In a blog that I published in February 2015, I wrote a very positive review of the Microsoft Surface Pro. You’ll therefore be pleased to hear that, more than 12 months later, I am still using my Surface Pro 3 as my every day machine.

It’s the Holy Grail of business machines and, with the more recent launches of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book to boot, Microsoft has really nailed the concept of a laptop, tablet, desktop and ultra-portable all in the one device. As a result, I’m no longer trailing a string of gadgets and devices in my wake – with just my Surface and my mobile, I’m good to go.

Most worryingly for Apple, it’s not just me who feels this way and I think the corporation should take a long hard look at why Microsoft is managing to shift so many Surface tablets despite the iPad being a much stronger, better-known brand (especially given last year’s high profile launch of its iPad Pro).

WHY IS THE IPAD IN DECLINE?

In a word, stagnation. Apple may still be shipping more iPad Pros than Microsoft can sell Surface units (currently estimated to be in the region of 1.9 million for the iPad Pro compared to 1.6 million for the Surface Pro) but its sales are falling. Indeed, Microsoft may hold the key to the future of the tablet – for business users, at least.

The trouble is that the iPad has always been a ‘nice to have’ but never a business essential (unless you are travelling on a long haul flight with a 3-year-old child). This is mainly due to the operating system and its restriction to running apps, most of which are simply revamped versions of iPhone apps. As I have discussed in previous blog posts, the iPad satisfies the role for which it was originally intended – essentially being a giant iPhone. But a few years down the line and iPad sales are now dropping because the concept has stagnated. Let’s face it, with the launch of the new iPhone 6+, with a 5.5″ display, there is little you can do on an iPad that can’t now be done on an iPhone.

MICROSOFT FOCUSED ON BUSINESS

If there’s one thing that Microsoft knows, it’s PCs, and while the Surface experienced a few teething issues in its earlier days, there’s no doubt it has evolved into a quality piece of kit.

In my opinion, the difference is its ability to run a full operating system, which in turn gives it the freedom and flexibility to run full applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Office or any other line of business application. Compare this to the watered down versions of these packages available from the App Store!

What does Apple need to do?

Apple needs to refocus and – if it is to compete with the Surface in the business arena – ditch the iPad Pro. It should drop iOS for the iPad and launch a competitor to the Surface with a full blown operating system, eating some humble pie just like Microsoft had to do when it ditched Windows RT in order to focus on its fully fledged OS. The power and increased battery life an Apple OSX tablet would bring to bear would make it a killer device for businesses and a must have, all-encompassing device for the (still significant) Apple devotees.

Tim Cook may have said that customers didn’t want a combined iPad and MacBook / Air (which is essentially what I am describing here). But following last quarter’s financial results, it’s becoming clear that customers don’t want the iPad Pro in its present form either.