Surface pro vs ipad pro 12.9 (2018 version)

[lovehate]

I know there are other threads with the same question but I want to get your 2018 opinion on this topic.

I am starting med school this summer and I want to buy a tablet to write my notes on. I usually use android and windows so I am not a fan of apple products, but I heard that taking notes with an IPad and the Apple Pencil is much better and smoother than any other option in the market today.

I have a fairly new windows laptop and I will be getting a new laptop from my med school.
I want something as close to handwriting as possible.

Anyone tried writing notes on the surface?
Which one is more common in your school?
What should I get?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[MarineMDHopeful]

I love my surface pro 4. It can record as you write, type and draw. Then embed it into your notes. Its perfect for me.

 

[lovehate]

I love my surface pro 4. It can record as you write, type and draw. Then embed it into your notes. Its perfect for me.

I don't want to type notes, I want to write them to retain more.
How smooth is it to write on the surface?

 

[libertyyne]

no notes. Just anki.

 

[MarineMDHopeful]

I don't want to type notes, I want to write them to retain more.
How smooth is it to write on the surface?

Its very responsive. It saved me thrpugh ochem drawing aromatic rings and expanding the steps. Writing over top them amd copy and pasting stuff from google. Microsoft Note 1 is an incredibly good app that uses all types of media and embeds them into the same document.

 

[MarineMDHopeful]

no notes. Just anki.

Tell me the wonders of this Anki.

 

[Jesus1]

The surface pro is better. The ipad sounds "cooler" on the outside but it is just a lot more hassle to get stuff done on it, and you will be able to get a lot more done on your surface pro (while also using it as your primary computer for all your computer needs). I know people that have used their surface pros all through med school and were very happy with it. You could also try the samsung galaxy book 12.

 

[libertyyne]

Tell me the wonders of this Anki.

Anki is a spaced repetition software that shows you flashcards based on an algorithim.

 

[lovehate]

Tell me the wonders of this Anki.

I think making your own anki set is a waste of time, however getting a set from someone is really helpful. I used it for mcat study.

 

[MarineMDHopeful]

Anki is a spaced repetition software that shows you flashcards based on an algorithim.

Hmmmm never heard of it. Ill check it out I'm sure.

 

[libertyyne]

What worked in ug may or may not work. There is not enough time in the day to make notes usuing Cornell method. The amount of information is a lot and the level of expertise required is stupid. Most people in my class do not have a surface pro or iPad pro and make due just as well.

But to answer your question. Apples hand writing experience is better, but the surface pro is better at everything else.

 

[To be MD]

You’re going to end up using the pen on either your iPad or your surface less and less as the year goes on.

That being said, the surface pro blows the iPad out of the water. You have to carry a computer around and an iPad if you have that; I just have my SP and can do any annotations etc. on my one device. Also, SP is a computer and can do everything a computer does; iPad is so limited... you can’t have 5 tabs, 4 windows open, PowerPoint, Firefox, and your reader all there at the same time. Simply the ability to use a mouse already puts the SP as the winner in my book.

 

[FistLength]

I thought I wanted to write on my surface, I tried, it worked, but it wasn't the best way to learn and it wasn't 100% natural. Not even sure where my pen is, haven't used it in over a year. Cool gimmick that didn't pan out for me. One of the strengths of this device is also the weakness. The kickstand is nice if you use your pen, but if you want to lie down and use your surface, its a pain to get all the angles right so that you can view comfortably. A regular laptop doesn't have this problem.

 

[Jdp00921]

I know there are other threads with the same question but I want to get your 2018 opinion on this topic.

I am starting med school this summer and I want to buy a tablet to write my notes on. I usually use android and windows so I am not a fan of apple products, but I heard that taking notes with an IPad and the Apple Pencil is much better and smoother than any other option in the market today.

I have a fairly new windows laptop and I will be getting a new laptop from my med school.
I want something as close to handwriting as possible.

Anyone tried writing notes on the surface?
Which one is more common in your school?
What should I get?

I started a *similar* thread, but it was only with regards to whether or not the iPad Pro is worth it. I've heard "buy a Surface Pro" as well but it seems like the price can be a bit higher. I'm not a fan of Apple at all, but I've witnessed others use the Pencil/iPad and it does seem to be a really cool combo for note taking (plus my thread turned out much praise for the product(s)). I think I'm going to go to BestBuy and just look at both personally, then decide. This is of course pending prices are similar. If the iPad turns out to be a decent amount cheaper, I'll likely go with that.

Decisions, decisions....

 

[ciestar]

I have a MacBook in great condition (bought in 2012) that I will not replace until needed. My school requires the ipad, so the ipad pro was a no brainer for me. I am an MS2 and use the pencil plus notability for everything.

If your school doesnt require a certain product, go with what you’re most comfortable with.

 

[FlavivirusProtease]

I already own an iPad Pro (10.8 inches though) and a very old laptop (7+ years, paid $600 for it, still fast, but has like 25 minutes of battery life at a full charge, so it's basically stationary)

Should I buy another laptop? If I do, touchscreen or not?

I'm going to be going to NYMC

 

[Snoopy2006]

Another vote for surface pro. I haven't touched my laptop in over a year, and I take notes frequently on the SP with no issues. The disclaimer is that I haven't used the ipad Pro personally, but I'm satisfied with the $ I dropped on the SP.

 

[Oh_Gee]

I know there are other threads with the same question but I want to get your 2018 opinion on this topic.

I am starting med school this summer and I want to buy a tablet to write my notes on. I usually use android and windows so I am not a fan of apple products, but I heard that taking notes with an IPad and the Apple Pencil is much better and smoother than any other option in the market today.

I have a fairly new windows laptop and I will be getting a new laptop from my med school.
I want something as close to handwriting as possible.

Anyone tried writing notes on the surface?
Which one is more common in your school?
What should I get?

as a SP4 user myself for the past 1.5 years, i would recommend against getting one at this time. see We are 2000+ customers who lost $3+ Millions due to faulty/defective Microsoft Surface Pro 4 devices
Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shacking

there is a flickering issue with a lot of Surfaces, even the new 2017 model. microsoft currently refuses to acknowledge and fix the issue. thankfully mine is still ok and will hopefully stay that way for at least 4 more months until after boards

 

[lovehate]

as a SP4 user myself for the past 1.5 years, i would recommend against getting one at this time. see We are 2000+ customers who lost $3+ Millions due to faulty/defective Microsoft Surface Pro 4 devices
Surface Pro 4, Screen Flickering, Shacking

there is a flickering issue with a lot of Surfaces, even the new 2017 model. microsoft currently refuses to acknowledge and fix the issue. thankfully mine is still ok and will hopefully stay that way for at least 4 more months until after boards

Thank you! never heard of this before. If I decide to get the surface I will wait till May when they release the 2018 version.

 

[Oh_Gee]

Thank you! never heard of this before. If I decide to get the surface I will wait till May when they release the 2018 version.

it works great when it does but when it doesn't.... trust me when i say you don't have time to deal with tech issues during those first 2 years.

maybe it might be worth getting now if you are going to be living in a city w/ a Microsoft store during school so that you might be able to get loaners from them but that is a hassle

 

[Lnsean]

if you like to draw and write on your tablet, there is nothing that comes close to surface pro. If you're not going to do any of that then I guess either one is fine.

 

[shanhe]

I'm a digital artist . I have a XP-Pen Artist 15.6 pro drawing tablet with screen 16" , Surface pro 6 with gpu, and ipad 10.5 the experience regarding drawing goes like this:

Ipad Pro > Artist 15.6 pro > >>>>Surface The Surface has little to no pressure curve compared to the other two, has pen jitter, lag (even the 15.6 pro connected to the Surface doesn't lag, it's not the processor, it's the N-Trig tech that lags)

Get a desktop(a dencent one would be about 1000 dollar ) and a second hand ipad pro 10.5(500 dollar ) + a Artist 15.6 pro (400 dollar ) you're even gonna save money in the end