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How many of you sold your laptop and bought a desktop because of iPad?

dontwalkhand

dontwalkhand

macrumors 603
Original poster
Jul 5, 2007
6,483
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Phoenix, AZ
I sold my MacBook Pro and bought an iMac instead for home use, as my iPad addressed my mobile needs. The iMac is better for home usage and content creation, but it's something that I would never need to do when I'm on the road. The bigger screen on the iMac beats the 13" screen on the MacBook Pro anyways when I need a real computer.

So That being said, how many have done the same? PC or Mac?
 
i thought i could do the same, but the iPad just couldn't do what i felt like a replacement should do. i know its not a laptop replacement but some people can make it work. i actually sold my iPad 2 for a 11" MacBook Air, best investment ever.

i am however anticipating the release of the new iPad. i will most definitely pick that up.
 
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Personally I think we're just getting to the point to where average joe can replace his laptop with a tablet, perhaps when the ipad 3 comes out.

That said, I'll still have my macbook air and Ipad 3 when it comes out.
 
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I will definitely buy an iMac instead of another MacBook Pro/Air since my iPad meets my couch surfing needs.
 
Of course it all comes to your needs.
If you don't need power, the iPad is a great choice. But if you need to perform some serious tasks, you simply can not prescind from a laptop.

I'd never sell my laptop for a tablet. I'd defenitely choose the laptop between the two.
 
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dontwalkhand said:
I sold my MacBook Pro and bought an iMac instead for home use, as my iPad addressed my mobile needs. The iMac is better for home usage and content creation, but it's something that I would never need to do when I'm on the road. The bigger screen on the iMac beats the 13" screen on the MacBook Pro anyways when I need a real computer.

So That being said, how many have done the same? PC or Mac?
Click to expand...

I am in the process of doing something very similar.

I just purchased my first iMac and plan to purchase the latest iPad when they are available in the coming months.

I'm currently on my 2008 MBP, but I've learned that my iPhone satisfies most of my mobile needs. An iPad, for me, would be more ideal as a student for lightweight classwork and content consumption.

The iMac will serve as a project workstation and a great home base for all of my media and organization.

Of course, this all sounds great in my head, but it's a lot of part-time work to afford all of this. :D
 
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ghett0tech said:
i thought i could do the same, but the iPad just couldn't do what i felt like a replacement should do. i know its not a laptop replacement but some people can make it work. i actually sold my iPad 2 for a 11" MacBook Air, best investment ever.

i am however anticipating the release of the new iPad. i will most definitely pick that up.
Click to expand...

Yeah I love my 11" MacBook Air too, which I sold my first gen iPad for. Best laptop I've ever owned. I have my iMac at home for the really heavy stuff.

I too am looking forward to the iPad 3. Right now I'm sitting waiting for my next class and an iPad would actually be perfect for browsing the web and checking news articles instead of my laptop.
 
I would do it if i wouldn't need to be mobile with my setup. The MBP is my "mobile desktop". 95% of the time it is in clamshell mode, external monitor, external disks, ethernet, etc... all plugged in sitting on a desk(in one place or another).
I rarely use it as an actual laptop.

For almost everything else there is the iPad with its amazing battery, mobility, portability...:)
 
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I thought of doing the same: one solid working place for the big tasks (desktop) and iPad for mobile.

I decided to do otherwise: I've bought a powerful 17" notebook. The screen is big enough, it's not really mobile but mobile enough to place somewhere else in the house in just a minute. I still use the iPad for all mobile and quick stuff.

There was no need for me to buy a desktop PC (Windows - I still believe it does more than Mac OS X) so I kept my notebook which is really powerful enough for desktop tasks: it can run multiple displays, it does 1080p 3D, high quality display, quad-core processor, 6 GB RAM and more. So in short: enough power.
 
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As of a couple of months ago, I had a home-built gaming PC and a Macbook unibody. I decided to replace the PC with a Mac Mini since I didn't game anymore and wanted to try out the HTPC. I hooked it up, ran HDMI to my TV for some HTPC action and I was good to go.

I've found that I never use my Macbook anymore because everything I used to do on it, I now do on the Mini.

So, it wasn't my original plan, but my Macbook is currently for sale and I'm going to buy the iPad 3 when it comes out.

Kind of worked out pretty well...now, they just need to release the iPad 3. :D
 
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I doubt I will ever own another desktop. My computing needs that my iPad cannot handle (at least not yet) are easily handled by a laptop. I would rather pay a bit more in the future for the mobility and compact design of a laptop over a desktop, at least until tablets are able to handle everything.
 
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I currently have a MacBook Pro and an iPad. My next computer purchase will be an iMac. For my needs, the iPad does everything when I'm mobile.
 
I have a MBP and an iPad. I'm going to stick with the MBP in addition to the ipad. The iPad is fun and convenient to use, but I do need a full computer while on the go.
 
I did. I had a 17" MacBook Pro before the iPad and I sold it a week after the iPad came out and bought an iMac. I haven't looked back since. The iPad does everything I need it to do for mobile use. I do all of my design work at home on the iMac.
 
Why?

What can an iMac do which a Macbook pro can't?

The only real difference is that the iMac has more storage space. Everything else is negligible in terms of performance.

I would MUCH prefer a macbook pro + thunderbolt display (&iPad). Has all the performance of the iMac and the option of portability.
 
Sold my Macbook Pro for $830 about a week ago, bought myself an iPad 2 16GB + Apple Wireless Keyboard. I gotta tell ya, it's been working great! I decided not to play intense games, but stick with light ones on the iPad.
It gets the job done, and I always use Apollo Browser on my iPad to view Youtube, as it give me the options to choose between 360p, 480p, and 720p, and view many other flash based websites.
 
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That's exactly what I did, I use the iPad on the road (and much more at home than I ever thought), and at home I have switched to an iMac. In addition, for video game needs at home, I use an Xbox 360, but on the road it's again the iPad. (The Mac platform is improving for gaming, but i am way past the point of wanting to tweak games on a computer, I want them just to work.)
 
I got an iPad2 and an MBA soon after. My iPad covers all my day to day portability needs, but when I go on longer trips for work (well, more than one night away), I need a laptop to keep up with my workflow. I find that they complement each other very well.
 
Thunderbolt & MacBook Air

I suggest getting a Thunderbolt Display and a MacBoook Air instead of a MacBook Pro, and who knows, the iPad3 may even have a socket for the Thunderbolt display. Then one really would not need any kind of "laptop" computer.
 
doobs22 said:
I suggest getting a Thunderbolt Display and a MacBoook Air instead of a MacBook Pro, and who knows, the iPad3 may even have a socket for the Thunderbolt display. Then one really would not need any kind of "laptop" computer.[/QUOTE
My setup's an iPad, iPhone, Mac Mini, iPod Touch, soon to be a Macbook Pro 17" and Thunderbolt Display. Then you have it all. Since you can VNC to a Mac from your iPad anyways.
Click to expand...
 
Laptop > Desktop > iPhone > iPad.

iPads are great, no denying that, however if I had to choose one between my MBP, (my hypothetical :p ) iMac, iPhone and iPad to get rid of, the iPad would be a goner. It's a luxury at best - a great and often extremely useful luxury, but a luxury all the same.
 
I'm right there with you. I sold my 13" MBA and got an iMac instead. The screen size is a welcome upgrade on its own. For all other things, my iPad is all I need. It's the perfect setup.
 
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