So Apple found a way to make the iPad about as expensive as an M$ Surface Pro. Kudos! Too bad the Surface Pro has a real USB port and can use external storage and other standard USB devices, runs *real* software, and so on.

This whole problem could have been avoided if the iPad had the option for SDHC or SDXC cards to be used.

Originally posted by harhumph:

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I have no love for Apple and will never buy their products, but you guys are being pretty rough on them. This is meant to compete with Android not Surface, and 128gb is a step in the right direction... Android does not get it and they still give you 8gb to 16gb for most tablets. Android needs to make 64gb standard and options for 128gb, but those do not exist... yet! Even if I would never buy this, it is nice to see that storage option exist somewhere out there now in a tablet. The Surface Pro is gimped because of its 4gb memory, it would be a no brainer with 8gb. At least Android and Apple only need 2gb ram for effectiveness.

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Completely false. Most devices that have a MicroSD card slot can take 128 GB MicroSD cards, even though they generally aren't rated at that capacity. And that also doesn't account for any internal storage. Of course, this is a big reason *not* to buy any device that doesn't have a MicroSD slot...

Just as bobiroc says, Apple could simply include a MicroSD card slot. Upgrade path solved.

I also doubt that the Surface Pro will have any issues with 4 GB RAM. It's not meant to be a gaming rig, you know.

First off, iPad 4s don't have 128 GB dynamic RAM or SSDs. They have the exact same slow-ass static RAM as found in a MicroSD card, albeit at a high speed class. Yes, it's internal, and yes, it has a somewhat larger bus than a card. Furthermore, it is quite easy to find quite a few references online to Win8 using 1-1.5 GB of RAM at any given time; in fact, it (on average) uses significantly less RAM than Win7. Guess what? Win7 and Win8 both run just fine on 4 GB of RAM.

Second, 128 GB MicroSD DO exist, but you are correct, in that my friends who have them are apparently using prototypes. The one I talked to about it said he was using some sort of Chinese knockoff (bought in Hong Kong), as well, so I wouldn't advise using 'em yet, even if you found one. So you got me there. Pardon me! I keep forgetting I've been hanging with DARPA types, since two of my buddies got jobs there recently ($85K a year to START! o.O' *envy envy envy*), so they get lots of very nice toys.

Third, why buy a Surface Pro, instead of an iPad 4? Because it's actually useful for business. You can use and develop software for Windows (for example, SAP will run, a seriously big deal for business), it can use REAL external devices via USB 3 (including SSDs in enclosures, btw), has a vast free software base, and so on.

Really, the main reason to buy a Surface Pro, rather than an iPad 4, is that the iPad, while nicely made, is still a *toy* (just like the Surface RT). There are some business uses, but the ecosystem just doesn't support the vast number of applications that Windows can offer.

It is far easier to develop and push software out to your business and/or market with a Windows-based system. Apple cannot approach the Windows install base. Not even close.

That said, it may surprise you to know that I honestly don't like either system much; they're both rather overpriced for what they offer. Nor do I particularly enjoy iOS or Win8. But of the two, if you're a business owner, for example, you're a fool to buy the iPad for professional use.

Either the iPad series or the better Android tablets will work just fine for you, if all you want is a media consumption device, that happens to have "apps". If you want a more capable tablet, avoid the Surface RT like plague, bite the bullet, and buy a Surface Pro, but honestly, for 1/3-1/2 the cost you can get a more capable laptop.