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iMac + iPad vs. Macbook Air

R

RJplace13

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 30, 2010
1
0
I know people have probably seen plenty of these posts about the same topic, but i figured i'd revive it with my issue.
I currently have a Mid 2011 13 inch Macbook Air, the base model with the 1.7 i5, 4GB RAM and 128GB SSD.
For Christmas, i know i am getting the new "New" ipad...(Thanks apple) but am not entirely sure if i should keep it.
I've figured out a couple of scenarios, but am just to confused on what to do.
I should add that i am a university student, i use my Air specifically for taking notes, web browsing, doing papers and thats basically it. I do bring the air to school on a daily basis and i have my iPhone 5 for the other things i use (i.e. Facebook, instagram, etc..)

The setups are as followed:

1st:
- Sell my Macbook air, keep the iPad and use it at school for taking notes (with the addition, of possibly a Zagg Keyboard case) and with the money from Selling the air put it towards buying a new 21.5 iMac (the base model)

2nd:
Keep my Macbook air, keep the iPad, and purchase an external display to use at home with the air.
This leaves me with dilemma of trying to decide which one to use, i feel like one or the other will be the odd man out, and ultimately one will end up collecting dust
But a pro of this would be if i did need to take the laptop to school for true multitasking, then i'd have that option, but of course the iMac is still far more powerful (i'd assume)

3rd:
Keep the air, return the iPad, and get an external display and be done with it.
This seems like a slightly boring idea. I'm not paying a dime for the iPad, but i just don't want it to go to waste and me not use it to it's full potential.

Any input would be greatly appreciated, again i know you all have probably seen similar threads many times before but PLEASE help with your input!!
 
S

SerefAFC

macrumors newbie
Nov 21, 2012
8
0
Personally i'd do number 1 and sell the air and buy an iMac.
iPad are great to use in lectures with a good case!
 
NutsNGum

NutsNGum

macrumors 68030
Jul 30, 2010
2,856
367
Glasgow, Scotland
I'd go 2.

For what you're doing, is the added power of the iMac really a necessity? Unless you're looking to game and don't have a console, the iMac is likely to feel like a step backwards in performance if you're getting a base model with the standard spinning drive.

The Air is a great little machine, and an iPad is great for a number of things. Get an external monitor and you're set.
 
F

FuriousGreg

macrumors member
Nov 11, 2011
90
0
IPads are cool, and you can get a lot of textbooks in PDF now which are easier to read than on a laptop and can help reduce the number of printed bricks in your pack so it may be worth keeping. However I'm guessing you type your notes if you're currently using a MBA and typing on an iPad for more than a text/short email is a pain. None of the plethora of external iPad keypads is going to match the keyboard on your MBA (a couple are serviceable but still not that great). You could get a wireless MAC keyboard but having an unconnected keyboard can be annoying.

As for getting an iMac, it's going to be nice to have the larger workspace when at home but unless you need the extra graphic boost over your MBA, you might as well just get the external display. An Apple display BTW holds it's resale value well, so you're likely to get nearly 2/3s what you paid for it when you graduate.
 
M

medi.freak

macrumors regular
May 26, 2011
221
0
I just sold my macbook pro, thunderbolt display and ipad2 to get the following setup, which in my eyes is pretty much perfect:


iMac 27"

macBook Air 11"

ipad mini



The macbook air is so prefect for taking notes and working on the go... I never figured out how to really use the ipad for classes.... it's just not very efficient without a keyboard....
 
Kroner

Kroner

macrumors regular
Jul 13, 2011
183
9
Norway
Well I am in a similar position, and I have decided to sell my MBA+ATD to buy a new iMac.

The reason why is because most of the time my MBA is used as a desktop, and I feel like the mobility is wasted on me. I also dislike how loud the fans can be from time when using flash or Parallel.
Since it has mostly become a desktop for me, I rather prefer an iMac where hopefully I can do everything I want comfortably.

For notetaking with an external keyboard my iPad works almost as well as my MBA to take notes with. And with Evernote or other programs that syncs with the cloud my notes are readily avaiable on my other devices.

While the iPad can do most of what I require it for class, there is one area that I think I can have issues with it, and that is if there are any work I am supposed to do in a group, and where I can´t do it at home. I don´t think I can write a proper assignment with only the iPad, at least it won´t be as effective.
Although for those cases I have a base MBP 09, so it isn´t so hard for me, but I am not sure about you :p


medi.freak said:
The macbook air is so prefect for taking notes and working on the go... I never figured out how to really use the ipad for classes.... it's just not very efficient without a keyboard....
Click to expand...

Well you could get an external keyboard such as Brydge keyboard. Although at that price it would be much better to just get an MBA :p
 
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