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Surface 3 , Surface 3 Pro, or iPad Air 2?

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sweenish said:
I enjoy that SP3 got dinged for the Type Cover, then Surface 3 it's "any keyboard, really."

Consistency would be nice. The two devices are not that different. You either need the extra horsepower that the Pro brings, or you don't. I wouldn't consider the iPad unless you're already in the ecosystem, because at that price, the Surface 3 is the better machine.
Click to expand...

I did that because I kinda view the S3 and SP3 as two different classes of devices. The SP3 has a 12.5 inch screen and 2 pounds and $1000+ price tag is really positioning itself as an Ultrabook alternative and as such you'll very likely be using it a lot more as a laptop and typing on it. And the Type Cover just isn't that great for heavy typing. The S3 is more a tablet and people are probably not going to be doing heavy duty typing on this and so the Type Cover is more acceptable.

I really wish Microsoft had some sort of keyboard dock for the SP3 (or even S3).
 
So use "any keyboard, really" with the SP3. It's a full on computer. Get a bluetooth keyboard and type away.

Like I said, consistency would be nice. The Type cover is not required. If I'm being honest, it's still the one I would get because it goes so well with the device, but you're not restricted in any way.
 
sweenish said:
So use "any keyboard, really" with the SP3. It's a full on computer. Get a bluetooth keyboard and type away.

Like I said, consistency would be nice. The Type cover is not required. If I'm being honest, it's still the one I would get because it goes so well with the device, but you're not restricted in any way.
Click to expand...

When you spend as much as you do for an SP3, you kinda want something that is all in one. Not carrying pieces of equipment to meetings.

It's hard to imagine someone buying an SP3 and not buying a Type Cover, but I guess you can.

The Logitech K480 is an awesome keyboard and it has a slot for tablets and fits the Surface 3 pretty nice. So that would be one good choice to the S3.

The Surface Pro 3 won't fit in the K480 unfortunately. So I'd probably go with a Logitech K810 with that tablet, it's a bit bigger and thinner and back lit. A really nice keyboard.

However I think people will probably still want to buy the Type Cover because carrying around a BT keyboard kinda sucks.
 
Ravynmagi with your Surface 3 do you ever find the atom processor (or whatever processor is comes with) or the 128 GB of flash memory for storage to slow ?

Like lets say in Firefox browser unless you don't use it. I forgot does Firefox even have a touch friendly browser for window tablets?
 
poofyhairguy said:
What got me to buy it was the specs- it is the best size to power ratio in this form factor. The build quality is amazing, and the screen is top notch. Plus the performance is very nice- I do a lot of web browsing and this is the first mobile device where that doesn't feel like a significant step back from my desktop (except for a few edge cases). The touch screen is very responsive, and I know that if I ever don't like it and I want to sell it then I will get back maximum resale value compared to other tablets. iPads always hold their value.

Now that I have had it for a while I like that the iOS ecosystem BY FAR has the best selection of tablet applications that use the full screen space as best as possible. I like the fingerprint reader gives me real security, so I don't mind making my iPad my "banking/serious stuff" device. The game selection is really nice, and now that MS Office is all over iOS with a bluetooth keyboard this thing is basically a laptop replacement for me. Oh and I like that it "just worked" with my wireless HP printer.

For a consumption/entertainment I don't think it can be beat. Not only is the app selection for tablets better than in Android, so is the game selection overall. I would say it is a 9/10 for a consumption/entertainment device. For a productivity device I think it is far better than other devices I have had due to the extra power. I would call it a 7/10, with it only being held back by the OS.

The reason I picked the iPad Air 2 over a Windows tablet is because:

1. Non-desktop mode on a Windows device falls apart in high resolutions because Windows DPI scaling is fundamentally broken. I hate trying to click microscopic buttons.

2. Metro mode (aka the tablet mode) in Windows is almost as restrictive as iOS (like no flash in the Browser) without the great tablet-ready apps or the selection of tablet-friendly games

3. I really really wanted a device I could use one-handed for long periods of time. All the time I will do something in one hand while I hold the directions for what I am doing on my iPad in my other hand. Only the Air 2 is that thin and light.

Please note though I have a lot of devices: a smartphone, a couple desktops, an older Macbook Pro, a 2009 netbook, etc. so I am not trying to get a single device to rule my life. If I needed it all to be one device, I would own a Surface Pro.

What I wanted was a tablet, and one that is best in class. That is the iPad Air 2.
Click to expand...

What is the best app on iOS to play videos and music ? I can't seem to find one that is as good as mx player on android.
 
pcslookout said:
Ravynmagi with your Surface 3 do you ever find the atom processor (or whatever processor is comes with) or the 128 GB of flash memory for storage to slow ?

Like lets say in Firefox browser unless you don't use it. I forgot does Firefox even have a touch friendly browser for window tablets?
Click to expand...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
CrystalDiskMark 4.0.3 x64 (C) 2007-2015 hiyohiyo
Crystal Dew World : http://crystalmark.info/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
* MB/s = 1,000,000 bytes/s [SATA/600 = 600,000,000 bytes/s]
* KB = 1000 bytes, KiB = 1024 bytes

Sequential Read (Q= 32,T= 1) : 137.012 MB/s
Sequential Write (Q= 32,T= 1) : 31.253 MB/s
Random Read 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) : 50.347 MB/s [ 12291.7 IOPS]
Random Write 4KiB (Q= 32,T= 1) : 6.361 MB/s [ 1553.0 IOPS]
Sequential Read (T= 1) : 64.796 MB/s
Sequential Write (T= 1) : 30.825 MB/s
Random Read 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) : 10.480 MB/s [ 2558.6 IOPS]
Random Write 4KiB (Q= 1,T= 1) : 4.579 MB/s [ 1117.9 IOPS]

Test : 100 MiB [C: 30.2% (33.4/110.5 GiB)] (x3)
Date : 2015/05/22 11:44:47
OS : Windows 8.1 [6.3 Build 9600] (x64)

The eMMC in the Surface 3 is probably average. It's not blazing fast like the iPad Air 2 has, but I've seen much worse. I am not sure why Microsoft didn't go with something faster.

With that said, in normal day to day usage, I don't see the eMMC storage impacting performance. Typically it's noticable when installing apps. And it's not that apps just take longer, the entire system bogs down while apps install. So you have to be a bit patient if installing a bunch of updates or big apps or something. But browsing the web, running apps, and such, the eMMC doesn't seem to hurt performance. And this is a pretty fast Atom, so I've had no performance complaints from it either.

I'm pretty happy with the performance from the Surface 3. Though so far I haven't installed any PC games yet. But I do know the previous generation of Atom was able to hand Civ 5 and some lower end games pretty well, so I think I'll be installing Civ 5 on this soon along with some other non-demanding games.
 
Whats the best place to buy Surface 3 , Surface 3 Pro, or iPad Air 2 in your opinion ?

Direct from Microsoft or Apple incase there is a problem ?
 
Apple blows out iPads on eBay through retailers like "mobile pros". If you take your time, you can get some great deals. And Apple is really good about honoring its warranty, no issues with oddball retailers and warranty issues.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/iPads-Table...?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=&_ssn=mobilepros1

Wal Mart has refurbs, and IIRC, Air 2's just showed up refurbished in the Apple Store recently, good prices, perfect devices, and a full warranty if purchased from Apple.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

Yep, iPad Air 2's are in the Apple Store now.

http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=ipad&cat_id=3944_1078524_1092747_1093044
 
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pcslookout said:
Whats the best place to buy Surface 3 , Surface 3 Pro, or iPad Air 2 in your opinion ?

Direct from Microsoft or Apple incase there is a problem ?
Click to expand...

If you have a Microsoft Store (B&M) near you, definitely get it there, since they offer excellent support -- and look into Microsoft Complete bundle if you're interested in Type Cover -- as it includes 2 year Accidental + Type Cover + Screen protector + sleeve for a discounted price.
 
pcslookout said:
Whats the best place to buy Surface 3 , Surface 3 Pro, or iPad Air 2 in your opinion ?

Direct from Microsoft or Apple incase there is a problem ?
Click to expand...

Browse Apple's refurb page to find some good deals on iPads. They come with the exact same warranty as a brand new one.

For the Surface 3, I know Costco has some good bundles that include the pen and type cover. I'm not sure how much they are in the US but IIRC, it was a pretty good discount.
https://www.costco.com/Microsoft-Su...-|-Office-365-Personal.product.100176667.html
 
I love my Air 2. I use it as a consumption/gaming device with pretty much zero productivity use. I'm in the minority with my love for the iOS ecosystem. I've went all Apple in the end so I am a bit biased. If productivity is more of a priority then the Surface Pro would be a good choice. The quality of apps on the iPad is also another big selling point.
 
Thing with is that if you're on Windows x86 OS -- if you want to run mobile apps -- you can (look at DuOS that runs emulated Android) -- but for iOS there isn't even an option to.
 
I'd been using a Surface Pro 1 for over a year and recently faced a similar choice. Should I upgrade my iPad 4 to an Air 2, jump in to the Surface 3 or upgrade to a Surface 3 Pro?

I initially looked REALLY hard at the Surface 3. It looked like that's definitely what I was going to go with. But when I learned it used eMMC flash it made me pause. eMMC isn't bad. It's typically as fast as a regular spindle HDD. I have a Venue 8 Pro and don't really have any issues. Still, that was a $200 device and just wasnt what I was expecting from a premium $600 computer. Then I started doing math in my head. $600 for the Surface, $90 for the keyboard and $35 for the pen. But that's still $725. Sprinkle a little tax on there and I'm just shy of $800. I knew that was used SP3 territory. So I started looking around. Sure enough, I found the SP3 of my dreams used. An i5 256 model with type cover and a bunch of accessories for $800 cash.

What leaned me towards SP3 was the larger screen with higher resolution, adjustable kickstand and the regular SSD. Unlike a lot of people on here, I regularly use my Surface without a keyboard. I can say with complete confidence that I've used the new SP3 just as much with the keyboard as without. Maybe it's because I came from an old SP1 but I don't know how anyone could complain about the size and weight of the SP3. It's thin, but not too thin. It's heavier than an iPad 1 but it's still only 1.76lbs. It's got a large screen but that was a selling point for me. One of the best things for me has been battery life. The SP1 would barely eek out 4 hours. I can use the SP3 when I get home for four or five hours and only hit the 50% mark on the battery. Plenty of battery life left.

So, if you're torn between a SP3 and the S3. Keep in mind that the used market for SP3 is really good right now. You should be able to get the 128GB I5 version with a type cover for $800. Even Microsoft sells refurb on eBay at that price point all the time. Don't let anyone try to convince you that it's big or heavy to use as a tablet, it works great.
 
zerogear said:
Thing with is that if you're on Windows x86 OS -- if you want to run mobile apps -- you can (look at DuOS that runs emulated Android) -- but for iOS there isn't even an option to.
Click to expand...

I haven't tried AMIDuOS but I've heard it works pretty well. It's only $10 after a 30 day trial. There's also Bluestacks, which is free, but I've heard it has performance issues.

It's too bad the bootloader is locked. Else you could install Android-x86 or Console OS as a dual boot option, and run Android natively if you needed to. There's a few China-tablets that can do that, but they use older Atom processors.
 
One of the forums I frequent has a SP3/i5/128 with tiny scratches on the screen for 675 shipped, can hook you up if interested
 
Ok I went to the mall to test out the Surface 3 , Surface Pro 3, and iPad Air 2.

I don't know if I like the Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3 because both lagged a little browsing the way it seem. Maybe I am just to use to my ssd and desktop pc.

The keyboard is ok but not a 10 maybe a 8. I don't like the mouse clicks or how you click the mouse. I wish there was buttons like on laptops. The pen was really great definitely a 10. So how do you write notes with the pen ? I couldn't figure that out.
 
pcslookout said:
Ok I went to the mall to test out the Surface 3 , Surface Pro 3, and iPad Air 2.

I don't know if I like the Surface 3 or Surface Pro 3 because both lagged a little browsing the way it seem. Maybe I am just to use to my ssd and desktop pc.

The keyboard is ok but not a 10 maybe a 8. I don't like the mouse clicks or how you click the mouse. I wish there was buttons like on laptops. The pen was really great definitely a 10. So how do you write notes with the pen ? I couldn't figure that out.
Click to expand...

You click the purple top button on the stylus or manually open up One Note.
 
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