16 PCWorld NOVEMBER 2019NEWS MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO X VS 12.9-INCH iPAD PRO
the Surface Pro X can last longer than the
iPad Pro.
Winner: TBDOS AND APPS
The differences between Microsoft’s and
Apple’s respective OSs are well
documented when it comes to PCs, but the
distance between them is even greater
when it comes to tablets. That’s because
Surface devices run Windows 10, while the
iPad runs iOS (which is branded iPadOS as
of the latest release).
However, now that the Surface Pro X uses
an ARM processor, some old Windows apps
aren’t going to work. While 32-bit app will
run just fine, developers who run 64-bit appsare going to need to retool them for the new
architecture, and that’s going to take time. For
example, Adobe has announced that it will be
bringing its Creative Cloud apps to the
Surface Pro X “as soon as possible,”
beginning with the Fresno drawing app that
recently landed on the iPad platform.
Obviously, Microsoft’s Office 365 Suite will
be fully optimized and ready to roll, as will
many others, including Chrome and Firefox.
But while the iPad Pro may have more
apps at the start, the potential is far greater for
the Surface Pro X. With the full version of
Windows at its disposal, the Surface will only
get better and more powerful—assuming
developers sign on to support it. So for now,
the iPad Pro has the edge, but that couldYou won’t be taking many pictures with the iPad Pro or the Surface Pro X.