Surface pro 4 or macbook pro Retina or spectre x360?

[A88]

Hi fellow med students across the globe, Andy here from the cold Danish community.

Im in a bit of a hazzle, i need to get myself af new laptop after finally dropping my Thinkpad T520.

I am primarily looking at 3 different models;

1. The Surface pro 4 with 128 SSD, 4 gb ram, i5. with the type-cover = 1285 $
2. The macbook retina 13.3" with 128 SSD, 8gb ram & i5. = 1436 $
3. The HP Spectre x360 13.3" with 256 ssd, 8gb ram & i5. = 1285 $

My needs is the same like any other med student, portability, typing and foremost a laptop that can be my companion for at least 2 yrs.

So which laptop would you guys recommend and why ?

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[tick_tock400]

I really think you should test them all out and see which one works best for you! I was soooo excited for the surface pro 4 but it crashed multiple times within the first 3 days I had it & I found it pretty hard to use. I don't use HP products or Dell because I don't trust their reliability as compared to a Macbook. There might be a new mac coming out today or very soon at least. Most people at my undergrad and med school use a mac, though maybe 5-8% have a surface as well (some have it as their primary computer-- perhaps-- and some supplement the surface to their Mac).

 

[DJS0825]

I really think you should test them all out and see which one works best for you! I was soooo excited for the surface pro 4 but it crashed multiple times within the first 3 days I had it & I found it pretty hard to use. I don't use HP products or Dell because I don't trust their reliability as compared to a Macbook. There might be a new mac coming out today or very soon at least. Most people at my undergrad and med school use a mac, though maybe 5-8% have a surface as well (some have it as their primary computer-- perhaps-- and some supplement the surface to their Mac).

Fall MS1 here and I was looking to get the surface pro 4 because I heard it helps with drawing on PDFs and sketching diagrams etc, did you return the surface and go for a mac instead? or was it just a manufacturing defect for that specific device, thanks!!

 

[tick_tock400]

A lot of people at my school will use like an iPad to write; you can also use an Android Tablet. I actually got the Samsung Note in case I ever needed to draw (that's a popular smart phone). Honestly, just to draw, a $600-$2500 machine is pretty dang expensive if you're getting the surface. I returned the surface pretty promptly which was saddening because I had been so excited for it. If you look up the surface, you'll see many reviews of it working great for some people, and it being kind of disastrous for others. For any M1s, I'd recommend waiting until your school year starts (if you can) to get a computer considering the huge number of products that are constantly being released (i.e. Apple just announced an updated iPad Pro today at their launch!). I just use the macbook retina pro. I had the macbook pro before this, but it unfortunately crashed. The retina's battery life is like 9 hours, it is super portable, and has had no issues for the 2 months I've had it!

 

[Oh_Gee]

I really think you should test them all out and see which one works best for you! I was soooo excited for the surface pro 4 but it crashed multiple times within the first 3 days I had it & I found it pretty hard to use. I don't use HP products or Dell because I don't trust their reliability as compared to a Macbook. There might be a new mac coming out today or very soon at least. Most people at my undergrad and med school use a mac, though maybe 5-8% have a surface as well (some have it as their primary computer-- perhaps-- and some supplement the surface to their Mac).

If you still have the SP4, is it still crashing all the time?

 

[tick_tock400]

No I returned the Sp4 within 2 weeks. I got it soon after it came out. I heard there were many driver updates, but you'll notice the reviews for the surfaces are pretty mixed with pros and cons. I wanted one a lot, but I didn't think it was worth the money and it had way too many glitches for my liking. I also thought it was hard to use in general. Again, some of my classmates have the surface 3 and seem to like it, but I know a lot of them use a mac as their primary computer, although I'm not sure if all supplement their surface with a mac.

 

[eye love lamp]

Hi fellow med students across the globe, Andy here from the cold Danish community.

Im in a bit of a hazzle, i need to get myself af new laptop after finally dropping my Thinkpad T520.

I am primarily looking at 3 different models;

1. The Surface pro 4 with 128 SSD, 4 gb ram, i5. with the type-cover = 1285 $
2. The macbook retina 13.3" with 128 SSD, 8gb ram & i5. = 1436 $
3. The HP Spectre x360 13.3" with 256 ssd, 8gb ram & i5. = 1285 $

My needs is the same like any other med student, portability, typing and foremost a laptop that can be my companion for at least 2 yrs.

So which laptop would you guys recommend and why ?

The surface pro with those specs is 900 + 129 = 1029
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microso...lver/4523600.p?id=1219756882723&skuId=4523600


As an alternative, have you looked at the Lenovo Yoga Series? You can convert them between and laptop and tablet. Buy a pen and you can write on your notes/draw.

For $1,199
13.3" Screen (3200 x 1800)
6th Generation Core i7 2.5 GHz
8 GB DDR3
256 SSD
3 USB 3.0

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-...lver/4525900.p?id=1219757966772&skuId=4525900

 

[Taddy Mason]

My 2007 MacBook Pro is still running fine - only hiccup was replacing the hard drive after 7 years. At least half, if not more, of my classmates with new SurfacePros at the beginning of first year had significant problems before 1st year was over...I vote Mac.

 

[deleted500612]

I just picked up a surface book recently and it works flawlessly. I used to have a 15 inch macbook pro retina which I also enjoyed (got stolen... that's another story though), but the surface book is obviously far superior for any free hand drawing or note taking due to the touch screen and stylus, and also has superior display to retina both in terms of resolution and color accuracy. I would recommend it as slightly better than the macbook pro retina, and far better than the surface pro (if you can afford the price difference) due to its superior functioning as a laptop, larger screen, and faster hardware. Essentially the surface book is a laptop first with secondary functionality as a tablet, whereas the surface pro is a tablet first with secondary functionality as a laptop. Seeing as ~85% of the time a laptop is the form I use it in, I prefer the 2-in-1 that maximizes the laptop experience primarily.

I would take it with a grain of salt when you see some reviews that say surface book (and i would assume similarly for surface pro 4) are unreliable/unstable. I'm sure some of these people have indeed received defective products, but I can safely say that a lot of the "complaints" are simply a case of people who are not tech savvy people trying to use a non-apple product, which rarely ends well. These products are not quite as user friendly as the Macs and do not function flawlessly out of the box. Mine crashed and the track pad glitched several times within the first couple hours of use and I became very skeptical as to the viability of the product after having read numerous reviews that seemed to foreshadow such problems occurring. I presume this is where a lot of the negative reviews are coming from, and people just give up and return the product because they don't know any better. However, after updating the firmware and Windows 10 OS to most recent versions it has worked flawlessly ever since (going on 2 weeks now) and couldn't be happier. Other users have echoed the sentiment that simply updating to most recent firmware and OS will fix the vast majority of glitches and crashes some people are experiencing.

I would say the surface book is probably the only Windows laptop that is superior to the macbook in hardware build quality, performance, and functionality. Most PC laptops feel cheaply built, have an inferior display to the macbook retina, and the trackpads are complete garbage which is why I had previously preferred the macbook, but the surface book is imo the first real exception to that rule in virtually every respect.

Would definitely recommend surface book to anyone looking for a solid productivity laptop/ 2 in 1 unless you are just completely partial towards apple product synergies with your phone/ipad etc, or a completely non-tech savvy person who will be overwhelmed by the slightly less user friendly, albeit more functional, windows 10 OS

 

[Doctoblast]

I'm thinking about getting the new 9.7 inch iPad pro that was just announced yesterday. They are advertising it like a laptop. I think it could work very well as hybrid laptop/tablet with the keyboard and pen you can get with it. I also have a 2011 MacBook Pro that I can use as a back up if I need a true laptop. Anyone know if people in med school typically find iPads useful for studying/notetaking/etc?

 

[tick_tock400]

My med school is FULL of ipads. Lots of people use it a lot. We only have one surface book at my school. There are a few surface 3s, and I'm going to second what the person said above, I've definitely heard people complaining about the surface 3 and saying they're just stuck with it because the return date passed, but people still seem to be using it, so it's really up to OP if he wants one or not. I'm pretty happy with my macbook retina pro though. I can write stuff out if I want and attach any pics of what I wrote to One Note via a picture file if I need to in terms of notes. I can actually also draw on powerpoint with my macbook now (with my trackpad though; so it's fine for drawing arrows and whatnot, but probably not for writing).

 

[username456789]

I have a surface pro 3 and love it. No issues, but I guess other people have had problems.

I'm also a resident, not a Med student, FWIW.

 

[Whats up Doc!]

The surface pro with those specs is 900 + 129 = 1029
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/microso...lver/4523600.p?id=1219756882723&skuId=4523600


As an alternative, have you looked at the Lenovo Yoga Series? You can convert them between and laptop and tablet. Buy a pen and you can write on your notes/draw.

For $1,199
13.3" Screen (3200 x 1800)
6th Generation Core i7 2.5 GHz
8 GB DDR3
256 SSD
3 USB 3.0

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo-yoga-900-13.3"-2-in-1-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-256gb-solid-state-drive-silver/4525900.p?id=1219757966772&skuId=4525900

Thats the exact laptop im looking it, reviews are pretty solid and pretty good reputation. Also dont forget whatever laptop you get ask for the student discount and get the extended warranty!!! Does anyone have any issues with the lenovo thinkpad or yoga series?

 

[musicalfeet]

I just picked up a surface book recently and it works flawlessly. I used to have a 15 inch macbook pro retina which I also enjoyed (got stolen... that's another story though), but the surface book is obviously far superior for any free hand drawing or note taking due to the touch screen and stylus, and also has superior display to retina both in terms of resolution and color accuracy. I would recommend it as slightly better than the macbook pro retina, and far better than the surface pro (if you can afford the price difference) due to its superior functioning as a laptop, larger screen, and faster hardware. Essentially the surface book is a laptop first with secondary functionality as a tablet, whereas the surface pro is a tablet first with secondary functionality as a laptop. Seeing as ~85% of the time a laptop is the form I use it in, I prefer the 2-in-1 that maximizes the laptop experience primarily.

I would take it with a grain of salt when you see some reviews that say surface book (and i would assume similarly for surface pro 4) are unreliable/unstable. I'm sure some of these people have indeed received defective products, but I can safely say that a lot of the "complaints" are simply a case of people who are not tech savvy people trying to use a non-apple product, which rarely ends well. These products are not quite as user friendly as the Macs and do not function flawlessly out of the box. Mine crashed and the track pad glitched several times within the first couple hours of use and I became very skeptical as to the viability of the product after having read numerous reviews that seemed to foreshadow such problems occurring. I presume this is where a lot of the negative reviews are coming from, and people just give up and return the product because they don't know any better. However, after updating the firmware and Windows 10 OS to most recent versions it has worked flawlessly ever since (going on 2 weeks now) and couldn't be happier. Other users have echoed the sentiment that simply updating to most recent firmware and OS will fix the vast majority of glitches and crashes some people are experiencing.

I would say the surface book is probably the only Windows laptop that is superior to the macbook in hardware build quality, performance, and functionality. Most PC laptops feel cheaply built, have an inferior display to the macbook retina, and the trackpads are complete garbage which is why I had previously preferred the macbook, but the surface book is imo the first real exception to that rule in virtually every respect.

Would definitely recommend surface book to anyone looking for a solid productivity laptop/ 2 in 1 unless you are just completely partial towards apple product synergies with your phone/ipad etc, or a completely non-tech savvy person who will be overwhelmed by the slightly less user friendly, albeit more functional, windows 10 OS

I was definitely thinking about getting one for school, as I prefer to type up my own notes while making drawings on power points during lectures. Then I study with both materials on my own. Im not an iPad fan in general...but I can see the usefulness of tablets.

 

[Oh_Gee]

I just picked up a surface book recently and it works flawlessly. I used to have a 15 inch macbook pro retina which I also enjoyed (got stolen... that's another story though), but the surface book is obviously far superior for any free hand drawing or note taking due to the touch screen and stylus, and also has superior display to retina both in terms of resolution and color accuracy. I would recommend it as slightly better than the macbook pro retina, and far better than the surface pro (if you can afford the price difference) due to its superior functioning as a laptop, larger screen, and faster hardware. Essentially the surface book is a laptop first with secondary functionality as a tablet, whereas the surface pro is a tablet first with secondary functionality as a laptop. Seeing as ~85% of the time a laptop is the form I use it in, I prefer the 2-in-1 that maximizes the laptop experience primarily.

I would take it with a grain of salt when you see some reviews that say surface book (and i would assume similarly for surface pro 4) are unreliable/unstable. I'm sure some of these people have indeed received defective products, but I can safely say that a lot of the "complaints" are simply a case of people who are not tech savvy people trying to use a non-apple product, which rarely ends well. These products are not quite as user friendly as the Macs and do not function flawlessly out of the box. Mine crashed and the track pad glitched several times within the first couple hours of use and I became very skeptical as to the viability of the product after having read numerous reviews that seemed to foreshadow such problems occurring. I presume this is where a lot of the negative reviews are coming from, and people just give up and return the product because they don't know any better. However, after updating the firmware and Windows 10 OS to most recent versions it has worked flawlessly ever since (going on 2 weeks now) and couldn't be happier. Other users have echoed the sentiment that simply updating to most recent firmware and OS will fix the vast majority of glitches and crashes some people are experiencing.

I would say the surface book is probably the only Windows laptop that is superior to the macbook in hardware build quality, performance, and functionality. Most PC laptops feel cheaply built, have an inferior display to the macbook retina, and the trackpads are complete garbage which is why I had previously preferred the macbook, but the surface book is imo the first real exception to that rule in virtually every respect.

Would definitely recommend surface book to anyone looking for a solid productivity laptop/ 2 in 1 unless you are just completely partial towards apple product synergies with your phone/ipad etc, or a completely non-tech savvy person who will be overwhelmed by the slightly less user friendly, albeit more functional, windows 10 OS

i was planning on buying 1 for this upcoming black friday so hopefully by then it'll be patched up.

 

[eye love lamp]

Thats the exact laptop im looking it, reviews are pretty solid and pretty good reputation. Also dont forget whatever laptop you get ask for the student discount and get the extended warranty!!! Does anyone have any issues with the lenovo thinkpad or yoga series?

My SO has the Yoga Pro 3, it's a solid laptop and a great deal given the specs you get for the price.

 

[A88]

My SO has the Yoga Pro 3, it's a solid laptop and a great deal given the specs you get for the price.

Well its coming Down to the yoga 900 and the MacBook Pro Retina

Which would u recommend guys ?

 

[username456789]

Well its coming Down to the yoga 900 and the MacBook Pro Retina

Which would u recommend guys ?

Surface Book Pro.

 

[tick_tock400]

^Macbook Pro with Retina display. If cost is a concern, just get a computer with less storage area and buy a 60-70$ (US) 2TB storage if you use up however many GB there are in your harddrive. I went to a very large undergrad, and my med school is quite large, and the number of Macs/Apple products vs anything else in both of these places I've been is probably a 10:2 ratio or something.

 

[Doc110]

What about dell xps13. One of my cousins has that & he loves it.


Sent from my iPhone using SDN mobile app

 

[Gorne]

Absolutely the way to go is SP4 or book. iPads are cute for people that don't know how to use technology, the Microsoft products are far superior in terms of productivity. I carry my Pro3, I have all my textbooks on it, all my PDFs, a virtual atlas, everything. I need nothing else. You read and write like paper on it.

 

[moisne]

Get a pro 4. They are amazing... Trust me.

I swear that company should just gift me a surface - because I tell everyone to get it.

Ipad's you can't rest your palm on them.

 

[eye love lamp]

Surface Book Pro.

that's not a choice!

 

[eye love lamp]

^Macbook Pro with Retina display. If cost is a concern, just get a computer with less storage area and buy a 60-70$ (US) 2TB storage if you use up however many GB there are in your harddrive. I went to a very large undergrad, and my med school is quite large, and the number of Macs/Apple products vs anything else in both of these places I've been is probably a 10:2 ratio or something.

if cost is a concern, don't get the overpriced laptop

 

[Taddy Mason]

MBP all the way. As mentioned previously mine is pushing 10 years and still running like a champ. And the "Apple is only for non-tech savvy people" is 100% BS.

Ipad's you can't rest your palm on them.

You can with any of the solid annotation apps.

 

[Whats up Doc!]

My SO has the Yoga Pro 3, it's a solid laptop and a great deal given the specs you get for the price.

Thanks for the info, glad to hear it. Im getting the Lenovo Yoga 900 the specs are wayyyyy more than med school requires and its a great price.

 

[moisne]

You can with any of the solid annotation apps.

IPAD's can't download any program allowed on a windows PC.

lol I just love my surface <3 <3 <3

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

I personally prefer the MacBook Pro. I purchased a USB drawing pad for notes, sketches, etc. these are similar to what you see on Khan videos. Then I also run Parallels so I have access to Windows for a few specific programs I need.

 

[eye love lamp]

MBP all the way. As mentioned previously mine is pushing 10 years and still running like a champ. And the "Apple is only for non-tech savvy people" is 100% BS.



You can with any of the solid annotation apps.

lol

don't be mad that ur just not tech savvy....it's OK

 

[Pacna]

Apple isn't ONLY for non-tech savvy people, but it IS for all non-tech savvy people. Having a PC is like having a car you're always working on. Having a MBP is like having a lease you know will work, and if it doesn't, you bring it back and have them fix it.

I love PCs, and I refuse to buy Apple laptops (hate the lack of customization options... I wanna be able to stick my mitts in the software). That said, I can't argue with their reliability.

If you want it to JUST RUN, go Apple. If you're OCD and need it to look exactly how you want it to, go PC.

 

[doc-Oc]

i have the hp spectre x360 and its amazing. i have heard of many defective units, its safe to say mine was not one.

 

[Dr. Retractor]

I personally prefer the MacBook Pro. I purchased a USB drawing pad for notes, sketches, etc. these are similar to what you see on Khan videos. Then I also run Parallels so I have access to Windows for a few specific programs I need.

What drawing pad did you get? I was considering this because I like OSX more than Windows 10 but heard that using a wacom tablet wasn't as convenient as a surface.

 

[IntheClouds4ever]

What drawing pad did you get? I was considering this because I like OSX more than Windows 10 but heard that using a wacom tablet wasn't as convenient as a surface.

Ive never used a surface pro, so I can't directly compare, but the wacom has been ok. Ive just started looking around for a better, more professional pad to try out. Wacom was great for what I originally used it for, but something with faster processing of movements and finer resolution to pick up smaller, faster writing would be ideal IMO.