Apple's 128GB iPad shaping up to offer better value than MS Surface Pro

Apple has announced that its 128GB iPad will start shipping on 5 February, with the device set to offer more storage at a cheaper price than the equivalent version of Microsoft's forthcoming Surface Pro.

Cupertino claims its iPad will have double the storage of the 64GB edition, which currently ships with 57GB of usable space.

A quick calculation suggests the 128GB iPad should have somewhere in the region of 114GB usable space.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has confirmed that its 128GB Surface Pro, which ships with the fully featured Windows 8 OS, will have 83GB of usable space out-of-the-box. This is due to the Windows 8 OS, built-in apps and a recovery partition taking up a third of the space.

The 128GB model starts at $799, making the iOS device $200 cheaper than the Surface Pro.

Users will be able to create a USB and delete the recovery partition to boost the Surface Pro's storage and will also be able to plug in external storage via the USB or microSD card slots, something that is not possible with the iPad.

The only way to bolster storage on the iPad is to use the cloud or transfer data to another machine.

In terms of pricing, the Apple device could attract business users as there is a steep price difference between the 128GB iPad and Surface Pro.

The Wi-Fi only 128GB iPad will start at 639 inc VAT (532.50 ex VAT). This rises to 739 (615.83 ex VAT) if users require a 4G connection.

UK pricing for the Surface Pro hasn't been released yet, but US pricing suggests the Windows 8 device will be more expensive in the UK.

The 64GB Surface Pro will start at $899 (64GB) and the 128GB model will cost $999. In comparison the 64GB iPad costs $699 and the 128GB model starts at $799, making the iOS device $200 cheaper.

It remains to be seen if the ability to boost storage and use legacy apps on the Windows 8 device will be able to sway to business users towards the Microsoft product.