[anilraj]

After seeing this article about Surface Pro (7 Worst Battery Life-Guzzling Gadgets - Yahoo! News) battery usage cost, I decided to do my own analysis.
The author for that article didn't think of reuse.
He just decided to use it once and throw it away.
That is how his calculation works.
I decided to use it for 2 years.
The comparison with iPad with Retina is below.

I would like to thank the original author of that post, who inspired me to come up with the following table.
I have a lot of assumptions to simplify my calculations.
All the assumptions are listed below.
I am sure, those assumptions won't change the exact numbers by a lot.

I have two numbers.

1. Based on only the Price of the device
2. Based on the price and the energy-cost based on your battery life

<EDITED> The calculation works if you use your primary computer more than iPad. If iPad is your primary one don't bother.

In both, Surface Pro is $0.14 per hour.
iPad is $0.55 per hour.

Surface-Pro-Energy.png

[ChrisInSD]

Nice work. Your calc warms my CPA heart :)

[bauerbach]

yeah... Im gonna have to dispute items 2-5 which is the crux of the calculation. At very least, this is dependent on the user.

but I guess good try...

[anilraj]

bauerbach, you are right.
it is a function of user's usage.

but, surface is a really expensive device.
so, I firmly believe that people of buy it will fully or partially replace their laptop.
else, there is no point in buying it.
obviously that will mean connecting to an external monitor.

on the other hand, I don't consider ipad to be anyone's primary computer.
they will have windows pc or an apple pc.

and about using ipad for photoshop and all.
yes, you can use it.
but, I don't think anyone will use it as the primary photoshopping device.

right now, in my calculation iPad cost is 4 times that of surface.
so, unless the usage of iPad is 4 times more than what I said (8hr) or usage of surface pro is 4 times less (2.5 hr), or a mathematical combination of that, there is no way iPad cost will beat Surface Pro cost.

the point to understand is that Surface Pro is a laptop (or ultrabook).
naturally it will be used more hours.

[stephen_az]

Nice job of rationalizing the dismal battery life. As much as I am not a fan of the iPad, it is not just used for entertainment. It is bought by businesses all over the country at this point. One major department store is also experimenting with them as replacement for cash registers - pretty stupid idea but they are doing it. In my own profession, a few companies are even using them to record archaeological sites. Do whatever mental gymnastics you want to make yourself feel better and it does not change the fact that Surface Pro can't match the battery life of a circa 2008 laptop. A tablet that must be plugged in half way through a day to be recharged defeats the entire concept behind having a mobile device.

[cme4oil]

That is just plain BS.. But I do understand your opinion and respect it. The SP aimed at a certain size / performance ratio and I think that they hit it pretty well. I am no expert here but can you show me another device with the same options / performance capabilities (Core i5, runs full Windows 8 PRO) at the same size, under 11" that has a battery that lasts longer?

Nice job of rationalizing the dismal battery life. As much as I am not a fan of the iPad, it is not just used for entertainment. It is bought by businesses all over the country at this point. One major department store is also experimenting with them as replacement for cash registers - pretty stupid idea but they are doing it. In my own profession, a few companies are even using them to record archaeological sites. Do whatever mental gymnastics you want to make yourself feel better and it does not change the fact that Surface Pro can't match the battery life of a circa 2008 laptop. A tablet that must be plugged in half way through a day to be recharged defeats the entire concept behind having a mobile device.

[anilraj]

Nice job of rationalizing the dismal battery life. As much as I am not a fan of the iPad, it is not just used for entertainment. It is bought by businesses all over the country at this point. One major department store is also experimenting with them as replacement for cash registers - pretty stupid idea but they are doing it. In my own profession, a few companies are even using them to record archaeological sites. Do whatever mental gymnastics you want to make yourself feel better and it does not change the fact that Surface Pro can't match the battery life of a circa 2008 laptop. A tablet that must be plugged in half way through a day to be recharged defeats the entire concept behind having a mobile device.

The point is, I don't consider SP a mobile device. It has to plugged a lot of hours. Perfectly fits the desk job category. That is why it will be used more hours than iPad.