I think an iPad is generally a poor fit for most students..... Macbook is probably a much better fit (except for maybe artist types) -- given that you want something light to bring around to classes, and want something that is better suited to doing a lot of papers.... then if you are in the engineering/cs/math area you want something to be able to be a full development platform and run things like Matlab, R, etc.
iPad Pro is positioned NOT as a primary device, rather as a mobile COMPANION device that CAN be used with a keyboard and stylus (not necessarily an Apple keyboard or Pencil) while out of the office, especially for those professions where graphic creation, editing and processing is a necessity.
Different people have different ideas as to the meaning of 'Professional.' For some the 'professional user' is a doctor, lawyer, analyst, scientist, or other 'suit' whose use of a handheld computer (a tablet, not desktop or laptop) is the perfect solution. Others consider graphic artists, musicians, videographers and other creative types (no suit) to be professionals in their field where the iPad Pro and a stylus specifically made for drawing, markup and editing are the perfect solution, while mobile. Some consider hackers and other typists to be professionals where the keyboard is essential and mobility is not. Obviously the iPad Pro would not be their primary computer, yet such a device can be quite useful in their hands. As a fact, nearly every 'profession' will have an 'office' computer to do the heavy lifting, and a tablet while mobile where large amounts of storage is not a great deal; most of the created content will live in the cloud or, in the case of IBM and the like, on a corporate server, making the tablet a thin client without all the personal music, pictures and video of the average user. Thus, 32GB may be the perfect capacity for the 'professional' who uses an iPad Pro as a second device (128GB for the video pro) just like in the days when the first laptops were considered a companion device to the desktop computer.
I personally use a desktop, laptop, tablet and handheld computer in my daily life and each has its specific advantages and disadvantages. Most of my data sits in the cloud and my mobile devices contain the personal and professional cross-platform apps I choose to take with me, while my desktop computer in my home-office does the heavily lifting and stores the data I don't readily need (but still have access to) while maintaining sufficient backups (on and off site).
The true professional finds the best way to make any given technology work for him or her. They don't go looking to make excuses.
I think an iPad is generally a poor fit for most students..... Macbook is probably a much better fit (except for maybe artist types) -- given that you want something light to bring around to classes, and want something that is better suited to doing a lot of papers.... then if you are in the engineering/cs/math area you want something to be able to be a full development platform and run things like Matlab, R, etc.
Interesting that this app exists (which requires a desktop or cloud account):
Oh, no, no, no....we can't have those kind of statements backed by facts flying around the blogosphere. Apple faster and more affordable than a competitor's product? What on earth will all the Apple haters say?
I'm not sure how you can compare a limited iOS device, running limited custom apps, and requiring limited custom interfaces, to a full-on portable desktop replacement, running full multitasking, and identical software as the desktop counterpart, standard professional interfaces, with 100% compatibility across the Enterprise.
The iPad does what it does very well, but I would never compare it to a MacBook, either. This whole article seems like click-bait to me. It's Apples and Oranges.
All this might be true but the Surface runs the full blown Win10 OS while the iPad Pro is hindered with iOS. If this has OS X then the comparisons would be valid.
not really. it doesn't matter what OS they run, as long as software is developed for that OS. Pro has shown it has the gear to run desktop class app. they just have to be built.
An iPad pro is a great piece of hardware, it has all the specs to replace a laptop/desktop as a general computing device running. Just too bad is runs a crippled OS, that makes it impossible to use it as a general computing device.
nonsense. iOS is the very definition of a general computing device.
I wouldn't say the Surface Pro is a consumer device. I see them in corporate environments, and they are normally being used for real work rather than iPads which are typically just being used as an e-reader.
hmm what sort of "real work" are these surfaces you see doing that can't or won't be done on iPad?
I'm not sure how you can compare a limited iOS device, running limited custom apps, and requiring custom interfaces, to a full-on portable desktop replacement, running full multitasking, and identical software as the desktop counterpart with 100% compatibility across the Enterprise.
The iPad does what it does very well, but I would never compare it to a MacBook.
I'm sorry...I made no comparison whatsoever in my comment. My remarks where sarcasm to the author's headline...nothing else. But I see I forgot to quote it so it was more obvious....my bad.
Ok, you got me. I was very recently reading about the new Exynos 8 Octa 8890 with custom cores, an integrated modem and claimed 30% improvement in specs over the 7420.
But, even now, the 7420 still has the same multi-core performance as the A9: Exynos 7420 4404 vs A9 4404 in the 6S.
Same multi-core score when a benchmark artificially utilizes all 8 cores at maximum at the same time.
So for those 0.5% of Apps that might actually be able to achieve this type of core utilization, the best an 8 core Samsung processor can do is to match a 2 core Apple processor.
The other 99.5% of the time the A9 will outperform the Exynos. By a wide margin.
Claimed 30% improvement? They're going to need a LOT more than that if they ever hope to catch Apple. And still 8 cores? When will Samsung, Qualcomm and the rest ever learn? They can't keep adding cores. Is next year going to bring the 16 core CPU's just so they can keep up with Apple?
Claimed 30% improvement? They're going to need a LOT more than that if they ever hope to catch Apple. And still 8 cores? When will Samsung, Qualcomm and the rest ever learn? They can't keep adding cores. Is next year going to bring the 16 core CPU's just so they can keep up with Apple?
Qualcomm's' latest, the 820, is quad-core isn't it?
The surface pro 4 doesn't just have a 10 dollar level pen. Like the iPad Pro it is tightly integrated with the hardware of the surface. Both have chips and high refresh rates etc. It seems the latency is less in the iPad pro but that is probably more to do with the software predicting algorithms than anything inerrant.
I though we would see the end of trolls on this site after the iPhone totally demolished Samsung. I don't see Samsung trolls here anymore.
But now they got replaced by Surface trolls. Friken pathetic. If you clowns love the Surface so much go hang on on a Microsoft forum, not here. At the Samsung phones had something the iPhone didn't for a while (large screen). While the Surface is nothing more than a laptop that tries to masquerade as a mobile tablet.
Actually throughout the history of Apple there's never really been a specific type of troll except for the anti-Apple troll. These are the people that rally behind whatever company is currently trying hawk their wares and compare them with Apple's. These people don't really care which company it is as long as there is a company they hold up against Apple and say, "See, Apple isn't anything special! All you people are just fanboys!"
Personally, I think the latest Surface models are solid pieces of kit, but in the end they are just PCs. Windows PC sales are dropping. Windows-based tablet devices have failed miserably for the past 15 years. These devices from Microsoft aren't going to revitalize the market in the long-term; the last couple of OS releases from Microsoft hasn't, another piece of hardware in a sea of choices isn't going to either.
iOS dominates mobile use in the enterprise. The iPad has about 80% of the enterprise market, the iPhone around 65%.
Where do people come up with the stupid idea that the iPad Pro can't be used for real work (or used in a corporate environment)? With the iPad already the dominant tablet in the enterprise world, do you not think a larger, much more powerful iPad Pro will also find use in enterprise? Or that it will actually expand their usage by being able to be used for even MORE tasks than the current iPad?
Those of us who actually work in IT know that it's a royal pain to integrate Apple computers into a corporate IT environment. iPad Pro is still hobbled by iOS which does not offer Java or flash support (not arguing that's not a good thing). Comparing the Surface Pro 4 to the iPad Pro is like comparing an airplane to a boat. They're not the same thing. I bought and iPad for a college student and we had to return it because many of the applications the student used were not supported on the iPad. Guess what we bought that is compatible with those applications?
oh dear...please. it's only a pain for IT admins who only know MS products. not offering Java or flash is a good thing. and if you bought an iPad expecting it to run various obscure Windows programs that doesn't say much. good thing it runs Office tho, as well as iWork which can also be accessed via the cloud and export to common formats.
"Everything you can do on a desktop computer or gaming console is not only possible on iPad Pro, it is possibly better" (Apple US, 2015).
"Yes, the iPad Pro is a replacement for a notebook or a desktop for many, many people. They will start using it and conclude they no longer need to use anything else, other than their phones," (Apple CEO, 2015).
BUT
THEY DON'T TELL YOU THAT
The iPad Pro (iOS 9) can't do many things compared to a real OS like Windows 10 e.g. support multiple users with complete application & file security, fully support all input device types, incl. mice, trackpads, game controllers, microSD, USB, etc., virtual machine support for running multiple OSs simultaneously, fully integrate with the robust enterprise applications that drive organisations.
It performs the most basic functions only & completely lacks the power & depth of full-fledged apps e.g. databases (e.g. Access 2016), photo editing (e.g. Adobe Photoshop), video editing (e.g. Adobe Premier), 3D rendering (e.g. AutoCAD), financial management (e.g. QuickBooks), development environments (e.g. Visual Studio).
Qualcomm's' latest, the 820, is quad-core isn't it?
Yes, and still it will only be in the same ballpark as the A9 (based on their projections for how much faster it is than the 810). And it's not even going to be shipping for some time yet.
Doesn't change the fact the Exynos is garbage compared to the A9, and will get soundly beat by it. Even the A8 will be faster than the Exynos in many tasks. Hell, even the A7 can beat it in some tests.
hmm what sort of "real work" are these surfaces you see doing that can't or won't be done on iPad?
Basic content creation, for example PowerPoint presentations, or even just heavy duty email and calendaring in Outlook such are copying & pasting sections or text, dragging and dropping attachments etc. All things that are technically possible on an iPad but are much slower than using a laptop due to the lack of mouse and multi windows. The Surface Pro is less of a compromise in this regard and you still have the ability to use it as a tablet if you just want to read things.
When I meet with clients in the legal and financial sectors I'm seeing Surfaces more and more. The internal IT teams like them because they are able to manage them as they do with a standard laptop - AD group policies and security software are compatible unlike iOS, or even OS X devices.
In the consumer world things are much different - which is why the iPad massively outsells the Surface.
The tragedy is that the iPad's smart keyboard cover validates Microsoft's weird vision of hybrid PC/tablets.
I don't see how, considering there have keyboard covers for the iPad since the iPad. just not one from Apple, tho it did release the first attachable iPad keyboard in 2010, as well as support for its BT keyboard.
This article is a joke, not only it forgets to mention that the ipad "pro" that is cheaper comes with only 32 gb of storage, making it completely unusable it also forgets to mention that once you add all pencil and the keyboard it actually becomes more expensive than the surface pro 4 base level which comes with 64 GB of storage. If you buy a Surface pro 4 core i5 model with 128 GB (which is more comparable with the iPad with 128 GB) the surface will cost 999 USD while the iPad "pro" will cost 949 USD. Of course once you add the ridiculously priced apple pencil and keyboard you will end up paying more for the iPad. All of this for a product with virtually no ports, no expandable storage and a mobile OS.
Actually, the base SP4 comes with 128 - at least according to the specs on the MS store.
Comments
Which applications? Be specific.
I think an iPad is generally a poor fit for most students..... Macbook is probably a much better fit (except for maybe artist types) -- given that you want something light to bring around to classes, and want something that is better suited to doing a lot of papers.... then if you are in the engineering/cs/math area you want something to be able to be a full development platform and run things like Matlab, R, etc.
iPad Pro is positioned NOT as a primary device, rather as a mobile COMPANION device that CAN be used with a keyboard and stylus (not necessarily an Apple keyboard or Pencil) while out of the office, especially for those professions where graphic creation, editing and processing is a necessity.
Different people have different ideas as to the meaning of 'Professional.' For some the 'professional user' is a doctor, lawyer, analyst, scientist, or other 'suit' whose use of a handheld computer (a tablet, not desktop or laptop) is the perfect solution. Others consider graphic artists, musicians, videographers and other creative types (no suit) to be professionals in their field where the iPad Pro and a stylus specifically made for drawing, markup and editing are the perfect solution, while mobile. Some consider hackers and other typists to be professionals where the keyboard is essential and mobility is not. Obviously the iPad Pro would not be their primary computer, yet such a device can be quite useful in their hands. As a fact, nearly every 'profession' will have an 'office' computer to do the heavy lifting, and a tablet while mobile where large amounts of storage is not a great deal; most of the created content will live in the cloud or, in the case of IBM and the like, on a corporate server, making the tablet a thin client without all the personal music, pictures and video of the average user. Thus, 32GB may be the perfect capacity for the 'professional' who uses an iPad Pro as a second device (128GB for the video pro) just like in the days when the first laptops were considered a companion device to the desktop computer.
I personally use a desktop, laptop, tablet and handheld computer in my daily life and each has its specific advantages and disadvantages. Most of my data sits in the cloud and my mobile devices contain the personal and professional cross-platform apps I choose to take with me, while my desktop computer in my home-office does the heavily lifting and stores the data I don't readily need (but still have access to) while maintaining sufficient backups (on and off site).
The true professional finds the best way to make any given technology work for him or her. They don't go looking to make excuses.
Interesting that this app exists (which requires a desktop or cloud account):
MATLAB Mobile by MathWorks
https://appsto.re/us/vEkhw.i
The iPad does what it does very well, but I would never compare it to a MacBook, either. This whole article seems like click-bait to me. It's Apples and Oranges.
not really. it doesn't matter what OS they run, as long as software is developed for that OS. Pro has shown it has the gear to run desktop class app. they just have to be built.
nonsense. iOS is the very definition of a general computing device.
hmm what sort of "real work" are these surfaces you see doing that can't or won't be done on iPad?
I'm not sure how you can compare a limited iOS device, running limited custom apps, and requiring custom interfaces, to a full-on portable desktop replacement, running full multitasking, and identical software as the desktop counterpart with 100% compatibility across the Enterprise.
The iPad does what it does very well, but I would never compare it to a MacBook.
I'm sorry...I made no comparison whatsoever in my comment. My remarks where sarcasm to the author's headline...nothing else. But I see I forgot to quote it so it was more obvious....my bad.
ports? get real. expandable storage? get real. mobile OS? doesn't matter if the apps are there (hint: even MS Office is there). so....get real.
Ok, you got me. I was very recently reading about the new Exynos 8 Octa 8890 with custom cores, an integrated modem and claimed 30% improvement in specs over the 7420.
But, even now, the 7420 still has the same multi-core performance as the A9: Exynos 7420 4404 vs A9 4404 in the 6S.
Same multi-core score when a benchmark artificially utilizes all 8 cores at maximum at the same time.
So for those 0.5% of Apps that might actually be able to achieve this type of core utilization, the best an 8 core Samsung processor can do is to match a 2 core Apple processor.
The other 99.5% of the time the A9 will outperform the Exynos. By a wide margin.
Claimed 30% improvement? They're going to need a LOT more than that if they ever hope to catch Apple. And still 8 cores? When will Samsung, Qualcomm and the rest ever learn? They can't keep adding cores. Is next year going to bring the 16 core CPU's just so they can keep up with Apple?
I though we would see the end of trolls on this site after the iPhone totally demolished Samsung. I don't see Samsung trolls here anymore.
But now they got replaced by Surface trolls. Friken pathetic. If you clowns love the Surface so much go hang on on a Microsoft forum, not here. At the Samsung phones had something the iPhone didn't for a while (large screen). While the Surface is nothing more than a laptop that tries to masquerade as a mobile tablet.
Actually throughout the history of Apple there's never really been a specific type of troll except for the anti-Apple troll. These are the people that rally behind whatever company is currently trying hawk their wares and compare them with Apple's. These people don't really care which company it is as long as there is a company they hold up against Apple and say, "See, Apple isn't anything special! All you people are just fanboys!"
Personally, I think the latest Surface models are solid pieces of kit, but in the end they are just PCs. Windows PC sales are dropping. Windows-based tablet devices have failed miserably for the past 15 years. These devices from Microsoft aren't going to revitalize the market in the long-term; the last couple of OS releases from Microsoft hasn't, another piece of hardware in a sea of choices isn't going to either.
People are missing one key point.
iOS dominates mobile use in the enterprise. The iPad has about 80% of the enterprise market, the iPhone around 65%.
Where do people come up with the stupid idea that the iPad Pro can't be used for real work (or used in a corporate environment)? With the iPad already the dominant tablet in the enterprise world, do you not think a larger, much more powerful iPad Pro will also find use in enterprise? Or that it will actually expand their usage by being able to be used for even MORE tasks than the current iPad?
oh dear...please. it's only a pain for IT admins who only know MS products. not offering Java or flash is a good thing. and if you bought an iPad expecting it to run various obscure Windows programs that doesn't say much. good thing it runs Office tho, as well as iWork which can also be accessed via the cloud and export to common formats.
hello. are you lost?
Qualcomm's' latest, the 820, is quad-core isn't it?
Yes, and still it will only be in the same ballpark as the A9 (based on their projections for how much faster it is than the 810). And it's not even going to be shipping for some time yet.
Doesn't change the fact the Exynos is garbage compared to the A9, and will get soundly beat by it. Even the A8 will be faster than the Exynos in many tasks. Hell, even the A7 can beat it in some tests.
hmm what sort of "real work" are these surfaces you see doing that can't or won't be done on iPad?
Basic content creation, for example PowerPoint presentations, or even just heavy duty email and calendaring in Outlook such are copying & pasting sections or text, dragging and dropping attachments etc. All things that are technically possible on an iPad but are much slower than using a laptop due to the lack of mouse and multi windows. The Surface Pro is less of a compromise in this regard and you still have the ability to use it as a tablet if you just want to read things.
When I meet with clients in the legal and financial sectors I'm seeing Surfaces more and more. The internal IT teams like them because they are able to manage them as they do with a standard laptop - AD group policies and security software are compatible unlike iOS, or even OS X devices.
In the consumer world things are much different - which is why the iPad massively outsells the Surface.
I don't see how, considering there have keyboard covers for the iPad since the iPad. just not one from Apple, tho it did release the first attachable iPad keyboard in 2010, as well as support for its BT keyboard.
This article is a joke, not only it forgets to mention that the ipad "pro" that is cheaper comes with only 32 gb of storage, making it completely unusable it also forgets to mention that once you add all pencil and the keyboard it actually becomes more expensive than the surface pro 4 base level which comes with 64 GB of storage. If you buy a Surface pro 4 core i5 model with 128 GB (which is more comparable with the iPad with 128 GB) the surface will cost 999 USD while the iPad "pro" will cost 949 USD. Of course once you add the ridiculously priced apple pencil and keyboard you will end up paying more for the iPad. All of this for a product with virtually no ports, no expandable storage and a mobile OS.
Actually, the base SP4 comes with 128 - at least according to the specs on the MS store.