Somewhat more than just adding the pencil (which they didn't - it is still an optional extra). But then several people have pointed out the differences (software differences as well)

Nothing.

When viewed as a stand alone tablet.

My iPad 2 has just 16gb and has served me well for over 3 years and never have I run out of memory. I have ordered the new pro with 32gb which for me is fantastic. The cost was and is £499.00 so pretty good value IMO. I wanted 4 speakers as I watch tv on my iPad.
I have all my apps/pictures and games with memory over.

The larger iPad pro I felt was too big ( IMO) for me, but now my old iPad will go to my grandson as its still in perfect condition.

Nope.

Not into Windows, all devices are Apple with me.

Any reason? It does seem that Windows tablets can do so much more. Just being able to add an extra 128GB of storage for £30 so I can have a huge library of movies and entire TV series with me is something I can't imagine doing without. And being able to just plug in any printer into the USB port wherever I am. I use that quite often to print stuff at work. And being able to have a whole bunch of programs, folders and apps open at the same time, really useful to drag and drop or cut and paste stuff from one program to another.

What advantages are there to sticking with the iPad? What sort of things will you be using it for?

If people wanted a pc experience, they should buy a decent laptop, not a crappy Windows tablet.

Seriously several reviews do seem to say that the Surfacre Pro is more of a competitor to laptops and less of an immediate rival to iPads!

As I asked earlier, if you'd never heard of the Surface and I gave you a Surface without the keyboard and in tablet UI what would make you think it was lacking? What exactly can the iPad do that the Surface can't in terms of tablet usability?

I've listed a bunch of actual things Windows tablets can do that iPad's can't, so what can iPad's do that Windows tablets can't?

I've got a surface pro 3. It is nothing like a decent laptop.

Unrivalled integration and far higher quality apps.

In what way does unrivaled integration mean? My W10 tablet shares files and documents with my PC and having just got a Windows phone that as well. Take a photo with the phone and it shows up on the tablet and PC, make a note in Onenote and it appears on the other machines. Change the desktop wallpaper on the tablet and it changes on the PC. On top of that since they share the same OS they can all run apps. The Twitter app on my phone and tablet is the exact same app I run on my desktop PC since it is far neater and easier than keeping a Chrome window open for just Twitter.

I'll give you one. The ability to answer a call on your Mac instead of your iPhone is something Windows can't do. But I've listed a dozen things Windows can do that iPads can't, and some that took Apples years to catch up like multitasking.

As for apps, "high quality apps" are still lacking when compared to full programs. I have a far greater choice of programs on my Windows machines, and they all work happily in tablet mode.

On iOS for example both Chrome and Firefox are not full versions but a skin over the iOS browser, and therefore lacking when it comes to extensions and addons.

Programs do not all work happily in tablet mode, they are almost all compromised. Full Windows programs cost far most than dedicated apps.

You are actually agreeing with me, if you are going to buy a Windows tablet then don't bother, just buy a decent laptop.

Can you give an example? Because every program I've installed on my tablet works great. Even Chrome, where Google are hardly keen to support Windows, works perfectly, including swipe left and right to go back and forward pages and so on. And Chrome didn't cost me a bean...

And what can a laptop do that a tablet with keyboard and trackpad can't? Most laptops now don't have an optical drive. So what is the difference? What specific disadvantage does a Surface have? I had the Type Cover with my old Surface RT and found that as easy to use as a laptop and did quite a lot of work on it.

The keyboard and trackpad on the surface pro is terrible and the machine is underpowered. Try doing any serious spreadsheet work on it and it's slow.

The battery life also suffers severely if you try and do anything that requires any processing power.

It's not all bad, I think the kick stand is an excellent feature.

I haven't tried working on a Surface 3, but my first gen Surface RT could have a bunch of programs and folders open at once, Word, Excel, OneNote, IE etc and run fine. Of course it's not going to be doing 4k video editing or run a top spec FPS but I did a lot of writing on it and never had a problem with the machine or the keyboard. I had a Touch Cover and a Type Cover and the Touch cover was only for light use but the Type cover was great.

My 2p on the Surface Pro versus the iPad:

I had a Surface Pro 3 and have replaced it with a more traditional Dell XPS 13 ultrabook. The surface was very clever, but not very usable. Windows 8 is a better tablet OS than Windows 10, but neither are as easy to use as iOS on an iPad. The Surface keyboard was always a compromise, and didn't work well on a lap or table. The on screen keyboard isn't as usable as the iPad. I use my iPad 80% of the time at home compared to to a desktop PC 90% of the time at work.

I don't personally see the need for an iPad Pro. I don't need the extra power over my current iPad Air 1.

I agree. The thing about the surface pro is that it is mostly used as a laptop, and after a while is realise it's just an underperforming laptop.

It is also very heavy as a tablet so using it in that configuration is not ideal.

You can use a full size Bluetooth keyboard and use it with the iPad, including Apple's own Bluetooth keyboard. Also you can use it as second display with your Mac all you need is an app such as air display 3. You cannot use a mouse though. The iPad Pro in any size is not a good laptop replacement. If I really wanted a tablet that could also work as a fully fledged laptop I wouldn't buy an iPad Pro or even a cheap Windows tablet. I'd get a surface pro.

There aren't any software differences. The differences are all hardware related, CPU, display, quad speakers, camera etc.

Yes, I don't like Windows.

Maybe you should start your own thread about why you love Windows so much instead of spoiling threads that have nothing to do with it.

So any thread about a product no one is allowed to discuss alternatives or even ask why someone prefers that product? I thought this was a discussion board, not just a forum for people saying "I agree"?

I've mentioned lots of actual features that Windows tablets have that iPads dont. If you're so convinced Apple is best but you can't actually give any reasons then why should anyone else be convinced? So far in this thread the only reasons given for the iPad being better are vague "it's just better" or "it has better integration" without being able to give any actual examples. So many people buy iPads and I am genuinely curious why, and why so many people buy them blind without considering alternatives.

I love my HTC Android phones and have had three in a row but I never bought one without reading lots of reviews, looking at other machines and trying them out. My contract is up for renewal in a couple of months so I've bought a cheap Windows phone to try out. If I really like it I'll upgrade to a Windows phone. I don't just stick with HTC for no reason.

The lack of mouse support is the big downside. Using a keyboard but also having to reach over and touch the screen because you haven't got a mouse is an ergonomic nightmare.
And I know an iPad can be used as a second display for a Mac, but it can't power a second display itself which all Windows tablets can.

And I actually never use the keyboard on my Windows tablet. It's on a shelf and I take in on holiday or when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of typing but otherwise it's a tablet. You don't need the keyboard on a Surface any more than you need the keyboard on an iPad. But it's nice to have in case you do want it.

I guess it all comes down to what people use their devices for, and what other devices they may have.

If you asked me why we have an iPad rather than a Surface Pro, I'd say that the iPad does everything we need for casual consumption around the house.

If you asked me why I had a Macbook rather than a higher specced more powerful laptop, I'd say that its perfect for me as I value the lightness and portability over added power i wouldn't need. And for most of my work I use an iMac rather than the Macbook.

Its horses for courses.

can you explain that?

Don't worry, I assume you mean control rather than power.

Sorry, I used 'power' as slang for 'run' in that a Windows tablet van be plugged into an external monitor or HDTV and work as a dual monitor PC with the desktop extended across both displays.
It's very useful especially for things like Photoshop where you can use the tablet zoomed in to work on and keep the full image on the second display so you can see how what you are doing looks in the image as a whole. Or just having Word open on one display and your notes or a web page open in the other to refer to while you are writing.

Or with a tablet you can easily plug the HDMI lead into a big TV if you in someone else's home or visiting a client to show off files or photos or give a presentation or if you are in a hotel room and want to watch a movie on your hard drive on the big TV.
You can of course use Miracast as well if the TV has it.