I need some help. Ipad or Surface Pro?

[Batmeat]

I need a tablet for my wife. She is tech illiterate. It took forever to teach her how to use her IPhone and Windows 10. Here is the only requirement.

1. External storage via USB key that allows her to store word docs, pdfs, excel files, and movies.

Now, I know both Ipad and Surface Pro can have external storage attached. The surface pro can handle her requirement just fine. What don't know and can't find on Apple's site is if the Ipad pro's attached storage can have the file types I mentioned above. There are excel and word apps that allow you view docs, but will they let you search a usb key for the document type? Can you watch movies you have loaded onto a usb key?

 

[Ravynmagi]

iOS has not file system. Apps are sandboxed from each other pretty well. So using external storage is very limited and likely won't meet your expectations. I think it's mostly for exporting or importing limited file types. You won't be running anything directly from the USB drive (as far as I'm aware).

The Surface/Surface Pro definitely will meet your one requirement easily. Though if your main purpose is to use it as a table, the iPad is definitely a far superior tablet than a Surface/Surface Pro. And the Surface Pro is in another price class really.

 

[SKORPI0]

Re: Ipad Pro

I don't see why you can't read the supported files types via USB Flash Drive with Lightning Connector.

http://www.amazon.com/Omars-Flash-Drive-Lightning-Connector/dp/B00X941KF8

Audio Playback

Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz
Audio formats supported: AAC (8 to 320 Kbps), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE-AAC, MP3 (8 to 320 Kbps), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX, and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV
User-configurable maximum volume limit


TV and Video

AirPlay Mirroring, photos, audio, and video out to Apple TV (2nd generation or later)
Video mirroring and video out support: Up to 1080p through Lightning Digital AV Adapter and Lightning to VGA Adapter (adapters sold separately)
Video formats supported: H.264 video up to 1080p, 60 frames per second, High Profile level 5.0 with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; MPEG-4 video up to 2.5 Mbps, 640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames per second, Simple Profile with AAC-LC audio up to 160 Kbps per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4, and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M-JPEG) up to 35 Mbps, 1280 by 720 pixels, 30 frames per second, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format


Mail Attachment Support

Viewable document types

• .jpg, .tiff, .gif (images); .doc and .docx (Microsoft Word); .htm and .html (web pages); .key (Keynote); .numbers (Numbers); .pages (Pages); .pdf (Preview and Adobe Acrobat); .ppt and .pptx (Microsoft PowerPoint); .txt (text); .rtf (rich text format); .vcf (contact information); .xls and .xlsx (Microsoft Excel); .zip; .ics

 

[poofyhairguy]

You won't be running anything directly from the USB drive (as far as I'm aware).

You can, but only with certain USB drives. Like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/LEEF-iBridge-Lightning-Memory-LIB000KK064E6/dp/B00OHAN60A

 

[Batmeat]

You can, but only with certain USB drives. Like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/LEEF-iBridge-Lightning-Memory-LIB000KK064E6/dp/B00OHAN60A

Yep I'm aware that only certain USB drives work. I like ios better thank windows 10. It's way more intuitive. I prefer to have the Ipad for the wife. Maybe I'll have to take a trip to the Apple Store to try it just incase.

I appreciate all the responses.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Enjoy the iPad, they are great tablets.

 

[Torn Mind]

The original Surface Pro is terrible in portrait mode. It wants to be a laptop.

The 3 and 4 are better because they switched up the aspect ratio.

 

[Arachnotronic]

I need a tablet for my wife. She is tech illiterate.

iPad Pro. They are easy to use & just plain awesome.

 

[ControlD]

Some of the decision might depend on how advanced the Word and Excel files are. If it were me, I would never consider the iPad Pro for such work unless it allows for full VBA scripting/macro access. I have a feeling Excel on an iPad Pro is just a subset of what is available on the Windows version.

 

[Commodus]

Some of the decision might depend on how advanced the Word and Excel files are. If it were me, I would never consider the iPad Pro for such work unless it allows for full VBA scripting/macro access. I have a feeling Excel on an iPad Pro is just a subset of what is available on the Windows version.

That's largely accurate. It's actually a pretty robust take on the Office suite, but it's still limited to what mobile operating systems can do (the Android version is pretty similar). You're fine with the iPad versions of Excel, PowerPoint and Word if you're a typical user -- they're just not for the hardcore types who need scripting and other elaborate features to get their jobs done.

Given the OP's description, the iPad versions would be just fine.

 

[rbk123]

I was contemplating between the 2 a couple of weeks ago as well:

- Surface Pro 4 was pricier; 3 was closer depending on which Intel processor (i5 minimum for me)
- Surface Pro had more storage
- Windows flexibility greater than IOS
- Windows complexity greater than IOS
- I went and looked at them and the 12" iPad Pro seemed noticeably larger than the 12" Surface Pro, from a useable screen perspective (bigger was better for me)
- iPad was thinner
- the iPad doesn't have USB3.0 yet, even though the controller is 3.0 capable

I've never had an Apple device other than iPods, but I went with the iPad because I liked the screen size the best, along with the thin-ness (until I got a case, I was terrified I'd snap it). My phones are all Android as I refuse to pay the Apple premium, and didn't want to for the tablet, so it was not that easy of a choice but there really is no Android tablet equivalent. And then Android fracturing is much worse than IOS versioning.
Although no file manager/copying on IOS is annoying, Android/IOS are very close so non-Android isn't an issue (I don't use either's eco-system). No USB3.0 is pretty pathetic, considering it's not even remotely new technology any more.

I do love the iPad though - the big size is what I was after and it's CPU/GPU are very fast for my simplistic use case. If I had to rechoose, I'd still pick it.

 

[Batmeat]

This weekend I'll be at the Apple Store to try it out. I don't need any advanced scripting or macro's for excel, power point, or word. That won't be the issue. The issue is going to the accessing those files and videos to watch from an appropriate usb drive.

So it's either surface pro 3 or iPad Pro right now.

 

[quikah]

What is the use case? Are you sure she needs a tablet? Even with the keyboards, editing office docs on a tablet is a compromised experience compared to a laptop (doubly so on the ipad with the lack of touchpad). Just viewing would be fine though.

 

[Batmeat]

What is the use case? Are you sure she needs a tablet? Even with the keyboards, editing office docs on a tablet is a compromised experience compared to a laptop (doubly so on the ipad with the lack of touchpad). Just viewing would be fine though.

Editing for all file types would be minimal, except video files. Those would only be loaded to the usb drive to watch. She was using an HP Pavillion G6 laptop (gonna post this soon in the for sale forum) but at 15 inches the laptop is outdated now and bulky for what she does. Hence the tablet migration.

 

[rbk123]

Do you have a Best Buy near you? Mine had both the Surface Pro and iPad Pro. I kept walking back and forth between them to compare their look and feel.

 

[Raduque]

Don't forget to take a look at the HP Spectre x2. It's basically a cheaper Surface Pro 4 Core m. The keyboard is included, but the pen it not, it has LTE (Verizon, though some have gotten it onto tmobile) and runs about $800 for an m3 6Y30, 4gb ram and 128gb storage.

 

[rbk123]

except video files. Those would only be loaded to the usb drive to watch.

If you go with the iPad, let us know how well (or not) the USB drive solution you try works. Each of the devices have reviews all over the place, but that could be attributed to the many different phone models (and not being able to get it to work with all of them).

 

[KentState]

Don't forget to take a look at the HP Spectre x2. It's basically a cheaper Surface Pro 4 Core m. The keyboard is included, but the pen it not, it has LTE (Verizon, though some have gotten it onto tmobile) and runs about $800 for an m3 6Y30, 4gb ram and 128gb storage.

Also the Samsung Tab Pro S. A little more expensive, but comes with the keyboard and a great screen. The reviews have been pretty positive so far.

 

[Cheesemoo]

Surface = Actual Computer
iPad = App launcher

Surface hands down.

 

[finbarqs]

Surface is to a tablet as an iMac is to a gaming PC.

 

[Crono]

Surface is to a tablet as an iMac is to a gaming PC.

I think you need to reverse the positions of iMac and gaming PC.

 

[Midwayman]

While I find the iPad simpler to use in general, edge case stuff like loading files off a drive always seems terrible. Apple makes going outside the walled garden of each app a big PITA. Surface, its just another drive. Hell, an android tablet would deal with it gracefully as it has a real file system. iOS? ugg.

 

[cronos]

Surface is to a tablet as an iMac is to a gaming PC.

I'm pretty sure it's the other way around, but yeah.

 

[finbarqs]

I think you need to reverse the positions of iMac and gaming PC.

just saying that some of the higher end imacs have dedicated GPU's that will allow gaming.

surface is trying to be a jack of all trades. imacs are trying to do the same too... trying to replace your traditional desktop, even gaming ones.

 

[Artdeco]

I'd scrounge up a used 9.7" iPad Air II from Swappa. It'll hold its value well, and it's like a big iPhone.

There are several 12" iPad Pro's on Swappa under $650...