New iMac/Macbook/iPad?

[thomth]

At the moment i'm using an iMac 21.5'' 2011 and an iPad Air 2. I'm using the iPad mostly on the couch for internet netflix etc. I use the iMac also for internet, netflix, mail etc. When I went to college, I was using a Macbook Air 2011 with 2GB RAM. In september I'm going to school again and I think I need an new device for school. The MBA 2011 is slow en and the battery life is limited to 3-4h

But now I'm in doubt: should I ditch my iMac and MBA and buy a powerful, desktop replacing MBP with monitor? Or just ditch the MBA and buy a iPad Pro 10.5 with pencil/keyboard?
I will need a device for school just for pages/keynote/numbers/preview, not very heavy software. I will be at school 1x a week, rest of the week I am at home or at work, so the Macbook will only be used anywhere else then on my desk once a week.

So what should I do? Any experiences with using a iPad Pro as a student or Macbook Pro as desktop replacement?

 

[CrystalQuest76]

Based on what you said you have and the purpose that you will be using the devices, for you have no need to buy any new hardware.
Saving money is not a crime.

 

[Bart Kela]

Your proposed usage case "pages/keynote/numbers/preview" [sic] does not indicate any necessity to upgrade your current hardware.

New equipment will not give you an advantage at being a better student.

 

[thomth]

Problem is that the MBA is very slow, especially when opening large files. It is a 11.6'', so working on a pages file an reading a preview file is very hard (small letters)

 

[CrystalQuest76]

Problem is that the MBA is very slow, especially when opening large files. It is a 11.6'', so working on a pages file an reading a preview file is very hard (small letters)

Unless you are a multi-media developer the files you are dealing with are not that massive. I suggest the following:

Save your data files and then reformat the drive. You will need to create system disk. Install the latest MacOS 10.12. After that, install the applications that you use on a regular basis, followed by your data from a backup drive. You will see that your existing MBA will appear to be much quicker. This is more than a 'clean install' but the results are well worth it. There are a number of sites with these instructions.

Apple designed and manufactured Macs really last an amazingly long time, they just need a little bit of care and feeding.

 

[Fishrrman]

Keep the iMac (until it quits) and buy as nice a MacBook (Pro if you can swing it) as you can afford.

It's nice to have something powerful and portable, but also have a desktop "backup" as well.

 

[Daceatx78]

I am not sure if I am posting this I. The right spot. I need help/ advice on a purchase decision. I have a iPad Pro 12.9 with Apple Pencil and Keyboard. I also went and purchase a new iMac 2017 entry level. What I am asking is should I return the iMac? I am a college student. I need to be able to use productivity apps word, excel so worth. I need to have access to mail, calendar, music, I use iPad Pro for my textbooks. I have air print for documents to print. Should I return the iMac? Do I keep it? I had a MacBook Air that I had but sold it because I wasn’t using it. I bought iMac because I figure why not have a bigger screen but if I can do everything with iPad Pro... do I need iMac? I can save money. Thanks in advance for help