Here's how I'm solving it. Since I have an MBA11, I can't fully justify getting an iPad2 also. So I'm getting my wife an iPad2 for our anniversary. Thankfully, she's a techie person and will love it. So, we'll each have one. And I'm sure we'll swap between us at times for different tasks. When we travel, we'll each bring our own. Best of both worlds.
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iPad vs MacBook Air
- Thread starter PBz
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As some other folks have already mentioned, it all just depends on how you plan on using your iPad and what other devices you have.
If you plan on using the MBA/iPad to browse the 'net, answer emails, other light stuff, etc., then the iPad wins hands down in my opinion. The iPad will not cut it as a laptop replacement unless you use your laptop for relatively simple tasks (and this could include word processing or spreadsheet updating depending on how complex your documents are). And, if you already have a laptop of some sort, there's also no real point in getting an MBA unless your existing laptop is one of those 7-10 pounders.
In my case, I have an iMac at home, a PC at work (not by choice, obviously) and an iPad that I use for, I'd say, over 90% of my non-office computing needs. The MBA is only really used when I go on the road and need to handle work-related stuff. But, to be honest, I could probably get by using my iPad for that stuff too if I had to. I work primarily with Word documents and the iPad can handle most of what I need it to do. If there's something my iPad can't handle using currently available Office-compatible apps, I can remote into my iMac using SplashTop or LogMeIn. It's just of course much, much more efficient to work directly on an MBA in those instances.
If you plan on using the MBA/iPad to browse the 'net, answer emails, other light stuff, etc., then the iPad wins hands down in my opinion. The iPad will not cut it as a laptop replacement unless you use your laptop for relatively simple tasks (and this could include word processing or spreadsheet updating depending on how complex your documents are). And, if you already have a laptop of some sort, there's also no real point in getting an MBA unless your existing laptop is one of those 7-10 pounders.
In my case, I have an iMac at home, a PC at work (not by choice, obviously) and an iPad that I use for, I'd say, over 90% of my non-office computing needs. The MBA is only really used when I go on the road and need to handle work-related stuff. But, to be honest, I could probably get by using my iPad for that stuff too if I had to. I work primarily with Word documents and the iPad can handle most of what I need it to do. If there's something my iPad can't handle using currently available Office-compatible apps, I can remote into my iMac using SplashTop or LogMeIn. It's just of course much, much more efficient to work directly on an MBA in those instances.
Indeed a lot of gadgets. Hilarious ... until I realized I have the exact same gadgets. Total overkill! What's Apple done to us?
Had Both
Had the mba11 until the iPad2 came out. I fall into the 90% category: Web surfing, checking email, social networking. The biggest factor for me is that the iPad simply annihilates the mba in battery life. Watching a movie on the mba means a 3 hour battery life while I can watch at least 3 movies on the iPad back to back. Plus, IPS screen tops TN anyday. My advice is wait until Sandy Bridge MBA, I'd only switch if the battery life dramatically improve.
Had the mba11 until the iPad2 came out. I fall into the 90% category: Web surfing, checking email, social networking. The biggest factor for me is that the iPad simply annihilates the mba in battery life. Watching a movie on the mba means a 3 hour battery life while I can watch at least 3 movies on the iPad back to back. Plus, IPS screen tops TN anyday. My advice is wait until Sandy Bridge MBA, I'd only switch if the battery life dramatically improve.
I have them both and use them both daily, for different things. Each one does certain things better than the other IMO.
Indeed a lot of gadgets. Hilarious ... until I realized I have the exact same gadgets. Total overkill! What's Apple done to us?
apple did it to me to!
I own both the 11" MBA and iPad 2. I use both everyday but for different uses. If I just need to do some simple browsing, word processing, note-taking, media playback, I use the iPad. I do Photoshop and Aperture work and for that I use the MBA. Its a surprisingly decent machine when using the apps, better than I expected.
Because I bought the 64GB iPad 2, it would have made more sense to go with a base MBA but with just a ram upgrade to 4GB, but I ended up getting a max'd out 11". I'll probably sell it once an updated to the MBA is released and go for a base model to use alongside my iPad 2.
Long story short, it doesn't make much sense budget wise to own both, unless your like me and you need to do some sort of creative/processing on the go. If your needs don't include this, I can certainly see the use of an iPad as the daily driver on the go.
Because I bought the 64GB iPad 2, it would have made more sense to go with a base MBA but with just a ram upgrade to 4GB, but I ended up getting a max'd out 11". I'll probably sell it once an updated to the MBA is released and go for a base model to use alongside my iPad 2.
Long story short, it doesn't make much sense budget wise to own both, unless your like me and you need to do some sort of creative/processing on the go. If your needs don't include this, I can certainly see the use of an iPad as the daily driver on the go.
Exactly. I quite like my MBA and it's a very capable machine, but I can't stand always worrying about how much juice my battery has left and whether I need to turn off this or lower that to squeeze out a few more minutes. Sometimes I almost feel like I enjoyed my Asus netbook more because of its iPad-like battery life. I remember getting a kick out of whipping that thing out on a plane not because I had to use it but because I needed it to charge my iPhone!
For me I need a powerful laptop at home as I work from home a lot and don't have room for a desk. So I need a full sized laptop with a lot of storage space for my data sets, MP3s and other files, and that has enough power to handle working with databases with hundreds of thousands of cases.
So I have no interest in a small/light laptop like a Macbook air or the really thin ones Sony makes etc. as I have no need to own a second laptop personally, and those ultraportable ones can't handle my work needs at home to be my main laptop.
So I prefer the combo of having a full on 15-17" laptop for work and a tablet for lighter use around the house etc. Mostly non-work stuff like reading the news, surfing the net etc.
As I've said in many other thread,s I would like a tablet with a bit more work functionality down the road--things like MS Office, a USB port that works with thumb drives etc. so I could get by with just the tablet on a lot of business trips and not have to lug the full sized laptop. But there are just no decent tablets that fit that bill right now so for now the laptop goes on trips and the iPad stays home.
So I have no interest in a small/light laptop like a Macbook air or the really thin ones Sony makes etc. as I have no need to own a second laptop personally, and those ultraportable ones can't handle my work needs at home to be my main laptop.
So I prefer the combo of having a full on 15-17" laptop for work and a tablet for lighter use around the house etc. Mostly non-work stuff like reading the news, surfing the net etc.
As I've said in many other thread,s I would like a tablet with a bit more work functionality down the road--things like MS Office, a USB port that works with thumb drives etc. so I could get by with just the tablet on a lot of business trips and not have to lug the full sized laptop. But there are just no decent tablets that fit that bill right now so for now the laptop goes on trips and the iPad stays home.
It's apples and oranges if one's considering the Macbook air (or other small laptop or netbook) as a main home computer.
But if it's to supplement a home desktop or bigger laptop, then it's more similar as either the Air or an iPad can suffice as a secondary computer device. I don't see much point in owning a main computer, an Air or netbook AND a Tablet really--unless one travels a ton and needs a very light laptop for trips to do work they can't do on the tablet. Otherwise, owning 2 out of the 3 devices (for one person anyway) should be sufficient.
But in considering them as a main computing device, I agree that it's apples and oranges as many can get by with an Air or netbook as their main computer if they don't need a lot of power or a lot of storage space for their computing tasks. But it's tough to get by with an iPad as your main/only computing device since it's more limited and currently really needs a computer with iTunes to hook up with work fully (stay up to date), be able to back it up etc.
I couldn't interact with certain sites that I needed to, so I could get things done. This is not a knock on the iPad. A lot of institutional sites are behind the coding curve. Downloading files was impossible, and since I don't travel with an HP printer, a simple task such as printing was a choir. Watching and downloading stuff from iTunes was seamless though!
Once I had a bum hotel room in Germany that didn't even have wifi. That was the killer for me. The world (and the iPad) has some catching up to do.
There were just too many limitations and work arounds for me though. I wanted to rely solely on the iPad but can't. Obviously I still enjoy the iPad, because I bought the iPad 2.
For me it's simple, it's about battery life and convenience.
The iPad gets used constantly throughout the day, and the MacBook air gets used when I need to do something I can't do on the iPad or that will take more time to do. I'm talking specifically about my working day here.
If i need to write something lengthy, that requires simple text editing, I'll whip out an external keyboard and stick with the iPad, anything more complex and it's the Air.
One thing i do find amusing though, is on occasion I have friends who complain that the keyboard on the iPad is too slow for them, and they're much faster on a laptop. I asked the last person who said this to me to do a speed test on his laptop. He hit 40wpm, because he doesn't touch type. I hit 42wpm on the iPad, I'm circa 80wpm on a full sized keyboard.
i don't think the iPad is painfully slow for text input, it's sure as hell much faster for me than using a smart phone to reply to emails that's for sure.
The other thing i use the iPad for is presenting, I work in sales. I use it to display brochures, PDF Documents, data on spreadsheets, and I always run my Keynote presentations from my iPad. Add into the mix Google maps, for planning journeys and suggesting meet up points, Webex for training courses, conference calls, and meetings, browsing customer web sites, checking the companies database/ CRM tool, inputting expenses, To do list, etc etc. Honestly i could ramble on loads.
Basically it's a hell of a lot more convenient than using a laptop, both in terms of form factor (using it while walking or just standing up for example), and much faster than plugging a 3G dongle in and having to connect. I do wish Apple would have put a sim tray in the Air. And the battery life is paramount for me, I've never got it past 18% by the end of a working day.
If i need to do a quote though, or multi task, i.e. heavier work, i'll use the MacBook Air
As a business tool, i find the iPad invaluable. For home use, I never use it. I always use the MacBook Air, which sounds like the reverse of quite a few posters on this thread
The iPad gets used constantly throughout the day, and the MacBook air gets used when I need to do something I can't do on the iPad or that will take more time to do. I'm talking specifically about my working day here.
If i need to write something lengthy, that requires simple text editing, I'll whip out an external keyboard and stick with the iPad, anything more complex and it's the Air.
One thing i do find amusing though, is on occasion I have friends who complain that the keyboard on the iPad is too slow for them, and they're much faster on a laptop. I asked the last person who said this to me to do a speed test on his laptop. He hit 40wpm, because he doesn't touch type. I hit 42wpm on the iPad, I'm circa 80wpm on a full sized keyboard.
i don't think the iPad is painfully slow for text input, it's sure as hell much faster for me than using a smart phone to reply to emails that's for sure.
The other thing i use the iPad for is presenting, I work in sales. I use it to display brochures, PDF Documents, data on spreadsheets, and I always run my Keynote presentations from my iPad. Add into the mix Google maps, for planning journeys and suggesting meet up points, Webex for training courses, conference calls, and meetings, browsing customer web sites, checking the companies database/ CRM tool, inputting expenses, To do list, etc etc. Honestly i could ramble on loads.
Basically it's a hell of a lot more convenient than using a laptop, both in terms of form factor (using it while walking or just standing up for example), and much faster than plugging a 3G dongle in and having to connect. I do wish Apple would have put a sim tray in the Air. And the battery life is paramount for me, I've never got it past 18% by the end of a working day.
If i need to do a quote though, or multi task, i.e. heavier work, i'll use the MacBook Air
As a business tool, i find the iPad invaluable. For home use, I never use it. I always use the MacBook Air, which sounds like the reverse of quite a few posters on this thread
Good post.....
I am seeing that my MBA is decent all round computer. I see the need for three systems in my household. A DT to manage my iTunes library of music and videos for my ATV 2. A laptop for things that the DT or the iPad are not up to the challenge.
To me, the iPad is more mobile and convenient for light computing, but I do get bugged sometimes by how limited the input method is. For example, I recently changed my sig here on MacRumors, and between finding the links I wanted, copying and pasting, and doing the whole (relatively simple) procedure, I know I could have done it at least twice as fast on a real computer.
If you just want to scroll websites and play games, the iPad's great. I feel like it may still be too limited for those that are power users and do a lot with their systems. Of course, the best situation is to have both! I certainly wouldn't say power users don't own and use iPads, it's just that they need a Mac or PC as well.
If you just want to scroll websites and play games, the iPad's great. I feel like it may still be too limited for those that are power users and do a lot with their systems. Of course, the best situation is to have both! I certainly wouldn't say power users don't own and use iPads, it's just that they need a Mac or PC as well.
I'm my case, I travel for work and already have to carry the work laptop around with me. The iPad gives me a small and light device I can carry and use for entertainment and personal stuff. Plus the iPad will last for a full flight or set of flights if I am stuck in a seat w/o power outlets.
If you have nothing and need a computer - get a computer. The iPad is not a laptop replacement unless you have very narrow usage needs. Even for just web browsing it falls short at times.
If you have nothing and need a computer - get a computer. The iPad is not a laptop replacement unless you have very narrow usage needs. Even for just web browsing it falls short at times.
iPad for music lovers and photographers
I use the iPad everyday to show clients my portfolio. The size of the iPad is perfect , 8 by 10 inches(print standard), and now I can transport hundreds of images around at a time. I just fell in love with the app GarageBand. Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzx-jc1toKA. They are playing the biggest iPad i have ever seen. wild stuff! iPad all the way
I use the iPad everyday to show clients my portfolio. The size of the iPad is perfect , 8 by 10 inches(print standard), and now I can transport hundreds of images around at a time. I just fell in love with the app GarageBand. Check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzx-jc1toKA. They are playing the biggest iPad i have ever seen. wild stuff! iPad all the way
Too many others... I like it when I can take it out at work to show things that make sense to photographers....
+1 It's just more convenient. Tho i have a MBP not Air. It's really same to me. When i have to go to the college or somewhere for a meeting, i'd rather grab a iPad instead of tugging along a laptop. One of main reasons i got it, for portable computing. Until i get equipment to use wireless tethering for photoshoots, i still will bring my laptop to the studio.
What portfolio program do you use? There's lots and i want to make right choice before purchase.