NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
New iPad Pro vs. Surface Pro 3 vs. MacBook
Following months of rumor and speculation, Apple finally unveiled its 12.9-inch iPad Pro yesterday. It’s no secret that the iPad Pro is aimed directly at enterprise and other business users, as is made obvious by the multitasking and productivity features built into iOS 9 and the optional Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.
The iPad Pro not only competes with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 hybrid tablet but also with Apple’s own MacBook.
Below we compare the technical specifications of these three devices.
| iPad Pro | Surface Pro 3 | MacBook | |
| Operating system | iOS 9 | Windows 8.1 Pro (free upgrade to Windows 10) | OS X |
| Display | 12.9-inch Retina | 12-inch Full HD | 12-inch Retina |
| Resolution | 2732 x 2048 | 1920 x 1080 | 2304 x 1440 |
| Processor | A9X (1.8x faster than A8X) | Intel Core i3 (1.5GHz), Core i5 (1.9GHz), Core i7 (1.7GHz) | Intel Core M (1.1GHz, 1.2GHz dual-core) |
| RAM | Not Provided | 4GB, 8GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 32GB, 128GB | 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB |
| Front Camera | 1.2-megapixel | 5.0-megapixel | N/A |
| Rear Camera | 8-megapixel | 5.0-megapixel | 480p |
| Battery | 10 hours (Apple estimate) | 42Wh (9 hours web browsing – Microsoft estimate) | 5263mAh (9 hours – Apple estimate) |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 8.68 x 12 x 0.27 | 7.93 x 11.5 x 0.36 | 7.74 x 11.04 x 0.52 |
| Weight (Pounds) | 1.57 | 1.76 | 2.03 |
| Base price | $799 | $799 | $1299 |
| Stylus/Keyboard | Optional keyboard ($169) and Apple Pencil ($99) | Surface Pen and optional removable keyboard ($129) | Built-in keyboard |
| Other | 4 speaker audio system, Fingerprint sensor |
Design and aesthetics aside, when it comes to using these devices for work, many may prefer to have a full blown operating system – Windows or OS X – that is capable of running full blown versions of enterprise applications. iOS 9, being mobile first, naturally runs scaled down versions of these applications, which may have limitations.
To further muddy the waters, Microsoft is likely to release the Surface Pro 4 at an event in October. The Surface Pro 4 is said to be thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro 3, come in 12 and 14-inch 2k and 4k resolution models; feature Intel’s new Skylake CPUs; 256GB SSDs from Samsung; sport an 8-megapixel primary rear camera, 3.5 megapixel front camera, and be made of magnesium-aluminum alloy. Reports suggest that the higher end version will go for about $1,300 and the lower end at around $500. The more expensive version will have 16GB of RAM while the cheaper tablet 4GB. Storage will vary, from 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, to 500GB.
Those are impressive specs no matter how you look at it and, with similar pricing to the iPad Pro – and given a preference for Windows as an OS – it is likely to be a no-brainer for enterprise users not loyal to the Apple brand.
To top it off, expect to see a price drop on the Surface Pro 3 following the launch of the Surface Pro 4.
We’ll have to see just how popular Apple’s new iPad Pro proves to be in Apple’s first earnings report following the device going on sale in November.
Watch the iPad Pro promo video below:
Image via Apple.com
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