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If you already have a Macbook Pro, is there any point of getting an iPad?

R

randomrazr

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 1, 2011
1,209
1
i bought a macbook pro, 2011 15inch edition a couple months ago, and just out of curiosity , is there really any point of buying an iPad.

ive always thought it would be something "cool" to have an iPad, but, my Macbook Pro can do so much more.

Would there be any use to investing in an iPad?

Thanks!

oh and i also have a iphone 4 already to lol
 
alust2013 said:
Eh, with the iP4 and MBP, you're pretty much covered.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. An iPad is somewhat of a hybrid between these two, portable and useful. But having an iPhone and a MBP, I wouldn't get an iPad unless it's a gift or whatever. If you do get one, you'll just end up dividing your time between it and the MBP.
 
I have all 3, a MBP, an iPad and an iPhone 4
I use them for different things, but if I had to do without one it would be the iPad
Fortunately, I don't have to choose because I enjoy all 3
 
Personally, I think it is like this:

iMac with iPad
Macbook (any type) with iPhone/iPod Touch

That's why I have a MBP and an iTouch. I use the MacBook in my house mainly and the iPod outside (for music and games).
 
It all depends on what you use your devices for. I work with many 3D programs that I run on windows through bootcamp on my MBP. If i'm not needing to do any intense work, I take the iPad. It does the everyday tasks my MBP can do, while being much more portable.

I think they each have their purpose, it depends more on the individual.
 
MacDawg said:
I have all 3, a MBP, an iPad and an iPhone 4
I use them for different things, but if I had to do without one it would be the iPad
Fortunately, I don't have to choose because I enjoy all 3
Click to expand...

This is me, except I just have a nice white MacBook! not a pro. But I find myself using my iphone 4 as usual. My iPad is my main internet device and reader and my main portable unit, and my macbook is for more work type dealings and stays strictyl at home unless I know i need it. It's been nicely integrated into my life the ipad.
 
I have all 3, and I use my MBP daily.

When I travel, the iPad comes along as my main device. I typically don't travel with my MBP unless I know I'll have work to do while away.

The iPhone is more phone to me than anything, so it sees use as a phone and email device.

I use my iPad as my e-reader as well.

I will also eventually use the iPad as a sync device while traveling. I use the camera kit, snag all of my pics for the day, then upload them to my cloud drive. That is all set up, I just need to be able to bulk upload photos from my iPad to my drive.
 
I have an early 2011 MBP 13", an iPad 2, an iPhone 3gs, and an original iPod touch 16gb. Each of my devices has a specific purpose and are all very useful. I use each of my devices every day. I bought my macbook pro to write my dissertation on. I bought my iPad 2 to read and annotate journal articles. I bought my iPhone 3gs 2 years ago because I needed a new phone and wanted to combine my phone and iPod into one unit. My original iPod touch is my oldest device (coming up on 3 years old and going strong, knock on wood) and it is used daily as a pandora radio player and for listening to music in the lab. I'm an organic chemist; I don't want nasty chemicals on a phone that I put on my face.

I don't see any issue with having multiple devices that in some way over lap each other. Just because there is some overlap in device capabilities, that doesn't mean they aren't individually useful because they each have different form factors. It is nice to bring only my iPad with me when I am out and around to read articles instead of having to lug around my laptop everywhere I go. I'm not going to read articles on an iPhone or iPod touch, not gonna happen. But at the same time, I wasn't going to attempt to write a dissertation on an iPad. Since my old laptop needed replacing, I thought I would replace it with a mac since I have had windows for my whole computing life and wanted to try something new (maybe not the best decision right before I begin writing the most important document of my life, but whatever).

Thats how I came into owning both a MBP 13" and an iPad 2. They were both very good purchases that serve their intended purposes perfectly.
 
With an iPhone 4 and MBP I don't see the need for an iPad but it is a great luxury device. I use my iPad more than my MBP and iPhone 4 combined. However, if I had to choose only two it would be iPhone 4 and MBP. Simply because the iPad is great but doesn't fit in your pocket and obviously does not run programs, I can't program, manage music collection, etc.

I would never give up my iPad though, I use it a ton. Browsing Internet on couch, playing games, checking email, video podcasts, etc. What I use a pc for generally can be done on an iPad and is more enjoyable than a laptop on your lap.

The only thing I dislike about the iPad is more of an iOS annoyance, autocorrect. Hate it.

All 3 devices serve a purpose for me and are well worth the $$.
 
Mrguidogenio said:
Personally, I think it is like this:

iMac with iPad
Macbook (any type) with iPhone/iPod Touch

That's why I have a MBP and an iTouch. I use the MacBook in my house mainly and the iPod outside (for music and games).
Click to expand...

Better to get an iPhone won't have to carry around another CellPhone
 
C-DAWG said:
I have an early 2011 MBP 13", an iPad 2, an iPhone 3gs, and an original iPod touch 16gb. Each of my devices has a specific purpose and are all very useful. I use each of my devices every day. I bought my macbook pro to write my dissertation on. I bought my iPad 2 to read and annotate journal articles. I bought my iPhone 3gs 2 years ago because I needed a new phone and wanted to combine my phone and iPod into one unit. My original iPod touch is my oldest device (coming up on 3 years old and going strong, knock on wood) and it is used daily as a pandora radio player and for listening to music in the lab. I'm an organic chemist; I don't want nasty chemicals on a phone that I put on my face.

I don't see any issue with having multiple devices that in some way over lap each other. Just because there is some overlap in device capabilities, that doesn't mean they aren't individually useful because they each have different form factors. It is nice to bring only my iPad with me when I am out and around to read articles instead of having to lug around my laptop everywhere I go. I'm not going to read articles on an iPhone or iPod touch, not gonna happen. But at the same time, I wasn't going to attempt to write a dissertation on an iPad. Since my old laptop needed replacing, I thought I would replace it with a mac since I have had windows for my whole computing life and wanted to try something new (maybe not the best decision right before I begin writing the most important document of my life, but whatever).

Thats how I came into owning both a MBP 13" and an iPad 2. They were both very good purchases that serve their intended purposes perfectly.
Click to expand...


do you have the white or black ipad 2?
 
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alust2013 said:
Eh, with the iP4 and MBP, you're pretty much covered.
Click to expand...

+1
 
Do you need a knife if you have a fork?

Basically, for any task in which you would use another media device (a book, a tv, a radio, a cd player, etc.), the iPad will help out. It's not a necessity, but if you are like me, and enjoy living paperlessly, it can radically change your life.

I've got the iPad streaming TV right now while I work (mundane organizational tasks).

In a few minutes I will open up my work PDF on my iPad while I take notes on my computer, take handwritten notes, and create documents (I am a researcher). If I were using paper, I'd have several books and articles open at once, because the main document I am looking at inevitably needs a bunch of reference materials to interpret, or refers to lots of other secondary materials in footnotes. Usually, the main one goes on the iPad, and the secondary ones are open on my computer (a 13", so I can only view a couple at a time).

I also spend a lot of time with just the iPad. I take handwritten notes on the documents I read. This helps me focus on the task instead of playing around on the computer, and I find that I understand material differently if I write by hand. Afterwards, I use ScanSnap to turn my notes into PDF form, and sometimes type them into the computer if necessary.

Later on, I will go to a coffee shop and read a little on it as well. I have all of my notes, work documents, and fun reading on the iPad. So, everything I could need in just about any situation is immediately accessible. It is quite handy. I highly recommend the BookGem books stand. It is collapsible and very small. It helps when you aren't using the iPad in landscape mode (most of the time for me).

Despite my original misgivings about the device (I think Steve introduced it VERY poorly), I have found it to be a wonderful addition to my life in terms of work and relaxation. The MBP is a great device, but the screen is fixed in place, and for media consumption, it really can't compare to the flexibility of the iPad.

As a side note (this might be specific to my needs), I tend to spend a lot of time each day with Adobe Acrobat Pro. When that is creating documents, running OCR, optimizing, etc. you cannot open other PDFs. This is a real annoyance for me, and the iPad is nice, because I can still work with PDFs on it while the MBP does its work.
 
Last edited:
randomrazr said:
i bought a macbook pro, 2011 15inch edition a couple months ago, and just out of curiosity , is there really any point of buying an iPad.

ive always thought it would be something "cool" to have an iPad, but, my Macbook Pro can do so much more.

Would there be any use to investing in an iPad?

Thanks!

oh and i also have a iphone 4 already to lol
Click to expand...

As an investment, absolutely not.

As a fun alternative, yes.

They are two distinctively different products, why people continue to compare them is something that makes no sense.
 
i imagine this question will pop up quite a bit more if it turns out b2s offers any sort of ipad discount. i'm trying to decide myself.

conceptually i'm happy with my current mbp and iphone combo, but my iphone 3g is getting SO slow, and i'm stuck on contract till next summer (thanks, 3 year canadian contracts).

on the slim chance that we are given the option: the b2s free ipod touch would be a decent stop-gap iOS device, but after that i feel like it would be totally redundant with a newer iphone. the ipad, by contrast might still hold that "in-between" value. or maybe i should just sell the dang ipod touch and grit my teeth till next summer...
 
I have all three but I really don't "need" all three. Your good to go if you have the MBP and the iP4. The iPad is a a "nice to have" and not a necessity if you have the MBP and the iP4.

Cheers.
 
I briefly considered buying one when they came out, then I thought better of it. I just don't think it would get much use.
 
I think the real question is simply "is there any point of getting an iPad?", but I digress...
 
I'll check back on this post in a week or so.

Just ordered a refurb iPad after also getting an MBP 13". The reason? Interface.

The iPad boots in 1-2 seconds, is always there and is a snap-quick reference when watching TV and looking up something you've never heard of before.

The apps are nothing like what you see on a laptop either. Star Walk and several children's books are interactive, flipping through or viewing in an entirely edu-taining fashion. So yeah, I got it for our son, us and we'll see what it brings.

In my book, any portal to enable curiosity and education is worth the price of entry (within reason). It's also nice to NOT be tethered to a traditional laptop or desktop when looking up or checking emails. Even the iPhone is a nuisance in it's small size sometimes.
 
I really want an iPad but I've also been asking this question. All I have is the 13in Pro, never had an iPhone (Blackberry since last year, already tired of it).

I'm on T-Mobile, so when AT&T finally takes them over, I will want the iPhone 5. But maybe since I don't have an iOS device now, it wouldn't be too redundant. Also, I never find myself grabbing my MBP to take in the car when I go places w/my parents, but I could see myself doing that with an iPad.
 
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