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8 Reasons Microsoft's Surface Is Better Than the iPad

November 17, 2012
URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/224955
The keyboard

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The keyboard

A tactile keyboard is far and away a better solution than a software keyboard. Microsoft had the foresight to design keyboards that connect physically to the Surface. With Apple, you have to rely on wireless Bluetooth keyboards.


Related: Apple Cofounder Steve Wozniak Now Thinks Microsoft Might Be More Innovative

Size

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Size

You get more screen real estate with Microsoft's tablet. The Surface measures 10.6 inches on the diagonal, almost a full inch more than the iPad. Movies are in your face (in a good way) and you have plenty of room to navigate the sexy "Metro-style" interface with ease.

The specs

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The specs

The iPad and Surface RT both top out at 64 GB of storage, but you can easily expand that on the Surface with a cheap SD card. The iPad doesn't have an SD slot built in.

The iPad and the Surface share a type of processor known as ARM. The one inside the iPad is a 1.4 GHz A6X processor of Apple's own design. The Surface has an Nvidia Tegra chip with arguably stronger graphics capabilities.
 

Actual USB ports

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Actual USB ports

Apple's war on connectivity has always been a sticking point, as the company forces you to use its proprietary dock connectors. Microsoft has no issue letting you use standard USB ports that work with a wide variety of accessories.


Related: Barnes & Noble's Nook HD Tablet Review

Flash

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Flash

A reasonable amount of websites still use Flash for video or animations, and the iPad (by design) can't interpret these files. The Surface has no trouble accessing the entire web.

Microsoft Office

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Microsoft Office

Sure, some iOS apps support Office documents, but the Surface actually runs the real thing. Moreover, Microsoft Office is free with the Surface RT, which is a big selling point.

Built-in kickstand

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Built-in kickstand

No need for an accessory to get your tablet to stand up on its own. This kickstand is built right into the Surface.


Related: A Lawyer Hates His New Microsoft Surface So Much He's Suing

It's actually a laptop replacement

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It's actually a laptop replacement

The iPad runs iOS, which is the same as the operating system powering your iPhone. The Surface actually runs Windows RT, an operating system closer to the one on your laptop than the one on your phone.