iPad 2 VS 11" Macbook Air?

[The Samurai]

I have the 27" iMac, 13" Macbook Air and an iPad 2.

If I were to give up any one of these, it would be the iPad 2 hands down. The Macbook Air is a life saver with its power and mobility.

 

[whatcape]

weight comparisons of air/ipad2

I am weighing my options - literally - between purchasing the Air 11 or Ipad 2. Portability is the big issue for me. A friend has the ipad 2 with the ZAGG keyboard. I compared weights of the ipad plus Zagg with the Air 11 - Ipad/Zagg combo is only about 2oz lighter than the Air. Given the overwhelming functionality advantage of the Air, for me that seals the deal. The only thing missing (and this is big) is the 3G connectivity. Still - Air wins for me.

 

[zippster]

Just this week sold my 11" ultimate MBA to my friend as since the iPad 2 came out I haven't used the thing (genuinely) I was the biggest poo poo'er of iPads originally as I swore I wouldn't be able to do everything I needed to do on the go.. But now I've surprised myself by living on the thing... Don't get me wrong it will never replace my iMac i7 workhorse but fills the gap for everything else..

Just my 2p's worth..

 

[IeU]

Just this week sold my 11" ultimate MBA to my friend as since the iPad 2 came out I haven't used the thing (genuinely) I was the biggest poo poo'er of iPads originally as I swore I wouldn't be able to do everything I needed to do on the go.. But now I've surprised myself by living on the thing... Don't get me wrong it will never replace my iMac i7 workhorse but fills the gap for everything else..

Just my 2p's worth..

Gotta agree here. Also bought the IPad 2 with the idea: "Let's see if it suits my needs, if not, i resell 2 months later on EBay for 85%+ the price i paid".

I needed something mobile, ive a great smartphone, but to write emails, check news or do some basic research for stuff at the university, it has a too small screen.
Now, with the IPad2, i do not even think about selling it. For the web surfing, blogs, email, twitter, facebook, news reading, researchs while at UNI, gaming and a lot of others things, its a brilliant product!
But would never replace my IMac27 at home . . .

 

[petvas]

Hey guys, ya know how you can double-tap on the iPad to zoom in to a paragraph or column of text? (I love this feature since it makes reading certain text MUCH easier)

Can the same thing be done on an Air? Can you zoom in on a paragraph or column of text?

If so, the 11" MBA might work for me. If not, it'll most likely be too small for me.

Thanks in advance...

Safari on Lion brings this feature. Just wait a month!

 

[caughtintheweb]

I would go for the Air. I think iPad, as brilliant a product as it is, does not serve any single essential purpose. I played with the iPad for 15 days before returning it and my main reasons were :

Cons :

1) The screen is really bad. I mean cmon, my iphone has a better screen. I hate reading anything on the ipad and hence I switched to the kindle.
2) Editing docs in ipad is not as easy as doing it on mb or imac. For example I cant get the cursor to get in the middle of the paragraph. It was not easy to edit a cell on m xl sheet easily.
3) 3G in ny area sucks. I cant even stream a video and it was getting annoying.
4) I usually watch videos or play games at home and its not fun doing that on an ipad at all.
5) Photoshop express is tooo slow on ipad. Of course its not fair as I compare that to my mb or imac.

Pros:

1) Cool device for that price
2) Gestures are amazing. Overall experience if you use it occasionally is good.
3) So many free apps for all your needs.

Overall there is a lot of hype for the ipad without any outstanding features. Its a really cool device to have, but its value is debatable. I would never give up my mb for ipad. I think the mb is portable enough for my needs. mb air would be a much better choice in those terms

 

[petvas]

I would go for the Air. I think iPad, as brilliant a product as it is, does not serve any single essential purpose. I played with the iPad for 15 days before returning it and my main reasons were :

Cons :

1) The screen is really bad. I mean cmon, my iphone has a better screen. I hate reading anything on the ipad and hence I switched to the kindle.
2) Editing docs in ipad is not as easy as doing it on mb or imac. For example I cant get the cursor to get in the middle of the paragraph. It was not easy to edit a cell on m xl sheet easily.
3) 3G in ny area sucks. I cant even stream a video and it was getting annoying.
4) I usually watch videos or play games at home and its not fun doing that on an ipad at all.
5) Photoshop express is tooo slow on ipad. Of course its not fair as I compare that to my mb or imac.

Pros:

1) Cool device for that price
2) Gestures are amazing. Overall experience if you use it occasionally is good.
3) So many free apps for all your needs.

Overall there is a lot of hype for the ipad without any outstanding features. Its a really cool device to have, but its value is debatable. I would never give up my mb for ipad. I think the mb is portable enough for my needs. mb air would be a much better choice in those terms

It depends on what you need. If you want a very mobile device that is primarily for content consumption, then the iPad is unbeatable. Ideally you should also have a MacBook Air, but that is a luxury. In my case I prefer to have an iPad and I would also love to have a MacBook Air. Maybe I will get the new one coming soon. Even if I buy it, I am not giving up my iPad.