3 Reasons Why Microsoft's Surface Go Beats Apple's Ipad (And 3 Reasons Why It Doesn't)

Comparing Apples and Surfaces.

- Michael Simon

It’s no coincidence that Apple released a series of iPad international video spots (go.pcworld.com/ipvs) just hours before Microsoft unveiled its most affordable tablet (see page 7), the Surface Go. The four 15-second ads spotlight the iPad’s ability to make mundane tasks like paperwork, packing, and traveling easier with the low-cost tablet.

But now Microsoft has a strong competitor to Apple’s entry-level $329 iPad (go.pcworld.com/elip). With a $399 price tag and a 10-inch screen, the Surface Go isn’t just Microsoft’s cheapest Surface tablet, it’s one of the most affordable full-featured tablets you can buy. And it just might be a better investment than the 9.7-inch iPad, depending on what you need. Here’s why (and why not):

WHY THE SURFACE GO BEATS THE iPAD

It’s a real computer

The basic Surface Go might look a lot like Apple’s iPad, but inside it’s a real deal Windows PC, with 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and an Intel 1.6GHz Pentium 4415Y processor. That’s hardly top-of-theline in PC land, but it’s impressive for a tablet that’s less than half an inch thick. By comparison, the entry-level 9.7-inch iPad has half as much RAM, half as much storage, and a two-year-old processor. With an Intel processor, that means the Surface Go runs a full suite of Windows apps, not stripped-down mobile versions like you get on the iPad. (Though you’ll need to shift it out of the default “S Mode” to full Windows 10—a free upgrade—to do so, however.)