I have an iPhone 5, iPad mini and 11" MacBook Air.
I use my iPhone for obvious uses like text messaging, calling, GPS, camera, calendar, listening to music, etc. Standard smartphone stuff.
I use my iPad for consuming digital content. This includes watching Netflix, reading eBooks, etc. It usually sits at home on my desk or bed, basically a secondary computer.
I use my MacBook Air for anything that requires lots of typing, clicking, raw compute/graphical power and anything of that nature. Things like composing emails, editing photos/video, programming, etc.
I admit that there are overlapping areas of usage. But technically you could live without any of these devices. All you'd need is food, water and shelter. But does having an iPad make my life a little easier and/or better? Yes. Is it affordable? In my case, yes.
To OP: I recommend the MBA unless you really a) need the DVD drive b) need a dedicated Ethernet port c) need a dedicated FireWire port or d) need the discrete graphics in the 15" MBP. Otherwise, a MBA is the better choice. For me personally, I haven't touched disc media in years. I have the Thunderbolt to Ethernet dongle when I rarely need Ethernet. And there's also a Thunderbolt to FireWire dongle. Lack of discrete graphics is fine by me. I run pretty heavy apps like FCPX, Adobe CS, VMware Fusion and Matlab on my little 11" MBA (Haswell) and everything runs smooth.
I use my iPhone for obvious uses like text messaging, calling, GPS, camera, calendar, listening to music, etc. Standard smartphone stuff.
I use my iPad for consuming digital content. This includes watching Netflix, reading eBooks, etc. It usually sits at home on my desk or bed, basically a secondary computer.
I use my MacBook Air for anything that requires lots of typing, clicking, raw compute/graphical power and anything of that nature. Things like composing emails, editing photos/video, programming, etc.
I admit that there are overlapping areas of usage. But technically you could live without any of these devices. All you'd need is food, water and shelter. But does having an iPad make my life a little easier and/or better? Yes. Is it affordable? In my case, yes.
To OP: I recommend the MBA unless you really a) need the DVD drive b) need a dedicated Ethernet port c) need a dedicated FireWire port or d) need the discrete graphics in the 15" MBP. Otherwise, a MBA is the better choice. For me personally, I haven't touched disc media in years. I have the Thunderbolt to Ethernet dongle when I rarely need Ethernet. And there's also a Thunderbolt to FireWire dongle. Lack of discrete graphics is fine by me. I run pretty heavy apps like FCPX, Adobe CS, VMware Fusion and Matlab on my little 11" MBA (Haswell) and everything runs smooth.