iPad Pro iPad Pro or MacBook Pro for a society

[mpetrides]

Even assuming that’s true for a second, how exactly would a MacBook help this situation?
The MacBook is literally controlled by eight touchpad. If someone has trouble using a touchscreen, they most certainly will have trouble, if not more trouble, using a touchpad. Whole interaction method is swiping, dragging and clicking.

Ah, but you can always use a mouse instead of the trackpad on a Mac. Even when I'm using my MBP (as opposed to my desktop Mac), I still always use a Magic Mouse so that I can use the surface of the mouse for scrolling and the mouse itself for navigation and click/right clicking.

Theoretically you can do the same on an iPad but I've never found using a great big circular blob as a cursor to be as accurate as way to select a target location on the screen. Plus, EVERYTHING on the iPad requires touch, whereas most of what I do on my Mac is done with keyboard and, to some extent, mouse. After all, the primary interface for the iPad is touch. The Mac's interface is keyboard and mouse/trackpad oriented.

 

[redcarian]

What is hard to understand about low end? Read the specs, look at the display with trained eyes/brain, listen to the speakers with trained ears/brain; everything is lesser on the low end. You may prefer the low end, but it is the low end for lots of reasons. Low end is seldom ideal for a society.

Low end is absolutely ideal for a society! OP’s workload is entirely manageable now and in the future on the cheapest laptop Apple sells.

Base model MBA, biggest decision is the colour. Get AppleCare+.

16” MBP for a little light admin and occasional other things? That’s you projecting your wants, not addressing OP’s needs.

 

[Rainbow Apple]

What's a society?

 

[throAU]

Hi folks,

I’ve just become a treasurer for a society and have been tasked with purchasing either a MacBook Pro or a Wi-Fi iPad Pro (with Keyboard, Pencil, etc) for our committee of 10 people.

We would use the device for financial reports (Numbers), importing photographs (USB-C), editing photographs (Photoshop), writing documents (Pages), streaming/downloading lossless music, maintaining a shared calendar (Apple), internet browsing (Safari), video calls (Teams and FaceTime) and controlling our venue lighting and heating (Apple).

Our budget is £4000. We need a device that would last for the foreseeable. Some of our committee have only used iPhones, whilst others have used Macs and PCs.

What would you guys recommend?


Thanks!

MacBook.

It can handle multiple user profiles. iPad is a single user device.

 

[leifp]

Low end is absolutely ideal for a society! OP’s workload is entirely manageable now and in the future on the cheapest laptop Apple sells.

Base model MBA, biggest decision is the colour. Get AppleCare+.

16” MBP for a little light admin and occasional other things? That’s you projecting your wants, not addressing OP’s needs.

Also: calling an M3 MacBook Air “low end” is one heck of a stretch, particularly when compared to the gamut of genuinely low end, if not outright terrible, laptops available.

I’d also say: having a budget doesn’t mean spending up to it. If the ideal device is substantially less expensive, great!

 

[smulji]

What's a society?

The Illuminati

 

[Misheemee]

I don’t see anything pro required in your workflow so I’d lean towards a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro.

Alternatively, get an older gen MacBook Pro (maybe an m2 or m3) as it would be plenty for your needs and a current or older gen iPad Pro

 

[brilliantthings]

Hi folks,

I’ve just become a treasurer for a society and have been tasked with purchasing either a MacBook Pro or a Wi-Fi iPad Pro (with Keyboard, Pencil, etc) for our committee of 10 people.

We would use the device for financial reports (Numbers), importing photographs (USB-C), editing photographs (Photoshop), writing documents (Pages), streaming/downloading lossless music, maintaining a shared calendar (Apple), internet browsing (Safari), video calls (Teams and FaceTime) and controlling our venue lighting and heating (Apple).

Our budget is £4000. We need a device that would last for the foreseeable. Some of our committee have only used iPhones, whilst others have used Macs and PCs.

What would you guys recommend?


Thanks!

What did you decide?

 

[tarsins]

I believe you'll get frustrated with an iPad pretty quickly but a MacBook Pro is way beyond your needs so I'd recommend a MacBook Air with a 15" display for "older" eyes.