Need help/suggestions!

[SRLMJ23]

Okay, so I have a Late-2010 MacBook Air. It runs great, even El Capitan runs great (especially since the 10.11.4 update) and I absolutely love it. However, I know pretty soon that my Mac might get cut off from the next OS X version. If not this time, definitely next time. Okay so issue is, I do not have the money to buy a new Mac and plus Apple has not even released the new MacBooks with Skylake processors.

So, I can get an iPad Pro 9.7" (I prefer that over 12.9") through AT&T Next, which I already get my iPhone 6s through, so I am familiar with the NEXT program. I am thinking about getting the iPad Pro 9.7" just to kind of back me up because my computer is getting old but I do stress is running absolutely fine. I mean I can go into the AT&T store and give them the $60 something dollars in tax fees they want upfront and walk out with a iPad Pro. Eventually once I saved up some more money I would get the smart keyboard & pencil so it would basically be like a laptop.

What do you guys & gals think? Should I just stick with my MBA and my Retina iPad Mini 2 (which is also getting outdated) or get the iPad Pro for a little bit of insurance? I am just asking if you were in my situation what would you do? I mean I could also get the iPad Air 2, or the 12.9" if someone could really convince me that it is worth it. I just think with the 9.7" and its superior screen, it is a no brainer. I know I will get the trolls that will just say, "well its up to you anyway, why are you asking us?" Well obviously I know its up to me in the end, however, I just want some good advice and suggestions. Thank you all in advance for your responses!

 

[Cascades42]

I would put aside the money you could spend on the Pro and wait (adding to that money in the meantime). Apple are likely to release new models around WWDC time along with the developer beta of the next OS. If the next OS doesn't support your current machine (and I don't see why it wouldn't), then you can either buy a new MacBook or an iPad Pro then.

 

[SRLMJ23]

Yeah I am pretty sure the next release of OS X will support my MBA, however, the release after that I think I will be cut off. The thing is with AT&T NEXT I just put $60 dollars up front and then its an additional like $32.00 to my AT&T bill which I can afford. What I cannot afford is buying a straight up brand new MacBook, and I would only want a new one not a used one off Ebay or something. I would even go for refurbished but it would take a while for the new machines to come in for them to show up in refurbished. Oh how I hate student loans, or I would be able to go out and buy whatever Mac I wanted !

What would be your opinion on what iPad Pro to get? 12.9" or 9.2"? I just think you get more in the 9.2" for less money than the 12.9" in terms of hardware and features.

Thank you for reply, I appreciate and will keep everything in mind.

 

[Cascades42]

Yeah I am pretty sure the next release of OS X will support my MBA, however, the release after that I think I will be cut off. The thing is with AT&T NEXT I just put $60 dollars up front and then its an additional like $32.00 to my AT&T bill which I can afford. What I cannot afford is buying a straight up brand new MacBook, and I would only want a new one not a used one off Ebay or something. I would even go for refurbished but it would take a while for the new machines to come in for them to show up in refurbished. Oh how I hate student loans, or I would be able to go out and buy whatever Mac I wanted !

What would be your opinion on what iPad Pro to get? 12.9" or 9.2"? I just think you get more in the 9.2" for less money than the 12.9" in terms of hardware and features.

Thank you for reply, I appreciate and will keep everything in mind.

Let's spend a moment doing some maths here, new OS X releases come in October, so in your book we're 16 months away from there being a new OS X your machine can't run. At $32/month that's $512 dollars, plus the $60 upfront that's $572 dollars, you can almost certainly find enough spare change in the next 16 months to round that up to $600. The 13" MacBook Pro starts at $999 - so you're over halfway there. In addition to that Apple do have payment plans you can sign up for which if you want/need a MacBook of some kind would be a better idea than a plan through your phone provider for an iPad. Furthermore you don't need to upgrade the OS on your laptop - it won't magically stop working, so if you prefer you could continue saving say $35/month and in less than a year you'd have enough to buy a MacBook Air 13" outright. Plus, if Skylake machines are released this year, that would mean by next year they should be in the refurb store allowing you a further discount and reduction in the amount of time you would have to save to buy upfront.

So the question is actually: is this because you want an iPad Pro now?

As for the 12.9" vs 9.7" debate: I have the 12.9" Pro which is my primary machine to take around with me every day instead of a laptop and the iPad Air 2 which is my more portable machine for going to places other than university (and it comes with me there but that's another thing). The 12.9" has mostly replaced my laptop - I still have a laptop and use it, but for many things I could just use the iPad Pro 12.9" - the screen size is lovely, and the keyboard is full sized. The iPad Air 2 (same size as the iPad Pro 9.7"), is also fantastic, though in comparison the keyboard is a bit cramped and I frequently hold it closer to my face because it is smaller - though it's more portable. The 12.9" is laptop size (and weight once you've added the keyboard), the 9.7" is more netbook sized.

 

[SRLMJ23]

I guess you got it out of me, yes I kind of want an iPad Pro but I am very cautious with my money. I mean I understand your math up there and it certainly makes sense. See, that gives me something to think about, and that is why I started this post.

Do you think the iPad Pro could replace my MBA as my main device? I love my Retina iPad Mini 2 and use it quite a bit vs. my MBA and my MBA is right next to me most of the time. It is just my iPad is also starting to get old in "technology years" so if I got the iPad Pro I would be replacing an aging iPad Mini. Now you have me thinking of what to do! Which is good, as I said that is why I started this thread. Thank you again!

 

[Cascades42]

Whether or not an iPad Pro can replace your laptop is 100% dependent on what you use your laptop for. Web browsing, document creation & editing, email, etc., are all covered admirably by the iPad Pro. Podcast recording on the other hand is trickier (at least if you want to talk to someone on Skype and record it). There's a whole thread on it on this forum. I'm personally of the belief that for the vast majority of users they could do fine on just an iPad, but without knowing a lot more it's hard to say.

 

[spesifikbrush]

What do you do on your Mac? You should be aware of it and then you can decide whether iPad Pro will replace your laptop or not. For example; I use laptop for gaming, drawing, browsing the web and media consumption. An iPad Pro could definitely replace a laptop for me because of the Apple Pencil. But I'll still need a gaming laptop since I love games. So iPad can't fully replace it, but I'm gonna buy it anyways cuz I care about drawing more than playing games and wasting my time.

You should make a list on your mind about the things you use your Mac for. If you think you can hold on to your Mac for a while (like 1 years) you can get an iPad Pro to do other tasks more efficient.

 

[TheRealAlex]

Okay, so I have a Late-2010 MacBook Air. It runs great, even El Capitan runs great (especially since the 10.11.4 update) and I absolutely love it. However, I know pretty soon that my Mac might get cut off from the next OS X version. If not this time, definitely next time. Okay so issue is, I do not have the money to buy a new Mac and plus Apple has not even released the new MacBooks with Skylake processors.

So, I can get an iPad Pro 9.7" (I prefer that over 12.9") through AT&T Next, which I already get my iPhone 6s through, so I am familiar with the NEXT program. I am thinking about getting the iPad Pro 9.7" just to kind of back me up because my computer is getting old but I do stress is running absolutely fine. I mean I can go into the AT&T store and give them the $60 something dollars in tax fees they want upfront and walk out with a iPad Pro. Eventually once I saved up some more money I would get the smart keyboard & pencil so it would basically be like a laptop.

What do you guys & gals think? Should I just stick with my MBA and my Retina iPad Mini 2 (which is also getting outdated) or get the iPad Pro for a little bit of insurance? I am just asking if you were in my situation what would you do? I mean I could also get the iPad Air 2, or the 12.9" if someone could really convince me that it is worth it. I just think with the 9.7" and its superior screen, it is a no brainer. I know I will get the trolls that will just say, "well its up to you anyway, why are you asking us?" Well obviously I know its up to me in the end, however, I just want some good advice and suggestions. Thank you all in advance for your responses!

I did the same thing could not or would not shell out $800 for a Sprint LTE cell version BUT quite amazingly Sprint will give you a new 32GB 9.7 iPad Pro with no money upfront on 2 year contract $729 over 24 months that's $30 bucks a month $0 down ok fine but I got them to match Verizon at $529 that's $23 a month now. Wow

So double salute to you, get the At&t version Oh and DO NOT pay the Activation fee be cool hey I want a new iPad Pro 9.7 sign me up but I won't pay they activation fee 100% the associate will waive it in order to sign up a new subscriber.

And Do NOT let them Pro Rate you first month service I ordered my iPad Pro and was hit with almost $50 in fees services and taxes for My first month bill. And I had not even received my iPad Pro so I called customer service and it was all credited to my account.

 

[SHirsch999]

To me it all depends on what you think you will gain by getting the new iPad over what you currently have. I have a mini 2 and use it for literally everything. It is by far my favorite device. Of course my needs are limited. I don't do anything "advanced". If you don't need the features of the pro iPads and can live with the small screen of the mini then you might want to save the money and go with what you currently have.

 

[AFEPPL]

Stick with the laptop type devices, the existing iPad you have will run the apps you need and then get a refurb MBA or rMBP. I'd be aiming towards the rMBP as the screen is so much better. You can get an 11" MBA for $750 and 8GB RAM, ir the rMBP is $1100. IPP are not laptop replacements for the majority of people unless you are content with basic email and browsing IMO.

 

[alecgold]

Yeah I am pretty sure the next release of OS X will support my MBA, however, the release after that I think I will be cut off. The thing is with AT&T NEXT I just put $60 dollars up front and then its an additional like $32.00 to my AT&T bill which I can afford. What I cannot afford is buying a straight up brand new MacBook, and I would only want a new one not a used one off Ebay or something. I would even go for refurbished but it would take a while for the new machines to come in for them to show up in refurbished. Oh how I hate student loans, or I would be able to go out and buy whatever Mac I wanted !

What would be your opinion on what iPad Pro to get? 12.9" or 9.2"? I just think you get more in the 9.2" for less money than the 12.9" in terms of hardware and features.

Thank you for reply, I appreciate and will keep everything in mind.

I'm even worse then you are, I've got a brand new (well juli '15) Macbook Pro 13" i7 16Gb and yet I bought a iPad Pro 12.9". My excuse? Because I need to read 1500 pages of law papers and textbooks per month for my Law study at the university, and the rest. My wife accepted it
Now I use my iPP almost exclusively. Certainly 95% of the time. It's fast, light, bright, high quality display, long battery life, LTE, has all the app's I need and is brilliant for reading PDF's, annotating PDF's and college powerpoint-print-outs.

But (and it's a big but), I had money to spare. I've got a good job/business as a consultant.
And reading that you're on student loans I would advice you that cash is king. As long as your MBA is still working and receiving it's (security)updates don't buy something else. Keep the cash, keep your backups in good condition and use a cloud service. And if your MBA get's stolen, crashes, drops on the ground, starts swimming or for whatever reason stops working you'll be able to run to the store, buy the latest and greatest without any guilt or remorse. Getting a loan from AT&T (because you're basically getting a loan) usually is costing you extra money, even though it's a low monthly payment.

If you are still determined to buy an iPP buy the 12.9". The size isn't awkward if you're used to an MBA 13", if it needs to replace the MBA most of the time, the 9.7" is too small and the keyboard is full size so switching between an MBA 13" and a smart keyboard doesn't annoy you.