Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Did the 11" Air replace your iPad in terms of mobile use?

H

HiFiGuy528

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 24, 2008
1,876
65
I want to hear from people with iPad and 1" Air. Did the 11" Air replace the iPad for mobile use for you? The downer on the Air is it doesn't have 3G, but the downer on the iPad is the lack of full computing features.

I am thinking of the 11" Air, but it will have to be tethered to my iPhone for 3G because I don't have wifi near me.
 
2 different markets. for casual use, iPad can do 90% of MB or Air, is slightly more portable and better battery life. obviously, if you need OSX apps, than MBA it is.
 
I'm probably going to sell my iPad 2 to help pay for an MBA.

A lot of people argue that they're different markets... that the iPad 2 can do 90% of what an MBA can do... but the 11in and iPad 2 are so close in size that why settle for 90% when you can have 100%? (And I'd disagree that an iPad can do 90% of what an MBA can do to begin with).

Now don't get me wrong, I love my iPad 2 and have set it up with all my favorite apps and even used it during the school year to take notes on (UPAD + stylus). I definitely can't take written notes on an MBA, but it was slow and sluggish anyway. Now if the iPad supported pressure styli (oppose to capacitive ones), now maybe that'd be a different story.

So from my perspective (which is one that only has an iPad), I think the 11in infringes on too much iPad territory. I miss being able to program/multitask/etc on my bed/couch/wherever super easily and without much arm movement (I'm lazy)... so I'm thinking it's time to go MBA.
 
I'm definitely keeping my iPad 2 for reading, occasional web browsing, watching movies on the go. You just can't beat the 10 hour battery but sometimes you do wish you have a full blown keyboard laptop and thats where the air come in. They both go into my LV briefcase and the weight is barely noticeable compared to a single macbook pro.
 
I find that typing on the iPad is horrible. I know I can add a keyboard, but that will take to to the same weight as the 11" Air. I can't post pictures in forums is another iPad issue I do a lot of forums and being limited to simple posts kinda sucks.
 
i qualified my statement by saying casual use and i think 90% is generous on the low side. i'm thinking, mail, web, music, video, games. it is true what kind of UI you prefer though. for me, touch screen is fine for toodling around.
 
I currently own a 17" MBP and a 1st gen. iPad and find myself seldom using the iPad. When I need to take notes the Apple BT keyboard is really good but lugging around both the iPad and the keyboard when the Air just fits in perfectly is nonsense.
Since the 11" Air really fits in perfectly with it's new processor and overall snappiness I'm fairly certain the iPad is going to end up being e-bayed.
The one thing that makes me reluctant to jump for the 11" is the battery life, which in common opinion is far from he declared 5 hours and I'm really spoilt by the ca. 5 hrs on my MBP and 8 hrs on my iPad...
 
I got the iPad to replace my aging MacBook Pro, and while I find a lot of fun things to do on it, it is not a PC replacement. So I also bought an 11" MBA. Now I can't live without either one.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

I agree with different uses. I rarely use my MBA at home sticking to my i7 PC in my office. When I do veg and browse the web or read in bed it's with my iPad 2. To open the MBA and have the screen between me and the TV. Nope not having it. Wait the dog needs something I flip the cover on the pad and I'm off vs gently setting down MBA and moving. Same thing in the car I need a report or email I flip the cover on the pad and bam I'm working in 10 seconds vs taking MBA out of sleeve opening and booting. But I would not dream o leaving house without both and exclusively use the MBA at the office how can u go wrong at sub 3lbs. My 2 cents.
 
the 11" will replace both my mbp and my iPad. When the lion shift will be mature enough for apple to go further, I can totally imagine them to finally release the touchscreen laptop (with a good integrated keyboard) many of us are longing for ;)
 
For consuming content in bed, outside, on the couch the ipad reigns supreme....too hard to hold an mba. They peacefully coexist with each other for me.
 
Last edited:
I have an iPad2 love it but not as an everyday "carry around computer" because without a keyboard it doesn't cut it.
Just got the 11" new macbook air, man this is everything and more, perfect size fits in my bag the same tiny footprint and this time it's a beast.
the 11" Macbook Air is my new iPad and more.
I love this ! debated whether to get the 13" so glad I didn't safari full screen with lion is a dream on this.
 
I purchased a 16GB iPad 2 about a month and a half prior to my MacBook Air purchase, and I loved it up until then. However, I started to fill up the storage to the point where I wanted a 32GB iPad instead - I bought it at Target, who has the most liberal return policy when it comes to things like this (90 days with a receipt, open or not). So I was going to return it for a 32GB and still purchase the MacBook Air, problem was I couldn't find any 32GB models around me, so I straight up returned it. I took the $540 and allocated it towards the MacBook Air, which helped out immensely.

As for now, I don't see myself buying another iPad 2, 32 GB or not, simply because I don't really miss it. However, here's to hoping that the rumors of the iPad refresh this fall come true, because I would *love* to have a retina display on one of those babies. Until then, the iPhone 4 and MacBook *more than* replicate the lost experience by returning my iPad. Besides, I still have my peripherals for it, as well as a bunch of paid apps in my iTunes account - so count me in for the retina iPad! ;)
 
How are you guys getting on the web? My iPad has 3G which is very nice. If I buy the Air, it will have to be tethered to my iPad or iPhone for Internet.
 
The 11" Air has replaced my 13" MBP, and my iPad. It is now my ONLY portable computing device, aside from my iPhone. If I need more power or a bigger screen, I've got my desktop, but that barely gets any use.
 
I sold my iPad 1st generation and replaced it with the 11" Air. I'm not opposed to owning an iPad again in the future, I think they're great couch companions. They just cannot replicate what I am able to accomplish on my Air, especially in terms of ease of use and time.
 
I have troubles imagining I'd pull out my macbook air when visiting family for dinner, on a bus, at a party (to look something up, for example), or anything like that. Using an iPad in all those scenarios would be ok. Maybe last year you'd get laughed at, but not anymore. =)

On an airplane, airport, starbucks, bookstore, anywhere at home, definitely, Macbook Air has replaced the iPad.
 
usw said:
the 11" will replace both my mbp and my iPad. When the lion shift will be mature enough for apple to go further, I can totally imagine them to finally release the touchscreen laptop (with a good integrated keyboard) many of us are longing for ;)
Click to expand...

Touchscreen laptop will totally defeat the purpose of an iPad or a laptop. Also its much more efficient using a trackpad since you will be able to use gestures and less tiring than having to lift your fingers to tap something especially while you are typing
 
For me it did

I really liked the iPad for reading and watching videos. I tried to use it for photo editing, and while it was workable it wasn't a great experience. I got a deal on a 11" MBA and have not taken my iPad with me since. Having Lightroom, a real keyboard and any program I want in a package only slightly heavier than the iPad + case has been awesome. My only regrets are that I didn't get the larger SSD or 4gb ram.

Sean
 
Obscurelight said:
Touchscreen laptop will totally defeat the purpose of an iPad or a laptop. Also its much more efficient using a trackpad since you will be able to use gestures and less tiring than having to lift your fingers to tap something especially while you are typing
Click to expand...

THIS is one of the key reasons that the iPad would kill any productivity I could have. Almost any note taking app would require constant touching of the screen, which isn't as big of a deal if you're typing on the screen, but I found myself pairing with the bluetooth keyboard and constantly switching between typing and touching. Then, I realized I needed to upgrade to an Air if this is how I was going to use my iPad for work.

Aside from the benefits of a more powerful operating system, the physical keyboard and improved screen, the real benefit comes from the significantly more powerful hardware found in the Air. You just can't compare 4GB RAM in my 11.6" Air to the measly 256MB found in my 1st gen iPad or the 512MB in the iPad 2 (which is still a joke.) Hell, tabbed browsing alone makes the Air more productive, for me at least.
 
For me its a case of iPad for fun and MBA for my proper computer functions, ill likely spend more time on the MBA than the iPad, but when I use the iPad(in bed or couch) it will be for a limited set of tasks like light browsing and a few fun apps, but will use the MBA for college, Xcode, heavier web browsing etc.
 
to be honest, I was so pumped for the iPad 2 and once I got it and after a week of playing with it i stopped using it. Now I got the MBA and it is so portable and you can do anything you want! So if you are thinking of one or the other I would choose the MBA. I even have the 13 inch and i take it with me everywhere and its a breeze to carry. I am going to put my iPad 2 on ebay.
 
I get this question a lot because I carry both with me all the time. For me the iPad is my magazine, my assistant, my newspaper, my time waster (games). Although with Snapseed I do some photo editing on it, for the most part I leave the bigger tasks for the 11" MBA. The MBA is really my work computer, about the only thing I don't use it for is to play games or edit videos. For video editing I have my Mac Pro, but now with the i7 MBA I might do light editing before throwing it on the Mac Pro.

Either way they serve much different purposes, and while I think as time passes the iPad will have more powerful hardware and software, my MBA will last me a long time before I can do absolutely everything with just an iPad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back