Advantages of the Apple iPad Over Microsoft Surface

My recent article showed some of the advantages of the Microsoft Surface over Apple’s iPad. The advantages are not all one sided.  Today I will look at this issue from the other side.  And there certainly are advantages that the iPad has over the Microsoft Surface.

A big advantage right now is that there are many more apps available for the iPad than the Surface.  I expect that this gap will lessen over time but for right now, this is a big advantage that the iPad offers.

If portability is important to you the iPad is thinner and lighter than the Surface as well.  In addition you can use the iPad for a slightly longer time before needing to recharge the battery.

If picture quality is important to you, the Apple iPad has Surface beat hands down.  Surface has a 1MP front and rear camera while the iPad has a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera. That said, newer smartphones are likely to have an 8MP rear camera and likely a front camera that is about 1.2MP.

For a display, the iPad is the one to go with.  The retina display is superior and the higher resolution makes it more suitable for reading, watching movies and playing games.

You likely have heard of Siri, the personal assistant that comes with the iPhone. Well it also comes with the iPad.  Nothing like this is currently available with Surface.

While the iPad supports POP (Post office protocol), Surface does not. POP in addition to IMAP are the two most common internet standard protocols used to retrieve email. Microsoft offers workarounds and this is a factor to take into consideration.  Bottom line is that for the iPad connection to POP is a piece of cake.

When I purchased my iPad I did not purchase it new.  Rather I purchased a refurbished one online paying about 25% less than had I bought one new.  I get the same warranty and it went through the usual Apple tests and certifications. I also am very happy with it in this respect. Click on the link to the Apple Store to learn more. Note that the Apple Store does not sell refurbished items which of course includes the iPad.  

In my personal opinion the biggest advantage of the iPad is its ease of use.  This is particularly so if you have an iPhone as they both are similar to use. With Surface you first have to figure out how to navigate the tiles.  The charms bar is at the right of the screen and not readily visible.  I like that with the iPad I simply push the “On” button and proceed to click on the app I wish to use. While I am primarily a PC user, I found the iPad and iPhone both easy to learn as I do other Apple products.

So which is for you? It depends what is important to you.  In a nutshell if you are largely producing rather than consuming data take a long look at Surface. If ease of use and the display is important the iPad may very well be what you are looking for. Apple’s website has a lot more on the iPad if you wish to learn more about it.

If you have further questions about a tablet computers or other technology, I can be contacted at (917) 572-3468 or email me at mike@computerconciergeny.com .