MBA Users: Do you use (or feel the need for) an iPad?

I had a full size iPad then after buying MBA i bought a mini.

I like the iPad for games, i really enjoy the touch screen gaming experience and the games are cheaper on iPads

Also for reading books, even when ibooks becomes available on mac i will still use my iPad to read books since it is more comfortable for reading books to me.

I see the need for both but my use of iPads has drastically decreased since getting a MBA

Been looking, and after handling multiple iPads AM SURE I don't want the current 1.5LB version. If they come out with a lighter version which rumors say they will, then maybe. Mini too small 4rme, But is really an indulgence, Air can do everything, specially the Haswell with the improved batt life.

About to pull the trigger on a 13" MBA, owning an iPad 3rd gen that I plan to sell to eventually replace it with a new 5th gen or Retina Mini.
Interested on what people's experience has been so far with both!

I have MBA and mini. No full size iPad. I am seriously considering an iPad. I love my MBA and use it more than any other device. Would not buy another mini.

I'm replacing my iPad with the Air. I've been using the iPad with a bluetooth keyboard when I travel, and for me, it has not been a pleasant experience. I want the feel of a real computer.

Lou

1st post, new Air owner! It's my first Mac computer-wise. I have the 3rd gen iPad and use it to read ebooks primarily - it stays by the bed. I check my email, etc. in bed every morning with the iPad then use the Air the rest of the time in the living room.

I've bought two iPads. A 1 and a 2. I tried really hard to use them on the road and such. I ended up just using my Air instead. They have their place but for me, I prefer the Air. My wife and kids use the iPads all the time. The iPad w/ cellular comes in handy at times when traveling by car.

I am currently using an iMac, MBA, iPad mini, iPhone 5. All seamless.

I thought that moving from the iPad 2 to an iPad 3 was a large disappointment. Admittedly, the screen looks great, but it was heavier, took longer to charge, got warmer during use. In the end... a step down from the iPad 2.

Last year I bought a iPad mini. It is a great compliment to my setup... and fills a nice spot. I have it connected to cellular... so I use it while at conferences, customer meetings, etc... where I need to keep up with my business but don't want to be carrying a laptop.

/Jim

Got the iPad mini and then found it was great for a read on the couch and other day to day stuff but when it came to doing video/photo editing or typing, it became a chore.. Therefore bought the 11" Air. They are perfect for me... The mini has amazing battery life and the Air is really quite powerful. Find it quite useful also that the mini's speakers are quite powerful so that I can use that to play music whilst studying.

Another thing which is better productivity wise for the Air is multitasking... I never thought it was really relevant when I bought the mini but I found myself going back to my old MacBook to use YouTube and iTunes or to do research (e.g. Safari/Chrome and Pages/Word). Also typing is a pleasure on the Air and I actually prefer it to my 13" MacBook as I prefer the less travel in the keyboard (weird I know ).

Hope this helps and tell me if you need any more comparisons!

P.S I use both every single day however if I had to give one up, it would have to be the iPad Mini. Also, I wouldn't ever dream of a full size iPad... Seems way too heavy and bulky for which another two inches would get me a real computer... (plus the street cred of a Mac xD)

I just bought an Air, have Ipad 3 as well.
As i read a LOT of ebooks my Ipad is a keeper, if it was not for that i would probably just have the Air.
Mind you while travelling the Ipad is a lot more convenient (train to work/home).

I use the iPad mini a LOT. For most browsing and email, and late night surfing, my goto device is the iPad mini for sure.

I always wonder why people who use the iPad or iPad Mini mainly for reading books wouldn't just buy a Kindle or Kindle Fire and save over $100.

I have had many apple devices, some I have kept, some I have returned.
had ipad1, loved it but sold before ipad 2 came out
had ipad 2 loved it but sold before ipad 3 came out
still have ipad 3
also now have two ipad minis
had the 2010 air and returned it because of battery life and no backlit keyboard
had the 2011 air and returned it because of battery life
had the 2012 air and returned it because of battery life
got the 2013 air and now the iPads are used by the kids and I don't touch them anymore (except for the occasional plants vs zombies 2 game). The battery life increase in the air has been the game changer, I prefer it to the iPad and the battery actually lasts longer I think. I was planning on selling the ipad 3 when the new one comes out but now I will not bother, just leave the ipad to the kids and happily use a real computer

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HarryWarden said:

I always wonder why people who use the iPad or iPad Mini mainly for reading books wouldn't just buy a Kindle or Kindle Fire and save over $100.

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My wife had a nook colour, she has an ipad mini and loves it. The nook colour is older obviously but she vastly prefers the ipad for browsing the web, Facebook, games and reading books. She also likes the screen size vs a 7"

I sold my iPad III to help pay for a new MBA. I found the iPad next to useless except for watching movies while traveling. There's no really useful file system, there's no mouse or trackpad, and unless you are using an optional keyboard, it's not much use for a professional writer.

For me, the iPad was an experiment that failed.

hakr100 said:

I sold my iPad III to help pay for a new MBA. I found the iPad next to useless except for watching movies while traveling. There's no really useful file system, there's no mouse or trackpad, and unless you are using an optional keyboard, it's not much use for a professional writer.

For me, the iPad was an experiment that failed.

Click to expand...

Purely for watching movies, the 8.9-inch version of the Kindle Fire HD beats the iPad because of the speakers and aspect ratio.

I use a Nexus 7 for my planner, reading textbooks, some internet browsing and checking emails


Anything else I use my air.


All my girlfriend does is facebook, youtube, web browsing for school and use Office so I brought her a Surface Rt with the type cover. She loves it

It really depends on your use case. I have both a 2011 MBA 13 and iPad Mini - gave my iPad 1 to my wife. I take the train to work everyday and love the iPad mini for reading books and magazines, some light gaming, and the occasional movie. Will never go back to a full sized iPad. Would love a retina iPad Mini.
At home, unless I'm playing games or reading, it's the MBA all the way. Better for surfing and for my photography related stuff (Lightroom, etc.)

HarryWarden said:

I always wonder why people who use the iPad or iPad Mini mainly for reading books wouldn't just buy a Kindle or Kindle Fire and save over $100.

Click to expand...

Because sometimes you want to do a little bit more...

my ipad retina has the benefit of having an awesome display, but really at this point all I use it for touch games, and sometimes for videos/music playback.

Occasionally I will use it for it's sim card - especially when I'm exhausting my wifi at home on 100GB packs...
The better screen doesn't make me want to put down my macbook air and use the ipad though.

The only downside is when I Fly. I am so accustomed to carrying the iPad - which you can leave in your hand carry bag during handbag check-in at the airport. But with the Air, I'm going to have to remove it and put it in a different basket.

Otherwise, keyboard and mouse for me any day please. Actually, I think I like the trackpad on my Air and find it more convenient than using a touch device.

Every Apple product has its place - by design!

I have an MBA 13 and iPad 2, and use both extensively, but for quite different things.

For me, there is no substitute for a "real" computer for doing work. I need a proper full-size keyboard, and be able to run desktop OS software (MS Office, XCode, VMWare, VirtualBox etc.). I need 8GB RAM minimum for most of my work.

For some things, I could get away with an iPad (full size) + physical keyboard, but IMO anything more than an e-mail with the on-screen keyboard becomes frustrating (not to mention the fact that the keyboard eats half the screen real-estate).

The iPad excels as a content consumption device - I use it as my principal device for reading, watching video, passive web browsing, and for social network/email consumption (not creation).

I like the idea of both a larger laptop (15-17" screen) and a smaller iPad (Mini), and in an ideal world, I would have them all - just as Apple marketing intends.

iPhone: go everywhere device, always-on connectivity, limited media consumption

iPad Mini: ideal where high-mobility, small size and light weight are desirable (single handed use ) at the cost of screen size.

iPad: All round media consumption when stationary (needs two hands, or a rest). Better viewing experience for print or video media than smaller screens at the cost of increased weight and bulk. Can do limited duty as a productivity machine (with additional keyboard)

MBA 11: The 11-inch is close to an iPad+keyboard, but less flexible (can't remove the keyboard). However, it can run real desktop apps.

MBA 13: An ideal size for a portable laptop - good performance for the form factor, but not ideal for heavy computing needs.

MBP 15: Better screen real-estate, more computing power, at the cost of increased weight & size.

I'm sure there are people who are crossing these artificial boundaries with their devices (novels written on iPhones etc.), but there is clearly a niche for each product. I'm pretty sure that Apple considers the position of each product very carefully, to ensure that no single product could be completely replaced by another one.

I'd personally like to see an iPhone with a 5-inch screen (but this could encroach on iPad Mini territory), and a portable "workstation" PC (similar to 17-inch MBP), but I doubt this has enough market share to make it worth doing.

My 2 cents!

John

I don't have an iPad, I have a 10" Toshiba Thrive, but I think I'm going to get an 11" Air to supplement my 13" for school and travel and give the tablet to my mother for use at work and on road trips. An extra inch of screen, with 6-10 hours of battery life, plus the advantage of it being an actual computer with keyboard for $1000 (plus a $100 iTunes/App Store credit) makes a $600 iPad seem a little silly.

I like using my tablet, don't get me wrong, but it gets annoying to hold after an hour or two and I doubt an iPad would change my mind on that. I'm also not on the touch screen bandwagon, computer/tablet or otherwise..

silvershamrock said:

I'm curious about whether other MBA users feel any need for a full-size iPad in addition to their MBAs. Given that the two devices are comparable size and weight, I'm wondering how many people have both, and of those who do have both, which do you find more useful?

I love my MBA, and have my eye on an iPad Mini - but I've gotta admit to being tempted by the full-size iPad as well. I'm just not sure how much I'd use it, since it doesn't really appear to be any more portable than my MBA is.

So I'd appreciate hearing other people's thoughts on the subject....

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Sometimes I dislike these open ended questions since the OP doesn't state their computing needs.

Is your iPad for work, play, or both. In my case both. The full size iPad has apps that can crop PDFs and other docs so they are the same size as print paper without the margins. Would I rather carry 1000s of pages of documents or have them all on an iPad?

It really depends on your usage.