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2022 M2 MacBook Air vs. 2021 iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard Article

jazz1

jazz1

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Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) vs Apple iPad Pro M1 (2021): Which M-powered beast should you buy?

This is the Apple MacBook Air (2022) vs Apple iPad Pro (2021): the battle between two M-powered beasts manufactured by the Cupertino giant.
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I know this is kind of "comparing apples to oranges" kind of thing. But I'm wondering, if like me, there are others out there with an 12.9" iPad Pro (with Magic Keyboard folio) that are attracted to the new 2022 M2 MacBook Air?

I've even considered trading in the iPad Pro to help finance the M2 MacBook Air (perhaps bumping up the specs) of the MacBook Air. o_O Maybe just having both as sort of a geeky luxury. To be fully upfront the iPad is still meeting most of my needs, but the iOS IMHO just doesn't compare with Mac OS for productivity and ease of use. I'm also not fond of the small trackpad of the Magic Keyboard, and have tried the Logitech version with a larger keyboard. Unfortunately the Logitech trackpad and actual board feel isn't to my liking.

Yes, I'll probably hang back until iOS 16 is released, but even with the info. currently available about the iOS betas I'm not seeing iOS ever reaching the usability of MacOS. For one thing I wish I could have a second "User" on my iPad just like in MacOS.

Anyone else out there thinking of leaving the iPad for the M2 MacBook Air, or adding the M2 MacBook Air to an iPad household?
 
I have both. I enjoy ipadOS for the most part, but you certainly start to realize the limitations after extended usage. I think the Air & Ipad can co-exist, in tandem, as opposed to having to choose one over the other. There are certain things I like the ipad for better, but I still prefer an actual laptop overall for the majority of tasks in my personal workflow.
 
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Asiatic Black Hebrew said:
I have both. I enjoy ipadOS for the most part, but you certainly start to realize the limitations after extended usage. I think the Air & Ipad can co-exist, in tandem, as opposed to having to choose one over the other. There are certain things I like the ipad for better, but I still prefer an actual laptop overall for the majority of tasks in my personal workflow.
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What you say really makes a lot of sense. My last Apple laptop was a 12" Macbook, and I really loved it until my kid bathed the keyboard in coffee ;) I've also had an assortment of Apple laptops before that (including the now long gone 17" laptop) and now truly miss that laptop experience.
 
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jazz1 said:
What you say really makes a lot of sense. My last Apple laptop was a 12" Macbook, and I really loved it until my kid bathed the keyboard in coffee ;) I've also had an assortment of Apple laptops before that (including the now long gone 17" laptop) and now truly miss that laptop experience.
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I am certain that you will love the new Air. I got mine Friday & it's been incredible so far. I'd recommend taking a look at it in person if you can & getting some hands on time with it. Then you'd be able to have the ipad for recreational use perhaps, while having the laptop for your actual work. Definitely keep the Air away from the kids though! 😅
 
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I have a 12.9 iPad Pro with apple keyboard and pencil, which I've used and loved for years as a media consumption device but really found that I couldn't work well on it - both mail and outlook apps were limiting as was word, and excel wasn't fun to use on it. There was always a productivity gap which I've filled with a 14" MBP. I still have and use both and they go hand in hand - the iPad is more of a peruse the internet, watch Netflix, draw or markup a document type of device whereas the MBP is both a work and play device.

You'll love the MBA. I'd keep both a for a while and see if you still use the 12.9 iPad Pro, and if not I'd sell it
 
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Asiatic Black Hebrew said:
I am certain that you will love the new Air. I got mine Friday & it's been incredible so far. I'd recommend taking a look at it in person if you can & getting some hands on time with it. Then you'd be able to have the ipad for recreational use perhaps, while having the laptop for your actual work. Definitely keep the Air away from the kids though! 😅
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I did see the new MacBook Air this week during a visit to replace my spouse's dropped iPhone Xs with an iPhone 13. Good upgrade for her, now don't we all think I deserve a reciprocal expenditure for an 2022 MacBook Air :D
 
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Misheemee said:
I have a 12.9 iPad Pro with apple keyboard and pencil, which I've used and loved for years as a media consumption device but really found that I couldn't work well on it - both mail and outlook apps were limiting as was word, and excel wasn't fun to use on it. There was always a productivity gap which I've filled with a 14" MBP. I still have and use both and they go hand in hand - the iPad is more of a peruse the internet, watch Netflix, draw or markup a document type of device whereas the MBP is both a work and play device.

You'll love the MBA. I'd keep both a for a while and see if you still use the 12.9 iPad Pro, and if not I'd sell it
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Well said! I agree 100%. :D
 
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calstanford said:
I prefer my iPad (11" mostly, but also sometimes the 12.9) for out and about computing. Main reason: built in 4G. Open and use. Simple.
No idea why Macbooks haven't had that for years
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I think that if the MacBook had LTE/5G, it would be too close to the iPad. Apple isn’t afraid of products overlapping to an extent but that would just be too much IMO.
I sure wish it did though!!

I have an 11” as well and really like it for consumption or going to meetings to take notes etc.
it’s also still lighter and smaller than my new M2 Air… if I had a 12.9” iPad, I’m not sure I’d ever take it over the air since it’s bigger and heavier.
 
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The iPad is a great touchscreen device. It’s really not that great compared to a MacBook when it comes to using it with a mouse. I have an m1 pro and was strongly considering this route. I went down to my local Best Buy that had the iPad pros set up with the magic keyboard and I was not all impressed with how it worked. Glad I tried it out
 
I have spent the last five years trying to get by with just an iPad Pro, and am currently using the most recent version. It's great for web and social media browsing and media consumption, and even works well for MS Teams meetings and reviewing Powerpoint presentations while in meetings, but I've finally concluded that for any kind of work production, I need a laptop other than the one issued to me by my employer, and have an M2 Air coming this week. My breaking point was when I was elected president of my HOA... I frequently need to compose an email while referring to another email and a governing document, PDF proposal from our landscaping committee or some other file. The iPad Pro simply doesn't handle that kind of multitasking workload efficiently. And as someone else noted, Excel on the iPad is extremely limited, and Word and Powerpoint are only somewhat better.
 
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jazz1 said:
Anyone else out there thinking of leaving the iPad for the M2 MacBook Air, or adding the M2 MacBook Air to an iPad household?
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I just sold my M1 iPad Pro 11" along with Magic Keyboard and Pencil after a year of use, shipping tomorrow :)

I completely agree with you on the productivity. For me, 14" M1 Pro macbook does it all. It's faster than my maxed out 16" 2019 macbook pro, smaller, yet has nearly identical screen resolution, lighter at 1.6kg, has stellar battery life, silent like an ipad, has 120hz HDR screen, has excellent speakers and mics, and a great keyboard with a row of functional keys (missing in ipad's MK) and much larger touchpad.

Really the only thing I'm missing out on compared to iPad is the front-facing camera quality. And maybe, just maybe portability and hand-holding when reading books.

I say maybe because I'm using the same backpack when I take my laptop/tablet with me. And 550 grams of difference in weight between iPad + MK and 14" macbook is negligable to me. And often times I like to read books on iPad using MK as a stand, rather than handholding.
 
Despite forthcoming improvements in iPadOS 16, how much runway is left in the iPad now that the same SoC is in the more capable Mac is a thought that has cross my mind more than a few times.
 
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I’ve been doing 80 percent of my work since 2020 - when I left my three decade employer and started my own engineering consulting business (with my previous company as a client among others)- on a 12.9 cellular iPad Pro with MK, but there are cases every other day where I can’t get something done, forcing me to use my increasingly slow 2018 13” MBP.

It will require a workflow adjustment but I look forward to using the M2 MBA and retaining the iPad for the pencil capability (mostly marking up 3D cad files on the fly for clients cad jockeys) and for sidecar.

I imagine the M2 MBA will be quite an upgrade vs the Intel MBP.

I tend to get on my motorcycle and get up in the mountains early in the morning as a workspace, so the battery performance should come in handy too. As long as I have a signal, I can get work done.
 
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Brovatar said:
I just sold my M1 iPad Pro 11" along with Magic Keyboard and Pencil after a year of use, shipping tomorrow :)

I completely agree with you on the productivity. For me, 14" M1 Pro macbook does it all. It's faster than my maxed out 16" 2019 macbook pro, smaller, yet has nearly identical screen resolution, lighter at 1.6kg, has stellar battery life, silent like an ipad, has 120hz HDR screen, has excellent speakers and mics, and a great keyboard with a row of functional keys (missing in ipad's MK) and much larger touchpad.

Really the only thing I'm missing out on compared to iPad is the front-facing camera quality. And maybe, just maybe portability and hand-holding when reading books.

I say maybe because I'm using the same backpack when I take my laptop/tablet with me. And 550 grams of difference in weight between iPad + MK and 14" macbook is negligable to me. And often times I like to read books on iPad using MK as a stand, rather than handholding
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far out as if you can compare a 11” iPad to a 14” MacBook Pro, some of these comparisons are getting ridiculous lol
 
I was just about to post about this comparison. Between all the complaining about pricing for the M2 Air, the rear price comparison is between a similarly spec'ed 12.9" iPad Pro.

Before anyone says, it's not fair because the iPad has better cameras and a better touchscreen display, the differences just about stop there.
  • Base Model 256GB iPad Pro; Same Price as Base M2 Air
  • 512 iPad Air, same as 8 Core 512GB M2 Air
  • M2 chip vs M1 in the iPad Pro
  • No accessories included with iPad Pro: $129 Apple Pencil; $349 Magic Keyboard
  • No "Pro" video editing software yet available on the iPad.
I would expect there to be a price increase when M2 Pro laptops are introduced.
 
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Spankey said:
I was just about to post about this comparison. Between all the complaining about pricing for the M2 Air, the rear price comparison is between a similarly spec'ed 12.9" iPad Pro.

Before anyone says, it's not fair because the iPad has better cameras and a better touchscreen display, the differences just about stop there.
  • Base Model 256GB iPad Pro; Same Price as Base M2 Air
  • 512 iPad Air, same as 8 Core 512GB M2 Air
  • M2 chip vs M1 in the iPad Pro
  • No accessories included with iPad Pro: $129 Apple Pencil; $349 Magic Keyboard
  • No "Pro" video editing software yet available on the iPad.
I would expect there to be a price increase when M2 Pro laptops are introduced.
Click to expand...
Convenient how you left out the most distinguishing difference, namely the 120Hz Promotion XDR Mini LED screen.
 
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