Surface Pro 4 or MacBook Pro

[yur2die4]

Look up the actual CPU model. Not all i7's are the same.

Then look up benchmarks for the CPUs and compare their performance.

[Angstrom]

I considered the SurfacePro4 but I noticed that the typepad looks a bit battered after a lot of use, the fabric around the edges gets grubby looking. All the ones in stores are refreshed so often you don't notice that.

I realised that my interaction was going to be 80% typing & mousing, 20% touch so I selected a product based on that. I was mainly looking for a work laptop, and got one of these https://www.asus.com/Notebooks/ASUS-Zen ... p-UX360UA/ and was surprised how well constructed it is. I only got myself the i5 because it was £600 on black friday so that's fine by me. It's robust, metal body, slimmer than it looks in pics, the keyboard is solid, and it's not too heavy (1.2 kg).
It's too tiny a CPU (i5) for Ableton really, but it made me consider the rest of their range as a possible platform.

so, there are other options out there than the big 2

[yur2die4]

I guess one of the reasons a lot of people prefer macs is the physical construction as mentioned above. They seem to stand the test of time after repeated use. The OS should be simpler for setting up audio drivers on the mac also.

On windows you might find more flexibility for options in additional software. A lot of random people make a lot of random things for PC. If something goes wrong, I have more connections locally to windows help over apple help.

I think apple has an edge on stability. The touch in windows is okay but Live does not support multitouch and is not designed for touch. I guess in practice this makes it not too spectacular, but I do confess that if I'm trying a synth on the keybed it is common for me to reach real quick with my fingers to adjust a parameter instead of figuring out where my mouse pointer is.

The pen on the surface (if it comes with one?) is a decent selling point for non-musical applications. It'll probably get lost, forgotten, or broken before it's full value is used up haha.

It sounds like you think you 'should' play it safe and go apple, but you've convinced yourself to go with the excitement of a surface. There is a YouTube fellow who does lengthy reviews of surface devices. Watch that first. Then bust out the credit card. I think you can use one just fine and have a lot of fun. Your primary limiting factor will be CPU.

[login]

IMHO Apple new prices are not justified by the specs you get.

And the surface pro is a similar proposal, but be aware that MS computers are even less user serviceable than macs, they come glued and without screws.

If apple was cheaper it would be the best option but they hiked up their prices by 500 USD this last update round, and then you will have to get adapters to use their new ports with your interface and controllers.

So all in all I would go for another brand: lenovo thinkpad line has some good models as the X1 or if you don't care about weight the w or t models have fuill quad core i7s, Dell XPS 15 is also a good option, MSI had a very slim model with a full quad core i7 CPU and without gfx card, razer stealth or the full blade have great specs too.

[Machinesworking]

especially since the reviews of how it works with Live using the pen look really fun & encouraging.

I can't vouch for actually using the Surface Pro with Live, but even with a Slate Raven 27" monitor on OSX with Slates proprietary touch software, Live is painfully not set up for touch surfaces. Third party plug ins that have resizable windows or have been designed with touch surfaces in mind work excellently though.

Using other touch devices you're aware that mostly third party software like Live is not set up to work with multi touch surfaces, one finger at a time, so there's that.
Personally I bought a pen for the Raven, but it's not any more intuitive or easy than reaching for the mouse. Mostly what really shines in the Raven is their proprietary mixing software, which you won't get with Ableton Live on a Surface. and Batch commands which are tied to key commands, which Live sorely lacks.I hate to say it, but I would only get the Surface if I was planning on switching to Bitwig, who have dedicated themselves to the Windows touch environment.

A Macbook Pro or Surface/regular laptop with Push 2 is going to get you a far more ergonomic environment than relying on a pen with Ableton's zero touch screen friendly environment.

[EasyWorkflow]

The other reason many people stay with Apple laptops like myself dependent on what other gear you own. I have an Imac, Iphone & Ipad, so I like the tight integration when using all Apple products. Plus if you need Apple support which really is the best in the industry, Apple support will NOT troubleshoot issues if there is a non-apple product in the foodchain. You may get a cool tech on phone who may try to help, but that is not Apple's policy. May not be important to you, as you may not use all Apple gear. I do, not very tech savvy, so I am handcuffed to Apple and Apple support which is not a bad thing. I was looking at same model you are as my old 2009 Apple died. The prices I saw on Ebay for a mid 2015 quad i7, 2.9GH up to 3.7 GHz, 32 GB ram, 1TB SSD card was around $2300 WITH Apple Care. I think that was extending the warranties out to 2019. If you are not a guy who is comfortable working on computers, and buy an Apple laptop, Apple Care is a must. Repairs are expensive. Last thing and I do not know how much truth there is to this, but many pros swear the Apples are more stable, less prone to crashing etc, and is reason you see so many Apples on stage. I hope am that helps.

[Stromkraft]

Last thing and I do not know how much truth there is to this, but many pros swear the Apples are more stable, less prone to crashing etc, and is reason you see so many Apples on stage.

Well, there's something about the component and build quality of MacBook Pros (no experience of non-pros), but crashing is a software thing most of the time.

Let's not forget there are high quality Laptops as well. I don't know which ones currently, but I do know these tend to be more near Apple in prices.

I do advice anyone to really investigate the model, no matter the brand. Models are different and what it's equipped with as well.