A Little Help Choosing (Education Question)

[Macdude2010]

Hello,

I have a little bit of a dilemma on my hands put first let me give you some background information, I will be going into high school next year, and due to me having a few minor disorders (dyspraxia is the main reason for this), I type all of my projects, notes, essays, etc. I used my 2009 MacBook Pro (that I bought myself when I was 11) for school 2 years ago, but in April of 2011, I bought my first iPad, I continued to use my MacBook Pro until the end of my school year. This year however, I used my iPad for everything, and besides the 5 or 6 times I had to bring in my Pro(which is getting to be very slow at doing even the simple things), I also sold my iPad 2 for the iPad 3 when it came out, and I really like it except for the dilemma.

Here is where the dilemma begins, unfortunately I am keep going through iPads because of dead pixels (and my current one has a hair under the screen.) I also have just lost every single document on my iPad and in iCloud with only a little hope of getting it back (apple engineers are working on it), so I have been thinking about maybe returning my iPad under the 14 days and wait for the Ivy Bridge Airs. This is my question, since I will be doing a lot more documents and typing next year, would it be sensible to keep my iPad for school or switch to the 11 inch Air? I sometimes use my bluetooth keyboard with my iPad, but most of the time I try to use the software keyboard(slower on the software one then on the normal one and sometimes make mistakes), I also don't know what the situation will be with getting the documents to the teachers, this year my teachers have been really nice and just let me either email the document or they just look at it. What would you recommend for me to use for next year?

 

[Mjmar]

I'd personally go for the 11" Air for school. Unlike the iPad, it can run MS Office and can upload files to an online dropbox, which are both things that my University relies heavily on. Not only that, but you can't beat the Mac OS for multitasking, and I find myself doing some heavy multitasking while doing a paper or project for school (like looking at a webpage and typing a document at the same time). Having the ability to sit windows side by side is a simple, yet extremely useful feature of desktop operating systems.

 

[KylePowers]

Definitely, definitely, definitely go 11in MBA.

Granted, with just going into high school, waiting for Ivy Bridge, let alone a Sandy Bridge model, seems very unnecessary. I'd just go with a 2010 model and save a few hundred myself.

 

[kylera]

Third the Air comment, though I would recommend the 13-incher because it lasts longer than the 11-inch model. Granted, the iPad might have better battery life, but you can do a lot more with the Air since it uses desktop software, and file compatibility is better overall.

 

[macbwizard]

Definitely the Air, but I'm wondering why your MBP is getting slow. I have a 2006 MBP that doesn't feel incredibly slow compared to my 2011 model. Maybe you should think about a reinstall of OS X on that machine.

 

[Macdude2010]

thank you guys for the input, keep in mind I do own a Mac now (although battery has degraded over time an will only last 2 hours.) I think for this year the iPad defiantly made do, but I have a feeling it will start to struggle with all of the high school stuff I will be throwing at it, I do have some questions for the people who already posted.

I'd personally go for the 11" Air for school. Unlike the iPad, it can run MS Office and can upload files to an online dropbox, which are both things that my University relies heavily on. Not only that, but you can't beat the Mac OS for multitasking, and I find myself doing some heavy multitasking while doing a paper or project for school (like looking at a webpage and typing a document at the same time). Having the ability to sit windows side by side is a simple, yet extremely useful feature of desktop operating systems.

Definitely, definitely, definitely go 11in MBA.

Granted, with just going into high school, waiting for Ivy Bridge, let alone a Sandy Bridge model, seems very unnecessary. I'd just go with a 2010 model and save a few hundred myself.

Third the Air comment, though I would recommend the 13-incher because it lasts longer than the 11-inch model. Granted, the iPad might have better battery life, but you can do a lot more with the Air since it uses desktop software, and file compatibility is better overall.

Definitely the Air, but I'm wondering why your MBP is getting slow. I have a 2006 MBP that doesn't feel incredibly slow compared to my 2011 model. Maybe you should think about a reinstall of OS X on that machine.

1. I was under the impression that dropbox worked on the iPad, I never tried it myself, but I thought I had the option to

2. I am waiting for ivy bridge for a reason, the battery life should be better on the 22nm design, but I also DO NOT want to be working on a Core 2 Duo for the next few years, its been a nightmare on my 2009 Pro, it keeps crashing because of what I throw at it, I do photoshop, illustrator, after effects, aperture, Xcode and also Final Cut X, and my Core 2 Duo has been choking on everything. Money isn't really an issue for me, I make a profit on my Apps that I sell on the App store, and at this point, I can afford any Mac, or several for that matter.

3. Why do you think a 13 inch would be better, I know that the battery is 2 hours longer, but I would be getting the 11 inch for the compact form factor, I want to make sure it is as small and light as possible, also would be better for portability

4. I am aware that the clean install should fix the issue, but I reformatted one of my spare 7200rpm drives and did a clean install of Lion about a week ago, It still won't run what I need it to without crashing 4 or 5 times, the most recent example is a project I am working on in Final Cut X, it keeps crashing on me (this is for school, as I am in charge of the video yearbook, and I have been having to bring my iPad and my Pro for the last 2 weeks)

also as a general question, why the macbook air over the iPad, or why the iPad over the Air, I really do like the iPad, and I find myself using it a lot, but more for pages, internet, a few apps and also the 4G LTE, so do you think I can get the same experience with my iPhone 4S tethered to my Macbook air (which I will upgrade to the new iPhone, which should have LTE)

The reason I do buy all this stuff is because of all the work I do with App development, and normally I sell at only a small loss to upgrade to the newer generation, and I buy all my stuff myself, my parents only give me permission to buy the new stuff.

 

[kylera]

1. I was under the impression that dropbox worked on the iPad, I never tried it myself, but I thought I had the option to.

It's not as easy as Dropbox for OS X or Windows in that you can't simply drag the file into the Dropbox like on the desktops. The apps you use must support Dropbox, and while office apps like Quickoffice might do so, others might not, such as iWork.

3. Why do you think a 13 inch would be better, I know that the battery is 2 hours longer, but I would be getting the 11 inch for the compact form factor, I want to make sure it is as small and light as possible, also would be better for portability

I agree, the 11-incher is more compact. Most of my arguments for the 13-inch model are subjective just based on how the 13-inch model can show more pixels and hold a longer charge, but those are my own preferences, so to each his/her own.

4. I am aware that the clean install should fix the issue, but I reformatted one of my spare 7200rpm drives and did a clean install of Lion about a week ago, It still won't run what I need it to without crashing 4 or 5 times, the most recent example is a project I am working on in Final Cut X, it keeps crashing on me (this is for school, as I am in charge of the video yearbook, and I have been having to bring my iPad and my Pro for the last 2 weeks)

Do you have a copy of Snow Leopard? Maybe that might cause fewer crashes, but even then, if it continues crashing, I think it's a hardware issue.

also as a general question, why the macbook air over the iPad, or why the iPad over the Air, I really do like the iPad, and I find myself using it a lot, but more for pages, internet, a few apps and also the 4G LTE, so do you think I can get the same experience with my iPhone 4S tethered to my Macbook air (which I will upgrade to the new iPhone, which should have LTE)

This is purely subjective on my part, but from personal experience with the iPad, as I own the 2nd-gen model, it is a great consumption device for reading, watching videos or listening to stuff, but it is really terrible as a production device. I mean, yes, you can attach keyboards to it and there are productivity apps, but the experience isn't as streamlined for me personally (like the Dropbox issue, for one, or not being able to easily use USB flash discs to pass files over, etc.).

As for tethering, not with the 4S, but chances are that tethering with an LTE iPhone would provide better speeds.

 

[Macdude2010]

I'd personally go for the 11" Air for school. Unlike the iPad, it can run MS Office and can upload files to an online dropbox, which are both things that my University relies heavily on. Not only that, but you can't beat the Mac OS for multitasking, and I find myself doing some heavy multitasking while doing a paper or project for school (like looking at a webpage and typing a document at the same time). Having the ability to sit windows side by side is a simple, yet extremely useful feature of desktop operating systems.

Definitely, definitely, definitely go 11in MBA.

Granted, with just going into high school, waiting for Ivy Bridge, let alone a Sandy Bridge model, seems very unnecessary. I'd just go with a 2010 model and save a few hundred myself.

Third the Air comment, though I would recommend the 13-incher because it lasts longer than the 11-inch model. Granted, the iPad might have better battery life, but you can do a lot more with the Air since it uses desktop software, and file compatibility is better overall.

Definitely the Air, but I'm wondering why your MBP is getting slow. I have a 2006 MBP that doesn't feel incredibly slow compared to my 2011 model. Maybe you should think about a reinstall of OS X on that machine.

It's not as easy as Dropbox for OS X or Windows in that you can't simply drag the file into the Dropbox like on the desktops. The apps you use must support Dropbox, and while office apps like Quickoffice might do so, others might not, such as iWork.


I agree, the 11-incher is more compact. Most of my arguments for the 13-inch model are subjective just based on how the 13-inch model can show more pixels and hold a longer charge, but those are my own preferences, so to each his/her own.


Do you have a copy of Snow Leopard? Maybe that might cause fewer crashes, but even then, if it continues crashing, I think it's a hardware issue.



This is purely subjective on my part, but from personal experience with the iPad, as I own the 2nd-gen model, it is a great consumption device for reading, watching videos or listening to stuff, but it is really terrible as a production device. I mean, yes, you can attach keyboards to it and there are productivity apps, but the experience isn't as streamlined for me personally (like the Dropbox issue, for one, or not being able to easily use USB flash discs to pass files over, etc.).

As for tethering, not with the 4S, but chances are that tethering with an LTE iPhone would provide better speeds.

thank you, i always use pages and keynote because they are official apple apps, so this clears up my question. I like the 11 inch for what i would be doing, so that is my choice, tried snow leopard also, still crashes. I just need connection, speed isn't everything.

And one more question, why the air over the iPad?

 

[kylera]

thank you, i always use pages and keynote because they are official apple apps, so this clears up my question. I like the 11 inch for what i would be doing, so that is my choice, tried snow leopard also, still crashes. I just need connection, speed isn't everything.

And one more question, why the air over the iPad?

Using your usage as an example, the iWork suite for iOS is somewhat stripped down compared to the OS X version, so you'll be missing features that are only in the full versions. If you're like me and only use the basic features for Pages, it might not be an issue, but for additional stuff, like incorporating multimedia elements in Keynote, it's an automatic no-no. Also, collaboration is another issue if you have to work in groups with iWork.

One other problem which applies to everything is that multitasking is more cumbersome with iOS if you have to deal with multiple apps. You can just use Command-tab on OS X, but you need to double tap the Home button to switch around. These would be my reasons for picking the Air over the Pad, though, so wait and see what others might say in support or against me.

 

[KylePowers]

2. I am waiting for ivy bridge for a reason, the battery life should be better on the 22nm design, but I also DO NOT want to be working on a Core 2 Duo for the next few years, its been a nightmare on my 2009 Pro, it keeps crashing because of what I throw at it, I do photoshop, illustrator, after effects, aperture, Xcode and also Final Cut X, and my Core 2 Duo has been choking on everything. Money isn't really an issue for me, I make a profit on my Apps that I sell on the App store, and at this point, I can afford any Mac, or several for that matter.

I agree, working on a C2D for the next 3-4 years could suck, and now that I see you use more intensive applications (you only mentioned typing notes in your original post), I'd indeed suggest just waiting for Ivy Bridge (or at least, for the 2011s to go down in price when the 2012s launch). Battery life should be better, but perhaps only marginally. Who knows.

I'm not your parents, but as long as you have money tucked away for college, then yeah, do whatever you want!

 

[macbook pro i5]

Hi,I have ADHD and the same thing dyspraxia,I have a early 2011 MacBook Pro and I also have an iPad 2 an trust me the new airs will be perfect for you!
Not for me because I require photoshop and dreamweaver and my school requires me to have 8GB of RAM in my Mac.

 

[Macdude2010]

I agree, working on a C2D for the next 3-4 years could suck, and now that I see you use more intensive applications (you only mentioned typing notes in your original post), I'd indeed suggest just waiting for Ivy Bridge (or at least, for the 2011s to go down in price when the 2012s launch). Battery life should be better, but perhaps only marginally. Who knows.

I'm not your parents, but as long as you have money tucked away for college, then yeah, do whatever you want!

Yup, notes aren't the only thing i would do on this, so i defiantly want to have something that will be fast enough for a few years, and I am really watching my money, I pretty much would be trading in my high end iPad for a low end Air

Hi,I have ADHD and the same thing dyspraxia,I have a early 2011 MacBook Pro and I also have an iPad 2 an trust me the new airs will be perfect for you!
Not for me because I require photoshop and dreamweaver and my school requires me to have 8GB of RAM in my Mac.

I use a lot of the same applications, but I do have a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM, and will also get one later this year with 16GB, my air would be more of a school computer and then I would have my Pro for all of the media I work with (also coding)

Using your usage as an example, the iWork suite for iOS is somewhat stripped down compared to the OS X version, so you'll be missing features that are only in the full versions. If you're like me and only use the basic features for Pages, it might not be an issue, but for additional stuff, like incorporating multimedia elements in Keynote, it's an automatic no-no. Also, collaboration is another issue if you have to work in groups with iWork.

One other problem which applies to everything is that multitasking is more cumbersome with iOS if you have to deal with multiple apps. You can just use Command-tab on OS X, but you need to double tap the Home button to switch around. These would be my reasons for picking the Air over the Pad, though, so wait and see what others might say in support or against me.

Thank you for the example, makes me get a "real world" sense of usage

 

[macbook pro i5]

Yup, notes aren't the only thing i would do on this, so i defiantly want to have something that will be fast enough for a few years, and I am really watching my money, I pretty much would be trading in my high end iPad for a low end Air


I use a lot of the same applications, but I do have a MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM, and will also get one later this year with 16GB, my air would be more of a school computer and then I would have my Pro for all of the media I work with (also coding)


Thank you for the example, makes me get a "real world" sense of usage

Why not just get the 2010 air,then when the ivy bridge MBP's comes out then sell it and get that,I don't see any need for two computers,That way there are just more things to sync and manage,Im not good at that

 

[Macdude2010]

Why not just get the 2010 air,then when the ivy bridge MBP's comes out then sell it and get that,I don't see any need for two computers,That way there are just more things to sync and manage,Im not good at that

I can do it quite well, I can afford a good Air, i'd probably get an i7, but an 11 inch for portability, then also get a 15 inch as a portable desktop, but the air would be for when I don't need to bring around a big computer like that.

Air for School
Pro for heavy processing

Now, if the i7 air fits my needs, i might not even get a pro later

 

[macbook pro i5]

I can do it quite well, I can afford a good Air, i'd probably get an i7, but an 11 inch for portability, then also get a 15 inch as a portable desktop, but the air would be for when I don't need to bring around a big computer like that.

Air for School
Pro for heavy processing

Now, if the i7 air fits my needs, i might not even get a pro later

Trust me,For power you will need a pro.

 

[Macdude2010]

Trust me,For power you will need a pro.

Yes, I know that, that is why I haven't completely made up my desision

 

[Macdude2010]

Just another question for everyone, I do plan on buying a high end 15 inch MacBook Pro for the very heavy stuff (Final Cut, Aperature, photoshop), if they go to an air like design, or even if they don't, would it be to big and heavy to carry around, I did carry around a 13 inch pro for 2 years and the 15 inch is only a pound heavier, and I would have a lot more working space (multiple papers), and I would only have to buy one computer instead of two, plus I'd be able to keep my iPad.

 

[macbook pro i5]

Just another question for everyone, I do plan on buying a high end 15 inch MacBook Pro for the very heavy stuff (Final Cut, Aperature, photoshop), if they go to an air like design, or even if they don't, would it be to big and heavy to carry around, I did carry around a 13 inch pro for 2 years and the 15 inch is only a pound heavier, and I would have a lot more working space (multiple papers), and I would only have to buy one computer instead of two, plus I'd be able to keep my iPad.

No not really,At the apple store I tried one out and it wasn't heavy at all.

 

[Macdude2010]

No not really,At the apple store I tried one out and it wasn't heavy at all.

So you think that a 15 inch pro would be fine to use, i think it might be better if I only buy one computer for everything I do, it doesn't really make sense to me anymore to buy multiple computers, plus i would be able to keep my iPad

 

[macbook pro i5]

So you think that a 15 inch pro would be fine to use, i think it might be better if I only buy one computer for everything I do, it doesn't really make sense to me anymore to buy multiple computers, plus i would be able to keep my iPad

Its fine,If you hold it in a incase,Not in your bag.

 

[Macdude2010]

Its fine,If you hold it in a incase,Not in your bag.

I have one of those bags, if i keep my iPad and my high school supports the textbooks on the iBooks store, I might just need to have my 15 inch pro, my iPad and then loose papers

 

[macbook pro i5]

I have one of those bags, if i keep my iPad and my high school supports the textbooks on the iBooks store, I might just need to have my 15 inch pro, my iPad and then loose papers

That's whAt I do

 

[Macdude2010]

That's whAt I do

And it's not cumbersome? Keep in mind the new pros might be thinner and lighter

 

[macbook pro i5]

And it's not cumbersome? Keep in mind the new pros might be thinner and lighter

Nope not at all,But then again I have to carry my brother up and down stairs so the MBP is a walk in the park for me.

Just don't keep the MBP in your bag that you put on your back just hold it in an incase.