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riviera74

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 18, 2015
79
16
Fort Myers FL
If I bought a 27 inch iMac, what should I get to take around with me on trips: the newest iPad (not the Mini) or a 13 inch MacBook Air?
 
What do you need to do on your travels? They are very different tools.

The iPad is convenient, much easier to use on planes, trains etc, and has retina screen. I find with a cellular model not relying on public wifi, I can do everything I need to do when mobile with accessories such as a case keyboard or a very light keyboard such as Logitech's Keys To Go, and a stylus.

The MacBook Air doesn't have a retina screen or 3G, but would be a better choice if you need computer power that an iPad can't do at all or doesn't do as well.
 
I have both. The iPad is better for watching videos, playing iOS games, messaging, and random web browsing. I'm responding on it right now with a bluetooth keyboard. If you're going to do work other than web processing on your trips then I'd recommend the Macbook.
 
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Just get an iPad Air 2. You don't need a Macbook cuz you have an iMac. Make sure you install cloud service apps like DropBox and install iWork series apps like Page, Keynote, and Numbers or you prefer Microsoft Word with OneDrive apps. That way you can work on documents on an iPad on the go and on iMac when you get home.
 
Really depends on what you want to do while on a trip. I used to take my laptop and camera along on trips. Then I took one with just an ipad and my camera and it was the best experience. There was nothing I needed that required a laptop. I could backup my photos to the iPad with an adapter and can get SD cards fairly cheap so I don't need to clear up space on one. My iPad has LTE so I was always connected. Carrying a laptop for me is now a burden lol. When I upgrade my phone to larger models I may find reason to leave the ipad at home.
 
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Really depends on what you want to do while on a trip. I used to take my laptop and camera along on trips. Then I took one with just an ipad and my camera and it was the best experience. There was nothing I needed that required a laptop. I could backup my photos to the iPad with an adapter and can get SD cards fairly cheap so I don't need to clear up space on one. My iPad has LTE so I was always connected. Carrying a laptop for me is now a burden lol. When I upgrade my phone to larger models I may find reason to leave the ipad at home.

I find that to be an interesting point. The question now would be whether to get an iPad Air 2 in the face of the iPhone 6/6+ or its successor the 6s/6s+.
 
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