MS Surface vs iPad Air: on what is more preferable to write mobile applications for the corporate segment?

This review has been prepared to compare and show the advantages of one of the platforms (Microsoft Surface 2, Apple iPad). The use of the tablet is considered not for entertainment, but as a working tool. A comparison is made for all parameters of the devices: appearance, accessories, power and “survivability” of the battery and, most importantly, the operating system and available software products. At the end of the review, a conclusion is made about which device is the most convenient corporate tablet.

General view

1. The size of both devices is approximately the same. Note that the Surface 2 is a widescreen device, while the iPad has a 3: 4 ratio. The screen resolution is slightly higher for the iPad (2048 × 1536 for the iPad versus 1920 × 1080 for the Surface 2). In the figures on the left is an Apple product, on the right is Microsoft Surface 2.
   
2. Appearance of devices . As already mentioned, Surface 2 looks more serious due to the direct forms. On the back of both devices is a camera and logo. The side panels on the Surface 2 have USB and micro HDMI ports. IPad has no additional input / output ports.
   
3. Additional features of the housing . Thanks to the snap-in stand, it is possible to mount the Surface 2 tablet in a tilted mode on a horizontal surface. The iPad does not have this feature in the basic configuration. For iPad, you can buy a stand as an optional accessory.
   
4. Keyboard . The kit for Surface 2 has the opportunity to buy a thin keyboard, which at the same time will be a cover for the screen of the device. This accessory was developed directly by Microsoft and is available simultaneously with the purchase of the tablet. With this configuration, Surface 2 quickly turns into a convenient tool for printing texts. Given the stand on the back, it becomes almost a laptop. There is no standard keyboard for the iPad from the manufacturer, but can be found from third-party manufacturers.
   

Filling

1. The processor of both devices is in the same performance class. The iPad processor wins a bit in power. But the processor power manifests itself, rather, in the "game" mode. If the purpose of the tablet is precisely a “working tool”, then the user will not notice the difference in performance.
   
2. RAM Microsoft product more than 2 GB to 1 GB from the iPad. In practice, this affects the speed of work in programs that operate with big data (tables, large presentations, etc.).
   
3. Drive . The volume in both cases depends on the configuration purchased. In turn, this affects the price of the device. If we are talking about the use mode for work, then we can take the configuration from a 32 GB drive. It'll be enough. An additional important advantage of Surface 2 is the presence of a microSD slot, which allows you to expand the disk capacity if necessary, as well as quickly copy data (for example, from cameras or other mobile devices).
   
4. Battery . Devices have approximately the same capacity. Allow to work autonomously up to 10 hours.
   
5. IO ports . Apple's conservative strategy in this case is against users. The iPad has only one port - Lightning, through which the device is charged. Also available are Lightning-USB, Lightning-HDMI extension cables. But they are purchased separately. The inconvenience lies in the need to take these cables with you. In Surface 2, we have everything out of the box. By the way, the presence of a USB port can help in some cases when you need to charge, for example, a phone.
   

Operating system and software

1. Operating system . Windows 8 RT as a working / auxiliary device is definitely much more suitable for users who use Windows as a working platform in everyday work life. And the main factor here is not even usability. The fact is that in Surface 2, in addition to the panel with tiles, there is a completely normal desktop. On it, the user can work in exactly the same way as on a regular computer: place files, search for necessary documents, work in the Internet browser, and so on. That is, the user, going home from work, on a trip and on a business trip, takes a tablet with him. At the same time, on the way or at home, he can continue to work in the same mode - write text or prepare a presentation. To do this, just copy the file to the device.
2. An absolute plus of Windows 8 is the ability to run two or more applications in parallel. The iPad also has a very user-friendly interface that even children can understand. But the professional habits of office employees usually prevail if we are talking specifically about work and not about entertainment. X86 programs (regular Windows programs) cannot be installed and run on a Surface 2 tablet, nor can Mac OS programs run on an iPad. If necessary, you can purchase Surface Pro, which supports the launch of Desktop programs for Windows.
3. SkyDrive . Allows you to synchronize files over the Internet. An employee can, almost without interruption, work on one document that is synchronized through the SkyDrive secure storage. For him, it will be like editing the same file both on a working computer and on a tablet. For example, if you need to urgently write a document, but it's time to pack up and go to the airport, you can not interrupt work in a taxi and on an airplane.
4. Application Store . Both tablets have access to the store of paid and free applications. It surpasses Apple in quantity. But if you look at the stores from a working point of view, we won’t see much difference. Most applications of the Apple store are entertainment applications, and they can not bear the auxiliary load for work processes.
5. Of Office . When buying a Surface 2 tablet, the user receives a licensed version of MS Office. This includes Word, Excel, Power Point, OneNote, Outlook.

Price

Starting price at the time of the appearance of products on the market in the United States differed by 50 USD in favor of Surface. The cost was taken without taking into account the cost of accessories (for example, a keyboard-cover from Microsoft). At the time of writing the price review on the Yandex Market, the average price and price range:

Microsoft Surface

Average price :
14,190 rubles.
11 012 ... 21 800 rub.

Apple iPad 4 32Gb Wi-Fi

Average price :
21 290 rub.
16 850 ... 29 090 rub.

Total

	iPad	Surface
Dimensions	2048x1536	1920x1080
Appearance	Stylish, rounded shapes	Serious, business style, direct forms
Add. housing features	Not	Backlight
Keyboard	Purchased from third parties	Optional upon purchase
CPU	Apple A-7 64-bit dual core	Nvidia Tegra 4 32-bit quad core
RAM	1 GB	2 GB
Disk	16 - 128	16 - 64 + microSD
Batteries	10 hours	10 hours
Ports	Lightning	USB, microHDMI
OS	iOS	Windows 8 RT
Cloud	iCloud	Skydrive
Applications	Appstore	Marketplace
Office	-	Preinstalled MS Office
Price (range)	16 850 - 29 090 rub.	11 012 - 21 800 rub.

Output

If we consider the tablet as an auxiliary working tool for the company’s employees, then iOS-based tablets lose to the Microsoft product in terms of the “working” component:

• availability of a desktop: “everything is like at work everywhere;”
• synchronization of documents through SkyDrive;
• Presence of MS Office with the ability to edit all document formats.

Warning indignant exclamations, we say that we do not want to belittle the merits of Apple devices: they are, without a doubt, beautiful, thought out, convenient, ergonomic, and in terms of UE - just perfect. And yes, we all know about Surface's reputation, its flaws, and the number of negative reviews on the Internet.

We apologize to everyone whose aesthetic feelings as a result of reading the article turned out to be hurt, thanks in advance to those accusing of bias for attention to us :) Those who, together with us, agree to change the generally accepted point of view and look at mobile devices as an addition to the working environment of an office employee, Those who are willing to give constructive criticism or, even better, share their experience, are welcome to comment!

Pictures borrowed here .