Microsoft Surface 2 Review: Specs Of Windows RT Based Tablet Compared To Newly Launched 2014 MacBook Air Features

Microsoft Surface 2 Review: Apple Inc. is a well-established manufacturer of computers. The MacBook Air is a popular "Ultrabook" that numerous people are already using. Microsoft mobile products aren't so widespread, but that doesn't mean that the company can't bring a quality product to the market. The second generation Microsoft Surface Pro aims to compete with mobile giants, and brings several developments over the previous model. Gizmag made a review of the specifications that MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Pro 2 offer.

The MacBook Air is a traditional laptop while the Surface Pro 2 is a fusion. A separate keyboard cover is needed for the Surface, so it can transform back and forth between tablet and laptop. The Surface Pro 2 has a built-in, dual position, kickstand, that lets users prop it up in laptop mode. One advantage the MacBook has is that it has a bigger trackpad which functions better than the small one on the Surface's covers. The Surface makes up for that with touchscreen and stylus support.

According to Gizmag, the Surface Pro 2 is slightly smaller. The MacBook Air is about 11 percent taller, 9 percent wider and 26 percent thicker with 192mm x 300mm x 17 mm dimensions than the Surface Pro 2 which has 173mm x 275mm x 13.5mm respectively.

The MacBook Air has a tapered design, and this measurement only counts its thickest point. The Surface doesn't narrow in, its thickness is uniform. Surface is preferably used with Microsoft keyboard cover which will add a little extra thickness.

Without a keyboard cover attached, the Surface Pro 2 is 16 percent lighter than the MacBook Air. But that only holds up when you're using the Surface in tablet mode. The rest of the time you'll have a keyboard cover snapped onto the Surface, so this weight comparison is a little misleading.

With the Touch Cover 2 (the light one with non-moving keys) attached, the Surface becomes 1 percent heavier than the MacBook Air. With the Type Cover 2 (the one with physical keys but no battery) attached, the Surface becomes 8 percent heavier than the Air. With the Power Cover (physical keys, built-in battery) on, the Surface becomes 34 percent heavier than the MBA.

The review says that MacBook uses aluminum, while the Surface sticks with the same "VaporMg" (magnesium alloy) construction that was seen from the first Surfaces. The MacBook Air has a physical design that's identical to every MBA since late 2010.

The Surface Pro 2 gives users 84 percent as much screen real estate as the 11-in MacBook Air. The Surface's 10.6-in screen is on the larger end of the spectrum for tablets, and the smaller end for laptops.

The Surface has a noticeably sharper display in 1920 x 1080 208 ppi resolution. Microsoft also employs ClearType technology, which makes text look a little sharper on the Surface's screen than its already solid pixel density would suggest. The MBA is using 1366 x 768 135 ppi resolution.

As a tablet and touchscreen laptop rolled into one, the Surface Pro 2 naturally employs touch. Apple is still insisting that laptops don't need touchscreens.

The Surface Pro 2 also includes a Wacom-based stylus. It's great for navigating through those legacy Windows desktop apps, which were never designed for fat fingers. It also allows for pressure sensitivity, and is a great companion for Photoshop. The "Surface Pen" magnetically snaps into the Surface Pro's charging port when not in use.

Both devices have Intel's power-sipping Haswell processors inside. The Surface Pro 2's CPU has Intel Core i5 in 1.9GHz while MacBook utilizes 1.4GHz.

Users can configure the MacBook Air's processor up to a 1.7 GHz Intel Core i7 with turbo boost up to 3.3 GHz.

The MacBook Air's integrated graphics are a slight upgrade over the integrated GPU in the Surface Pro 2. Both of them will be able to do some light gaming.

Both machines are available in both 4 GB and 8 GB RAM options. For the Surface, the 8 GB model is tied to the two largest storage tiers. The MacBook's 8 GB RAM model is a premium configurable option.

The Surface Pro has a microSD card slot to help expand that internal storage. The MacBook has two USB 3.0 ports, while the Surface Pro 2 gives just one.
The Surface Pro 2 does have a Mini DisplayPort for HDMI out. The MBA's Thunderbolt port is backwards-compatible with Mini DisplayPort cables.

Both devices' Haswell processors help them to have significantly longer battery life than notebooks from a couple of years ago. The MBA's lower-resolution display helps it to last longer, estimated nine hours of web use, and with typical use the Surface Pro 2 should last five to seven hours. If users will invest in Microsoft's Surface Power Cover, though, its uptimes can be stretched out by about 30 percent.

The MacBook Air has a 720p webcam, while the Surface Pro 2 has both front and rear cameras.

The MacBook Air runs OS X Mavericks, while the Surface Pro 2 runs Windows 8.1 Pro. Mac OS X has taken on some iOS-like qualities, but it's still a dedicated desktop OS. Windows 8.1 features both the traditional Windows desktop and the new touch-based Modern UI.

Both machines run any office suites designed for their respective operating systems. But Apple now gives away its iWork suite for free with Mac purchases. The Surface Pro 2 doesn't include Office upon purchase, though users can now rent a license (via Office 365) for as little as $7 per month.

Apple just released this minor update to the MacBook Air earlier this week. The Surface Pro 2 has been around since late 2013.