For those who don’t know, Surface is the range of hybrid tablets from Microsoft. Part laptop, part tablet, they run a full desktop operating system like Windows 11 in touch format. In addition, you can buy a separate keyboard which turns it into a laptop. This concept is similar to the iPad Pro M4 + Magic Keyboard, with only one difference: the iPad Pro has a tablet operating system (iPadOS) and the Microsoft Surface has a tablet operating system (iPadOS). desktop (Windows 11).
Later in this article, we will talk about this very differentiating fact. But for now, let’s start with a comparison that Microsoft didn’t teach us. And in their presentation, they even presented a MacBook M3 to compare it directly with the Surface Pro. But shouldn’t the fair comparison be with Apple’s M4 chip?
Microsoft Surface performance compared to iPad Pro M4
There Microsoft Surface It has an ARM chip Snapdragon X Elite from Qualcomm. On the iPad Pro side, it features Apple’s latest processor, the M4 Chip. How will these two processors compete? The Snapdragon X Elite has more CPU and GPU cores, although the Apple M4 chip has higher performance in single core.
Additionally, when it comes to artificial intelligence, the Snapdragon X Elite has more raw power and a larger RAM capacity. After all, The Surface is closer to a laptop than a tablet. It’s heavier, it’s fan-cooled… Apple has adjusted everything about the M4 chip for the iPad Pro. Something very different will be. when we see the M4 on a MacBook Pro. Look at the comparison table anyway, because the M4 chip equals the Snapdragon X Elite in power.
|
M4 chip |
Snapdragon X Elite |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Nucleos processor |
9/10 hearts |
12 hearts |
|
NÚCLEOS GPU |
10 hearts |
12 hearts |
|
MANUFACTURING PROCESS |
3 nanometers |
4 nanometers |
|
Single-core performance |
3,747 |
2,792 |
|
MULTI-CORE PERFORMANCE |
14,740 |
14,584 |
|
Neural motor performance |
38 trillion operations per second |
45 trillion operations per second |
|
Hardware-accelerated ray tracing |
Yeah |
No |
iPad Pro vs Surface Pro display and design
We know that the OLED screen of the iPad Pro is a real marvel. If we compare its quality and also add the weight and design, the scale tips towards the iPad Pro M4, which offers a better screen and a more compact and lighter format.
|
iPad Pro M4 |
Surface Pro |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Screen |
OLED |
OLED |
|
resolution |
2752×2064 |
2880×1920 |
|
Shine |
1000 nits |
600 nits |
|
Update frequency |
10 to 120 Hz |
60 to 120 Hz |
|
P3 color range |
Yeah |
No |
|
Size |
5.1mm |
9.3mm |
|
weight |
582 grams |
893 grams |
|
Précio |
From 1199 dollars |
From 1199 dollars |
Superior performance on the iPad Pro M4, limited by iPadOS?
The general performance of the M4 chip is superior to that of the Snapdragon X Elite except in specific artificial intelligence tasks. However, here we enter into a well-known debate: Does the iPad benefit from all the power of Apple chips?
The Surface Pro has a full desktop operating system like Windows 11. Allows you to connect to multiple displays and use applications without any type of adaptation. However, Apple with iPadOS has a different concept. It adapts Mac applications to the iPad, as is the case with Final Cut Pro. It allows you to connect an external screen, but window management, despite the Visual Organizer, is a little more cumbersome.
The iPad is a good tablet and the Surface is a good laptop
As we can see in the comparison above, although the Surface has a touchscreen and the keyboard can be removed, It’s closer to a laptop than a tablet. It weighs almost a kilo, is almost twice as thick and has a fan to cool the interior.
Basically, each team stands out for one thing. The experience on the iPad as a tablet is superior to the Surface, especially thanks to the wonderful apps in the App Store. On the other hand, the Surface is great for using as a laptop and occasionally touching.
Would it be better if a MacBook Air, for example, had a touchscreen? Will Apple ever include macOS on iPads? They are complicated answers from a business point of view and they could be authorized during the next WWDC 2024.
Is cannibalization between products slowing down the iPad Pro?
iPadOS is one of the ten best operating systems for an entry-level iPad and even an iPad Air. However, for a a professional audience such as the iPad Pro may experience limitations like the ones we mentioned above.
Many of us think that Apple has not finished incorporating functions into iPadOS so that anyone who wants can Includes Mac + iPad. And ultimately, it’s a perfect tactic from a business point of view. However, and as our colleague Javier Lacort comments, can you imagine that the iPhone would not have included the music application so as not to stop selling iPods? We all take it for granted, and Apple has confirmed it, that macOS will not appear on the iPad. However, with simple improved window management, we would be a step forward.
iPadOS lets you connect an external display and use different windows with Visual Organizer
So no, the iPad won’t have macOS, but it can get a big improvement with iPadOS 18. The wish list is simple: more flexible window management, similar to a desktop environment and the arrival of versions of applications identical to those of the Mac. They share the same processor, which would therefore be relatively simple.
The next quote to see how this is all resolved is the June 10 at WWDC. For my part, I explained the two sides to you: a tablet closer to a PC and an iPad which remains faithful to the iPad experience (although with limits). What would you like to see?
In Applesfera | iPad Pro M4 (2024), analysis: leading technology towards the impossible
In Applesfera | M4 chip, everything we know about the new Apple processors and when they will arrive on Mac
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