Is it still possible to take advantage of things like electronic magazine subscriptions, e-books, and other "Made for iPad" application features of the iPad on a MacBook Air with OS X 10.7? The cost of the iPad seems to creep towards the MacBook once I add up all the iPad-specific application purchases.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPad vs Laptop?
- Thread starter karilynn
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Is it still possible to take advantage of things like electronic magazine subscriptions, e-books, and other "Made for iPad" application features of the iPad on a MacBook Air with OS X 10.7? The cost of the iPad seems to creep towards the MacBook once I add up all the iPad-specific application purchases.
i used to think this way too. so, i get where you are coming from. but, i disagree. after extensive testing (i just got back from a week long research trip) i can confidently say that the ipad is very much a content creation device, it has huge advantages over the air (price and flexibility), and is a great way to travel light.
it has many limitations, of course, but it is more than just a content consumption device. here is a write-up i did if you want details.
https://forums.macrumors.com/posts/13036234/
Some of my colleagues (who are teachers) have also tried using their ipads in lessons, and found it has some advantages over a laptop.
For one, it is easier/lighter to hold and type when you are in a field and trying to update everyone's attendance via googledocs. Or when you want to show a video clip of how a particular routine is executed. It can also be used to take simple notes/minutes during meetings.
So yeah, for certain purposes, it is definitely comparable to a laptop.
For one, it is easier/lighter to hold and type when you are in a field and trying to update everyone's attendance via googledocs. Or when you want to show a video clip of how a particular routine is executed. It can also be used to take simple notes/minutes during meetings.
So yeah, for certain purposes, it is definitely comparable to a laptop.
yes. the only problem is that it is fun to read on the ipad in portrait mode, but sucks to read on the mba (or any computer) in landscape mode. at least, i have found that to be the case, especially for extended periods.
What I don't understand is how you are spending $400+ on iPad apps. How many copies of Angry Birds are you buying?
Maybe not that much, but the cost does go up because I end up purchasing new applications for the iPad that I wouldn't if I had regular PC. The difference is that the laptop can do more work faster, so I'm really stuck in this choice. I'm just worried that the iPad is going to be too limiting and I'll end up with a $700 paperweight because I'll need the regular system for everything else. It just seems like the iPad is intended to appeal too much to the basic consumer and not to the enterprise environment. I'm running into limitations with the iPad already and I haven't installed it yet.
i don't know if you read the link i posted to my thread about getting things done with the ipad, but if you haven't, i hope that you will. evernote=free, dropbox=free, pages=10 dollars, goodreader= 5 dollars. it isn't that bad.
the ipad can be productive in certain ways for certain people. in my case, it is a fabulous device that helps me work in new ways, and i have found frees me from needing to use a computer for days or weeks at a time. other people might not find it so useful for their work. in that sense it is undoubtedly less practical than a computer, but i'd look into some of the possibilities before dismissing it.
You answered your own question... iPad.
I never understood the point of owning 2 Macs anyways. I own one MacBook Air, the 27" LED screen if I need a desktop setting, and an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4.
Can't reason owning 2 Macs.
Actually if I were you I'd do the same, drop the iMac, get a 27" LED monitor and an iPad. That way if you ever need a laptop to take around you have one. But then again I'm a programmer so I sort of need to be able to take a laptop around sometimes.
I am debating on getting a ipad for my blind wife over a new mini. she does not do that much on the mini surfs the net sends emails and plays music. but what I don't know is if you turn voiceover on and then use airplay to send audio to say your apple tv does the voiceover voice go through to the apple tv ot stay on the ipad like it should? on her phone it all gets streamed and makes it impossible to stream.
Many people would say they can't see the point of owning 2 iOS devices.. different strokes and all that.
You got to open your mind to be able to understand why some need two macs or more.
I for one am doing webdesign and for that an MBA 13 Ultimate connected to a 27" LED ACD is not fast and powerful enough and lacks RAM.
So if I bought an MBP 15 it would do it, but as I also want and carry an iPhone 4 and iPad 2 with me ( my university books are on my iPad in PDF and I use it on the train for web and the iPhone is my phone, SMS and music device ), the MBP will be a bit on the heavy side as I prefer to carry a light bag ( The Muzetto 15 is on order )
So for me the best was an iMac Ultimate, an MBA 13, an iPad 2 & an iPhone 4
I could live just fine with an MBP 15, an ACD LED 27" x 2, an iPad 2 and an iPhone 4 - but the best solution is an iMac Ultimate 27 + ACD LED 27" an MBA 13, an iPad 2 & an iPhone 4
I did read your article, and it seems that there are ways around the problems, but Apple doesn't do a very good job of marketing the product outside of the mundane market. I'm looking at the specs and the marketing materials, and nothing is really appealing to the environment I have to satisfy. Yes, having magazine subscriptions and iTunes is nice for my personal consumption, but I'm also interested in a total replacement of the PC. That means full document compatibility, and there's no Microsoft Office to speak of. All the Apple marketing that I've looked at doesn't say a thing about working in a business environment, except maybe the one about Apple Mail.
Some of the sticking points still revolve around the following things:
When the iPad hits a site that uses Adobe Flash to transfer files and display content, what happens to the iPad? There are phones that run Adobe Flash 10.3, so the iPad shouldn't have any problems. As much as I can't stand Adobe Flash, until site clients stop using it, I must have the choice to run Flash applications.
Is there full compatibility for StarOffice/OpenOffice XML, that doesn't involve hacking and converting files?
If someone asks me to transfer some files from a hard drive, SD card, or other USB device, how do I get the data onto the iPad? Likewise, how do I get my data off the iPad and give it to someone who wants it on a hard drive or similar storage device?
Thanks for reading the post. As I guess you already noticed, I consider the iPad (in terms of content creation) to complement, rather than replace a computer.
It is well-suited for notetaking, drafts, and revisions. However, for most final products (in my case, stuff with footnotes and a little bit of complex formatting), I use a computer (the mbp). In other words, 90% of the time the iPad is all I need, but it is not a total replacement for a computer (only in certain situations and times). Frankly, I think it will be a long time before we reach that point, especially if you do things that require heavy processing power. I am quite pleased with the iPad in its current role (content consumption + limited content creation).
There are workarounds for stuff you mentioned (special cables, online services like dropbox, and apps) but I am not sure you would be as pleased with the results, and really it is just far simpler for some tasks to use a computer. The iPad certainly isn't for everyone.
I would suggest to the op and others that they don't think of it as an either / or proposition. While there is overlap between the devices, for the same reason people own both a car and a bike, they have different strenghts and applications.
I gathered from The Steve and a conference about tablets in the enterprise that the whole idea was to replace the PC in this Post PC Era. What I'm hoping is that the iPad is now, or eventually will be, able to link to connected servers and run applications from there, acting as a dumb terminal while the heavy processing is being done by the servers. It would be neat if I could take the iPad and connect to a Linux server to run a GIS application, for example.
That's how it works on the concept devices that Apple presumably got the idea for the iPad from. The PADD links to the central computer and retrieves processed data to be displayed on the handheld device. I should be able to open a virtual machine on the iPad and run applications on any platform that I want, and then the only bottleneck is the speed of the network connection.
maybe that will happen. i am no expert in this field. but, for what you want to do, you'll have to overcome the touch screen difference, the weaker processer, less ram, and the need for an extremely high speed connection. and, finally, i think there are some tasks that a mouse and keyboard still do a lot better.
i don't know. i can't predict the future. the ipad in my hand right now doesn't do what you are looking for, so i guess you will have to wait a bit longer for the future to become the present. i wouldn't hold my breath, though...
As noted cryptically above, the vision of deploying "dumb terminals" to the masses has been the dream of corporate IT departments for years. Ever since that model was smashed by the emergence of the "PC era" thirty years ago. In those bygone days, Apple was on the other side of the war. (Remember the famous "1984" Apple commercial?)
There's a lesson here about old revolutionaries turning into establishment apologists.
As noted cryptically above, the vision of deploying "dumb terminals" to the masses has been the dream of corporate IT departments for years. Ever since that model was smashed by the emergence of the "PC era" thirty years ago. In those bygone days, Apple was on the other side of the war. (Remember the famous "1984" Apple commercial?)
There's a lesson here about old revolutionaries turning into establishment apologists.
good points. i kind of get the dream/vision here, and i see why people might be into it. maybe the chromebook is something along those lines--a "dumb" computer that relies on "smart" stuff to do the work elsewhere (in this case, on the cloud). i have to admit that i am not terribly excited by this goal, but to each his own.
for me, the ipad does a lot more than i expected in some cases, and a little less in others, but overall it is a device i am pretty pleased to own. i look forward to future iterations along these lines, but neither expect, nor especially hope for, the ipad to completely replace my computer.
at any rate, i can get a lot done on the ipad, so i recommend it as both a content creation and consumption device that complements a regular computer.
I'm a workaholic university student and, having lugged a bulky HP piece of crap for a year, I've turned to MacBook Air in my hour of need. I also own an iPad 2 (white - an important detail). The two are really fabulous machines, both of which I recommend. For your needs (note taking, Internet, research, journal articles, etc) the iPad is probably the more ideal. A lot of people whine about the iPad keyboard but I'm tapping away on my iPad 2 at a wonderful speed right now. It's a seriously light device and a pleasure to use, for all of those functions which forced me to lug my old HP. At university my MacBook air will be my main computer to work on (almost exclusively word documents which won't require bags of RAM despite what creepy gamers on this site assert). For my MBA uses you obviously have your iMac. So i suggest iPad. Obviously research it thoroughly first as it is an acquired taste, but it's the best notebook I've ever owned. You will love iPad! Good luck, whichever you get.
Last edited:
Oh boy. Now I want a MacBook Air! Ahh! Haha
Noooooo: giant, abject misconception! iPad is so much more than a big iPhone. Don't listen to propaganda of the jealous.
And MBA is just a lighter (sexier) version of MBP so you'll be in a similar predicament if you get an MBA. Laptops are, in my experience, redundant if you work entirely on a desktop. MBA is a computer rather than a go between like the iPad.
Last edited: