With the Apple MacBook enjoying good success for years, it seems that Microsoft has been a bit behind in its entry into the laptop market. Recently, Microsoft has accessed the market with the Surface Pro, the Windows equivalent of the MacBook Pro. Here’s how the two products from electronics kingpins compare:
Aesthetics: From a cosmetic standpoint, there isn’t much to differentiate between the Surface Pro and MacBook Pro. They’re both about the same size with a stylish metallic color. There’s; however, a subtle difference that has an impact on usability. The Surface Pro has a hinged back that allows the keyboard to detach from the rest of the unit. On the other hand, the MacBook Pro has a ‘Force Touch’ trackpad, which detects different levels of pressure for varied functions.
Power/Battery Life: The base models of the Surface Pro and MacBook Pro are pretty similar with both featuring 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD and an Intel Core i5 processor. The i5 processor in the Surface Pro is a little newer; however, while the MacBook Pro can be upgraded a little larger RAM memory. The number and types of ports are also similar, although the MacBook Pro also has a Thunderbolt 2 port.
Screen Resolution: Both the MacBook Pro and Surface Pro have impressive screen resolutions. The MacBook Pro has a 13-inch Retina display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, emphasizing color and clarity. The Surface Pro, however, wins in this department with a 13.5-inch Retina display, 3000 x 2000 resolution and PixelSense technology to tell the difference between your finger and a stylus.
Operating System: The MacBook Pro and Surface Pro each feature their respective manufacturers’ latest operating systems – OS X 10.11 Yosemite in the MacBook and Windows 10 in the Surface. While the systems share many of the same capabilities, there is one notable difference between the two. The Surface Pro has the digital voice assistant Cortana while Apple has yet to incorporate Siri into its MacBook Pro.
Ultimately, both the Surface Pro vs MacBook Pro are great laptops. The detachable keyboard may win a lot of consumers to the Surface Pro’s corner, but it’s almost evened out by the nifty trackpad on the MacBook Pro. Oddly enough, Windows fans will likely gravitate to the MacBook while iPhone users may find the Surface Pro more familiar to use.