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iPad My #1 reason the iPad is greater than MacBook Air
- Thread starter temna
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How about a ebook reader ?
I will never buy another Kindle. After having my Kindle Keyboard for a year, and then a month later the screen exploding on its own, while stored safely on my desk, it's not a very good investment. Like, I get that e-ink is great for reading outdoors, and it's great that the battery lasts for a very long time, but I expect to buy a model and have it last me at least three years before I need an upgrade. And the only thing Amazon offered me was a paid refurb. No thank you.
The replacement screens are also really, really expensive, like the price of the basic Kindle. It's a product that, even with heavy protection, can have issues down the line just because the technology is not perfected.
I prefer my iPad over my rMBP simply because I can hold it however I want in either portrait or landscape mode. It's comfortable on a couch.
I use a windows laptop for work and desktop at home. An ipad will never be superior to them in terms of productivity, games, entertainment, etc.
But I didn't buy an ipad to be productive. It's mobile gaming, ereading, light browsing, watching videos, etc. I use logmein at times with no problem but it's preferable on the laptop.
We don't hear much about it because most people's idea of productivity is writing simple documents. On the ipad, this can be done easily enough. For bloggers & tech writers, this more than meets their simple needs. So they write great things about them. A blogger could get by just using an ipad.
If you work in finance and tax, this isn't the case though. You need excel. You need specific audit and tax programs. Time value programs. Outlook for email. Adobe Acrobat. Flash for CPE.
In a way though, a lot of reviews are useless for me. They're done by those who have no real professional experience and little knowledge of smartphones. They focus too damn much on whether something is plastic or has a one inch bigger screen. The Verge especially has gone to crap lately.
The audience has changed dramatically over the years. It used to be forums of mostly business professionals or enthusiasts. Now half the mainstream users own smartphones and many have found their way to the forums unfortunately. While there's still some good posters, there's so much BS you have to filter through.
But I didn't buy an ipad to be productive. It's mobile gaming, ereading, light browsing, watching videos, etc. I use logmein at times with no problem but it's preferable on the laptop.
We don't hear much about it because most people's idea of productivity is writing simple documents. On the ipad, this can be done easily enough. For bloggers & tech writers, this more than meets their simple needs. So they write great things about them. A blogger could get by just using an ipad.
If you work in finance and tax, this isn't the case though. You need excel. You need specific audit and tax programs. Time value programs. Outlook for email. Adobe Acrobat. Flash for CPE.
In a way though, a lot of reviews are useless for me. They're done by those who have no real professional experience and little knowledge of smartphones. They focus too damn much on whether something is plastic or has a one inch bigger screen. The Verge especially has gone to crap lately.
The audience has changed dramatically over the years. It used to be forums of mostly business professionals or enthusiasts. Now half the mainstream users own smartphones and many have found their way to the forums unfortunately. While there's still some good posters, there's so much BS you have to filter through.
Can't say it's better or worse. It all depends on what your needs are, and that varies from person to person. I've been slowly doing more/more on my iPad than that of my MBP, and that includes work. But there are still some things that the iPad cannot do, so I'm still in need of my laptop.
But if you're able to do more with the iPad, then that's great! But I don't think it's an all or none thing for everyone.
But if you're able to do more with the iPad, then that's great! But I don't think it's an all or none thing for everyone.
We're getting close I think...Broadcom is getting to the point that they're able to include many 'world' frequency bands on single chips. Just a year or so back, two different phones had to be made for the two major carriers in the US (Verizon/AT&T) for the iPhone, specifically because of the differences in frequencies used. This was just for the USA---the rest of the world is using 'other' bands...and keeping up with every frequency has been a challenge. As all of them (or most of the common radio freaks) are able to be included on a single chip---Apple may/may not include a cellular radio within it's laptops. This would simplify manufacturing, as the computers sell world wide.
It's not tough...other than the chip, a SIM tray and a couple of antennas, it would be good. The chip on the other hand...
As has been shown in previous posts, you've significantly embellished the pricing for LTE/Cell connectivity. AT&T actually subsidizes the cost ($100), so you only pay a few more bucks for the hardware...and to add it to your mobile plan is a paltry $10 bill/month! It's changed much since 2010
While I agree with you about having a 'real' computer for some folks' necessary workflow---those in technical areas, accounting, creative work, documentation, etc...they are quickly becoming the minority in society. Other than the necessary equipment, typically provided by your employer for the 9-5 gig---@ home, more and more folks are easily able to 'get by' with just the iPad!!! My wife and I run a business...she takes care of the 'paperwork' and clientele/booking/administrative end. I, the product side. Her MBA literally sits unused unless she's doing some sort of work from home for the business that specifically mandates a program or software unavailable on the iPad. She's become VERY proficient at finding apps that work on the iPad specifically because she would rather work 'from the couch'. Her email, Facebook, music and media...her books and Bejeweled...it's all there, on her iPad. From 9-5, as an FAA employee, she's on a locked down secure system @ work. There, a computer is necessary. At home...not so much. Many of us that DO need a full fledged laptop are becoming the minority---and quickly! Even for hobbyist photographers, videographers and designers...there are tools and apps that make the iPad a viable alternative in most scenarios. With the ability to add a B/T keyboard and/or use the dictation features on the iPad, typing isn't a 'chore' any longer.
The iPad is also offered in this flavor.
I find it hard to believe that people can type 1000 words just as efficiently on the ipad as on a macbook. I would bet anyone $1000 that they lose in a competition against me on a macbook in a race to 1000 words. You can prefer the ipad, that's fine and respectable - but to make comments like you can type just as fast on an ipad as on a macbook makes you seem ridiculous, unless you don't know how to type properly in the first place, then at least say you type with two index fingers so you type the same speed on a keyboard, ipad, or iphone
I remember when snowboards first came out...they wouldn't let them on the 'lift' because folks had NO idea what they were doing!! That wasn't but 20 years ago...now, snowboarding is as or more popular than skiing in the Olympics! Probably a terrible analogy...but those kids these days
I'm 42, I've got a young son...and his friends, watching them type/text on these devices is absolutely amazing. They can Flat. Fly! Things, they are-a-changin'. Those of us that took 'typing' in high school...we are efficient on the keyboard. Those growing up with smart phones and tablets, touch screens everywhere you look...they will be more efficient on the contemporary devices.Again...I'm 42. I understand your frustrations...BUT, they're completely unfounded. The forums are STILL being frequented by enthusiasts and 'business professionals'....but they've gotten younger, we've gotten older. Business professionals...the likes of Jay-Z opening his new sport's agency, announcing so on national TV with a baseball hat off to one side and gold chains with some brand named TShirt I could never afford...look @ Zuke over there at Facebook??? Those are CEOs, money-makers, the new 'look' and age of entrepreneurship!! Some of us still wear a tie. Some show up to the board room with their TShirt untucked. So what? The audience has NOT changed dramatically---you AND I have gotten old
You are naming VERY specific cases that are populated by an insignificant portion of the total 'real' world population. Most folks aren't doing massive spread sheets.You say an iPad will never be the 'equal' at home to your desktop for productivity, gaming and entertainment...yet your next line is contradictory...you say--- "But I didn't buy an ipad to be productive. It's mobile gaming, ereading, light browsing, watching videos, etc. "
Isn't that being a bit hypocritical? Obviously you can't play AAA games on the iPad YET...but we are quickly approaching this ability. And what do you mean by entertainment that is bested on your desktop vs the iPad? Especially when you bought the iPad specifically for gaming, reading, browsing and watching videos??? Isn't that entertainment? I don't mean to be a dick or nitpick, but I think you are representative, even if only in part of your life by a significant portion of our society....you ONLY need that desktop or laptop for the 'real work' that pays the mortgage at this point, right? For everything else just about...the iPad ROCKS????
I'm with ya. I need a real computer too. Right now. But I'm not naive enough to think the paradigm isn't shifting.
J
I'm a systems engineer and my iPad is my primary remote support device, by choice. (Disclaimer: when I'm at home, I use my iMac to remote in. I am referring specifically to emergency "need to connect in and fix this right now while at the restaurant" type scenarios.) We are a Windows shop, and when I started I was given a beefy, bulky laptop (with 3G built in, by the way.) I seldom took it home, and definitely never had it with me when I was mobile. It was just too heavy, and even with a battery extension I'd have to lug around a power cord as well just in case. I was given the opportunity to switch to an iPad with company-provided data, and I jumped at it. I can easily remote desktop into my work PC, and the right remote desktop app actually makes precision mouse clicking easy. I had a Logitech bluetooth keyboard cover with the iPad 2 (I've since moved to a mini with a separate keyboard) and the combo worked GREAT as a laptop replacement that didn't require I find a power outlet.
(Funny story: I was in a meeting with a couple of HP representatives, and one of them was marveling at my iPad/Logitech setup. He thought I had some newfangled "ultrabook" and was really impressed. Once I pointed out it was an iPad he immediately feigned disinterest.)
I still need *a desktop* to remote into. And at home I have an iMac, where I manage amateur photography, home video recordings, movie library, and gaming (sometimes resorting to Boot Camp.) So I still need *a desktop.* But I can see where the "MBA vs iPad" comes in. For a lot of people, they're looking at a secondary mobile "productivity" device. I've never seen it as a conversation between "should I get a computer or a tablet" - if you don't have a computer, get the computer. But if you want a mobile device that gets great battery life and has incredible flexibility, the iPad is perfectly viable. Yes, even if you're a programmer - the bluetooth keyboards are typically the same size and layout as a compact laptop, so typing on them is no different than a laptop keyboard.
I have a friend who is in the Google camp, and he has just refused to see the value in tablets. He went out and bought Chromebooks for his whole family. Wow! A browser for only $250! I just don't see the value. He also fought getting a touch-only phone for forever, insisting on having a physical keyboard on his phone - until he couldn't. Some people are stubborn to change. Splitting the keyboard and holding the device portrait, I can type pretty freaking fast with my thumbs. No, not as fast as I can on a physical keyboard... but fast enough and comfortable enough to write stuff longer than this post doing it.
So when I see blanket generalizations about how the iPad is not a productivity device, or only bloggers and writers would use it for real work, it makes me laugh. As previously stated by others, no one's saying one is 100% superior to the other for every situation. That doesn't mean it isn't worth discussing how we all use them and whether or not the person just looking for a mobile device for moderate use can get away with an iPad or if they actually need a full blown computer. No need to break into camps and start converting people.
(Funny story: I was in a meeting with a couple of HP representatives, and one of them was marveling at my iPad/Logitech setup. He thought I had some newfangled "ultrabook" and was really impressed. Once I pointed out it was an iPad he immediately feigned disinterest.)
I still need *a desktop* to remote into. And at home I have an iMac, where I manage amateur photography, home video recordings, movie library, and gaming (sometimes resorting to Boot Camp.) So I still need *a desktop.* But I can see where the "MBA vs iPad" comes in. For a lot of people, they're looking at a secondary mobile "productivity" device. I've never seen it as a conversation between "should I get a computer or a tablet" - if you don't have a computer, get the computer. But if you want a mobile device that gets great battery life and has incredible flexibility, the iPad is perfectly viable. Yes, even if you're a programmer - the bluetooth keyboards are typically the same size and layout as a compact laptop, so typing on them is no different than a laptop keyboard.
I have a friend who is in the Google camp, and he has just refused to see the value in tablets. He went out and bought Chromebooks for his whole family. Wow! A browser for only $250! I just don't see the value. He also fought getting a touch-only phone for forever, insisting on having a physical keyboard on his phone - until he couldn't. Some people are stubborn to change. Splitting the keyboard and holding the device portrait, I can type pretty freaking fast with my thumbs. No, not as fast as I can on a physical keyboard... but fast enough and comfortable enough to write stuff longer than this post doing it.
So when I see blanket generalizations about how the iPad is not a productivity device, or only bloggers and writers would use it for real work, it makes me laugh. As previously stated by others, no one's saying one is 100% superior to the other for every situation. That doesn't mean it isn't worth discussing how we all use them and whether or not the person just looking for a mobile device for moderate use can get away with an iPad or if they actually need a full blown computer. No need to break into camps and start converting people.
Why do people constantly compare tablets to computers? Sorry, but tablets are toys. Just because the iPad has 4G LTE, does not make it free 4G LTE.
You can do far more with a computer than a tablet.
You can do far more with a computer than a tablet.
S
syd430
Guest
I switch between a laptop and a tablet constantly. An ipad is not a toy, but just better suited to consumption and some light work. In fact, i'd say a tablet is superior to a laptop for most entertainment purposes and casual browsing purposes.
When it comes to heavy work however (in my case complex macro driven spreadsheets, programming in IDE's, 20-50 tabs open in the browser etc), a tablet is simply not an option. Yes I can remote in to a desktop environment, yes I can hook up a external keyboard and mouse, yes there's apps for most of what I want to do, but it's just so terribly inefficient and cumbersome that it doesn't come even close to matching the productivity I get from my laptop.
As as per usual when I write posts like this, i'll get 2-3 people tell me that i'm just an idiot that doesn't realize theres an app to do this and that, and how they manage to write there 1000 word essays on ipad with no problem.
Let me be clear (this is directed to the people that replied to me earlier in this thread that told me that implied i'm an idiot for not doing all my work on an iPad):
Not every one is a liberal arts major (I say this in a derogatory way) that needs to casually write a 3000 word essay and browse the web (shocking I know). Some people need full native MS OFFICE for compatibility purposes (not Pages, not Numbers, Not Open Office), programming IDE's, DBA, diagraming software, 50 tabs open in the browser, proprietary software etc etc. I dont care if I can remote in and hook up a keyboard/mouse. I've tried, and it's cumbersome. a tablet will never be able to replace a computer for these sort of tasks by definition because of the standard tablet form factor.
Wow, I feel better now.
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iPhone tethering.
But yeah, that iPad starts chocking around 10 open tabs, and reloads them when you switch, which is extremely annoying when the tabs contains a form. A Mac with 16GB of RAM does a much better job.
But yeah, that iPad starts chocking around 10 open tabs, and reloads them when you switch, which is extremely annoying when the tabs contains a form. A Mac with 16GB of RAM does a much better job.
The OP has a mini that he uses with remote via the iPad, so he is not saying that he replaced his computer with one.
For me, the form factor is the biggest advantage over any laptop. It is just easier to not have to deal with the clamshell design most of the time. I do admit that I have used the LTE on my iPad for watching a ball game via the Slingbox app while my girlfriend drove us down to New Orleans for a weekend trip (I drove us back). It was great. I have also stayed at places in the mountains that did not have wifi and I used my iPad LTE.
The main upside to the MBA is OSX for running more intensive programs. I am a business professional, but I don't really need my main computer to be portable. I do most of my work using a desktop and don't really need a laptop for that purpose. That being said, I still like having the MBP in the living room, so that I can use it when I feel like it. However, I would easily pick the iPad over a laptop if I had to make the choice....assuming I could keep my desktop computers.
For me, the form factor is the biggest advantage over any laptop. It is just easier to not have to deal with the clamshell design most of the time. I do admit that I have used the LTE on my iPad for watching a ball game via the Slingbox app while my girlfriend drove us down to New Orleans for a weekend trip (I drove us back). It was great. I have also stayed at places in the mountains that did not have wifi and I used my iPad LTE.
The main upside to the MBA is OSX for running more intensive programs. I am a business professional, but I don't really need my main computer to be portable. I do most of my work using a desktop and don't really need a laptop for that purpose. That being said, I still like having the MBP in the living room, so that I can use it when I feel like it. However, I would easily pick the iPad over a laptop if I had to make the choice....assuming I could keep my desktop computers.
There is one thing I will argue against the Air though, and that's for any computer really.
It's a lot easier to do high power tasks. Cubasis is $50, Logic Pro is $200. Use a few more nice applications and gear, and you can have a great recording setup that might even work better than Logic on the iPad for around the same price.
And yet, while it is a little gimped, it simply works a lot better just because you don't have the computer in the background making a huge amount of noise. The same thing goes for Sketchbook Pro. You have more focus on the work, and not whether your computer will crash after your 25th layer.
It's a lot easier to do high power tasks. Cubasis is $50, Logic Pro is $200. Use a few more nice applications and gear, and you can have a great recording setup that might even work better than Logic on the iPad for around the same price.
And yet, while it is a little gimped, it simply works a lot better just because you don't have the computer in the background making a huge amount of noise. The same thing goes for Sketchbook Pro. You have more focus on the work, and not whether your computer will crash after your 25th layer.
No, it's a lack of imagination.
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I repeat, it's a lack of imagination that limits you, not the ipad.
so Apple can sell a higher profit margin device (an LTE iPad) to customers like the OP
Apple would rather sell you iOS devices than actual computers. in fact, if every person who bought a Macbook instead bought an iPad 128GB...well, let's just say you would be glad you bought the stock even at $700 last year
Or, you could read some of the responses (like mine) and see that people are not calling you an idiot because you prefer to use your computer for work, but simply saying that for some people work can be done on the iPad. As I said in my earlier response to you, the iPad may not fit your use case (apparently not), and that is cool. I get it, and I'm glad to hear you found something that works for you.
Apparently, "liberal arts" is a derogatory word for you (why?), so I guess the only people who count are people who are... well, you. Among people who are not you, including people in the sciences (I don't say this in a derogatory way) the iPad can be good for work as well. I know these people, and they swear by it. There happen to be a lot of different use cases out there for content creation on the iPad. Shocking, but true.
I think of tens of reasons why the MacBook Air is better than an iPad and all you care about is LTE? That is such a narrow thinking. The Macbook Air is a full fledged laptop that is a content creation device that can run hundreds of desktop applications. Just being able to run a desktop version of an Office suite itself is a huge deal. The iPad is primarily a content consumption device and is good to carry around as a secondary device. But it can never be a laptop replacement, at least not yet. Also if you have a smart phone with tethering, your MacBook has a Wifi literally anywhere you go. Your argument is pretty weak.
Maybe I'm crazy but I'd rather have a limit-free (software-wise) computer. But then again I'm in college in a college city where you can't step out of a wifi-radiation zone
LTE would be nice, but longer battery + free internet is nicer.
I'd rather have a Mac Pro than an iPad, but it isn't terribly portable, and I doubt the battery life would be very good
I think you pick the device that best fits your situation, and if you are on a college campus most of the time with wifi, free internet, and probably plenty of outlets, then you may not need an iPad so much.
Then again, it is kind of nice to digitize all your books, take your iPad to campus, and be able to comfortably read (portrait mode), type (I carry a Bluetooth keyboard), and handwrite all with a single device!
Wow indeed! I was not a liberal arts major either (BS Engineering, MBA Finance), and yet everyday I use an iPad for my mobile productivity needs. It is great for email, calendar, contacts, drafting documents, reviewing technical papers, annotating memos, researching facts, logging into corporate databases, etc.. Now, when I need to work on large spreadsheets, I use a desktop. I find small laptops too constraining.
Of course, I could wax about how anyone who does true productivity work with a spreadsheet could not possibly be effective on a laptop, since any spreadsheet jockey worth a grain of salt uses multiple screens, so they can manipulate multiple sheets and templates and develop in Visual Basic. The financial analysts that worked for me would scoff at the idea of doing large scale spreadsheet development on a laptop.....they would say; "just a toy".
See how I did that? It's easy for me to be dismissive of other people's backgrounds and points of view when I make sweeping generalizations.....but it doesn't mean I am correct.
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I'm currently without any computer and the past week, I have not missed it a single bit. I'm a medical student and the iPad has served all of my needs so far. When I need a computer, I may buy one but currently, the iPad 4 is a true work of art. I just scheduled my classes from this Fall, did my fafsa, financial aid stuff, studied for a few exams, and did some note taking in class. All this on the iPad.
S
syd430
Guest
Actually my undergrad is in AppFin and I worked on DCM models at a boutique IB. I've only only gone back now after a couple of years to do a masters in CS.
Also it was the other guy that said the ipad is a toy. Anyway, your post sounds like I don't already acknowledge the pretentiousness of my post.
My iPad mini lasts me 12-15 hours on a charge, while my 11-inch Air lasted me around 3. And that's why the iPad wins.
I remember when snowboards first came out...they wouldn't let them on the 'lift' because folks had NO idea what they were doing!! That wasn't but 20 years ago...now, snowboarding is as or more popular than skiing in the Olympics! Probably a terrible analogy...but those kids these days
the paradigm isn't shifting.
I don't disagree that the paradigm is changing. It's just impossible to type faster on an ipad vs a physical keyboard. iOS and the physical touch screen doesn't allow it to be more efficient than physical keys, but the ipad was never intended to be a quick(er) typer. I'm a snowboarder myself, but skiers can get down a hill faster. If I were to say skiers are slower, it would be a biased opinion. That's what I'm saying about people who say they can type faster on an ipad. If you know how to type properly, there is no comparison. If you use an index finger or a thumb to type, then you're right, and you are probably just as fast on an ipad as you are on a keyboard. I'm typing this message on an ipad, it's a great device but a physical impossibility to type faster on here than a real keyboard.
Why not just have both devices? For most tasks the iPad is sufficient, and for anything more advanced the MBA wins.
I still prefer my Macbook Pro and use it more than my iPad, but this is because I am coming from an IT Pro background and I prefer using desktop OSes more.
I still prefer my Macbook Pro and use it more than my iPad, but this is because I am coming from an IT Pro background and I prefer using desktop OSes more.