Apple Challenges Microsoft Surface Pro 4 With New iPad Pro Commercial

Apple still wants you to believe that the iPad Pro can replace your laptop, just like the Surface Pro 4. Mashable has the news.

“Apple wants you to accept the new iPad Pro as a computer. In the latest commercial for its more powerful 9.7-inch tablet, Apple positions the iPad Pro, with its optional Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil, as a do-it-all productivity device, challenging the notion that it’s just a tablet.”

The article notes that the 30-second spot attempts to illustrate how the iPad Pro, Smart Keyboard, and Apple Pencil work together in order to give you a full “computer” experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zPYW6Ipgok

The only problem is that even though the iPad Pro (especially the 9.7-inch version) has received excellent reviews, most believe Apple’s claims that their latest iPad can replace your laptop are misleading. Brooke Crothers from Forbes is just one of the critics who go against Apple’s claims.

“Apple is now pushing the iPad as the ‘ultimate’ PC replacement. Nice try… I really tried with the iPad Pro — for more than a month. But no dice. As I’ve written before, as long as iOS continues to stumble on productivity applications (and even some simple tasks), it’s never going to replace the vast majority of Windows laptops.”

“Apple’s iPad Pro tablet uses the A9X processor, which the company claims offers PC-like performance. But it’s widely acknowledged that Intel’s fastest Core i5 and i7 chips—which are also in MacBook Airs and some Windows hybrids—can outperform A9X, which is based on the ARM architecture,” says Agam Shah of PC World, who also notes that the iPad Pro doesn’t have the storage, the design flexibility, and the user interface that laptops offer.

Some believe Apple is trying to take away market share from Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 — a device that many believe is actually a tablet that can replace your laptop. Some even call it a laptop that can replace your tablet. Digital Trends gave the Surface Pro 4 a nearly perfect review.

“The Surface Pro 4 is a microcosm of the change Microsoft is trying to spur inside its own walls. Time and time again, it missed the opportunity to leap on a new trend in consumer technology. But not with Surface. This time, Microsoft is a leader. It’s setting the trend. And unlike its new competitors, it’s had a few years to work out the kinks.”

Tech Radar says that the Surface Pro 4 is pretty much the first tablet that can reasonably, without compromise, replace your laptop. They especially like the large (for a tablet) screen, the much-improved Type Cover, and the improved Surface Pen. However, like most others, they think the battery life of the Surface Pro 4 is rather dismal.

Microsoft has issued many firmware and software updates for the Surface Pro 4 since its release last October. The battery life has improved, giving average users about five hours of use. If you are a power user, expect four hours or less. These numbers may have been good three years ago, but there are many laptops that offer seven hours of use or more with just one charge. The iPad Pro can last up to 10 hours with average continual use, but it runs on a mobile processor that requires a lot less juice.

Many believe that the only true way Apple can compete with Microsoft’s Surface Pro is if they release a touchscreen and pen-enabled MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Steve Jobs was against doing this, but the market has completely changed since Jobs’ unfortunate death in 2011. Judging by Apple’s dwindling tablet sales, it’s safe to predict that we’ll see a device similar to the Surface Pro in the near future.

[Photo by Eric Risberg/AP Images]