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Any MacBook Owners get the iPad Pro?

soulreaver99

soulreaver99

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 15, 2010
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Southern California
Picked up the iPad Pro earlier to try out. I'm trying to see how it fits into my life as a
MacBook owner but so far I can't make sense of owning the iPad Pro since I'm not an artist and need desktop apps.

It's most likely going back within the 2 week return period but I'm curious how other MacBook owners are having the two devices coexist in their lives.
 
Honestly, I think the rMB is the overall more capable device, unless you are really fond of iOS or you are an artist/graphic designer.

It's more portable, weighs less (when the iPP is equipped with the smart keyboard, which I've heard weighs close to a pound), can run multiple desktops and truly multitask.
 
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As a Macbook owner, I don't see myself getting the iPad Pro. For office work or school, the Macbook is simply much better. You can open multiple Word documents at the same time. Scrolling through Excel or PowerPoint with a trackpad is much more efficient than moving your hand up to the screen and touch everything. OS X is just nicer to use than iOS, and you can manage your space better because you have a real desktop. And hey, you can actually install Windows 10 on the Macbook, which the iPad will never do.

But if you want something just to chill with; watch some videos, play some games, do some photo editing, just get an iPad Air 2 or a Mini 4. They do everything the iPad Pro can do, or just wait till next year when the Air 3 will come out and I'm pretty sure it will get Apple Pencil support too.

I know getting Apple's latest technology always seems tempting. But I think since you have a Macbook, the iPad Pro isn't convincing as a productive tool compared to the magically small Macbook. My advice is to wait on this one. Once iOS 10 is announced, we can see the real capabilities on the iPad Pro, and by that time, the next-gen iPP will be out.
 
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I got the iPP and returned it a day later. My rMB does everything I need and then some while maintaining a sleek, portable profile. The iPP is awesome and does everything better than my Air 2, but it was just too big. I would have to get a bigger bag to carry the iPP whereas my rMB and Air2 complement each other perfectly. My iPhone 6s Plus bridges the gap when I don't need the bigger size of the iPad. The immersive screen of the iPP is great. I had some regret returning it.
 
racer1441 said:
I did. My macbook is for producing, my ipad for consuming.
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I think this sums it up nicely, however if you have very modest requirements the IPP could full fill more for you than the average user who's use to a full laptop

The hardware and real estate is nice and gives a premium experience but you still have the normal stunted connectivity, Apps etc that goes with any Ipad type device

If you also read some of the reviews by graphics designers and artists they are complimentary about the pencil and the mobile apps but they seem to view it more of sketching tool and all revert to their full laptops for finishing off or to get the best results/options.

If you are a non OSX user the Surface Pro 4 makes much more sense than a rMB/IPP combo or any other laptop/IPP combo
 
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soulreaver99 said:
Returned mine last night. Could not justify owning both iPP and rMB
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Given the holiday return period, I'll probably give mine some good use before I make a decision. I pick it up next Friday when I travel to Portland. Right now I travel with a work Windows PC (HP Elitebook 820), a rMB, and an iPad mini. I'd likely just try traveling with the Windows PC and iPad Pro, leaving the rMB as my home PC. What I'm interested in trying out is how well Office 365 works with the Apple Pencil. Because the iPad is below the 2 pound limit (at least without the keyboard), I can use it from gate to gate when I travel.
 
KPOM said:
Given the holiday return period, I'll probably give mine some good use before I make a decision. I pick it up next Friday when I travel to Portland. Right now I travel with a work Windows PC (HP Elitebook 820), a rMB, and an iPad mini. I'd likely just try traveling with the Windows PC and iPad Pro, leaving the rMB as my home PC. What I'm interested in trying out is how well Office 365 works with the Apple Pencil. Because the iPad is below the 2 pound limit (at least without the keyboard), I can use it from gate to gate when I travel.
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I travel with the rMB all the time and never had to take it out of the bag at TSA checkpoints :)
 
soulreaver99 said:
I travel with the rMB all the time and never had to take it out of the bag :)
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I meant on the plane itself. Since the iPad is below two pounds you can use it throughout a flight rather than having to stow it below 10,000 ft.
 
I don't know why everyone -- those here and reviewers -- are making such a big deal about the ipp. A little over a year ago I bought the samsung note pro 12.2 (that's 12.2 inches) with a very fast processor, office apps, great screen, great battery, multitasking with split screen, pencil etc. I had actually sold a macbook 13" and saw the Note Pro as a laptop replacement, and used it for some months writing chapters for a book. Used a samsung bt kb and mouse. A perfect set up. But it's still NOT a computer. Since i got a 2014 base mba 11" and then the base gold rmb both ealier this years, I've hardly touched the Pro. Every now and then I use it for watching a movie, surfing, etc. My wife thught she'd use the art pograms and pen with the big screen, but never really did. I think the same fate will happen with the ipp once the lustre wears off. But if anyone wants a great tablet for productivity and entertainment take a look at the Samsung NotePro 12.2 that Apple has copied with the ipp. Only different is the OS.
 
scaramoosh said:
You either want IOS or OSX, cannot compare.
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Couldn't agree more. MacBook is still 100x as useful as any iPad. The iPad Pro only shines if you need pen input for very specific uses.

At the end of the day the iPad Pro is still just a massive iPad running a phone OS. Oh, and it has a pen and ugly overpriced keyboard.
 
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xmichaelp said:
Couldn't agree more. MacBook is still 100x as useful as any iPad. The iPad Pro only shines if you need pen input for very specific uses.

At the end of the day the iPad Pro is still just a massive iPad running a phone OS. Oh, and it has a pen and ugly overpriced keyboard.
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I'm surprised how people are drawn to use phone apps on a bigger screen like the IPP and it makes less sense to me if you already own an IPhone or other smartphone

Ok a few $100's for an intermediate sized entertainment/consumption device I can understand but $1000 for a high quality sketch pad, a bit of dual windows and faster interactions must make you quite a niche buyer to justify this over a rMB or even a MBA IMO and that's before we throw in all the other OS laptops
 
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Can't you mirror your phone to your device any ways? Surely if you need a bigger screen for IOS you can just do that? I just don't see a big touch screen being all that useful unless you want to draw, which I never would do on IOS since getting content to and from is a hassle.
 
scaramoosh said:
Can't you mirror your phone to your device any ways? Surely if you need a bigger screen for IOS you can just do that? I just don't see a big touch screen being all that useful unless you want to draw, which I never would do on IOS since getting content to and from is a hassle.
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I haven't played with an Ipad for a while to know if it has the same screen mirroring that typically Android phones/tabets and windows 10 devices have

Of course the IPP is not just about screen size and screen mirroring does not meet the portability option most say the Ipad format is about

I watched the new MS Lumina Phone impressive demo and its interface box which allows you to emulate a full windows 10 type desktop environment on up to 2 screens including C&P and saving to/from different sources etc etc via multiple USB ports in enterprise apps using an attached KB and Mouse if you so desire, it simply acted like a mini PC in your pocket. It's the sort of external connectivity Ipad owners dream of. I think even the IPP won't let you C&P from some apps in it's two adjacent windows, let alone external drives etc

If anything those with modest needs could probably get more office type productivity out of a new Lumina phone than an Ipad with the added bonus of its connectivity would make using email and surfing on a home TV/screen a pleasure. Although this may seem a little geeky to use for those with modest requirement
 
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I am currently on a 2008 mbp, and am seriously considering the iPad Pro with a Logitech Create Case/Keyboard. All I am using the mbp for now is

1.) Forums
2.) Email
3.) Web Access
4.) Basic Pages, Numbers
5.) Games - which can do on the Mac Pro

Also have a mk1 iPad that no longer use other then bit of BBC News, Mail as Safari etc are now too old and various sites don't display properly.

Thinking about either rMB and iPad Air2, or iPad Pro with the Logitech Case, as could combine the two in 1, for what I need.

Or may well wait till the 2008 mbp stops getting updates before do anything,

Work provides me with a Laptop for work so anything work related that may require more involving needs is done there. Of course if need more demanding for personal use then have my 2010 cMP hooked to a Dell 3008 30" monitor so more then enough grunt there.
 
mcnallym said:
I am currently on a 2008 mbp, and am seriously considering the iPad Pro with a Logitech Create Case/Keyboard. All I am using the mbp for now is

1.) Forums
2.) Email
3.) Web Access
4.) Basic Pages, Numbers
5.) Games - which can do on the Mac Pro

Also have a mk1 iPad that no longer use other then bit of BBC News, Mail as Safari etc are now too old and various sites don't display properly.

Thinking about either rMB and iPad Air2, or iPad Pro with the Logitech Case, as could combine the two in 1, for what I need.

Or may well wait till the 2008 mbp stops getting updates before do anything,

Work provides me with a Laptop for work so anything work related that may require more involving needs is done there. Of course if need more demanding for personal use then have my 2010 cMP hooked to a Dell 3008 30" monitor so more then enough grunt there.
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For your 1-5 almost any device will cover this :) I guess the IPP would add some extra fun with the pencil and the screen size is a very nice to have all be it a little heavy in some circumstances
 
While I was at the Apple Store I tried out the iPad Pro.
  1. In some respects, the keyboard is better than that on the MacBook (it has greater travel depth), though the key spacing seemed subtly different.
  2. The store had 4 display units of each the keyboard and Pencil.
  3. It took me a little while to figure out how to fold the Smart Keyboard, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy to use.
  4. The Pencil works pretty well for taking notes, signing, etc. I didn't notice any latency at all.
  5. It's HUGE compared to any other iPad. It's bigger than the MacBook, but a bit lighter sans the keyboard. I'm very interested for when Microsoft releases Office with inking support.
Overall, while I don't see myself replacing my MacBook with this, I could see how it could work for some, and how it could be a secondary device for others. The keyboard works well, and the Pencil adds a new dimension. For me, it will come down to whether I can see this replacing my MacBook and iPad as my "secondary/personal" combo when traveling (I always have my work Windows notebook, but like to carry a personal device).
 
I own both, but until I get the Apple keyboard cover I don't think I can judge. I might pass the rMB down to my kid whose 6 year old Macbook needs replacing.

I've got to say both devices are sweet. Check out this overall review of several Apple devices. This guy seem a little weird throwing the devices across the room, but he does define the purpose of each device. He concludes the iPP is really a desktop device (long 9 min. video). I think I agree, but I have no trouble hauling to and from work each day, and so far no problems hauling to a coffee shop or sandwich shop to watch a movie.

http://fortune.com/2015/11/15/apple-ipad-pro-dediu/

I'm usually not listening to music directly from my iOS devices' speakers. I use headphones. However today in the kitchen I rocked out with the new speaker system of the iPP. I particularly liked the "big" screen of the iPP as I scrolled through my album art.

I'm trying to get Microsoft 365 to work with my work account. No luck. But I can see the potential for the iPP for real work.
 
I don't see why people are still comparing, you either need an x86 OS or you don't. For me personally I dunno how people can use IOS as their primary computer OS... it's just **** and for me it's purely a mobile OS where I don't want to do very much with it.
 
scaramoosh said:
I don't see why people are still comparing, you either need an x86 OS or you don't. For me personally I dunno how people can use IOS as their primary computer OS... it's just **** and for me it's purely a mobile OS where I don't want to do very much with it.
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But that's just it. There are people who don't "need" an x86 OS X device who have one who are considering whether the iPad Pro is enough. If we think of the MacBook Pro as a minivan, the MacBook is like a Mini Cooper and the iPad Pro is like a Fiat 500.
 
KPOM said:
But that's just it. There are people who don't "need" an x86 OS X device who have one who are considering whether the iPad Pro is enough. If we think of the MacBook Pro as a minivan, the MacBook is like a Mini Cooper and the iPad Pro is like a Fiat 500.
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Well I see x86 as a Ferrari and ARM as a Bicycle...dddddddddddddddddd
 
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