My point is that the existence of the iPad Pro shouldn’t factor into a comparison between the basic iPad and the iPad Air. The Air display was preferable to the basic iPad before the iPad Pro moved to OLED, and it still is. I’m an M4 iPad Pro user myself, but that doesn’t change that.
Fair enough, but then again, what I'm saying is if you really want a better screen, it may be worth considering the iPad Pro over the iPad Air, especially if you value the increased 256 GB storage and Face ID. Out of the three tiers, at retail pricing, the iPad Air is the least attractive to me.
The iPad is attractive because it's cheap and does 96% of what an iPad Air does.
The iPad Pro is attractive because has an amazing screen, 256 GB base storage, and Face ID, as well as the option to get a better Magic Keyboard too.
The iPad Air has the same 128 GB and Touch ID as the much cheaper iPad, and the screen is also 60 Hz LCD. Some people don't like the air gap in the iPad screen, and that's fine, but to me it's not really a big deal. (We have an older iPad, and the screen doesn't bother me vs. the laminated LCDs.) I hear the non-laminated iPads are a bigger problem when used outside in the sun, but the iPad Air will also be a problem in the sun because of its limited brightness.
In my case, the difference in cost between the iPad Pro M4 and the iPad Air 256 GB was CA$370, which is currently about US$266. For that price difference, you get a much better screen, Face ID, and the option to use the newer and nicer Magic Keyboard. But like I mentioned earlier, I can also write off part of the cost, so it's easier for me to stomach the price difference.
So for storage yes I agree it has 256gb but 128 might be enough for most… now is it better to buy iPad Air + MacBook Pro or iPad Pro and MacBook Air… well I prefer MacBook Pro and iPad air
I use an iPad Pro M4 with Mac mini M4. I also still have my old 2017 Core m3 MacBook. It's quite slow but I don't do much with it at all these days. My go to "laptop" is my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard.
I don't really need a Mac laptop anymore, but I keep that old 2017 MacBook around just in case, and because I love its 12" size. I will be buying an M4 MacBook Air for my wife though, to replace her 2017 Core i5 MacBook Air, which doesn't support hardware h.265 HEVC decode acceleration. (My 2017 MacBook does.) If I were to buy a new Mac laptop for myself though, I'd get the Air, since that's all I need, but I prefer the trackpad on the MacBook Pro.
People really undersell how good the screens are on the M4 models. Better screen than my much more expensive OLED TV.
Yup. I don't need the iPad Pro M4 but I really like it. It will be good when OLED comes to the MacBook Pros in a year or two, too. I won't be getting a MacBook Pro, but the line is overdue for it.