It doesn't matter if you agree or not. All you need to understand is that some people see advantages, which is why they would replace a MBA with an iPad.
If your MBA is your only computer, I wouldn't recommend replacing it with an iPad. If you have another computer though....
I haven't taken my MBA out of its case since I got my iPad. Of course, I'm typing this on my iMac right now. I pretty much only used the MBA for couch surfing, or surfing/email/movies when I'm away (which isn't that often). I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with doing this on the iPad, so I've put my MBA up on Craigslist.
The odd time on the iPad, when I have a bunch of tabs open in Safari (for instance I was researching/comparison shopping cars), I find it frustrating that the iPad will reload the page when switching between tabs. This wouldn't have been the case on the MBA, but that's about my only complaint. I was already reading books on Stanza on my iPhone; iBooks on the iPad is even better. Granted I've never tried a Kindle, but I don't really feel the need for another standalone device.
You make a good point. In fact, you are giving me second thoughts about whether an iPad might suit me after all. At first, I thought it wouldn't but your post is making me think that an iPad might be what I need, after all. My 17 inch MBP is and will remain my primary computer. What I need most is a snatch and grab device to check simple stuff on the Web when I don't want to have to pick up and open the MBP or am away from it. Like you, I am not often on the road.If your MBA is your only computer, I wouldn't recommend replacing it with an iPad. If you have another computer though....
I haven't taken my MBA out of its case since I got my iPad. Of course, I'm typing this on my iMac right now. I pretty much only used the MBA for couch surfing, or surfing/email/movies when I'm away (which isn't that often). I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with doing this on the iPad, so I've put my MBA up on Craigslist.
The odd time on the iPad, when I have a bunch of tabs open in Safari (for instance I was researching/comparison shopping cars), I find it frustrating that the iPad will reload the page when switching between tabs. This wouldn't have been the case on the MBA, but that's about my only complaint. I was already reading books on Stanza on my iPhone; iBooks on the iPad is even better. Granted I've never tried a Kindle, but I don't really feel the need for another standalone device.
The reasoning of people who think MBA can not be be replaced with an iPad is arbitrary. Some arguments may be true, some not, because they depend on an individual point of view. This is also the case with your reasoning. Your reasoning is not based on facts, but just on your personal preferences. Therefore I think its valid to argue about your arguments.
Having said the above, yes of course it is possible for some people to ditch their MBA for an iPad. That can't be argued about.
The iPad is no replacement for an MBA. Those who think the iPad can replace their MBA never needed a COMPUTER in the first place. The iPad doesn't do computing... it does entertainment observation.
As I stated elsewhere, the iPad isn't great at anything other than nice battery life and being extremely portable. It simply fails in comparison at any one thing like using it as a book, to watch movies, check email, type a book, surf the web, play games, compute, listen to music, or run Mac OS X applications.
The iPad's advantage is it does everything half-assed! That's the truth...
Read a book - too bright (fancy with gimmicky page turning) and inferior to Kindle and Nook.
Watch movies - too small and annoying to hold in the right position.
Check email - if I want to check email on the go an iPhone is better. If I need to reply to an email in depth, my MBA is better.
Type a book - please, without a physical attached keyboard it's grossly inferior.
Surf the web - without Flash it's a fail. It doesn't matter why or whose fault we cannot see even content on websites (don't blame SJ, don't blame developer for using Flash, and don't blame the coder who implemented it - as 98% of all web capable devices had Flash installed as of last year). The bottom line is it's a fail. It doesn't matter if we take the assumption that SJ is doing the wrong thing or the developer shouldn't use Flash at all, or the coder shouldn't have used Flash for content or navigation. The bottom line is without Flash the iPad is a fail for Internet.
Size - it's too big to put in a pocket and too small to really enjoy the display and its inherent qualities *being IPS.
Materials - feels great, but what does one look like after dropped? I plan to give mine to my young daughter for as long as it lasts... while aluminum is beautiful, for an entertainment device I believe Apple should have picked a better case material. We have seen this with the plastic MBs over the MBA/MBPs that are aluminum. When a plastic MB is dropped, it's usually not that big of a deal. When an aluminum Mac is dropped, it's often $1000 or more and Apple most of the time voids the warranty.
Play games - one cannot tell me this is better than a Wii, Xbox, or Playstation... better than an iPhone, maybe.
Compute - please... what a joke.
Input or Creation - not this Apple product.
Music - too big to carry along. No real improvements over an iPod.
Mac OS X apps - let's face it this is no Mac. One who uses a Mac for work/creation/input simply cannot replace a Mac with an iPad. The iPad is second rate at everything it does.
So where the iPad really achieves greatness is if one just wants a device to "sorta" do things, or do them half-assed!
That's the basis for my whole argument on MBA vs. iPad, but I also have a secondary argument that the iPad isn't great at anything.
I agree that one with an iMac or Mac Pro or even a PC might be able to get away with their iPad on the go, but it cannot do an entire workload of someone. However, I also made the argument that I see the iPad beating out the MB in the long run. The MB's market is PARTLY to the home user who works for a company during the day with a PC or whatever computer. When they get home all they really want to do is some light web surfing, check email, and maybe catch a movie or replay Lost on ABC's app. For the user that only needs observation display and not real computing like the MBA offers, the iPad might be fine.
In my opinion, the iPad has a beautiful display, case, and battery life is great... but the positives end right there! Beyond that it doesn't do anything great. And anyone that NEEDS to create on a computer will be using a Mac for a long time to come. End of story/argument/etc.
I agree that one with an iMac or Mac Pro or even a PC might be able to get away with their iPad on the go, but it cannot do an entire workload of someone. However, I also made the argument that I see the iPad beating out the MB in the long run. The MB's market is PARTLY to the home user who works for a company during the day with a PC or whatever computer. When they get home all they really want to do is some light web surfing, check email, and maybe catch a movie or replay Lost on ABC's app. For the user that only needs observation display and not real computing like the MBA offers, the iPad might be fine.
In my opinion, the iPad has a beautiful display, case, and battery life is great... but the positives end right there! Beyond that it doesn't do anything great. And anyone that NEEDS to create on a computer will be using a Mac for a long time to come. End of story/argument/etc.
I agree that Scottsdale's posts have been very informative. I have learned a lot from him. Although I am very happy with my 17 inch MBP as my every day machine, I had at first thought that the MBA was what I wanted as an adjunct for it. I was turned off by its lack of a real keyboard and Flash support. Then, it occurred to me that, because I don't intend to give up the MBP as my go to machine, all I need is a device that provides easy Web access in a light, easily portable form. Now, I believe the iPad might be just what I need. The only negative I see, even for the limited uses to which I would put an iPad, is its inability to load Flash encoded pages. That's still a concern.I come to this forum almost exclusively to read your posts. Your fanatic Air posts tend to drive people into frenzied counter attacks. From my outside view it looks like some giant Mac cold war, Air on one side, everything else on the other. Very enjoyable though!
EDIT: Because of my increasing interest in the iPad, I took a look at some of the iPad threads at Apple.com. What I learned was not reassuring. The worst new iPad limitation I learned about was that, despite its built in wifi connectivity it can't print to a printer on your own network. Say what? I am now beginning to wonder if my first impression that the iPad was not for me wasn't the right one.
I have the Revision A MacBook Air and I am thinking about picking up the iPad to replace my MacBook Air. My MacBook Air is plagued with problems such as fan issues (anything shoots the fan up to 6200 RPM), the battery desperately needs replacing, and a couple more problems. I can't use my MacBook Air without having the annoyance of the 6200 RPM fan. With the iPad I won't have to worry about the fan or the battery life.
The iPad is no replacement for an MBA. Those who think the iPad can replace their MBA never needed a COMPUTER in the first place. The iPad doesn't do computing... it does entertainment observation.
As I stated elsewhere, the iPad isn't great at anything other than nice battery life and being extremely portable. It simply fails in comparison at any one thing like using it as a book, to watch movies, check email, type a book, surf the web, play games, compute, listen to music, or run Mac OS X applications.
The iPad's advantage is it does everything half-assed! That's the truth...
Read a book - too bright (fancy with gimmicky page turning) and inferior to Kindle and Nook.
Watch movies - too small and annoying to hold in the right position.
Check email - if I want to check email on the go an iPhone is better. If I need to reply to an email in depth, my MBA is better.
Type a book - please, without a physical attached keyboard it's grossly inferior.
Surf the web - without Flash it's a fail. It doesn't matter why or whose fault we cannot see even content on websites (don't blame SJ, don't blame developer for using Flash, and don't blame the coder who implemented it - as 98% of all web capable devices had Flash installed as of last year). The bottom line is it's a fail. It doesn't matter if we take the assumption that SJ is doing the wrong thing or the developer shouldn't use Flash at all, or the coder shouldn't have used Flash for content or navigation. The bottom line is without Flash the iPad is a fail for Internet.
Size - it's too big to put in a pocket and too small to really enjoy the display and its inherent qualities *being IPS.
Materials - feels great, but what does one look like after dropped? I plan to give mine to my young daughter for as long as it lasts... while aluminum is beautiful, for an entertainment device I believe Apple should have picked a better case material. We have seen this with the plastic MBs over the MBA/MBPs that are aluminum. When a plastic MB is dropped, it's usually not that big of a deal. When an aluminum Mac is dropped, it's often $1000 or more and Apple most of the time voids the warranty.
Play games - one cannot tell me this is better than a Wii, Xbox, or Playstation... better than an iPhone, maybe.
Compute - please... what a joke.
Input or Creation - not this Apple product.
Music - too big to carry along. No real improvements over an iPod.
Mac OS X apps - let's face it this is no Mac. One who uses a Mac for work/creation/input simply cannot replace a Mac with an iPad. The iPad is second rate at everything it does.
So where the iPad really achieves greatness is if one just wants a device to "sorta" do things, or do them half-assed!
Might I ask if you bought the MBA for $999 to $1299?
I have a theory that those who bought the original MBA on clearance are the ones that will switch to the iPad, because they're not the original intended market of the MBA.
The MBA targeted buyer will only be happy with an MBA. The MBA buyers who bought it because Apple dumped them, will drop the MBA because they're looking for a low cost secondary solution or the coolness of portability possibly because they have an iMac or other desktop solution.
I believe the MB targeted buyer is more likely to leave for the iPad than the MBA targeted buyer. It all comes down to the MBA being a premium device intended for primary computing for the business user willing to pay more for portability but still need a REAL computer.
I suspect the MB will lose the highest percentage of its targeted buyers to the iPad. Obviously Apple knows this well, and has its plan to sell more iPads and sell secondary services that makes up the difference and then some. The educational user isn't going anywhere. Neither are the users that need a real computer to do more than just email, web browsing, and a video here or there. The MB buyer that buys them just for those observation tasks will leave the MB for an iPad in a heartbeat. The MBA buyer needs the MBA for real computing work.
The iPad is no replacement for an MBA. Those who think the iPad can replace their MBA never needed a COMPUTER in the first place. The iPad doesn't do computing... it does entertainment observation.
So where the iPad really achieves greatness is if one just wants a device to "sorta" do things, or do them half-assed!
+2 my son and I.
What on earth is the big deal for this half baked toy?
I passed on this purchase with ease, and no remorse.
Very well said.
iPad isn't for me, why carry an extra device that does everything half ass'd at best.
iPad makes me love my MBA even more![]()
one poster at Apple.com indicated that there was an app that would allow the iPad to print to a network printer. If so, that would seem to solve the problem.I agree that that's a big limitation, one that will hopefully be fixed in 4.0. In the meantime, there are apps that will let you print wirelessly.
I think that the iPad has a lot of merit but it seems to me that coupling an Apple wireless keyboard with an iPad creates a Rube Goldberg invention that would be vastly inferior to a one piece laptop. In order to use a separate keyboard with an iPad, you would either have to place the iPad on a flat surface, which would create a bad viewing angle, or use a dock, which would mean you would be using three pieces. In stark contrast, a laptop is one piece and its display can be adjusted to an optimum viewing angle.For those saying they can't use their ipad for writing, just pair it with a apple wireless keyboard (duh) and it is like writing on a laptop. It makes it simple for stuff like pages, etc. WHY DO YOU NEED A LAPTOP? let me know.
I wish I had some idea about how limiting the iPad's lack of Flash support is..
Thanks for your feedback, it was reassuring. Despite being a longtime Apple nerd, I don't have an iPhone. It is unlikely that I would watch much video on an iPad because I don't watch much video on my MBA, my every day computer. The iPad still intrigues me and I may buy one yet. Both the Apple Store and Best Buy carry them in OKC but I don't know yet whether they still have some in stock. In any event, tomorrow is Tuesday, so we have yet to find out whether Apple will, at long last, update its laptop lineup.honestly I use my iphone for the internet for many hours a day and I have yet to come across something that could not be completed due to a lack of flash.
No I'm not saying that its perfect but many of the popular sites have mobile versions and the ones that dont are mainly for streaming video.