Ipad 3 or Macbook Air/Pro

[paulie6978]

Needed some insight... really like the Ipad 3 but I am due for a new laptop.... I currently have a Dell.... Looking to finanace whatever I get next.....

Which should I go for??

any suggestions would be helpful...


Thanks

 

[Slappi]

I have the MBA and love it... of course I also just bought my first iPad. What are you going to do with it? If just emails and internet I would get the iPad.

Oh, btw, I also had a MBP before my MBA and it was nice but since I bought my MBA I won't ever go back to the MBP. Doesn't sound like you need the MBP for what it does above a MBA.

 

[ovrlrd]

Only you can answer that question. Do you need a new computer? If so don't buy a new iPad.

But then again that depends on what you do with your computer too.

 

[striker33]

Why are you comparing a niche product like a tablet with a workstation0like notebook?

 

[sparkhill]

I have both. If I could choose only one, it would be my MacBook Air 11"; not much larger than the iPad but still a real computer. Don't get me wrong, the iPad us great - just not a replacement for a computer.

 

[shellbryson]

You need to decide what you want to *do* on your next mobile platform before anything else. If you need to do a little image editing, lots of typing or you're partial to Flash games (remember, no Flash on iOS devices) I'd go for the MacBook Air. If you need to do lots of image editing, go for the MacBookPro.

iPads are very, very desirable, but not particularly practical for some tasks - so you have to decide for yourself. If you've never had an iPad before, make sure you try one out somewhere first.

Personally I have 4 devices - iPhone for reading on the bus (wouldn't dare pull out an iPad on the bus!), iPad for work/meeting notes and reference (mostly), MacBookPro for writing, image editing and development, and a MacPro for video editing & large image editing. Each has its own use-case.

 

[jbouklas]

You're gonna want the MacBook Air. The iPad really isn't a substitute for a laptop. It is technically doable (you can either get used to the onscreen keyboard or use a bluetooth setup with case), but not desirable. Once you get past the basics, you won't find yourself as productive on an iPad for many tasks. I tried it when the iPad first came out, and I was sorely disappointed. The lack of meaningful and fast multitasking is a drawback that really can't be overcome for now.

For example, when I need to write a legal memorandum, I have dozens of tabs open in Chrome, I am copying and pasting constantly to Word, saving files in folders with a hierarchical structure, etc. Doing that on an iPad is possible, but it would take an order of magnitude more time to do it. Which is fine as a novelty, but it gets old fast.

I really like my iPad, and I pre-ordered the latest generation. It's awesome for a lot things, but it can't do everything as well as the Air. My wife has the 11", and it's really an awesome machine. It's incredibly fast and tiny- not that much bigger than the iPad.

I think Apple has a two week return policy- you can buy it if you want and see if it can replace a laptop. I'm sure the answer will be no.

 

[tigress666]

Needed some insight... really like the Ipad 3 but I am due for a new laptop.... I currently have a Dell.... Looking to finanace whatever I get next.....

Which should I go for??

any suggestions would be helpful...


Thanks

Hrm? Do you use your laptop as your desktop as well? If so, definitely the Macbook Pro.

Are you looking to replace the laptop with this device? I'd say at least the macbook air then.

Is this device going to be extra to your laptop? Well... then I can't tell you since your laptop is a PC (if it was a Mac I'd say go for the iPad since you already have a macbook). I'd probably still say go for the iPad since honestly, if you got the macbook I would bet you'd find you'll end up using whichever one has the OS you end up preferring and the other one ends up gathering dust (I don't see the use of two laptops even with different OS's unless you program or need to be able to view things in both).

And I'll echo the people who say the iPad isn't a replacement for a laptop/desktop. My stepmom, who is the ideal target for the iPad, got one to replace her computer and she still borrows my dad's computer from time to time (and she mostly is browsing Fidelity's website and reading emails). (They better thank me for insisting that they keep at least one computer.. they were thinking of getting rid of both).

 

[Rideherhard]

or both refurbish Mac mini hooked up to your TV and a refurbish iPad 2. Get splash top app and iPad becomes like a laptop in the house

 

[jbouklas]

Hrm? Do you use your laptop as your desktop as well? If so, definitely the Macbook Pro.

Are you looking to replace the laptop with this device? I'd say at least the macbook air then.

In my experience, the MacBook Air is awesomely fast. My wife has the 11" Air and she uses it as her main computer in her lab as a Ph.D. student- she runs statistical analysis software, Photoshop, Word, Excel, PowerPoint ,and routinely has dozens of tabs open in Chrome and it doesn't slow down at all. She plugs her laptop into a 23" monitor and uses a mouse and keyboard during the day. There's really no reason to get a MacBook Pro. In fact, it's probably faster for day-to-day operations than a MBP because of its SSD.

or both refurbish Mac mini hooked up to your TV and a refurbish iPad 2. Get splash top app and iPad becomes like a laptop in the house

That's not a bad idea. I have two Mac Minis- one for each of my TVs, and they're awesome. I personally found using something like Splashtop on my iPad to be too cumbersome, but it might work for some people.

 

[tigress666]

In my experience, the MacBook Air is awesomely fast. My wife has the 11" Air and she uses it as her main computer in her lab as a Ph.D. student- she runs statistical analysis software, Photoshop, Word, Excel, PowerPoint ,and routinely has dozens of tabs open in Chrome and it doesn't slow down at all. She plugs her laptop into a 23" monitor and uses a mouse and keyboard during the day. There's really no reason to get a MacBook Pro. In fact, it's probably faster for day-to-day operations than a MBP because of its SSD.

Uh, the MBP is cheaper for what you get (especially the 13", the one that most people might consider an MBA instead) for one and honestly, it's not that much bigger really (to me it's not worth the extra money). Secondly, you get more storage space. There is no way I could fit what i need on the stock MBA offering and even their largest storage space I would want more (I have that in my MBP and I'm thinking I might need to upgrade it soon. Hey, there's another reason, I can upgrade my MBP's storage and RAM myself easily enough and it's cheap to find a replacement part. Or I can spend money and get a flash drive that will eliminate the MBA's advantage there. Plus the DVD drive is nice to have without having to connect an external one, not to mention you get more USB ports plus a firewire on the MBP).

But really my biggest beef besides price is the fact that you only get at most 256 GBs of storage on the MBA, and that is if you want to pay top dollar for it. Really that is the absolute *MINIMUM* I'd want in a computer that I was using as my main computer (which is why I think it's fine as a portable extra but not as my main computer).

 

[paulie6978]

thanks for all the insight....

Im really liking the MBA...... the 11 inch seems too small for me.... the 13 inch i guess would be ideal.....

anymore help would be good......

 

[M5RahuL]

Comparing two very different products here!! The iPad is a fun gadget, while the MBA/MBP is a full computer, the MBP taking the lead!

I would recommend the 13" [if not the 15] MBP. The MBA is restricted to the installed SSD and RAM i.e. not expandable, should you ever need it!

Finally, I would take a real computer over an iPad, any day especially if it's going to be the only device for sometime!

I personally think the iPad has too much hype for what it is!

 

[ugahairydawgs]

If you can only do one I would take the laptop over the iPad.

That said....I'd also wait until you have the cash to actually pay for it rather than get financing. Apple makes great stuff, but it ain't worth going into debt because of it.