Competing head to head with the iPad[1] has been fraught with peril, especially when that competition has been based on Android. Higher-end, more differentiated products have seen some success, though. Apple has fielded a strong and steadily improving iPad Pro line, the latest additions to which have included the Magic Keyboard accessory. But, at the high end, Apple is fighting to displace PCs that have been able to rely on mature desktop operating systems as opposed to owning the baseline with the form factor it popularized. The battle with the Surface Pro, for example, has become an annually renewed rivalry[2], while Google jumped into the fray last year with the Pixel Slate.
Also: Microsoft takes the wraps off its new spring Surface devices[3]
Now, Windows 10 and Chrome OS, the two operating systems powering those devices, have taken root in smaller form factors and lower prices in the form of the Surface Go 2[4] and the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet[5]. The Go 2 represents Microsoft's attempt to build further momentum after finally getting the small 2-in-1 value proposition right with the first Surface Go, which emerged as a solid choice for light productivity[6]. Even though its Pentium Gold processor represented a significant step up from previous Atom-based products like the ASUS Transformer Mini, it could sometimes lag a bit.
Like Apple with the baseline iPad, Microsoft has ridden the display cost curve to squeeze more real estate in the Surface Go while leaving it compatible with the previous generation's Type Covers. More significantly for those who valued the product's excellent portability more than its affordability, Microsoft now offers the option of a Core m3 processor that gives the smallest Surface a performance kick as well