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Samtb

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jan 6, 2013
1,508
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Have many people replaced their old MacBook pros with an iPad Pro? How are you finding it if so?
 
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I had a MacBook Pro which broke in February and since then I bought a Lenovo which didn't go well due to Windows.. but between having the Mac and today I've used an iPad Air 2.

I will be moving on as soon as I sell this to the iPad 2017 OR a Pro (still debating on whether splashing the cash will be worth it!)

Depending on your workflow and what you do on a computer , it's more than possible to use an iPad as your main device.

Write down programmes and tasks you NEED to do on a computer. For me this is email, mail, contacts, calendar, notes, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, browsing, casual games etc. All of which an iPad can do - better than a Windows PC and cheaper than a MacBook.

Some tasks like programming, advanced video editing and using custom e.g. Windows only software won't work but in the next few years with the iPad Pro are likely to find their way to iPad. If you do them, then you can't yet depend on an iPad.

With iOS 11, Apple intend clearly to develop the iPad as a laptop replacement for the masses so that's why I've decided to save money and put my confidence in the iPad + iPhone only lifestyle. Using iCloud makes this unbelievably easy!

And yes.. having a light, thin, sexy device to do everything - being able to take it anywhere at moments notice - being able to drop it and not worry about a corrupt hard drive.. Being able to spend what, £339 on it (MacBook Air £949) use it for 3 years, NO slow down of speed, no poor experience, no crappy non HD screen.. It's a win win win win to me.

And I hope if you use this planning to see if it can work for you too, that it does, and you enjoy it as much as me :)
 
Kind of.

I have a 2015 15in rMBP that is my 'power house' computing device, which gets used about once per month. Primarily to do email management and grab offline copies (i.e. not particularly power-hungry tasks). I very occasionally use it to play games.

Conversely, I have a 2012 Mac Mini that is my media hub, and gets used most days to serve music and video to AppleTV and AirPlay end-points.

99% of my home 'computing' is done on my gen 1 12.9 iPad Pro. This is mostly surfing, reading PDFs and watching YouTube.

For work purposes I have a fairly pedestrian Windows PC, but that is essential as my job entails using specialist applications. I use my iPad in meetings all the time to take notes, however.

So, I couldn't run my current personal setup on just my iPad, but I hardly ever use a Mac in the conventional sense. A regular PC is still needed for work.
 
Not me. My 2009 MBP 17" is still going strong. It is far easy for me to play with spreadsheets, write long policy and procedure manuals, etc, than on a tablet. Having to point on screen with my finger is just too much. However, ipad excels in other areas.
 
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Not me. My 2009 MBP 17" is still going strong. It is far easy for me to play with spreadsheets, write long policy and procedure manuals, etc, than on a tablet. Having to point on screen with my finger is just too much. However, ipad excels in other areas.
I completely agree. When I reach the limitations of the iPad in performing those tasks, I'll remotely connect to my iMac and using the Citrix X1 mouse on my 12.9 iPad Pro, I have a true "notebook" experience.

Now if Apple would only provide a way to run a macOS VM natively on the iPad Pro, that would be great for those very rare times when I don't have internet access.
 
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I briefly tried the 12.9 iPad Pro in March and was extremely impressed. I returned it knowing an update was within a few months. With iOS11, split screen, drag n drop and a file manager, this should do the trick with either a new Logitech Slim or the Apple keyboard. Smart connector for the keyboard is a critical element as bluetooth keyboards are a 1/2 baked IMO. My last MacbookPro had a keyboard/multiple key failure after 3 years. That was really disappointing and expensive to fix. If you blow a smart connector keyboard you’re back in business for $150. I think this is going to work for me.

My iPad Air is still running strong. Software updates are likely to obsolete these iPad Pros before any hardware failure.
 
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I am replacing my 2016 MacBook with a 10.5 Pro. I don't need a computer at all though so I am sure my situation is not a great comparison.
 
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