12" Macbook as an iPad replacement

[Trey M]

Interesting topic. The hunt for the ideal couch productivity device.

Personally, I have always preferred laptops to tablets for essentially any task. I just can't be productive on an iPad; sure I can do a file transfer, but it requires 10x the complexity of a comparable Mac file transfer to a USB drive, for example. Similar with typing and using basic office functions such as Outlook; Outlook is on iOS (and it's a fantastic app) but it's not comparable to Outlook 16 for Mac. And the idea of a tablet with a keyboard attachment has always been silly to me. It adds tons of bulk, weight, difficulty attaching/unattaching...all for the sake of trying to imitate a laptop. It's not a laptop and it's inferior to get true work done for 95% of applications in everyday life.

The stability of a moving hinge on a laptop is superior to any tablet/keyboard attachment out there. The only exception to this rule is the Microsoft Surface Book, which is the first truly innovative product Microsoft has put out in about a decade. I believe the next iteration of the Surface Book will be an impressive device and the ideas that come to mind imagining what Apple could create with a Surface Book type chassis are extremely appealing.

I previously owned an 11" MBA, which had an amazing footprint back in 2011. I loved everything about the device except the screen. It was low resolution and unimpressive next to my rMBP, and it has the worst aspect ratio imaginable. For that reason I sold it and got a 13" MBA. I loved the device for couch surfing but my desire for something smaller, thinner, and lighter were there. Most of all I desired a better screen. All of these features are what the rMacbook brings to the table. It is extremely comparable to a tablet when closed but the OS, solid keyboard, and trackpad are all there. Impressive screen with small bezels. To me it's the ideal couch device for productivity tasks. I understand some people love using their tablets on the couch, and that's fine and respectable. I personally just don't enjoy the tablet experience-- I have a 6s+ for that. But for productivity, I think it's hard to argue you're more productive on an iPad than you could be on a similarly sized and weighted rMacbook.

 

[Macbook14in]

Interesting topic. The hunt for the ideal couch productivity device.

Personally, I have always preferred laptops to tablets for essentially any task. I just can't be productive on an iPad; sure I can do a file transfer, but it requires 10x the complexity of a comparable Mac file transfer to a USB drive, for example. Similar with typing and using basic office functions such as Outlook; Outlook is on iOS (and it's a fantastic app) but it's not comparable to Outlook 16 for Mac. And the idea of a tablet with a keyboard attachment has always been silly to me. It adds tons of bulk, weight, difficulty attaching/unattaching...all for the sake of trying to imitate a laptop. It's not a laptop and it's inferior to get true work done for 95% of applications life.

The stability of a moving hinge on a laptop is superior to any tablet/keyboard attachment out there. The only exception to this rule is the Microsoft Surface Book, which is the first truly innovative product Microsoft has put out in about a decade. I believe the next iteration of the Surface Book will be an impressive device and the ideas that come to mind of what Apple could create with a Surface Book type chassis are extremely appealing.

I previously owned an 11" MBA, which had an amazing footprint back back in 2011. I loved everything about the device except the screen. It was low resolution and unimpressive next to my rMBP, and it has the worst aspect ratio imaginable. For that reason I sold it and got a 13" MBA. I loved the device for couch surfing but my desire for something smaller, thinner, and lighter were there. All of these features are what the rMacbook brings to the table. It is extremely comparable to a tablet when closed but the OS, solid keyboard, and trackpad are there. Impressive screen with small bezels. To me it's the ideal couch device for productivity tasks. I understand some people love using their tablets on the couch, and that's fine and respectable. I personally just don't enjoy the tablet experience-- I have a 6s+ for that. But for productivity, I think it's hard to argue you're more productive on an iPad than you could be on a similarly sized and weighted rMacbook.

How did u find adjusting to the smaller screen from 13.3" MBA to 12" rMBA?

 

[Trey M]

How did u find adjusting to the smaller screen from 13.3" MBA to 12" rMBA?

I notice myself moving very slightly closer to the rMacbook during internet reading, for example. But the resolution makes up for the smaller screen. I feel I have about the same usable area I did with the 13'' Air. When using it on your lap, IMO the rMacbook is about the ideal size.

However, don't think this small of a screen is for everybody. This is very much my secondary device to my rMBP so I love the small screen size. As for a primary device, though, I think it really comes down to user preference. I love the size of the screen, however for others using this as their primary machine, I can see many feeling this screen is just too small for everyday usage. If you're looking for a slightly larger screen, I'd highly recommending waiting to see what new design Apple reveals at WWDC for the rMBPs.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

I have Apple everything and the rMB replaced it all. The iPad mini and phone can maybe sometimes be used as reading book devices but the mac has replaced everything for 99% of productive tasks unless your tech uses are to burn time like a 8 year old. in that case go play with an iPad or phone.

just do what i did. Get the rMB and a ultra wide monitor to pair it with when going super productive. its truly a real portable laptop.

 

[PatriotInvasion]

I just replaced my iPad mini 4 (and formerly owned iPad Air) with a 12" MacBook (gold) and am very happy with the change. I have a 27-inch iMac at my desk for heavy duty tasks and comfortable desk time, but away from my desk I have always wanted a Mac like this. Compact, ultra portable, with all the capabilities of OS X.

The iPad was sufficient for me but I usually found myself frustrated with the ergonomics of typing on it and would always run into situations where I needed access to a file on my sleeping iMac and would have to open all kinds of 3rd party apps to accomplish this simple task. Now with Back to My Mac turned on in iCloud settings, that task is super easy on my MacBook. Plus it's just so damn nice to look at .

Price vs an iPad is still an issue to overcome, but took advantage of Amazon selling their remaining stock of 2015 models for just $999 for the base model (8GB of RAM, 256GB SSD). That's just $100 more than a 128GB iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard. No brainer at that price for me. These MacBooks will sell much better once Apple gets the price down in that range.

 

[teerexx52]

Just got a 2015 Macbook from Best Buy Geek Certified for $859. Planning on selling my iPad Pro 12.9. Going to try life without and iPad.

 

[Tech198]

I find a lot if the stuff I do on my iPad Air 2, sitting on the couch would be much easier to accomplish using a laptop. Remote maintenance of a file server, file transfers, Teamviewer sessions etc. All doable on an iPad but not ideal.

My question is, how is everyones experience using the Macbook sitting on the couch? Right now its really easy to grab my iPad, rest it on my crossed leg and start using it. I worry how comfortable the Mackbook would be either having to balance it on my leg or having it flat on my lap and be all cramped up trying to type or scroll etc.

Any thoughts on how easy it is to grab and use while sitting cross legged on the couch?

So we've tried a iPad Pro as a laptop replacement *at least Tim thought so*, so i guess it makes sense going in the other direction as well.

I would prefer reading books/PDF's on a tablet. even though iBooks is also available on Mac..

I'm trying to transition across, but every-time i wake up i grab my Mac out, and the iPad not much use.. I tried it once, and i kept going back to a Mac despite i can easily function ok on a tablet.. I may keep at it.

 

[Brooklynscholar]

I find a lot if the stuff I do on my iPad Air 2, sitting on the couch would be much easier to accomplish using a laptop. Remote maintenance of a file server, file transfers, Teamviewer sessions etc. All doable on an iPad but not ideal.

My question is, how is everyones experience using the Macbook sitting on the couch? Right now its really easy to grab my iPad, rest it on my crossed leg and start using it. I worry how comfortable the Mackbook would be either having to balance it on my leg or having it flat on my lap and be all cramped up trying to type or scroll etc.

Any thoughts on how easy it is to grab and use while sitting cross legged on the couch?

OSX and iOSX need to become one. its the only way, and I felt like Apple was going there in that direction with LaunchPad but things kind of slowed down after that. One thing I see as and awesome potential would be iOSX apps to run in the what is now the useless widget center (dashboard).

 

[t.portis]

I find a lot if the stuff I do on my iPad Air 2, sitting on the couch would be much easier to accomplish using a laptop. Remote maintenance of a file server, file transfers, Teamviewer sessions etc. All doable on an iPad but not ideal.

My question is, how is everyones experience using the Macbook sitting on the couch? Right now its really easy to grab my iPad, rest it on my crossed leg and start using it. I worry how comfortable the Mackbook would be either having to balance it on my leg or having it flat on my lap and be all cramped up trying to type or scroll etc.

Any thoughts on how easy it is to grab and use while sitting cross legged on the couch?

I use a great small lap desk (that was recommend on these forums) with my rMB. I write, grade papers, develop Keynote presentations. After sitting at a desk for 5-6 hours per day, I don't want to come home and sit at a desk again. This arrangement works great for me. Here's the link to the just about perfect lap desk: http://amzn.com/B0128I6DWK

 

[izzyfanto]

I've sold my iPad Air and fully replaced it with my 12" MacBook. Wasn't that big of an iPad user anyway and ran too often into the limitations of iOS.

Same here, my iPad Air 2 just couldn't do what I needed it to. Very happy with my MB!

Many moons ago I used to have an iPad. It was fun at first but I am very much a content creator. The iPad showed it's limits in that department. I have waited a long time for a marvel that is the Macbook to come along in the form we see today. It truly is a near perfect tool. So yes, a definite iPad replacement.

I agree!

Personally, I have always preferred laptops to tablets for essentially any task. I just can't be productive on an iPad; sure I can do a file transfer, but it requires 10x the complexity of a comparable Mac file transfer to a USB drive, for example. Similar with typing and using basic office functions such as Outlook; Outlook is on iOS (and it's a fantastic app) but it's not comparable to Outlook 16 for Mac. And the idea of a tablet with a keyboard attachment has always been silly to me. It adds tons of bulk, weight, difficulty attaching/unattaching...all for the sake of trying to imitate a laptop. It's not a laptop and it's inferior to get true work done for 95% of applications in everyday life.

I previously owned an 11" MBA, which had an amazing footprint back in 2011. I loved everything about the device except the screen. It was low resolution and unimpressive next to my rMBP, and it has the worst aspect ratio imaginable. For that reason I sold it and got a 13" MBA. I loved the device for couch surfing but my desire for something smaller, thinner, and lighter were there. Most of all I desired a better screen. All of these features are what the rMacbook brings to the table. It is extremely comparable to a tablet when closed but the OS, solid keyboard, and trackpad are all there. Impressive screen with small bezels. To me it's the ideal couch device for productivity tasks. I understand some people love using their tablets on the couch, and that's fine and respectable. I personally just don't enjoy the tablet experience-- I have a 6s+ for that. But for productivity, I think it's hard to argue you're more productive on an iPad than you could be on a similarly sized and weighted rMacbook.

I agree completely. I bought and sold both an 11" MBA and a iPad Air 2 because I could not accept the comprises with both. The rMB checks every box for me, couldn't be happier.

Now with Back to My Mac turned on in iCloud settings, that task is super easy on my MacBook.

Back to My Mac is great. I use it for accessing my Time Capsule when away. OS X & iOS are selling features for me in buying Apple. I think they're second to none in terms of security, integration and simplicity.

 

[LouisLoh]

If you haven't drunk all the apple koolaid, a windows convertible fills the bill as both laptop ad tablet. With my Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro (all in one) I can use it as a laptop or swing it around and it becomes a 13.3" tablet that weighs about the same as my RMB, and with an equal screen resolution and MORE ports.

I have both the 9.7" Pro and rMB 2016. Yet, I still yearn for a 2-in-1 sometimes. Give me a Surface Pro 4 running OS X and iOS, with 10h battery life and Apple Pencil support. I'd gladly pay upwards of $2k for that.

 

[KPOM]

I have both the 9.7" Pro and rMB 2016. Yet, I still yearn for a 2-in-1 sometimes. Give me a Surface Pro 4 running OS X and iOS, with 10h battery life and Apple Pencil support. I'd gladly pay upwards of $2k for that.

It's an interesting concept, but I'm not sure how well it would work in practice. It comes down to OS X (and Windows) run on x86 and iOS runs on ARM. The latter is a lot more efficient while the former is more powerful. So as nice as the Surface Pro gets, it will never be both as light and get as long a battery life as an iPad Pro. A theoretical OS X-capable iPad would have the same issue, even before we consider the hardware incompatibilities. In theory a Core i5 could emulate ARM, but not as quickly, and at a much bigger power drain. ARM is not well suited for emulating x86, and it's questionable whether Apple is ready to devote the resources necessary to effect another platform shift for the Mac.

On top of that, the existing OS X software base isn't optimized for touch. It has taken Microsoft many years to get to where they are now, which is still a long way from a seamless experience.

 

[AFEPPL]

I have both the 9.7" Pro and rMB 2016. Yet, I still yearn for a 2-in-1 sometimes. Give me a Surface Pro 4 running OS X and iOS, with 10h battery life and Apple Pencil support. I'd gladly pay upwards of $2k for that.

Given the state of OS X and esp iOS - windows is looking the better option by the day and its less than 2k.

 

[LouisLoh]

Given the state of OS X and esp iOS - windows is looking the better option by the day and its less than 2k.

W10 is catching OS X in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use, but tablet apps are sorely lacking, that's what's steering me towards iOS as a mobile platform.

 

[ric cardoso]

I agree with KPOM and Traverse.

But some smartphones can replace a tablet today.
I do not see much point in having a laptop, another laptop to serve as a tablet, one or more smartphones ...

I do not see how a laptop could further facilitate your life than a smartphone. Or a tablet, if you need or want one.

 

[izzyfanto]

I do not see much point in having a laptop, another laptop to serve as a tablet, one or more smartphones. I do not see how a laptop could further facilitate your life than a smartphone. Or a tablet, if you need or want one.

Are you joking?

 

[WickedPorter]

Between January and Mid-May of this year, I dabbled in new iPads ... first the 12.9", then "upgraded" to the 9.7", both with their respective keyboards and the Apple Pencil.

The iPad was/is really cool... played some neat games, typed up some e-mails, did a little annotating and diagram drawing in various note taking applications. I liked them so much that I actually recommended them as a PC replacement for my computer-illiterate grandparents, and they're getting along great with them/love them.

However ... for me, the usage frequency kept dropping, until ultimately they sat nearly idle. I'm back to a rMB now for my primary (personal) machine. I thought I could replace the rMB with one of the new shiny iPads, but it just didn't work for me and my use cases.

Based on this experience, the ultimate machine for me would be something in the rMB form factor and function, with the ability to draw on the screen with an Apple Pencil (in some sort of comfortable fashion), a mouse cursor of some sort, and access a bash shell + XCode. App compatibility/ability to run iOS apps would be ideal as well. Apple will probably never do this, but it won't stop me from continuing to suggest it.

 

[KPOM]

W10 is catching OS X in terms of intuitiveness and ease of use, but tablet apps are sorely lacking, that's what's steering me towards iOS as a mobile platform.

Microsoft's unified device strategy hinders tablet app development. A "desktop" application works on Windows 10, and legacy Windows 7 PCs (and there are lot of the latter left in enterprise), while a "Modern" application works only on a Windows 10 device. Desktop applications are rarely touch optimized, and "chameleon" apps that change depending whether they are docked are both rare and not necessarily well-designed, either. Since iOS is specific to the iPad and iPhone, developers have no choice but to optimize them for touch use.

 

[geekiemac]

I agree with KPOM and Traverse.

But some smartphones can replace a tablet today.
I do not see much point in having a laptop, another laptop to serve as a tablet, one or more smartphones ...

I do not see how a laptop could further facilitate your life than a smartphone. Or a tablet, if you need or want one.

This really depends on your usage, your working habits and needs, the way you work which lets you be more productive, feel confortable, etc.
In my case, I have no idea how I would edit and annotate an Excel file containing dozens of columns, rows, pivot tables, graphs... on a ... smartphone screen the mere thought of it makes me laugh. A tablet may be a better idea, but again, compatibility issues with MS Office... some features of the desktop apps are not supported on Pages or Numbers.

That's for the work part. Now the leisure part: I like watching TV shows and movies when I'm traveling. I remember having to rip my DVDs or movie files using Handbrake to make them viewable on the iPad and that was really a pain, it would take a couple of hours for every movie (admittedly, on my old iMac). Now with VLC on the Mac I have much more freedom and no conversion hassles. I tried doing that on the iPad and it simply didn't work.

So, again, it really depends on your use case.

 

[gooseta]

My rMB has completely replaced my iPad mini. It's so light, and the screen is amazing. Really good for content consumption and all the web/productivity work I do.

 

[ziggy29]

My wife has gone the other way. She's totally abandoned her MacBook for iPads. She got the first one about four years ago, an iPad 2 IIRC, and then 64 GB iPad Air 2 last fall (I got the old iPad as a hand-me-down for light mnobile use once in a while).

But smartphone? They have their place but their screens are too small and the battery is too short-lived, especially when wifi or 4G is enabled. I can see a tablet replacing a laptop, not so much a phone.

 

[pvq]

I just replaced my iPad Air (1) with a 2015 Macbook 12 inch. I never really took to the iPad. I prefer a keyboard. I don’t do any serious work on either, but honestly even for just watching movies...the Macbook is just better having the keyboard for a stable base. Plus I prefer to surf in OS X. Anything I would do on the iPad I can just as easily accomplish on my 6S Plus...so my iPad has been gathering dust since I got the 6S Plus last October

 

[PatriotInvasion]

I just replaced my iPad Air (1) with a 2015 Macbook 12 inch. I never really took to the iPad. I prefer a keyboard. I don’t do any serious work on either, but honestly even for just watching movies...the Macbook is just better having the keyboard for a stable base. Plus I prefer to surf in OS X. Anything I would do on the iPad I can just as easily accomplish on my 6S Plus...so my iPad has been gathering dust since I got the 6S Plus last October

Now if they can just get the 12-inch MacBook to that magical $999 price point, it will be a tremendous product for the price.

 

[pvq]

Now if they can just get the 12-inch MacBook to that magical $999 price point, it will be a tremendous product for the price.

I was VERY lucky. I found a pristine 2015 entry level model, 64 charge cycles on the battery for $800 cash. Ended up saving over $200 on a refurb from the Apple Store when you consider the sales tax. I agree that as much as I like it, the price is WAY too high for what it is...which is why I didn't pick one up as soon as it was introduced....though I wanted one as soon as I laid my fingers in the keys.....

 

[Dunbar]

I've never really been a tablet person. I've tried several iPads and they only ever fill a very small niche for me - travel. Tablets just work better in airport terminals, in rental cars and on airplanes. I currently have a work issue iPad Air 1 with LTE plan and I can go for 2-3 day business trips with it. If it's just an overnight trip I usually make do with just my iPhone 6S Plus (but you do eventually tire of staring at a small screen.) Before I got the rMB I would take the iPad on vacation for up to a week because the Macbook Air was just too heavy/bulky. The rMB is so small and light in comparison that it travels so nicely in a sleeve. If my iPad didn't have a data connection I don't think I'd ever use it.