“I hoped the ‘iPad-killer’ meme had finally kicked the bucket, but I was wrong: the hype is back around Microsoft’s overpriced and underpowered Surface Go,” Jonny Evans writes for Computerworld. “Reports that it’s about to kill the iPad are over-exaggerated.”
“Let’s get something out of the way. Surface Go does not compete with the iPad Pro on any metric that matters,” Evans writes. “Limited processor capability means the device does less, of course – so when you read the adulation for Surface Go just try to remember the product it actually does compete with is the excellent 2018 iPad. Even then, Surface Go seems to be a fairly poor choice on the basis of price, performance, apps, and capability.”
“Apple’s 2018 iPad costs from $329 (and $30 less for education customers. It hosts a 64-bit A10 Fusion chip,” Evans writes. “Surface Go [$399] provides a 1.6GHz 64-bit Intel Pentium Gold chip. Check the benchmarks for both chips and it should be clear the A10 Fusion is far faster than the Pentium, particularly when it comes to graphics. Entry-level Surface Go devices use eMMC storage, which will also impact performance. If you want the same kind of SSD performance you get from an iPad, you’ll need to spend another $150.”
“There are 1.3 million apps you can run on an iPad… far more than those available for the Surface Go. These are highly capable solutions, spanning the productivity and creativity gamut, think Procreate, Affinity Photo, GarageBand, iMovie and so many more,” Evans writes. “This universe of apps makes Apple’s system far more flexible, far more personizable, far more useful than its competitor.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: For buyers of Microsoft’s “Surface Go,” there isn’t a short enough bus.
SEE ALSO:
Can Microsoft’s new $399 ‘Surface Go’ beat Apple’s iPad? – July 10, 2018
Microsoft again plans cheap ‘Surface’ tablet line in attempt to take on Apple’s iPad juggernaut – May 16, 2018
Reuters reviews Apple’s new 6th-gen iPad: The tablet to buy – April 4, 2018
Apple’s new low-cost iPad absolutely destroys Chromebooks in performance – April 4, 2018
The Verge reviews new entry-level iPad: Apple’s bare minimum still beats everybody else – April 3, 2018
VentureBeat reviews Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad: ‘OK for schools, great for everyone else’ – April 2, 2018
Apple’s new iPad can only be good news – March 29, 2018
New iPad’s enemy isn’t just Chromebooks, it’s the U.S. public education system – March 28, 2018
Logitech’s Rugged Combo 2 keyboard and case for Apple’s iPad has its own smart connector – March 28, 2018
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad offers 2GB of RAM, 2.2 GHz A10 processor – March 28, 2018
Apple takes aim at Google Chromebook with $299 iPad with Apple Pencil support for schools – March 27, 2018
Apple unveils new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support starting at $329 – March 27, 2018
Very few consumers will buy this. Only those die hard Stockholm PC fanboys. Industry/Enterprise is who will buy them in a slight but measurable volume.
> There are 1.3 million apps you can run on an iPad… far more than those available for the Surface Go.
Of all the reasons for choosing an iPad over a Surface, this is not one of them. Of the 1.3 million apps – most people will use no more than thirty. Many of those 1.3 million apps are dross.
The only reason for choosing a Surface Go, which may be a very big reason, is that it runs Windows and supports a mouse. For an iPad, adding a keyboard is essential for proper work but the lack of mouse or trackpad support, together with a proper filesystem, means that it is not a full computer replacement for people that need those things. Text selection and highlighting on an iPad (when word processing and using a keyboard) remains weak.
That said, it is undoubtedly true that the Surface Go will in no way kill (or even meaningfully dent) the iPad.
“Of all the reasons for choosing an iPad over a Surface, this is not one of them. Of the 1.3 million apps – most people will use no more than thirty. Many of those 1.3 million apps are dross.”
You’d think. But an even more stupid example of this thinking is exactly what Android fans use to justify using an Android device:
“Android let’s me choose from 1.3 millions devices!”
So, they buy one, most of which are dross, and then they have the one that they have. Whereas, when you buy your one iPad, at least you really can benefit from any of the 1.3 million apps when and as you feel like it.
One of the winningest NFL coaches, Bill Belichick, knows all about the MS tablet.