Surface Pro 4 Vs. iPad Pro Sales Show Apple Already Beating Microsoft's Detachable Tablets

(Photo : Justin Sullivan/Andrew Burton/Getty Images) Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro fans are astir over recent sales stats that show Apple beating Microsoft in the detachable tablet market. Analysts suggest that the Surface's high price and Apple's clever marketing are the cause. Both products are available now.

Surface Pro 4 versus iPad Pro debates are heating up because the latest sales stats suggest that Apple's slate is already outmuscling Microsoft's tablet PC.

The news comes to Design & Trend via the IDC market research firm and a supplementary report from Fox News. Despite inventing the luxury tablet with the original Surface Pro back in 2013, it appears the juggernaut Windows makers are already lagging behind the Cupertino kids.

In a new report, titled "Apple Beats Microsoft At Their Own Game," IDC contends that Apple has garnered an "impressive lead in the short term" with regard to detachable tablets. The source study doesn't provide any Q1 2016 numbers to prove it, but Fox dug a little deeper. While also declining to talk specifics, IDC analyst, Jitesh Ubrani, admitted that "in this quarter they were number one" when speaking about Apple. While traditional iPad sales continue to decline, the iPad Pro is a new source of growth for the company.

It's also worth noting that IDC did provide shipment stats for the fourth quarter of 2015. During that period, Microsoft sold 1.6 million Surface tablets to Apple's 2 million iPad Pros. The statement above suggests that that trend continued into 2016.

As for why the iPad Pro has become so popular amongst prospective detachable tablet owners, that can be traced back to the device's cost and the way it's marketed. The base iPad Pro, with equally formidable processing power, retails for $799. To do anything serious with the Surface Pro 4, one has to spend about $1,000. With that kind of price gap, it makes sense that the cheaper option would attract more consumers. It also doesn't hurt that Apple labels its Pro as a tablet. Tablets are more associated with impulse purchases, while PCs are often linked to a specific purpose and productivity.

There are a few small caveats to these numbers, however. For one, the iPad Pro has the advantage of being in a new product class. The Surface Pro 4 is the fourth iteration of an established gadget, so it's harder to generate as much short-term hype. We've also argued at length that the iPad Pro's standard iOS operating system limits its productivity in enterprise scenarios. Like Microsoft has often done, it might be able to translate an edge in the workplace to greater mainstream success over time.

Both the iPad Pro and Surface Pro 4 are available now.

What do you think of Apple's early sales lead in detachable tablets? Is Microsoft's option still the better choice? Tell us in the poll and comments section!