface device was launched in 2012 by Steve Sinofsky, the Surface RT was based around the ARM architecture, requiring developers to code specifically for a mobile-focused chipset. As history has shown, Microsoft did not bring the developer base over to the new RT platform. 2013’s Surface Pro shipped with Windows 8 and while the Surface 2 had both an RT and a Pro version, the future of the Pro line-up was to use ‘full blown Windows’.
That meant that the full Windows catalogue would be available to the Surface Pro, and developers would not be working in a new environment.
The Surface Pro continues to shine if you step out of Microsoft’s strict definition of what its Windows 10 device should be allowed to do. Because of the open nature of the platform, there are very few barriers to running any program you wish. That includes those downloaded outside of Microsoft’s Windows Store, legacy Windows applications from the dawn of time (or at least back to Windows 95 if you must), and anything you feel the need to program and compile on the device yourself.
That’s not the case with the iPad Pro. Running iOS, Apple’s tablet device may have the specifications on paper to match the Surface Pro, but only software specifically deemed appropriate by the Apple Store team will run on the hardware. There’s no option for legacy code, no ability to code your own, and there’s no option to leave Apple’s definition.
Every user and every organisation will have their own viewpoint on which is ‘better.’ When both devices are operating ‘within normal expectations’ they can both deliver, but it doesn’t take much to reach the ragged edge of Apple’s walled garden. There’s no progress outside of that space for iPad owners, while Surface Pro owners can head off to territory marked ‘here be dragons’ at their own risk.
So one of the key differences to consider when looking at the two devices is this… can you live within Apple’s walls, and are you comfortable with the fact that Apple can switch off your software if it ever wishes? Or do you need the extra flexibility and legacy support of Windows 10 that allows the Surface Pro to be a far more enterprise-focused device?
As with most philosophical discussions, there’s no right or wrong answer for everyone. There is an answer for each individual - I know which approach sits better in my mind, and I know which tablet runs the software that I need while working (notably podcast and audio editing tools, FTP support, and radio play out and cart wall software). Without those my tablet is little more than a big media player and Filofax.
The iPad stifles me, the Surface Pro lets me be creative. I need the flexibility of Windows 10.
