Resolved Buy a new iPad air or Macbook Air M2?

[icedlatte4896]

Hello everyone. I am looking for a new device as my Christmas gift. I recently have a budget to buy a new iPad air 5 64GB WiFi or Macbook Air M2 256 GB. To be fair, I really like these two devices. I wish I could afford both, but my budget says no for now. Therefore, I have to decide which device that I'm gonna buy next week. Currently, I own an iPhone 12 Pro Max and an i3 ASUS laptop used for light office work. This new device will be used for media consumption most of the time. I don't do video editing and stuff. I do catch some netflix, youtube, and football matches a lot when I have a free time.

My question is, which device should I get based on my needs? Thank you in advance, cheers!

 

[Technerd108]

I would get the M2 MBA first if I were you. Both devices would probably serve your needs but I think the M2 MBA is a more useful device and it works great for streaming.

The air will last longer on battery and it has a larger screen. You don’t have to hold it up and it is very lightweight. I also think it is just more fun getting what looks like your first Mac.

You can always get the iPad Air later and it is more of a tertiary device to complement your iPhone and Mac.

The M2 MBA should be significantly faster than your Asus. You may enjoy using MacOS over windows. It should be a nice upgrade over your current laptop.

You can’t go wrong with either but I think the M2 MBA would be more useful to you.

 

[macsound1]

I’d second getting the MacBook Air.
There’s much more functionality possible and chances to offload some of that PC work onto a real computer that gets 10+ hours of battery life.
I think you’ll be much happier with a Mac than an iPad.

 

[Kung]

I'd third it. I've got a Lenovo ThinkPad Core i5 with 16Gb RAM/512Gb Samsung 870 Pro Evo; and the M2 MBA 8Gb RAM/512Gb SSD absolutely beats the crap out of it speed/battery wise.

The only people I know who use iPads all the time are those who are heavily involved in drawing, personally; most others opt for MBAs or some other ultrabook.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

As an owner of both an iPad Pro 12.9" (as a primary device) and the new MBA, I agree that the MBA is a more versatile device, unless you intend to use the Apple Pencil at any point.

The MBA is not only a better bang-for-the-buck, but I can say that media consumption might be better on it.

iPadOS still has some issues with websites and controlling them via touch can be cumbersome sometimes.

And the new MBA is so thin and sleek, it feels lighter than it is.

It's one if not the best Mac released in a decade.

 

[Mikeyt1818]

I tried doing the iPad Pro 12.9 with Magic Keyboard instead of a laptop, I returned it after a week and got the MBA M2. So much more functionality for my needs, the new form factor is awesome, the weight on the MBA M2 is amazing, almost paper thin too. But the major plus for me between the two is the battery life. I can go almost 2 days of work on the MBA without having to charge it. Th iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard needed a charge every 5-6 hours.

 

[roman.stapunov]

For content consumption iPad much better than MacBook. Considering topic starter has notebook for a work and isn’t going to work on new device I recommend to choose iPad. For content consumption I found iPad Pro better then air because of better screen and audio, but if you have a budget limitation then Air also good choice, however I recommend consider more then 64Gb if you can afford it.

 

[slythfox]

Unless you're a creator or maybe a student, I feel like an iPad is more of a casual, "sit on your couch", "bigger than iPhone" screen, "leave at home", media consumption device. Conversely, it's a little weird as a device to do work on. In some situations you can with iPad is becoming more laptop-like, but a MacBook Air is probably a better bet for that situation.

Is there something about your iPhone Pro Max that you find limiting?

Edit: I see this has been marked as resolved now.

 

[1BadManVan]

As someone who owns an 11” M1 Pro and an m2 MacBook Air. My vote is definitely for the MacBook.

I tried for years to get by with an iPhone and iPad. Did it for years but definitely with some compromises. I finally decided to buy my first MacBook, let’s just say my iPad is only used on the kitchen window sill to play Netflix while I cook now. MacBook for everything else

 

[Sir Desmond]

Get the MBA with M2. Try to push for 512 GB storage if you can.

The combination of macOS and iOS really is bigger than the sum of their parts.

 

[chrono1081]

I feel like with your use case an iPad would be the better route. It sounds like you like to use this device casually for entertainment. While the M2 air does provide more bang for the buck functionality wise, I would say if you plan on hauling this device around on the couch, kitchen, outside, etc to consume media, the iPad is the better route.

I have both and I use my iPad for media consumption and my laptop for work.

 

[ilikewhey]

its purely for media consumption? then get the ipad, the mba is bulkier, heavier, and bigger footprint. i recently got a ipad air and the versatility of this thing even surprised me.