Ex-Windows boss reveals his new desktop PC is an iPad Pro

Apple will be happy

What just happened? Apple has spent years calling the iPad a computer, a claim most people, including Microsoft, like to mock. But the arrival of the powerful iPad Pros saw Cupertino double down on its position. Now, the tablets have been given the seal of approval from none other than a former Windows chief: Steven Sinofsky, the man behind Windows 8.

Having joined Microsoft back in 1989 as a software design engineer, Sinofsky worked his way up to President of the Windows division by 2009, finally departing the company at the end of 2012.

In a tweet posted earlier today, Sinofsky posted a photo of an iPad Pro along with the message: “New desktop PC.”

The ex-Microsoft boss included a breakdown of all his kit, including the prices. In addition to the 12.9-inch 256GB iPad Pro (Wi-Fi only), which costs $1,099, he uses a $70 Heckler Design iPad Stand, $99 Magic Keyboard, $149 Trackpad 2, $129 Pencil, $5 right angle cable, and $10 7 in 1 dongle.

All in all, the setup costs $1,500, which would get you a pretty good PC, monitor, and peripherals.

Sinofsky was in charge of producing Windows 8 during his time at Microsoft and used to write about the process in a blog called Building Windows 8. The successor to Windows 7 was designed with touch-screen tablets in mind, though it wasn't very successful.

Sinofsky did add a slight caveat, noting that the iPad won't be his main computer. He said the “use case I am looking forward to is as a second screen for video meetings.”

The iPad Pro’s credentials as a ‘real computer’ improved with the release of iPad OS, adding the likes of native USB, mouse, and trackpad support. There was also the Magic Keyboard and the powerful new A12X and A12Z (both are virtually identical) SoCs helping its case.