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Is there any good reason to choose iPad Pro over 12" rMB?

D

drewjonn

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 15, 2016
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Since I'm already using the current 15" rMBP for any workshops, a rMB or iPad Pro sounds great for entertainment and travel companion. but does the iPad Pro offer capabilities to replace the weak and pretty rMB? I use my old Macbook mainly on the bed, and wouldn't it be better to have 1 Mac and 1 iPad instead of 2 Macs?

On what needs should I prefer the 12" rMB, or the iPad Pro? Contacted an Apple sales last night and she suggested iPad Pro. Btw, I'm talking about the 12.6" version, since it's a first ever release, I'm afraid there might be any flaws on it that they might fix for the 12" iPad Pro 2, isn't it like a tradition for Apple? :p Like I heard that they fixed keyboard problems on 2nd gen 12" rMB.
 
Nothing wrong with having two Macs and zero iPads. Just depends on how you want/need to use your devices.

Advantages of iPad Pro over rMB:
- Tablet form factor is more practical in some situations
- iOS tends to be easier and faster than OS X for simple tasks
- Pencil input
- Touch UI games are fun

Disadvantages:
- No traditional file system when you need it
- Tablet form factor is less practical in some situations
- No floating windows
- No OS X applications

I probably missed something, but I think I got the major points. But it's up to you to decide which are really advantages and disadvantages to you.
 
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Alright, to simplify, do you guys find the iPP capable of replacing the rMB as to travel to school and do works just like the notebook, aside having pretty similar portability? I'm a finance student and would need to do a lot of Microsoft Excel works and also occasionally Powerpoint/Word. I'm bothered to travel with the 15" rMBP since it's kinda big and not light enough.
 
sorry, I fixed it, they have 11 and 13" version. However, I am a bit confused now, why don't you like Air?
 
Had the 12.9" iPad Pro and my 2014 15" MacBook Pro, ended up ditching the iPad.

Pencil was nice, but I like my Mac to much since it does everything I need it to do. Things like Illustrator for example. A portable sketchbook is a nice gadget, but I only keep these expensive products if I can get the most out of them.

It's very personal, you could just try it out and return it when you find yourself not really using it enough.
 
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As I develop apps and websites, I'd choose MacBook Pro. I have an iPad mini (2nd gen), when I travel somewhere. And it's also great for entertainment and for designing apps and do simple work stuff.

You could draw better sprites on computer than an iPad.

It all depends on what you want to do.
 
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sunapple said:
Had the 12.9" iPad Pro and my 2014 15" MacBook Pro, ended up ditching the iPad.

Pencil was nice, but I like my Mac to much since it does everything I need it to do. Things like Illustrator for example. A portable sketchbook is a nice gadget, but I only keep these expensive products if I can get the most out of them.

It's very personal, you could just try it out and return it when you find yourself not really using it enough.
Click to expand...

Usually 2 weeks ain't enough to tell if you really wanna keep it or just lay it off, but that's just me.
 
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drewjonn said:
Alright, to simplify, do you guys find the iPP capable of replacing the rMB as to travel to school and do works just like the notebook, aside having pretty similar portability? I'm a finance student and would need to do a lot of Microsoft Excel works and also occasionally Powerpoint/Word. I'm bothered to travel with the 15" rMBP since it's kinda big and not light enough.
Click to expand...
Really depends on what your needs are as a student.

The iPad would be great for referring to notes and taking them, maybe less so for collaborating on project work with your peers unless you are really familiar with iPad workarounds or your group members are willing to really accommodate your iPad use.

Presentations shouldn't be an issue on an iPad, and you are quite spoilt for choice, from basics like PowerPoint, Google slides and keynote, to more unorthodox alternatives like paper and haiku deck.

Basic word typing should be okay, but I am not familiar with the more complex word functions that a university student may need.

Excel is trickier, and the more complex formulas have never translated well to a touchscreen experience. Again, it should suffice for more basic use cases.

I won't be surprised if there is some niche or specialized iPad app out there which suits your needs as a finance student better than office, but again, the onus is on you to experiment and find a workflow which suits you the best.
 
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drewjonn said:
I'm a finance student and would need to do a lot of Microsoft Excel works and also occasionally Powerpoint/Word.
Click to expand...

This kind of puts the nail in the iPP coffin as far as I'm concerned. The mobile version of Excel is not going to be enough for your studies. In all honesty I'd keep using the 15" mbp for your classes. Excel will like the memory and CPU.

If you want an iPP on the side for media consumption, go for it. It is a ton of fun and a really well put together device.
 
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:apple: Pencil?

As much as I like my iPad, I need a full OS X machine. So my only computer would have to be a rMB. But if I was picking between the two for a secondary device, I'd choose the iPad for added functionality.
 
Kiwikat88 said:
This kind of puts the nail in the iPP coffin as far as I'm concerned. The mobile version of Excel is not going to be enough for your studies. In all honesty I'd keep using the 15" mbp for your classes. Excel will like the memory and CPU.

If you want an iPP on the side for media consumption, go for it. It is a ton of fun and a really well put together device.
Click to expand...
Lots of wisdom here.

MS Office for iPad is not a fully-functional version of MS Office. So while it may be the best in preserving formatting of Office docs depending upon the complexity of the document one may find themselves hitting up against the wall of those missing functions.

If PowerPoint will be used on the device to PRESENT a slideshow (and not just create one), then that is another vote in favor of a macbook. The iPP does not support presentation remotes. Apple's official solution is to use an iPhone or iPod Touch as a presentation remote. It's an absolutely goofy solution, and one that Apple themselves do use for their presentations. There are a few bluetooth remotes that attempt to support presentations on the iPad, but they are not very reliable or consistent.
 
drewjonn said:
Alright, to simplify, do you guys find the iPP capable of replacing the rMB as to travel to school and do works just like the notebook, aside having pretty similar portability? I'm a finance student and would need to do a lot of Microsoft Excel works and also occasionally Powerpoint/Word. I'm bothered to travel with the 15" rMBP since it's kinda big and not light enough.
Click to expand...

I've given these questions much thought although I don't own either.

The rMB is an incredible form factor, small, light and the 2nd gen appears to be a better performer as well. I don't think I'd sweat it for something like Excel although I can't say that with certainty. One negative is that the Office suite doesn't split screen in OSX.

The 12.9 pro seems like it would be very useful for note taking but it's so damn big (the 9.7 may be too small, making the rMB 12 a very nice compromise, in my opinion), and you'd need a keyboard (smart keyboard doesn't cut it for me) and maybe a pencil. Of course, I'm spoiled, it's not much larger than yellow bar paper, if at all.

Plus, as noted, it's a gimped version of Excel but you'd need to know specifics before we could say if it's too gimped for your needs. I will say that I've used it on my Air 2 and I couldn't get it to insert more than one row at a time. That, if not a user-problem, is a very severe limitation if you are going to do a lot of Excel. And, you may find it awkward to move things around, reformat, and so forth, in ways you would not with a trackpad or mouse.
 
I'd really learn towards a MacBook Pro over a MacBook

A MacBook is just so gimped as a laptop for a slightly thinner form factor
 
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drewjonn said:
Usually 2 weeks ain't enough to tell if you really wanna keep it or just lay it off, but that's just me.
Click to expand...

That's why I buy them used. They are discounted and if you don't like it, you can resell it and usually not cost you too much if you find a decent deal.
 
subjonas said:
OP already has a 15" rMBP. He's asking for recommendations for a secondary device.
Click to expand...
Oh sorry I missed that.


I'd definitely go with an iPad then.

I'm in the same position. I have a MBP and I chose an iPad as a secondary device simply because it allows me to do things I can't do on my MBP (such as be ultra portable, get it out in public whilst standing to read maps, read books and PDFs super smooth (my mbp 15'' struggles... for some reason), to read books as if they were books, read comics as if they were comics, write notes, sketch, annotate using the pencil.

And it can do most of the functions my MBP can do, apart from syncing to iTunes and any heavy duty tasks


However I would personally wait for the 12'' IPP2 if you can.
 
Lots of excel work for finance? You are going to want the MacBook. I use excel hours everyday for work and I couldn't imagine writing formulas, rearranging data, bouncing between pivots, combining pivots, etc. without a mouse.
 
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drewjonn said:
... I use my old Macbook mainly on the bed....
Click to expand...

Care to elaborate? Among the things that I can imagine using on a bed, a 15" MacBook comes quite far down the list (even without the obvious puns...), maybe a bit ahead of a 27" iMac, but not by much.
I have a 15" rMBP myself, and unless you love lugging outsized things around (lots of people seem to do) it's not really an every-day-portable device. At my local university, like 80% of the students use 13" rMBP's, and that's for very good reasons. The 15" and the 13" may look similar sitting next to each other in an Apple Store, but there's some kind of invisible border in size and weight that makes the 13" so much more portable. Unless you're built like a professional wrestler, I'd lose the 15" and get a 13" rMBP instead. Then get an iPad to use on your bed.
 
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