So I have a brand new iPad Mini. I'm not into Apple products, I use Windows.

Microsoft Surface intrigues me, but didn't realize there are many versions Surface RT, Pro, Surface 2, ranging from $200 to $700 it seems. Not sure what the major differences are.

I'm either going to sell it or someone wants to trade me for their Surface RT.
Any insights if I should do the trade?

1/14/2014 2:21:38 PM

The new iPad mini retina or the old iPad mini? If it's the old one with the shitty resolution ditch it.

The Surface 2 Pro goes up to like $1800. With the iPad mini you're going to get a much broader app selection but if you get something like a Surface 2 Pro it moves into ultrabook territory because you can get them with an actual i5 processor with 4-8GB of ram and 64-512GB of storage so you can run desktop applications.

IMO the Surface RT isn't worth it. The app selection sucks compared to iOS and Android and you can't run desktop apps. I'd go with the Surface 2 Pro or keep the iPad mini.

1/14/2014 2:38:06 PM

By "new" iPad Mini, do you mean something like the Mini 16GB Retina version? You'd have to give the specifics if you want more detailed info about what you could possibly trade to.

But you're right, prices are all over the place. I would personally be looking at a Surface 2 if I had some disposable income and wasn't nested into Apple products already (I'm not). Running full Windows 8.1 is a hugely useful thing in my opinion. But like neodata already said, that's more in the laptop/ultrabook category and is, at least to me, a comfortable hybrid. If you really just want the full tablet experience and to play some mobile games, you can do an iPad mini and not get sucked into the Apple world too much. Your mileage my vary, and as anyone in this forum will tell you, it's entirely dependent on what you want to do with the device.

Like ^ said, if it's the older mini (which I can't imagine it would be if you said it's new? maybe) then sell it and don't really expect to trade up to much of anything else.

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 2:40 PM. Reason : f]

1/14/2014 2:38:11 PM

Quote :

"Surface RT isn't worth it"

1/14/2014 3:02:46 PM

Its the iPad Mini (A1432), so I think non-retina. Got it as a holiday gift.

I want something with closer to a full keyboard and I only use Windows so that's why my interest swayed to the Surface. I just want to do simple email, web browsing, and MS office document creation/editing.

1/14/2014 3:56:02 PM

a year ago i would have said the surface isn't worth it, but there are enough apps now that its usable. my brother just got one and i played with it over Christmas, its pretty nice.

1/14/2014 4:51:04 PM

Quote :

"I just want to do simple email, web browsing, and MS office document creation/editing."

The iPad is perfect for this, depending on how you feel about the various office apps (Google Drive might be adequate).

And you can use any bluetooth keyboard with the iPad, if you are fine with the screen size.

1/14/2014 6:28:22 PM

what kind of surface does your brother have?

In terms of price and screen size, I think Surface RT and iPad 3rd/4th generation (not mini) come the closest to comparison right?

So is there anything the Surface RT has over/does better than the iPad?

1/14/2014 6:32:31 PM

Quote :

"The iPad is perfect for this, depending on how you feel about the various office apps (Google Drive might be adequate). And you can use any bluetooth keyboard with the iPad, if you are fine with the screen size."

Thanks but all of my work documents are on Powerpoint and Excel so having MS Office support is a dealmaker and I don't think iPad supports that right? And I have no idea what google drive is.

[Edited on January 14, 2014 at 6:35 PM. Reason : k]

1/14/2014 6:34:48 PM

Hmm if Office editing is a big feature, you can get this in a Surface RT if you're trying to save money, as long as you keep in mind "regular" Windows apps won't work on the RT. The Pro sounds like it would have the least compromises for you if you have the $$$ to spend on it.

iPads have always been able to view Office documents, but you have to use 3rd party apps to edit them, iPads are going to have a better web browsing experience, and a good enough email experience.

1/14/2014 6:54:20 PM

I'm trying to stay under $300. So Surface RT has full Office capabilities? I can transfer files from my laptop to a Surface RT through USB key and edit them? Can I explore a Surface RT hard drive like Windows Explorer?

One thing I didn't like about iPads is I couldn't figure out how to download and get files off the iPad onto my laptop.

And why do you say iPad has a better browsing experience?

1/14/2014 11:44:54 PM

Looks like the surface rt has a normal desktop style file manager and can mount USB drives. You'll want to try and embrace different file management techniques though, as these will become increasingly cumbersome in future revisions of devices. You don't want to become that old person in a few years who thinks they know how to use computers and always complains about how things aren't like they used to be. And it has a version of Office, but not really the "full" version, but probably will do everything you need.

iOS devices are typically some of the fastest on the market, and have one of the best mobile optimized JavaScript engines, which means a lot of sites load and "feel" faster.

1/15/2014 12:32:00 AM

Dont get a Surface or Surface 2.

I you want a Windows device as an alternative to the iPad, I suggest either the Dell Venue 8 Pro, Asus Transformer T100, Toshiba Encore WT8 or Lenovo Miix 2.

All can be found for under 300 bucks (and some close to 200 bucks), they all run full Windows 8.1, all but the Asus come with Office preloaded, and they all get good battery life.

1/15/2014 4:54:19 AM

Quote :

"what kind of surface does your brother have? "

the original Surface RT, although if I was buying I would get the new one.

the dell venue pro 8 has great reviews if its big enough. I also have a Lenovo Tablet 2, but the Surface RT was actually faster/smoother when using apps. The Surface will come with Office, you will have to buy it on the dell venue 8.

if office and file transferring are important, definitely Windows over iOS. But if your other computer is Windows 8, just setup Skydrive and you won't even have to mess with USB drives. SkyDrive works a lot better than Apples version of it.

1/15/2014 8:18:45 AM

^No. All 8" Windows 8.1 tablets come with Office preloaded.

1/15/2014 12:33:44 PM

I'd rather have the Dell Venue Pro 8 (or 11).

1/15/2014 12:51:33 PM

Quote :

"All 8" Windows 8.1 tablets come with Office preloaded."

cool, i didn't know that.

1/15/2014 3:34:03 PM

I'd rather have a Surface Pro 2 is money wasn't an issue. You're getting an actual i5 processor. With the Atom chips you're limited in what you can do. I imagine it might be nice to hook up a 360 controller and play some steam games on a Surface on the go.

1/15/2014 4:24:46 PM

is the chip in the Dell Venue 8 the same as in the Lenovo Tablet 2? Because the Lenovo Tablet 2 struggles if you multi-task.

1/15/2014 5:37:15 PM

Quote :

"I'd rather have a Surface Pro 2 is money wasn't an issue. You're getting an actual i5 processor. With the Atom chips you're limited in what you can do. I imagine it might be nice to hook up a 360 controller and play some steam games on a Surface on the go."

Granted, the new Atom processors aren't going to compare with the i3/5/7 cpus, BUT I have yet to find anything that doesn't run passably well.

Quote :

"is the chip in the Dell Venue 8 the same as in the Lenovo Tablet 2? Because the Lenovo Tablet 2 struggles if you multi-task."

Dell Venue 8 Pro / Toshiba WT8 / Asus T100 - Intel® Atom™ processor Z3740D
Lenovo Tablet 2 - Intel® Atom™ Processor Z2760

In a nutshell, for general computing, the new wave of Atom CPUs (Bay Trail) are close to double the real-world performance.

For gaming and video, the performance improvement is 3-5x faster than the last generation.

So far, I have not found a game on Steam that isn't playable on the tablet (granted with settings turned down a bit). They also support 2560x1600 output.

Photoshop is usable for normal files (the 2gb of ram is the limiting factor, not the CPU/GPU), Visual Studio runs like a dream, no problems with HD video, no problems with Steam. It actually runs Genymotion (android emulator) pretty damn well too, most 2d apps run at "native" speed, and the few 3d titles I've tried still manage to almost hit 30fps.

1/15/2014 5:55:44 PM

The problem with getting the i5 is that you don't have near the battery life, you'll have to carry a charger. I'm assuming the Dell Venue Pro 8 is similar or better, but I can get a couple days use out of my Tablet 2 and it will last days and days in standby. I use it on short trips and never even have to charge it (GPS, directions, finding restaurants, etch.. not intense gaming or videos or anything in that situation)

1/15/2014 7:23:17 PM

My Venue 8 gets ~8hrs of mixed use (charge it every couple of days). The Surface 2 Pro gets pretty damn good battery life too, on the order of 4-5 hours (not nearly as long, but definitely usable)

1/15/2014 10:32:52 PM

^Most reviews put the Surface Pro 2 (with the firmware upgrade) at 7-8 hours:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7478/microsoft-surface-pro-2-firmware-update-improves-battery-life

Anandtech tested it at 8.33 hours web browsing over wifi.

--I mean that's the whole selling point of the new Haswell chips. The Macbook Air is getting 11-12 hours of battery life. Similar ultrabooks are getting 8-9. There's no reason i5 tablets shouldn't get 8+ hours.

[Edited on January 16, 2014 at 11:17 AM. Reason : s]

1/16/2014 11:16:26 AM

^, ^^ Can Hearthstone be played in an acceptable manner on these devices?

1/16/2014 11:49:32 AM

hearthstone could be played on any of them with appstream
http://aws.amazon.com/appstream/

1/16/2014 12:04:26 PM

^^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9-XlVhWrRQ

Yes, it plays beautifully.

^^^I am being extremely conservative, as I use Photoshop/Visual Studio/SQL/PPT/Outlook/Lync/Illustrator which all destroy battery life. My Dell M4700 Workstation Laptop gets easily 7 hours of "web browsing" battery life, but in my normal workday I chew through the battery in about 3.

Same for the Dell Venue 8 Pro. When traveling (web/youtube/netflix etc) I seem to routinely get close to 8hrs (6.5-7.5). When using it for development, that drops to 4.5-5.

[Edited on January 17, 2014 at 2:18 AM. Reason : .]

1/17/2014 2:17:45 AM

Thanks for all the help here.
In an unexpected turn of events, I sold the iPad mini and came across a deal too good to pass.
So I now have a 4th Gen iPad with Cellular and bluetooth keyboard.

Question is, is there a way to tether the iPad for free using my current Sprint data plan on my Android phone?

1/20/2014 12:22:36 PM

*facepalm*

1/20/2014 12:39:05 PM

This was everything I expected it to be.

1/20/2014 12:58:59 PM

Sorry guys the 1:1 swap was too tempting to pass up.
The iPad is nice and portable. I'll stick to my ThinkPad for Windows.
When the Surface comes down in price, I may transition.

1/20/2014 3:00:29 PM

From "I'm not into Apple products" to "OMG AN IPAD" in one thread.

Have fun in your ecosystem lock-in (coming from a guy who owns all three platforms, you're paying a 50-100% tax to have the same apps on that iPad)

1/20/2014 9:43:53 PM

is the ms surface pro at $599 a gotta have it deal or is that just the new price?

[Edited on January 21, 2014 at 9:17 AM. Reason : .]

1/21/2014 9:17:25 AM

office solutions for iPad are such a pain

1/21/2014 9:32:42 AM

Office productivity on any tablet seems like a waste of time. If you're doing real work, you need a real keyboard and mouse/trackpad.

I'd rather have a $300 refurbed Thinkpad for work and an iPad for its broad app base and excellent UI/UX than a clunky all-in-wonder.

1/21/2014 11:42:38 AM

^^^ Just the new price as they close out inventory. Its not a bad deal at all, but not a super special sale or anything.

^I tend to agree, although the keyboards on most 300 laptops arent any better than the keyboards on most 2-in-1's, and the tablets tend to have better screens

1/21/2014 12:01:00 PM

$499 now on Microsoft Store for the Surface Pro 128gb. I'm seriously considering it...

2/3/2014 4:06:17 PM

^its an insanely good deal. A bunch of coworkers bought them at 599 a couple of weeks ago, and were all going back to get price adjustments now.

There really isn't a better 10" tablet or laptop on the market for 500 bucks, or anywhere close.

2/3/2014 7:11:37 PM

Is it $670 now?
http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro/productID.275287300

2/3/2014 7:20:45 PM

^Yea, promotion over. It was on eBay, MS Store, and Best Buy this weekend for $499

2/3/2014 9:42:55 PM

Well there goes that idea. He who hesitates is lost, and all that.

Didn't need to spend the money anyway, I guess.

2/4/2014 12:43:02 AM

Surface Pro is back on sale at $499 http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro/productID.275287300?ClickID=c4elexlzkizlnsqnqzxfxsvzvlfvqqzzqzzk

2/10/2014 5:25:15 PM

it was sold out by the time i even saw it

2/10/2014 10:24:42 PM

down to $599 right now

2/18/2014 8:23:59 AM