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| compares the specs (and other features) of the new 11-inch MacBook Air, and the Microsoft Surface Pro |
Mobile devices have turned the traditional PC market upside down.
While Apple's "post PC" strategy is all about the iPad, the Mac still
gives it a horse in the traditional PC race. Microsoft's strategy is
more convergent: it wants hybrid devices like the Surface Pro to become
our primary computers. How do the two measure up? Let's find out, as we
compare the specs (and other features) of the 2013 MacBook Air to the Microsoft Surface Pro.
Before we get started, note that Apple offers configurable (and more
expensive) Macs with faster processors and more storage. But, for
simplicity's sake, we're only comparing the standard models. Microsoft
doesn't offer any built-to-order options for the Surface.
The MacBook Air also comes in a 13-inch model, but we're just dealing
with the smaller 11-incher here. Additionally, Microsoft sells the
cheaper Surface RT, which doesn't run traditional (x86) Windows apps. We're focusing on the full Windows 8 Pro version.
Tablet mode
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| Tablet Mode |
This probably goes without saying, but in case you're new to all of
this, we're looking at two fundamentally different machines here.
The MacBook Air is a laptop through-and-through. The Surface Pro,
meanwhile, is basically a laptop in a tablet's body, but then you can
add one of Microsoft's keyboard covers to use it as something closer to a
laptop. Got it?
Size
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| Size |
As you can see, the MacBook Air is quite a bit larger than the
Surface Pro. Of course we're comparing a laptop to a tablet, so that
shouldn't be too surprising.
One thing to note here, though, is that the MacBook Air's depth is
only counting its thickest point. Unlike the Surface, its side is
tapered, so you'll want to take those measurements with a few grains of
salt.
If you're adding one of Microsoft's keyboard covers to the Surface
(almost essential to get your money's worth), it will become a bit
thicker, totaling 16.75 mm with the Touch Cover attached, and 19.5 mm
with the Type Cover.
Weight
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| Weight |
When using the Surface Pro as a tablet, it's about 16 percent lighter
than the MacBook Air. When you add one of Surface's keyboard covers,
though, it becomes four percent heavier (with Touch Cover), or 12
percent heavier (with Type Cover).
Build
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| Build |
The MacBook Air has an aluminum unibody build, while Microsoft is
branding the Surface's custom metal alloy as VaporMg. The "winner" here
will come down to your personal preferences, as both devices have
high-end finishes and are a pleasure to hold.
When you're using Surface as more of a laptop, it has a built-in
kickstand, which will prop your device up at a fixed 26-degree angle.
Like all laptops, the MacBook Air's screen angle can be easily adjusted.
Display
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| Display |
The first thing to know about the displays is that the Surface's
tablet screen is, naturally, a touchscreen (with 10-point multitouch).
Apple has never made a MacBook with a touchscreen.
Both screens are in the same 11-inch ballpark, but the MacBook Air's
is a bit larger. The Surface Pro's display gives you 84 percent as much
real estate as the MacBook Air's does.
The Surface does, however, give you a much sharper screen. The
MacBook Air only has 51 percent as many pixels as the Surface's 1080p
display. If you want a MacBook with a razor-sharp screen, you'll want to
look at the MacBook Pro with Retina Display (or wait for the inevitable MacBook Air with Retina Display).
The Surface Pro also employs Microsoft's "ClearType"
tech, which is the company's version of subpixel rendering. It can make
text look a bit sharper than its (already impressive) resolution would
suggest. Surface's screen also gives you impressively deep blacks.
External displays
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| External Displays |
Both Apple and Microsoft know that an 11-inch screen probably won't
cut it as your primary PC. So both devices will let you plug into an
external monitor to better serve as a desktop replacement.
If you're balking at the high costs of both machines (see below),
this is something to keep in mind. You can have a workstation waiting on
your desk – complete with monitor, external hard drive, mouse and
keyboard – to instantly transform your laptop or tablet into a fairly
powerful desktop PC.
Stylus support
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| Stylus Support |
If you like working with a stylus, then you'll want to look at the
Surface Pro. Its touchscreen ships with a Wacom-based stylus that gives
you a finer, pressure-sensitive input method for apps like Photoshop.
If you want to use a stylus with the MacBook Air, you'll need to buy a separate graphics tablet.
Processor
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| Processor |
Both the MacBook Air and Surface Pro pack Intel Core i5 processors,
but the new MacBook has a leg-up here. Intel's new Haswell
microarchitecture gives it a huge battery life advantage over older Ivy
Bridge-based computers, like the Surface. More on battery life in a
minute.
Graphics
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| Graphics |
The MBA also gets updated Intel (integrated) graphics. We've yet to
put both through their paces side-by-side, but, for what it's worth,
Intel advertises twice the power performance of the previous generation
that is found in Surface.
RAM
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| Ram |
Both devices have 4 GB of RAM.
Storage
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| Storage |
This was a big upgrade for the new 11-inch MacBook Air. It doubles the storage options of both the 2012 MBA and the Surface Pro.
You can, however, expand both devices' storage easier than you could with, say, an iPad. The MacBook Air has USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt
ports that you can use for external drives. Surface Pro has both USB
3.0 and a discreet microSD card slot to help make up for its somewhat
cramped storage.
Cameras
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| Cameras |
The MacBook Air has Apple's standard 720p front-facing "FaceTime" camera. The Surface has two 720p cameras.
Wireless
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| Wireless |
Here's another one of the new MacBook's big updates. It supports
802.11ac Wi-Fi, while the Surface maxes out at 802.11n. This won't
matter unless you have an 802.11ac compatible router and an internet
connection that keeps pace, but it's still nice for future-proofing.
Many tablets ship with LTE mobile data options, but no such luck for
Surface. You'll need to tether your smartphone or invest in a portable
mobile hotspot in order to get internet on the go for the Surface Pro.
Ditto for the MacBook Air.
Battery
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| Battery |
The battery hardware favors the Surface, but you can basically forget about that. The MacBook Air's new Haswell
chip gives it insane battery life. You're looking at the cutting edge
of laptop uptimes, with an estimated nine hours of web surfing.
Battery life isn't the Surface Pro's strong suit. You'll be lucky to
get five or six hours out of it with regular use. We'd be surprised if
we didn't see a second-generation Surface Pro with a Haswell processor
sometime in the next year, with much improved battery life.
Software
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| Software |
Software might be as important as all of these hardware features
combined. Comparing Mac OS X and Windows is beyond the scope of this
relatively brief comparison, but there's a good chance you already know
which platform you prefer anyway. If not, the internet is full of facts
and (often very angry) opinions on the subject.
The biggest thing to remember about Surface is that it runs full
Windows 8 Pro, not the limited Windows RT found on the Surface RT. So
any app you could run in, say, Windows 7 will run on the Surface Pro.
That's not something that an iPad, or many other tablets, can give you.
In addition to legacy desktop apps, Surface also has the Windows
Store, which favors apps that are geared more towards touchscreens. This
isn't the Surface's strong suit, but the Windows Store will continue to
improve. You can also use an emulator to load many Android apps onto Surface.
Both devices will get big updates later this year: Mac OS X 10.9 Mavericks for the MBA (it will probably cost US$20), and Windows 8.1 for the Surface Pro (a free update).
Starting prices
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| Starting Prices |
The Surface Pro technically undercuts the MacBook Air by $100, but
we'd may as well call this about even because there's little point
buying the Surface without one of its keyboard covers. That will add an
extra $120 (Touch Cover) or $130 (Type Cover) to your checkout price.
Remember also that the entry-level MacBook Air gives you 128 GB of storage, while the cheapest Surface Pro only gives you 64 GB.
Wrap-up
It's a lot to consider. Do you want a traditional laptop, or a more
futuristic hybrid device? Do you want a device that's really good at
being one thing, or one that can potentially serve as a tablet, laptop,
and a desktop? Stellar battery life and a built-in keyboard, or a
sharper screen and greater portability? Mac OS X or Windows? These are
the questions you want to be asking yourself.
Whichever you prefer, this is an interesting time to be shopping for a
new PC. The entire definition of PC has been thrown into question,
along with the future of a multi-billion-dollar industry. Hopefully this
comparison will help you to narrow down your priorities, and find which
kind of computer works best for you.
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