Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
I own dozens of tablets. But, before Surface Pro, all of them had been mere toys.
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That is just your position, and that's fine. My position is different. It's a common cliché to call the iPad a "toy" and a "consumption device", and not a "productivity device", but to me, that has
never been true. I started using the iPad 1 as a
productivity device on Day 1 it went on sale back in 2010, and I've been using it as such to this day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
But: I never have used my iPads productively.
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That is
you. Please do not conclude, based on the sample of your own person, that the entire world is just like you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
What does Surface Pro offer, that can't be done on iOS or Android?
First of all, I find the type cover a stroke of genius.
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I assure you that Logitech's Ultrathin iPad Keyboard Cover is at least an equal stroke of genius. Again, you seem to be judging something you may not be familiar with. That Logitech keyboard is designed so that when you put it together with the iPad, it looks like a single device.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
most of them have been crappy bluetooth solutions.
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You seem to equal "bluetooth" with "crappy" keyboards. Sorry, not justified. Bluetooth keyboards like the one by Logitech work like a charm. Nothing crappy about them (as also shown by their pricetag).
(By the way, all of the keyboards I use with my traditional computers are
wireless, too; why would I use an other-than-wireless keyboard with an iPad? That wouldn't make sense.)
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
Second of all, I'm still using Outlook and the MS Office Suite.
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My commiseration on using Outlook. I for one no longer use that atrocious software. In fact, right there is one of the main reasons why iPad is for me a more productive device than Surface Pro could be: my primary e-mail software for almost a year now has been Mailbox, and it's only available on iOS.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
iWorks is equally functional and efficient.
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Not good enough for me (as usual for Apple software). On iOS, I use DocsToGo to manage and edit my Office documents. It cooperates with MS Office on my traditional computers flawlessly; I keep editing (for example) the same Excel files on an everyday basis in both MS Office and DocsToGo, and it works perfectly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mgmueller
Re. "lack of apps": There are less games and such, no doubt. As a gadget, Windows 8 tablets can't compete (yet) with Android or iOS. But as working tools? Miles ahead...
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Definitely not. Windows 8 is far, far behind iOS in
productivity tools, too. And I mean
tablet productivity tools, not traditional desktop software with desktop user interface, available on a tablet. Just to give one example: my PIM software is Toodledo. As an app, it's only available on iOS -- not even on Android, let alone Win 8. It can be used via the website, but that's an
inferior solution on a
tablet. And that's exactly where Windows 8 fails most (for now): lack of apps. And I'm
not talking about games, but about
productivity apps. What could be more important for productivity purposes than email software (Mailbox), PIM software (Toodledo), e-reader software (Marvin and GoodReader), etc. etc. etc.? None of these great apps are available on Windows 8, and their functional alternatives on that platform lag far behind the iOS apps in terms of quality and usability on a
tablet.
Summary: good for you if you enjoy your Surface Pro. But, on the basis of a sample of one (your own person), please do not make conclusions about the suitability of iOS devices to serve as productivity tools.