Are Windows tablets now better for music making than the iPad?

Given iOS’s dominance in the mobile music making sphere, it might seem strange to suggest that you should buy anything other than an iPad. However, although they don’t have their own dedicated ecosystem of apps in the way that Apple’s tablets do, the best Windows models are fast becoming a genuine alternative.

‘Alternative’ really is the operative word here; while Apple still see fit to keep their Mac and mobile operating systems separate, Microsoft have been working to make Windows more unified across devices, and the results are starting to pay off. Buy one of the company’s top-end Surface tablets and you can run a proper DAW and plug-ins on it, something that can’t be said of the iPad – even the Pro model. At the NAMM Show in January, Bitwig Studio 2 was being showcased on Microsoft’s mighty Surface Studio, and very nice it was too.

If you want to recreate your main software set-up on a tablet, then, a Windows model could certainly be the way to go. But it should also be remembered that many musicians love their iPads precisely because they offer something slightly different to their desktop machines – namely, a whole slew of high-quality (and, in many cases, low-cost) apps that are custom-built for the touch interface.

What’s more, we are starting to see more cross-compatibility between iOS and Mac OS. Korg recently announced that they’re bringing their Gadget iOS studio app to the Mac, for example, and Apple are now offering Logic Pro users an easy (though rudimentary) method of working on their projects in the iOS version of GarageBand, then bringing them back into the company’s flagship DAW.

Both the iPad and its Windows rivals have their pros and cons then, and only by considering your current set-up and thinking about what you want out of a tablet will you be able to decide which is right for you.