Since these two devices are so different in nearly every way, let's start with the one area they share some common ground: design. They're both essentially slick, metal-clad tablets, but they fight in two completely different weight classes. With its 12-inch screen, the Surface Pro 3 (11.5 x 7.93 x 0.36 inches) is considerably larger than the iPad Air (9.4 x 6.6 x 0.29). It's also more than 75 percent heavier at 1.76 pounds to the iPad Air's 1 pound flat. That's going to make a big difference for handheld use, as most tablets come in at under 1.5 pounds.
Microsoft's new tablet sports a 2,160-by-1,440-pixel display, which is close to the iPad Air's 2,048-by-1,536-pixel display in pure pixel count, but the bigger display on the Surface Pro 3 means a lower pixel density (216 ppi vs. 264 ppi). That's still pretty close, though, and initial impressions indicate that Microsoft has another solid display on the Surface Pro 3.
Beyond physical design and display, there really isn't a lot of commonality between the Surface Pro 3 and iPad Air. The former uses an x86, ultrabook-class chip from Intel (Core i3, i5, and i7), while the latter uses a custom ARM-based chip (Apple A7). Both use 64-bit architecture, but they're completely different beasts.
The two utilize completely different operating systems. The Surface Pro 3 will run a full version of Windows 8, which can run all the familiar desktop and legacy applications on which Windows users rely. The iPad Air runs iOS and benefits from the most robust selection of tablet-specific apps around.
At every turn, it's clear that the Surface Pro 3 is meant for mobile productivity and getting real work done. And while you can certainly make a case for the iPad Air as a productivity device, you'll likely have to make some sacrifices to get the job done. They're designed with different purposes in mind, so whichever is best for you really depends on why you need a tablet. Think the Surface Pro 3 will replace your ultrabook and your tablet?
