[jsntrenkler]

So let's pretend that both app stores had the exact same amount of content, same apps & such ... What is it in your opinion that makes the iPad a better device than a comparable specced Windows 8.1 RT device?

[ctt1wbw]

User preference. I've used Apple hardware since the late 70s or so and PCs years and years before Windows was even jotted down on a greasy napkin.

[anon(4698833)]

That's just it...you can't ask for a fair comparative opinion but remove highlights of either device before hand. It'd be like me asking "Why does anyone prefer the Windows tablets? (minus the fact that they run office and a more full OS in line with their PC's)...the iPad shines for a few reasons, but one of the largest is the app store assortment. Spec wise? It's probably a lesser machine (like most Apple related products compared to their market competition)...but the OS, app store magnitude, design features, integration into the ecosystem and many other things make it a preference (for me anyways).

[Laura Knotek]

User preferences--if specs and apps are comparable, then neither is 'better'. The 'better' device is going to be user-dependent, and what one user thinks is better is what another user thinks is worse.

[acerace113]

So let's pretend that both app stores had the exact same amount of content, same apps & such ... What is it in your opinion that makes the iPad a better device than a comparable specced Windows 8.1 RT device?

Based on that I have to say I would prefer the surface 2 over the iPad air cause of the screen. I would be watching movies on a tablet a lot more than anything so the 16:9 screen ratio would be perfect for me while watching movies or music videos on YouTube.


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[Ipheuria]

So let's pretend that both app stores had the exact same amount of content, same apps & such ... What is it in your opinion that makes the iPad a better device than a comparable specced Windows 8.1 RT device?

I think the problem here for me is you didn't specify a device you just said Windows 8.1 RT device. If you were to have specified a device like a Surface Pro 2 or whatever I think it would have been a more fair question. Having recently prepared a Surface Pro 2 which is supposed to be better than the RT I will use that as my chosen device. The reason why the iPad is better is simple it has a clear direction of what it is and what it does. So the user's expectations and experience is what makes it better. The Surface on the other hand is positioned by MS to be a no compromise device and that is the problem. People hear no compromise and they think the device is going to replace their qaud core, 8GB laptop with a 500GB hdd. Now for some people that will be the case, people who browse the web, answer emails, do a lot of word processing, spreadsheets, etc. The problem is that for others who look at the size and weight and then want to use it for Adobe CS, 3Ds Max and other hardcore power hungry applications it is not a great solution and to use it they must change their workflow. The Surface Pro 2 I worked on the other day was a nightmare for me things that would normally take me 5-10 minutes on a laptop took 20-30 minutes because the Surface was freezing, not responding, responding slowly. I wasn't able to multi-task by installing two programs at once while having another open something that is just a basic operation on a laptop. These are the expectations some people have when they hear no compromises. An iPad doesn't promise to run the Adobe CS. A user knows that it only runs the apps that are available and they know the capability of the device and they buy it accordingly. This to me is what makes it the better device because what it does it does well instead of trying to do everything and doing most of it half assed.