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".
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">I was simply saying that within the large </span>
<strong style="font-style:normal;line-height:1.4em;">corporate</strong>
<span style="line-height:1.4em;">day-to-day normal/average work environment, it seems unlikely to get your job done without a "truck", even at Apple.</span>
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.
You might be very surprised. The top two applications for the vast majority of corporate users are email and web browsers. We have several financial services clients that do not allow laptops at all. People have desktops and iPads. The iPad is far and away the easiest device to lockdown and manage in an enterprise. These are firms with thousands to tens of thousands of employees. Most of the people that are describing tasks that can't be done on an iPad are also describing tasks most people wouldn't do on anything but a very high end laptop or a desktop machine. Sure you can run Autocad on a surface pro, nobody does for anything but viewing and you can view those same unmodified drawings on an iPad.
Extremely biased reviews are always laughable. Although technically the title is correct it doesn't really portray what you get for the price. The surface pro 4 core m3 model has 4x the amount of storage than the iPad pro and not to mention this price includes the pen. Suddenly the $799 price doesn't look so appetizing compared to the $899 price. Also the iPad pro is limited in the spec department as you cannot go above 128 gb of storage and cannot increase the speed of the iPad pro, whereas you can get up to 1 tb of storage and can get up to an i7 with the surface pro if your willing to pay for it. So technically the iPad pro is cheaper but it is not faster. I could even discredit whether or not it is cheaper, if you opt for the 128 version like the base surface pro 4 the price is $949 and if you include the pencil the price jumps to $1049, so no it is not cheaper either.
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.
Repeating the same meme over and over again won't save Microsoft.
I couldn't stomach reading this whole thread, but what is hilarious is that within the first 10 posts it became apparent that the Microsoft fanboys are out in full-force with their talking points. "The iPad Pro is a toy!" "Too bad it doesn't run a real operating system!" and so on.
You see these (paid?) comment-section opinions on literally every website that mentions the iPad Pro, almost verbatim.
An iPad (of any sort) is only a toy if you choose to use it as such. (Not that there's anything wrong with that -- I have used Windows computers for years as toys to play computer games on...)
There is nothing inherently toyish about iOS, at all. It is not a "crippled" operating system. What it is, is an operating system that is primarily designed to support apps that are controlled by touch; while Windows 10 is an operating system that is designed to primarily support apps that are controlled by a mouse and keyboard.
Each have their merits, depending on your usage.
The comical thing is that the forum trolls who decry the fact that the iPad Pro is not a "pro" device, that it is merely an e-reader, and so forth, through their blatant ignorance, show that they are not professionals who are looking to use a device to create content. Rather they are shills who won't do anything with a Surface or an iPad that couldn't be done just as well on a Chromebook -- mostly, it seems, post to web forums.
My interest in both of these devices is VERY specific: I am a musician and a visual artist. I happened to try, for the first time today, the Surface Book, the Surface Pro 4, and the iPad Pro, within 10 minutes of each other. They are all brilliant in their own way. I would love to own a Surface just to use Microsoft Fresh Paint, which is a delightful impersonation of oil painting like I've never seen elsewhere. It would also make a swell gaming platform if you could afford the higher specified devices.
The iPad Pro with Adobe Sketch (the demo version that was made specifically for the iPad Pro launch) is equally fantastic to draw and paint with, albeit utterly different than Fresh Paint.
As a musician the iPad Pro is a no-brainer -- with developers like Propellerhead, Korg and Moog creating platform-specific musical instruments that don't exist elsewhere.
If you are looking for a single device for all your computing needs, obviously the Surface Book is the best choice. It is also double the price of an iPad Pro.
If you are already set with a computer or laptop for those needs, then you can consider the other merits of these devices. Personally, in looking for a big drawing/painting surface to use with a stylus, I am very, very impressed with both devices and more importantly, their software, and it will be tough to choose.
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.
p.s. A Surface is a LUDICROUS choice for video editing (I work as a video editor on major tv shows, I can assure you that not in a million years will you see a television series being cut on Microsoft Surface devices).
Your post shows the shamelessly specious arguments being forwarded by MS fanboys -- that because a Surface is marginally better suited for doing high end pro work on with traditional applications, that it is in anyway a reasonable choice for such work. It simply isn't, and it never will be, and any individual or company who is engaged in such an enterprise is going to choose a vastly more powerful and expandable platform (i.e. Mac Pro or desktop Windows workstation) on which to accomplish such tasks.
Why would any "real" professional use a surface pro when they could use a more powerful laptop or desktop? Like it or not, people do "real" work on iPads. Maybe not your "real" work but it is "real" work nonetheless. Not all "real" work requires a mouse and desktop ?
I'm a "real" professional who uses a Surface Pro (currently a 2, upgrading to a 4 shortly). The reasons are:
1) An iPad wouldn't work for me, I need proper file directory, Silverlight, Flash, ability to plug into keyboard, mice, monitors, USB port, etc so needs to be either Windows or OSX
2) I'm very mobile - I work from home some days, I fly fairly frequently, and when I am based in our company office I tend to cycle there with my computer and work clothes on my back, so weight and size is critical. The SP is one of the lightest devices available which runs a full operating system. The tablet and touch screen option is a bonus as it means I can take all my notes electronically so saves me carrying around a notebook. Having the choice of pen, mouse, touch or keyboard means I can interact with the device in whatever way is best for what I'm doing.
So for my particular needs, a hybrid is perfect, and the Surface Pro is the best of the hybrids. Not sure what you mean by laptops or desktops being "more powerful" - the SP can be specced with i7 and 16GB of RAM which is more than enough power for most people. The only advantage that a regular laptop or desktop has over an SP is the size of screen and keyboard, but that is easily (and relatively cheaply these days) addressed by having a monitor and mouse/keyboard in your primary location(s) - I have that setup both at home and in the office. In the corporate environment that's what most laptop users have been doing for years anyway.
I have nothing against Apple - I have an iPad at home which is perfect for the kids, for browsing, for watching tv/movies, and for controlling Audio Video devices (almost no AV manufacturers do Windows apps, the best you can get is browser-based control which is nowhere near as good). I 've had several iPhones, and I still run with an iPod. If the iPad Pro had a USB port and ran OSX I would consider it. If the MacBook Air had touch screen and was maybe a little lighter then I would consider that. But right now Apple doesn't really do a hybrid device, so they don't have a device which meets my needs for work. If I had a MacBook Air or Pro in the office then quite a lot of the time I could probably get away with using an iPad Pro at home or when travelling, but the cost of having both devices would be significantly higher than the cost of my SP, and I would be very frustrated on the occasions where I found myself needing a full OS.
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.
I have seen this claim made literally nowhere. In fact, considering the similar performance, interchangeable nibs and eraser/quick launch functionality, the prevailing opinion seems to be that the surface pro stylus is superior. Those features plus the mostly metal body certainly indicate a price tag higher than $10, and much higher than Apple's $100 stylus.
Might I ask how you intent to support your assertion?
You must be living in a cave if you think that surface line of computers has no traction. Not only has it become very profitable for Microsoft it has sparked a revolution in 2 in 1 devices that have arrived from all manufacturer, including apple (even if their attempt is extremelly por and doomed to fail). The Surface pro 4 and Surface book are in a completely different league to the toy that is the ipad "pro" (should have been called the ipad +) since it still runs a mobile os, has no real ports, lacks simple things like file management and compatibility with the great majority of peripherals, all of which are indispensable to any real professional.
Actual sales number DON't support your assertion.
Exactly. Microsoft sold about a million in all of FY2015. Laughable. Even if FY2016 is 3x or 5x that number. (Which it won't be).
How did they do compared to everyone else other than Apple?
I have seen this claim made literally nowhere. In fact, considering the similar performance, interchangeable nibs and eraser/quick launch functionality, the prevailing opinion seems to be that the surface pro stylus is superior. Those features plus the mostly metal body certainly indicate a price tag higher than $10, and much higher than Apple's $100 stylus.
Might I ask how you intent to support your assertion?
My statistical sample is small, but generally the difference between the two tend to be small when it comes to tracking and latency but generally the iPad Pro pencil is has very slightly less latency and better tracking that the stylus for Surface Pro 4 (which is also pretty good).
The Microsoft one has interchangeable nibs, which may sound great but to be quite honest the few people I know have many of them but rarely change between them - sticking with just one..... rather than taking one off then putting another on.
The Microsoft has an eraser on one side so you can flip it over and it use it to erase. The Apple pencil you will just select erase and use the same side.... I don't know about you but the eraser on real pencils was generally crappy so I never got into the habit of flipping the pencil and using it.... unfortunately they don't sell "the eraser"
Shading, the Microsoft stylus has absolutely no concept or simulation of shading (using the pencil angled to shade).
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
What are you talking about? The base iPad Pro has a LAUGHABLE 32gb of storage, whereas the base Surface Pro 4 has a real 128gb SSD. You have to spend $950 to get comparable storage for the iPad Pro, and I'd be surprised if the chips are as fast. Also, Surface tablets include the stylus, for which Apple charges another $100. This puts you at $1050, costing more than the i5 Surface Pro 4 which beats the iPad Pro by as wide a margin as the iPad Pro beats the m3. This author needs to go back to elementary school for basic math b
My statistical sample is small, but generally the difference between the two tend to be small when it comes to tracking and latency but generally the iPad Pro pencil is has very slightly less latency and better tracking that the stylus for Surface Pro 4 (which is also pretty good).
The Microsoft one has interchangeable nibs, which may sound great but to be quite honest the few people I know have many of them but rarely change between them - sticking with just one..... rather than taking one off then putting another on.
The Microsoft has an eraser on one side so you can flip it over and it use it to erase. The Apple pencil you will just select erase and use the same side.... I don't know about you but the eraser on real pencils was generally crappy so I never got into the habit of flipping the pencil and using it.... unfortunately they don't sell "the eraser"
Shading, the Microsoft stylus has absolutely no concept or simulation of shading (using the pencil angled to shade).
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
I'm no artist, but I know that shading is important - how has that been achieved in digital artwork in the past? Is it always a hardware solution? It seems like something that could be done with software, though that's certainly a point in the Pencil's favor.
The eraser is useful in that you don't need to select erase to use it. You are still able to select erase with the Surface Pen if that's your fancy.
Palm rejection seems equivalent on both devices, from what I've seen.
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
And how did you come to that conclusion? The surface line has always had palm rejection and it's always worked pretty flawlessly for me. It basically works the same way - it knows when the pen is near the glass.
The pencil has a slightly lower latency and has the tilt detection (kind of cool). I believe there is currently an issue on the SP4 getting a little jagged on the curves when drawing fast. I understand this is a software issue and will be resolved in a future firmware update. The fact is beyond that I haven't seen any real facts. For instance, we know the surface pen has 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity - but for the pencil all we know is that it is pressure sensitive, however, last I looked Apple hasn't said to how many levels.
The other thing I've read and heard is that the surface pen actually feels better on the glass because of the way the nib is textured. Read the comments on the latency video - the creator of the video even mentions that.
So, to sum up... The Pencil might be a slightly better choice for the artistic types - but, not by much. For the rest of us non-artistic shmo's, the pen is probably more functional given Windows vastly superior inking and handwriting recognition (see StaffPad and it's history to understand why this is a Windows app and not an iOS app as originally planned), interchangeable nibs, function buttons, and built in eraser - not to mention year long battery life (with no awkard charging mechanism). Not to mention that the pen is about $40 cheaper if you want to buy an extra or lose the one that comes with the device.
The other thing I've read and heard is that the surface pen actually feels better on the glass because of the way the nib is textured. Read the comments on the latency video - the creator of the video even mentions that.
The iPad Pro display has a tooth / texture to it which makes it not feel like drawing on a glass surface.
I have seen this claim made literally nowhere. In fact, considering the similar performance, interchangeable nibs and eraser/quick launch functionality, the prevailing opinion seems to be that the surface pro stylus is superior.
a guy with a 4-post history says the "prevailing opinion" is the MS stylus is better than the Pencil, never mind that Pencil just came out and is hard to find. okay....nice astroturfing, guy.
The iPad Pro display has a tooth / texture to it which makes it not feel like drawing on a glass surface.
I am aware of that, and I have not compared them myself. However, the comments I've read say that the pencil feels more slippery on the glass than the surface pen - that the pen feels more like it's writing on paper than glass.
a guy with a 4-post history says the "prevailing opinion" is the MS stylus is better than the Pencil, never mind that Pencil just came out and is hard to find. okay....nice astroturfing, guy.
p.s. A Surface is a LUDICROUS choice for video editing (I work as a video editor on major tv shows, I can assure you that not in a million years will you see a television series being cut on Microsoft Surface devices).
Your post shows the shamelessly specious arguments being forwarded by MS fanboys -- that because a Surface is marginally better suited for doing high end pro work on with traditional applications, that it is in anyway a reasonable choice for such work. It simply isn't, and it never will be, and any individual or company who is engaged in such an enterprise is going to choose a vastly more powerful and expandable platform (i.e. Mac Pro or desktop Windows workstation) on which to accomplish such tasks.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I personally know a video editing startup that make extensive use of the Surface Pro 3 for their work. I also know people in the advertising business who do the same. People also use MacBook Pros for this kind of work. No, neither is a replacement for a workstation and you aren't going to run a national TV broadcast from it or anything, but to pretend that is the kind of video editing work the OP was talking about is absurd and I assume disingenuous.
Surface Pros are actually excellent devices for lots of high-end work. Mine was my primary development machine for over a year, with a dock hooked up to a 4K monitor in my office. I've now replaced it with a Surface Book, primarily for the battery life and GPU. It's great at all the things the rMBP 13" is great at, but with better performance, a better display, and a touch screen / tablet mode which it turns out is pretty helpful when you're developing mobile apps. And of course Windows is just a better environment for developers (Apple's iOS development lock-in notwithstanding).
Pretty annoying that my comment submitted through the comment form on the article page seems to have never made it here. Perhaps it got caught in a Reality Distortion Field filter or something :-)
Comments
You might be very surprised. The top two applications for the vast majority of corporate users are email and web browsers. We have several financial services clients that do not allow laptops at all. People have desktops and iPads. The iPad is far and away the easiest device to lockdown and manage in an enterprise. These are firms with thousands to tens of thousands of employees. Most of the people that are describing tasks that can't be done on an iPad are also describing tasks most people wouldn't do on anything but a very high end laptop or a desktop machine. Sure you can run Autocad on a surface pro, nobody does for anything but viewing and you can view those same unmodified drawings on an iPad.
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.
Repeating the same meme over and over again won't save Microsoft.
I couldn't stomach reading this whole thread, but what is hilarious is that within the first 10 posts it became apparent that the Microsoft fanboys are out in full-force with their talking points. "The iPad Pro is a toy!" "Too bad it doesn't run a real operating system!" and so on.
You see these (paid?) comment-section opinions on literally every website that mentions the iPad Pro, almost verbatim.
An iPad (of any sort) is only a toy if you choose to use it as such. (Not that there's anything wrong with that -- I have used Windows computers for years as toys to play computer games on...)
There is nothing inherently toyish about iOS, at all. It is not a "crippled" operating system. What it is, is an operating system that is primarily designed to support apps that are controlled by touch; while Windows 10 is an operating system that is designed to primarily support apps that are controlled by a mouse and keyboard.
Each have their merits, depending on your usage.
The comical thing is that the forum trolls who decry the fact that the iPad Pro is not a "pro" device, that it is merely an e-reader, and so forth, through their blatant ignorance, show that they are not professionals who are looking to use a device to create content. Rather they are shills who won't do anything with a Surface or an iPad that couldn't be done just as well on a Chromebook -- mostly, it seems, post to web forums.
My interest in both of these devices is VERY specific: I am a musician and a visual artist. I happened to try, for the first time today, the Surface Book, the Surface Pro 4, and the iPad Pro, within 10 minutes of each other. They are all brilliant in their own way. I would love to own a Surface just to use Microsoft Fresh Paint, which is a delightful impersonation of oil painting like I've never seen elsewhere. It would also make a swell gaming platform if you could afford the higher specified devices.
The iPad Pro with Adobe Sketch (the demo version that was made specifically for the iPad Pro launch) is equally fantastic to draw and paint with, albeit utterly different than Fresh Paint.
As a musician the iPad Pro is a no-brainer -- with developers like Propellerhead, Korg and Moog creating platform-specific musical instruments that don't exist elsewhere.
If you are looking for a single device for all your computing needs, obviously the Surface Book is the best choice. It is also double the price of an iPad Pro.
If you are already set with a computer or laptop for those needs, then you can consider the other merits of these devices. Personally, in looking for a big drawing/painting surface to use with a stylus, I am very, very impressed with both devices and more importantly, their software, and it will be tough to choose.
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.
p.s. A Surface is a LUDICROUS choice for video editing (I work as a video editor on major tv shows, I can assure you that not in a million years will you see a television series being cut on Microsoft Surface devices).
Your post shows the shamelessly specious arguments being forwarded by MS fanboys -- that because a Surface is marginally better suited for doing high end pro work on with traditional applications, that it is in anyway a reasonable choice for such work. It simply isn't, and it never will be, and any individual or company who is engaged in such an enterprise is going to choose a vastly more powerful and expandable platform (i.e. Mac Pro or desktop Windows workstation) on which to accomplish such tasks.
Why would any "real" professional use a surface pro when they could use a more powerful laptop or desktop? Like it or not, people do "real" work on iPads. Maybe not your "real" work but it is "real" work nonetheless. Not all "real" work requires a mouse and desktop ?
I'm a "real" professional who uses a Surface Pro (currently a 2, upgrading to a 4 shortly). The reasons are:
1) An iPad wouldn't work for me, I need proper file directory, Silverlight, Flash, ability to plug into keyboard, mice, monitors, USB port, etc so needs to be either Windows or OSX
2) I'm very mobile - I work from home some days, I fly fairly frequently, and when I am based in our company office I tend to cycle there with my computer and work clothes on my back, so weight and size is critical. The SP is one of the lightest devices available which runs a full operating system. The tablet and touch screen option is a bonus as it means I can take all my notes electronically so saves me carrying around a notebook. Having the choice of pen, mouse, touch or keyboard means I can interact with the device in whatever way is best for what I'm doing.
So for my particular needs, a hybrid is perfect, and the Surface Pro is the best of the hybrids. Not sure what you mean by laptops or desktops being "more powerful" - the SP can be specced with i7 and 16GB of RAM which is more than enough power for most people. The only advantage that a regular laptop or desktop has over an SP is the size of screen and keyboard, but that is easily (and relatively cheaply these days) addressed by having a monitor and mouse/keyboard in your primary location(s) - I have that setup both at home and in the office. In the corporate environment that's what most laptop users have been doing for years anyway.
I have nothing against Apple - I have an iPad at home which is perfect for the kids, for browsing, for watching tv/movies, and for controlling Audio Video devices (almost no AV manufacturers do Windows apps, the best you can get is browser-based control which is nowhere near as good). I 've had several iPhones, and I still run with an iPod. If the iPad Pro had a USB port and ran OSX I would consider it. If the MacBook Air had touch screen and was maybe a little lighter then I would consider that. But right now Apple doesn't really do a hybrid device, so they don't have a device which meets my needs for work. If I had a MacBook Air or Pro in the office then quite a lot of the time I could probably get away with using an iPad Pro at home or when travelling, but the cost of having both devices would be significantly higher than the cost of my SP, and I would be very frustrated on the occasions where I found myself needing a full OS.
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.
I have seen this claim made literally nowhere. In fact, considering the similar performance, interchangeable nibs and eraser/quick launch functionality, the prevailing opinion seems to be that the surface pro stylus is superior. Those features plus the mostly metal body certainly indicate a price tag higher than $10, and much higher than Apple's $100 stylus.
Might I ask how you intent to support your assertion?
How did they do compared to everyone else other than Apple?
I have seen this claim made literally nowhere. In fact, considering the similar performance, interchangeable nibs and eraser/quick launch functionality, the prevailing opinion seems to be that the surface pro stylus is superior. Those features plus the mostly metal body certainly indicate a price tag higher than $10, and much higher than Apple's $100 stylus.
Might I ask how you intent to support your assertion?
My statistical sample is small, but generally the difference between the two tend to be small when it comes to tracking and latency but generally the iPad Pro pencil is has very slightly less latency and better tracking that the stylus for Surface Pro 4 (which is also pretty good).
The Microsoft one has interchangeable nibs, which may sound great but to be quite honest the few people I know have many of them but rarely change between them - sticking with just one..... rather than taking one off then putting another on.
The Microsoft has an eraser on one side so you can flip it over and it use it to erase. The Apple pencil you will just select erase and use the same side.... I don't know about you but the eraser on real pencils was generally crappy so I never got into the habit of flipping the pencil and using it.... unfortunately they don't sell "the eraser"
Shading, the Microsoft stylus has absolutely no concept or simulation of shading (using the pencil angled to shade).
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
My statistical sample is small, but generally the difference between the two tend to be small when it comes to tracking and latency but generally the iPad Pro pencil is has very slightly less latency and better tracking that the stylus for Surface Pro 4 (which is also pretty good).
The Microsoft one has interchangeable nibs, which may sound great but to be quite honest the few people I know have many of them but rarely change between them - sticking with just one..... rather than taking one off then putting another on.
The Microsoft has an eraser on one side so you can flip it over and it use it to erase. The Apple pencil you will just select erase and use the same side.... I don't know about you but the eraser on real pencils was generally crappy so I never got into the habit of flipping the pencil and using it.... unfortunately they don't sell "the eraser"
Shading, the Microsoft stylus has absolutely no concept or simulation of shading (using the pencil angled to shade).
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
I'm no artist, but I know that shading is important - how has that been achieved in digital artwork in the past? Is it always a hardware solution? It seems like something that could be done with software, though that's certainly a point in the Pencil's favor.
The eraser is useful in that you don't need to select erase to use it. You are still able to select erase with the Surface Pen if that's your fancy.
Palm rejection seems equivalent on both devices, from what I've seen.
The edge has to go with Apple in regards to palm rejection.
And how did you come to that conclusion? The surface line has always had palm rejection and it's always worked pretty flawlessly for me. It basically works the same way - it knows when the pen is near the glass.
The pencil has a slightly lower latency and has the tilt detection (kind of cool). I believe there is currently an issue on the SP4 getting a little jagged on the curves when drawing fast. I understand this is a software issue and will be resolved in a future firmware update. The fact is beyond that I haven't seen any real facts. For instance, we know the surface pen has 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity - but for the pencil all we know is that it is pressure sensitive, however, last I looked Apple hasn't said to how many levels.
The other thing I've read and heard is that the surface pen actually feels better on the glass because of the way the nib is textured. Read the comments on the latency video - the creator of the video even mentions that.
So, to sum up... The Pencil might be a slightly better choice for the artistic types - but, not by much. For the rest of us non-artistic shmo's, the pen is probably more functional given Windows vastly superior inking and handwriting recognition (see StaffPad and it's history to understand why this is a Windows app and not an iOS app as originally planned), interchangeable nibs, function buttons, and built in eraser - not to mention year long battery life (with no awkard charging mechanism). Not to mention that the pen is about $40 cheaper if you want to buy an extra or lose the one that comes with the device.
The other thing I've read and heard is that the surface pen actually feels better on the glass because of the way the nib is textured. Read the comments on the latency video - the creator of the video even mentions that.
The iPad Pro display has a tooth / texture to it which makes it not feel like drawing on a glass surface.
a guy with a 4-post history says the "prevailing opinion" is the MS stylus is better than the Pencil, never mind that Pencil just came out and is hard to find. okay....nice astroturfing, guy.
The iPad Pro display has a tooth / texture to it which makes it not feel like drawing on a glass surface.
I am aware of that, and I have not compared them myself. However, the comments I've read say that the pencil feels more slippery on the glass than the surface pen - that the pen feels more like it's writing on paper than glass.
In Latin, Argumentum ad populum.
p.s. A Surface is a LUDICROUS choice for video editing (I work as a video editor on major tv shows, I can assure you that not in a million years will you see a television series being cut on Microsoft Surface devices).
Your post shows the shamelessly specious arguments being forwarded by MS fanboys -- that because a Surface is marginally better suited for doing high end pro work on with traditional applications, that it is in anyway a reasonable choice for such work. It simply isn't, and it never will be, and any individual or company who is engaged in such an enterprise is going to choose a vastly more powerful and expandable platform (i.e. Mac Pro or desktop Windows workstation) on which to accomplish such tasks.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I personally know a video editing startup that make extensive use of the Surface Pro 3 for their work. I also know people in the advertising business who do the same. People also use MacBook Pros for this kind of work. No, neither is a replacement for a workstation and you aren't going to run a national TV broadcast from it or anything, but to pretend that is the kind of video editing work the OP was talking about is absurd and I assume disingenuous.
Surface Pros are actually excellent devices for lots of high-end work. Mine was my primary development machine for over a year, with a dock hooked up to a 4K monitor in my office. I've now replaced it with a Surface Book, primarily for the battery life and GPU. It's great at all the things the rMBP 13" is great at, but with better performance, a better display, and a touch screen / tablet mode which it turns out is pretty helpful when you're developing mobile apps. And of course Windows is just a better environment for developers (Apple's iOS development lock-in notwithstanding).
Pretty annoying that my comment submitted through the comment form on the article page seems to have never made it here. Perhaps it got caught in a Reality Distortion Field filter or something :-)