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.
And here we have a newbie who doesn't know what they are talking about. You need to go study-up to understand your fail on this one. Re-read the article. Full blown Windows is actually a hinderance to the Surface, and understand what you CAN do on an iPad - the full Office suite is available, which is 99% of what users do on a PC. And it does so much more, and better.
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.
Nope. Non-geeks don't even know what OS means. It's about what you can do, not how it's done.
The Surface Pro 4 sytlus is a POS. Its a $10 device.
The Apple Pencil is the same level as $200-$300 professional level tools.
Quote:
Originally Posted by FreeRange
And here we have a newbie who doesn't know what they are talking about. You need to go study-up to understand your fail on this one. Re-read the article. Full blown Windows is actually a hinderance to the Surface, and understand what you CAN do on an iPad - the full Office suite is available, which is 99% of what users do on a PC. And it does so much more, and better.
Actually I am an IT Director with about 20 years of IT experience and have owned every iPhone since the 3G and 3 versions of the iPad. I have an iPad Pro on order. I have used the Surface 3 (not 4.) My daily machine is a 15in Macbook Pro (new one with Force Touch.)
It's both inappropriate and against forum rules to resort to personal attacks, ie "your SJ worshiping empty head" comment. As you're new here you might not realize that just a few instances of doing that gets you banned. If you want to stick around a enjoy the conversations you should resist the urge to "ad-hom" your way thru. You won't last long here otherwise. Absolutely no reason to fall into playground rules on a professional site.
Don't worry. He has already been reported. As well as those other newbees throwing the "fan boi" comment around. Not sure what they are adding to the discussion.
Im calling you on this BS. I work in a Fortune 100 firm, and there tens of thousands of PCs running Windows deployed on every desk. Each is locked down. You can't use USB drives for security reasons (injecting malware, stealing confidential information), and software is installed to prevent that. You can't install your own software without written approval from your VP and Security, and approved apps are deployed using a central network tool that tracks licenses. The company would replace every PC with locked-down Windows RDP network terminals (remember the "network computer"?) that only lets you login to a Windows Terminal Services machine and forces you use a virtualized desktop, if these were readily available from their hardware vendor. So it's no surprise they love iPads, because iOS is very restrictive and secure, and it can run Microsoft's RDP client. And iPads are given to managers. Storage doesn't matter because you're not allowed to install apps the company hasn't approved.
As far as I'm concerned, what you call "proper enterprise security" and "real OS" and "limited storage" smells like more uninformed hand-waving from someone who has no idea what large enterprise wants.
Your enterprise must still be running Windows XP or Vista... It is very easy with windows 7 onwards to control exactly what is installed on any pc. On windows 10 there is also a store were apps and soon full blown programs will reside and IT managers will easily deploy them without any risk of viruses or any other issues. Ipad's no matter how locked down, will always lack the power to run full desktop programs and that alone will always prevent them from being productivity machines. Sure managers don't have to do much that requires any power, but anyone working with audio or video editing, programing, AutoCAD, etc will never be able to use an ipad. A device like the surface is much more appropriate and useful if you want portability and power as well as the versatility and power of a desktop OS.
The numbers for the m3 version are questionable since the chart states it has 64GB of storage, only twice the iPad Pro used, when in fact the base model Surface Pro has 128GB of storage. There is no 64GB version.
Also,why is the $1299 i5 Surface Pro with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage being used when there is the $999 version with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage which more closely matches the iPad Pro? Because if you compared similar iPad Pro and Surface Pro, the Surface Pro costs less.
The Surface Pro w/ i5 4GB/128GB and stylus costs $899. iPad Pro with 4GB/128GB and stlyus costs $1048 ($949 plus $99 for stylus). Although 4GB of RAM might be a little slower than 8GB, it will be in the ballpark for most tests. If you look at the i5 Surface Pro, it handily beats the iPad Pro, coming pretty close the the 13" MacBook Pro with i5. Why is the MacBook spec'd with only 128GB, and not 256GB like the Surface Pro? Well, because 256GB MacBook Pro costs $1499. Meaning the almost identical performer(within 5% on tests) costs you $200 more.
I wanted to agree with you, but you went off the deep end almost immediately.
I'm a professional, both a lawyer and computer scientist. My kind of professions, which I think would be in the majority, have no need for the kind of peripheral extensions or the even the memory expansion you suggest. The requirement for a VM is quite off the wall.
Yes, for security (which it has), yes for file management. Not mentioned but most important is ability to stream among processes. For an active IT development, use of multiple programming languages.
I agree with what you said, not everyone is going to need all of the things I mentioned, in fact very few ill need ALL of them. My point is that if you are going to pay a very similar price between a surface pro 4 and an ipad pro, why in the world would you buy the device that lacks ALL of these features instead of the one that has them all?
On another point do you really never have a need to connect a pen drive to copy a document or another file without having to use the web? Or a Printer that is not supported to work with the ipad (of which there are many). Would you not prefer to be able to buy a considerably cheaper 60 gb version ipad and then expand the memory with an up to 120 gb memory card when you want instead of having to buy a much more expensive 120 gb version ipad with less storage overall?
If ipad were half the price of the surface pro 4 or similar devices them there would be a case for them, but otherwise they are just a waste of money unless you are buying them for leisure and not for productivity.
I made a direct comparison relating to the corporate world, which was the topic of original post that was made.
You then proceed to conflate that to "your family".
"straw man"? Puh-lease.
Read the posts again. I made no "straw man" argument. I said nothing close to what your brain concluded.
im not involved in your IT Department discussion -- I'm stating on this forum and others what Jobs said in 2010... some people need trucks, most people need cars. no where has Apple or Cook suggested Pro is a replacement for trucks and IT Dept users. he has suggested its a replacement for normal people like "my family", which are car users.
Pro can do the job of cars. it cannot, and isn't supposed to do, the job of trucks.
Also there is no trackpad because iOS can't support it not because Apple is going in a different direction.
that is the very definition of Apple going in a different direction! iOS is based on OS, of course they could support a trackpad if they wanted to. they dont, because they went in a different direction.
Since you seem unable to let go of this ridiculous car truck analogy... It would be more accurate to say that comparing an ipad to a surface pro is more like comparing a bicycle to a car. Sure some people will be fine with a bicycle but you won't get far when compared with a car. Also the funnies thing of all is that apple is changing car price for its bicycle.
My kind has been right for thirty years then, since in enterprise and for any real professional that does more than read emails and type an ocasional simple document uses a proper computer and not an ipad. Sorry you have no real argument and are just grasping at straws.
if you keep using ad hom attacks, you won't last long on this site.
1) the Cars and Trucks analogy is perfect, and won't be going away. as Jobs said, and Cook also purports, the iPad is for people who need a car, not a truck.
2) your kind is clearly wrong about the typical troll tropes you bring up, such as "It's a toy!" the 1984 mac was a Car ("toy!") and now it's evolved into a spectrum of machines at different capacity. none of them being toys. dur. now your kind is saying the same about the *next* new form of computing.... your inability to forsee how these tools will continue to evolve is perplexing. considering that they just obtained laptop speeds should be your final indicator of what the future holds in store.
but hey -- no removable storage. thats gotta mean something, right? uh...guys?
Your enterprise must still be running Windows XP or Vista... It is very easy with windows 7 onwards to control exactly what is installed on any pc. On windows 10 there is also a store were apps and soon full blown programs will reside and IT managers will easily deploy them without any risk of viruses or any other issues. Ipad's no matter how locked down, will always lack the power to run full desktop programs and that alone will always prevent them from being productivity machines. Sure managers don't have to do much that requires any power, but anyone working with audio or video editing, programing, AutoCAD, etc will never be able to use an ipad. A device like the surface is much more appropriate and useful if you want portability and power as well as the versatility and power of a desktop OS.
people running AutoCAD or doing video editing need trucks, not cars.
I've worked Fortune 100 and currently federal gov -- our normal users' notebooks are incredibly locked down, even the USB ports are disabled. nothing can be plugged in or installed. what are they used for? to run web apps, and WinForm apps. ie.....being used as cars.
limited devices like the iPad (bicycle) and going to go the way of the dodo in the next few years.
I doubt it. There's a huge market for dedicated use of the iPad, namely as mom and pop businesses POSTs, and kiosk displays, among others. It's not exactly the same as an iPod which was absorbed into the phone. There is no serious ancillary market for a stand alone MP3 player. And people will always need a bigger screen than the iPhone, but aren't going to settle for carrying around an iPad-sized device. And people don't like sitting on the couch with a big screen and keyboard in their laps. Nor do they necessarily want to carry it around the house with them.
What will likely happen is the iPad will gain additional functionality over time, and the price will come down, so that having all that extra ability in a dedicated single purpose terminal won't cost any more than the iPad does now, if they ever completely discontinue the limited purpose iPad which has so many practical commercial applications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Njoi Fontes
My point is that if you are going to pay a very similar price between a surface pro 4 and an ipad pro, why in the world would you buy the device that lacks ALL of these features instead of the one that has them all?
Because the iPad is a much better overall experience for some. You couldn't pay me enough to use Windows.
I doubt we'll get an answer of which system is better unless we get them side by side and perform real world work
For example putting the Surface and the iPad Pro side by side and have two web designers or web programmers try to troubleshoot/perform the same task. See which one finishes faster or does the task in less steps than the other.
Most likely the outcome will be that there will be some instances where the iPad Pro performs better than the Surface, and vice-versa.
I made a direct comparison relating to the corporate world, which was the topic of original post that was made.
You then proceed to conflate that to "your family".
"straw man"? Puh-lease.
Read the posts again. I made no "straw man" argument. I said nothing close to what your brain concluded.
im not involved in your IT Department discussion -- I'm stating on this forum and others what Jobs said in 2010... some people need trucks, most people need cars. no where has Apple or Cook suggested Pro is a replacement for trucks and IT Dept users. he has suggested its a replacement for normal people like "my family", which are car users.
Pro can do the job of cars. it cannot, and isn't supposed to do, the job of trucks.
Right.
But the original post and my response to it was directly referencing corporate usage. That was my point. That was the only point I was trying to make. Corporate usage. Large companies. Not families.
Everyone understands the "cars vs. trucks" argument, I am not disputing that.
We are talking about two different things. I was only talking about corporate and you took it to "your family".
I am not arguing about if most average everyday people or "your family" can or can't get by with a just a "car".
I was simply saying that within the large corporate day-to-day normal/average work environment, it seems unlikely to get your job done without a "truck", even at Apple.
I feel like we are not understanding each other. I am not sure how I can be any more clear or how to explain my original point so you understand.
Like I said in my original post, I don't work for a HUGE corporation. So I don't really know. For all I know every single corporate environment only needs "cars". But I find that unlikely.
And this is why it's not generally a good idea to get your information from fan sites. The iPad Pro with stylus (included with the SP4) and especially with keyboard (not included with the SP4 but less expensive and more comfortable to use than Apple's) is actually more expensive than the core m3 SP4, and while it has the advantages of lighter weight, a bigger screen, and access to iOS apps that comes at the cost of no adjustable screen angle (something everyone was quick to demonize the original Surface Pro for), a less functional stylus, greatly reduced multitasking capability, and no access to desktop software from either OSX or Windows. It also lacks ports, though I feel that Bluetooth accessories make this less of a concern nowadays. You're also spending more money for a tablet with 32gb of storage, when the SP4 comes with 128gb (I'd guess at least 108 usable) in the 899 version.
And they even managed to get the tiers of the SP4 wrong, when those are listed right on Microsoft's website - you can upgrade to a full-fledged i5 with the same storage and 4gb RAM for $100, the 1299 model cited is the i5+256gb+8gb configuration.
I also enjoyed the linked comparison between the ultraportable hybrid Surface Book and the heavy 15-inch quad-core MBP. It must be a dark day indeed when you're reduced to crossing categories to try to prove your point. I'll see if I can upload a comparison of one of those quad-core MacBooks against my $1400 desktop, and we'll see how it fares.
Since when do you need to lie to make Apple devices look good? That's just disappointing. Try highlighting the legitimate advantages of the machines instead, it'll go better for you.
I'll add this which is completely unbiased ... Life is simple for us Apple user. if we want the best laptop, as I do, get a MacBook or MacBookPro if we want the best tablet get an iPad, most of us, I suspect, have both. I can see the problem with the Microsoft camp, they have to choose between a laptop and a laptop that comes to bits and makes a crappy tablet and a crappy laptop. Not to mention both run a crappy OS.
The simple fact that you claim that this is unbiased is in itself proof of how biased your judgement is. Recognizing that you will have biases is the first step to making an objective decision, and you don't appear to have done that.
I would recommend gaining more experience with the subject matter before attempting to give advice. As it stands, vastly more people seem to disagree with you than agree with you, including many who are buying hardware in and above Apple's price range.
Except it's not because it's a giant iPhone with a great screen... The iPad Pro is like the finest car ever made, except the designers decided not to put wheels on it as they feel it is such a great product that you do not need to drive it in order to enjoy it. As a long time Apple customer, I purchased a Surface Pro 4 because of the stupid decision to put iOS on a device Apple is trying to push under their "Pro" designation. While iOS is great for a phone, don't buy into the force-fed hype of it being a "desktop replacement". If you use more than one application at the same time, you're gonna be really disappointed...
"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).
So it can do everything Apple said for many users just like they said but it is not good at being a shared PC or using specific versions of software packages (Although there are very good solutions for every package you mentioned and many of them are from the same vendor). Did you have a point in there somewhere? I bet Apple is willing to concede the multi-user tablet space to the Surface.
As a side note, go to quickbooks.com and see what device they showcase their software on. While you do that the rest of us will contemplate why you chose QuickBooks as your financial management application of choice when every enterprise ERP and financial system has Apps and web interfaces designed for iPad. Welcome to 2015. I see you joined yesterday. I hope your not just another sock puppet for the guy who joined yesterday and already managed a ban.
These comments about iPad somehow being crippled by running iOS versus OS X really make me wonder if evolution has played some sort of cruel joke on some of us.
Consider if Apple put OS X on iPad Pro...
Okay, now you need a keyboard and mouse, or trackpad because of the way OS X is designed to operate. So what, you now add a somewhat crappy fabric keyboard and funky trackpad and give up lap-ability. Lo and behold - you now have a lame MacBook. Where's the value in that? You're giving up a world class keyboard and mouse for what, a slightly smaller screen? How is this ever better than a MacBook?
I could understand people pushing Apple to pump up the performance on the current MacBook, which they most certainly will do. But I'll never understand why anyone would want Apple to turn what is the best tablet on the planet into a mediocre notebook when they already offer a whole line of fabulous notebooks. I just don't get it, but maybe I'm not loving compromises as much as other people do.
Comments
And here we have a newbie who doesn't know what they are talking about. You need to go study-up to understand your fail on this one. Re-read the article. Full blown Windows is actually a hinderance to the Surface, and understand what you CAN do on an iPad - the full Office suite is available, which is 99% of what users do on a PC. And it does so much more, and better.
The Surface Pro 4 sytlus is a POS. Its a $10 device.
The Apple Pencil is the same level as $200-$300 professional level tools.
And here we have a newbie who doesn't know what they are talking about. You need to go study-up to understand your fail on this one. Re-read the article. Full blown Windows is actually a hinderance to the Surface, and understand what you CAN do on an iPad - the full Office suite is available, which is 99% of what users do on a PC. And it does so much more, and better.
Actually I am an IT Director with about 20 years of IT experience and have owned every iPhone since the 3G and 3 versions of the iPad. I have an iPad Pro on order. I have used the Surface 3 (not 4.) My daily machine is a 15in Macbook Pro (new one with Force Touch.)
Why don't you print to a printer at work that has print accounting turned on and let me know how that works then.
It's both inappropriate and against forum rules to resort to personal attacks, ie "your SJ worshiping empty head" comment. As you're new here you might not realize that just a few instances of doing that gets you banned. If you want to stick around a enjoy the conversations you should resist the urge to "ad-hom" your way thru. You won't last long here otherwise. Absolutely no reason to fall into playground rules on a professional site.
Don't worry. He has already been reported. As well as those other newbees throwing the "fan boi" comment around. Not sure what they are adding to the discussion.
Im calling you on this BS. I work in a Fortune 100 firm, and there tens of thousands of PCs running Windows deployed on every desk. Each is locked down. You can't use USB drives for security reasons (injecting malware, stealing confidential information), and software is installed to prevent that. You can't install your own software without written approval from your VP and Security, and approved apps are deployed using a central network tool that tracks licenses. The company would replace every PC with locked-down Windows RDP network terminals (remember the "network computer"?) that only lets you login to a Windows Terminal Services machine and forces you use a virtualized desktop, if these were readily available from their hardware vendor. So it's no surprise they love iPads, because iOS is very restrictive and secure, and it can run Microsoft's RDP client. And iPads are given to managers. Storage doesn't matter because you're not allowed to install apps the company hasn't approved.
As far as I'm concerned, what you call "proper enterprise security" and "real OS" and "limited storage" smells like more uninformed hand-waving from someone who has no idea what large enterprise wants.
Your enterprise must still be running Windows XP or Vista... It is very easy with windows 7 onwards to control exactly what is installed on any pc. On windows 10 there is also a store were apps and soon full blown programs will reside and IT managers will easily deploy them without any risk of viruses or any other issues. Ipad's no matter how locked down, will always lack the power to run full desktop programs and that alone will always prevent them from being productivity machines. Sure managers don't have to do much that requires any power, but anyone working with audio or video editing, programing, AutoCAD, etc will never be able to use an ipad. A device like the surface is much more appropriate and useful if you want portability and power as well as the versatility and power of a desktop OS.
Also,why is the $1299 i5 Surface Pro with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage being used when there is the $999 version with 4GB RAM and 128GB of storage which more closely matches the iPad Pro? Because if you compared similar iPad Pro and Surface Pro, the Surface Pro costs less.
The Surface Pro w/ i5 4GB/128GB and stylus costs $899. iPad Pro with 4GB/128GB and stlyus costs $1048 ($949 plus $99 for stylus). Although 4GB of RAM might be a little slower than 8GB, it will be in the ballpark for most tests. If you look at the i5 Surface Pro, it handily beats the iPad Pro, coming pretty close the the 13" MacBook Pro with i5. Why is the MacBook spec'd with only 128GB, and not 256GB like the Surface Pro? Well, because 256GB MacBook Pro costs $1499. Meaning the almost identical performer(within 5% on tests) costs you $200 more.
I wanted to agree with you, but you went off the deep end almost immediately.
I'm a professional, both a lawyer and computer scientist. My kind of professions, which I think would be in the majority, have no need for the kind of peripheral extensions or the even the memory expansion you suggest. The requirement for a VM is quite off the wall.
Yes, for security (which it has), yes for file management. Not mentioned but most important is ability to stream among processes. For an active IT development, use of multiple programming languages.
I agree with what you said, not everyone is going to need all of the things I mentioned, in fact very few ill need ALL of them. My point is that if you are going to pay a very similar price between a surface pro 4 and an ipad pro, why in the world would you buy the device that lacks ALL of these features instead of the one that has them all?
On another point do you really never have a need to connect a pen drive to copy a document or another file without having to use the web? Or a Printer that is not supported to work with the ipad (of which there are many). Would you not prefer to be able to buy a considerably cheaper 60 gb version ipad and then expand the memory with an up to 120 gb memory card when you want instead of having to buy a much more expensive 120 gb version ipad with less storage overall?
If ipad were half the price of the surface pro 4 or similar devices them there would be a case for them, but otherwise they are just a waste of money unless you are buying them for leisure and not for productivity.
im not involved in your IT Department discussion -- I'm stating on this forum and others what Jobs said in 2010... some people need trucks, most people need cars. no where has Apple or Cook suggested Pro is a replacement for trucks and IT Dept users. he has suggested its a replacement for normal people like "my family", which are car users.
Pro can do the job of cars. it cannot, and isn't supposed to do, the job of trucks.
that is the very definition of Apple going in a different direction! iOS is based on OS, of course they could support a trackpad if they wanted to. they dont, because they went in a different direction.
if you keep using ad hom attacks, you won't last long on this site.
1) the Cars and Trucks analogy is perfect, and won't be going away. as Jobs said, and Cook also purports, the iPad is for people who need a car, not a truck.
2) your kind is clearly wrong about the typical troll tropes you bring up, such as "It's a toy!" the 1984 mac was a Car ("toy!") and now it's evolved into a spectrum of machines at different capacity. none of them being toys. dur. now your kind is saying the same about the *next* new form of computing.... your inability to forsee how these tools will continue to evolve is perplexing. considering that they just obtained laptop speeds should be your final indicator of what the future holds in store.
but hey -- no removable storage. thats gotta mean something, right? uh...guys?
people running AutoCAD or doing video editing need trucks, not cars.
I've worked Fortune 100 and currently federal gov -- our normal users' notebooks are incredibly locked down, even the USB ports are disabled. nothing can be plugged in or installed. what are they used for? to run web apps, and WinForm apps. ie.....being used as cars.
limited devices like the iPad (bicycle) and going to go the way of the dodo in the next few years.
I doubt it. There's a huge market for dedicated use of the iPad, namely as mom and pop businesses POSTs, and kiosk displays, among others. It's not exactly the same as an iPod which was absorbed into the phone. There is no serious ancillary market for a stand alone MP3 player. And people will always need a bigger screen than the iPhone, but aren't going to settle for carrying around an iPad-sized device. And people don't like sitting on the couch with a big screen and keyboard in their laps. Nor do they necessarily want to carry it around the house with them.
What will likely happen is the iPad will gain additional functionality over time, and the price will come down, so that having all that extra ability in a dedicated single purpose terminal won't cost any more than the iPad does now, if they ever completely discontinue the limited purpose iPad which has so many practical commercial applications.
My point is that if you are going to pay a very similar price between a surface pro 4 and an ipad pro, why in the world would you buy the device that lacks ALL of these features instead of the one that has them all?
Because the iPad is a much better overall experience for some. You couldn't pay me enough to use Windows.
I doubt we'll get an answer of which system is better unless we get them side by side and perform real world work
For example putting the Surface and the iPad Pro side by side and have two web designers or web programmers try to troubleshoot/perform the same task. See which one finishes faster or does the task in less steps than the other.
Most likely the outcome will be that there will be some instances where the iPad Pro performs better than the Surface, and vice-versa.
I made a direct comparison relating to the corporate world, which was the topic of original post that was made.
You then proceed to conflate that to "your family".
"straw man"? Puh-lease.
Read the posts again. I made no "straw man" argument. I said nothing close to what your brain concluded.
im not involved in your IT Department discussion -- I'm stating on this forum and others what Jobs said in 2010... some people need trucks, most people need cars. no where has Apple or Cook suggested Pro is a replacement for trucks and IT Dept users. he has suggested its a replacement for normal people like "my family", which are car users.
Pro can do the job of cars. it cannot, and isn't supposed to do, the job of trucks.
Right.
But the original post and my response to it was directly referencing corporate usage. That was my point. That was the only point I was trying to make. Corporate usage. Large companies. Not families.
Everyone understands the "cars vs. trucks" argument, I am not disputing that.
We are talking about two different things. I was only talking about corporate and you took it to "your family".
I am not arguing about if most average everyday people or "your family" can or can't get by with a just a "car".
I was simply saying that within the large corporate day-to-day normal/average work environment, it seems unlikely to get your job done without a "truck", even at Apple.
I feel like we are not understanding each other. I am not sure how I can be any more clear or how to explain my original point so you understand.
Like I said in my original post, I don't work for a HUGE corporation. So I don't really know. For all I know every single corporate environment only needs "cars". But I find that unlikely.
And this is why it's not generally a good idea to get your information from fan sites. The iPad Pro with stylus (included with the SP4) and especially with keyboard (not included with the SP4 but less expensive and more comfortable to use than Apple's) is actually more expensive than the core m3 SP4, and while it has the advantages of lighter weight, a bigger screen, and access to iOS apps that comes at the cost of no adjustable screen angle (something everyone was quick to demonize the original Surface Pro for), a less functional stylus, greatly reduced multitasking capability, and no access to desktop software from either OSX or Windows. It also lacks ports, though I feel that Bluetooth accessories make this less of a concern nowadays. You're also spending more money for a tablet with 32gb of storage, when the SP4 comes with 128gb (I'd guess at least 108 usable) in the 899 version.
And they even managed to get the tiers of the SP4 wrong, when those are listed right on Microsoft's website - you can upgrade to a full-fledged i5 with the same storage and 4gb RAM for $100, the 1299 model cited is the i5+256gb+8gb configuration.
I also enjoyed the linked comparison between the ultraportable hybrid Surface Book and the heavy 15-inch quad-core MBP. It must be a dark day indeed when you're reduced to crossing categories to try to prove your point. I'll see if I can upload a comparison of one of those quad-core MacBooks against my $1400 desktop, and we'll see how it fares.
Since when do you need to lie to make Apple devices look good? That's just disappointing. Try highlighting the legitimate advantages of the machines instead, it'll go better for you.
I'll add this which is completely unbiased ...
The simple fact that you claim that this is unbiased is in itself proof of how biased your judgement is. Recognizing that you will have biases is the first step to making an objective decision, and you don't appear to have done that.
I would recommend gaining more experience with the subject matter before attempting to give advice. As it stands, vastly more people seem to disagree with you than agree with you, including many who are buying hardware in and above Apple's price range.
So it can do everything Apple said for many users just like they said but it is not good at being a shared PC or using specific versions of software packages (Although there are very good solutions for every package you mentioned and many of them are from the same vendor). Did you have a point in there somewhere? I bet Apple is willing to concede the multi-user tablet space to the Surface.
As a side note, go to quickbooks.com and see what device they showcase their software on. While you do that the rest of us will contemplate why you chose QuickBooks as your financial management application of choice when every enterprise ERP and financial system has Apps and web interfaces designed for iPad. Welcome to 2015. I see you joined yesterday. I hope your not just another sock puppet for the guy who joined yesterday and already managed a ban.
These comments about iPad somehow being crippled by running iOS versus OS X really make me wonder if evolution has played some sort of cruel joke on some of us.
Consider if Apple put OS X on iPad Pro...
Okay, now you need a keyboard and mouse, or trackpad because of the way OS X is designed to operate. So what, you now add a somewhat crappy fabric keyboard and funky trackpad and give up lap-ability. Lo and behold - you now have a lame MacBook. Where's the value in that? You're giving up a world class keyboard and mouse for what, a slightly smaller screen? How is this ever better than a MacBook?
I could understand people pushing Apple to pump up the performance on the current MacBook, which they most certainly will do. But I'll never understand why anyone would want Apple to turn what is the best tablet on the planet into a mediocre notebook when they already offer a whole line of fabulous notebooks. I just don't get it, but maybe I'm not loving compromises as much as other people do.