Should've bought a MacBook Air instead? Yeah, I bought an 11" iPad Pro

[Populus]

Well, I still have 14 days to return it, but I just purchased an 11" iPad Pro with the Smart Cover keyboard, and the beats promo. I thought it was a good deal, after a lot of thoughts...

I come from a 2010 13" MBP and really wanted portability, to be able to work even in the bus, everywhere. and I thought that the 11" iPad Pro was the right device.

However, I'm reading on this forum that Office for iPad is pretty limited, and I use office. Well, mainly Word/Pages, but it could be really useful for me to learn Excel, and some statistics software. And there's not much of that on the iOS App Store.

Sure, the 120 Hz screen, the crispness of the screen, the portability, the ability to draw, all of it caught my attention. Also the current MacBook Air is underpowered for me. I have a 2014 Mac mini as my main desktop, and If I bought a MacBook Air, that would replace everything. And currently the Air is not powerful enough to be my long-lasting main device, like it was my 2010 MBP.

So my plan was to use this iPad Pro for a year or so, and when the MacBook Air finally becomes quad-core, 10nm, scissor-keyboard, low power machine... sell this iPad Pro with the Smart Cover keyboard.

I don't know, the iPad Pro has something that I like, I find it super convenient to read PDFs and Books (which is a main task for me), even tho editing those PDFs won't be as easy as on a MacBook.

My main uses are reading PDFs, searches on the internet, typing (I love the Smart Cover Keyboard for this, is super smooth and silent), taking notes, studying, and basically carry with me the device all day long. And I was getting tired of the 2Kg of my old 2010 MacBook Pro. Maybe the weight of the MacBook Air was bearable, but the iPad Pro with the Smart Cover keyboard is just 750 grams!!!

So... if Apple announces a new quad-core MacBook Air in October... Should I return the iPad Pro and sell my 2014 mini to get the money to upgrade to one definitive machine? Otherwise I will wait until Apple has the MacBook Air that will suit my needs in the long future.

Yes, the iPad Pro is just a temporal device, because I need something light and fast now, but maybe in the meantime I learn to love to work on the iPad.

I will listen to any thoughts. Long time ago I posted a similar thread on the iPad subforum, and yeah, people helped me, they explained me how powerful and convenient an iPad could be, but this time I wanted to post here on the MacBook Air subforum just to hear the other half. Not saying people is biased... but I think everything has its pros and cons. And I'd like to know them all properly. For one, I know that Office on the iPad sucks. and that's a bummer, but I still have my Mac mini in my home to use regular Office.

EDIT: Also the battery life of an iPad is much better, that's important, and I'm not sure if a MacBook Air produces a lot of heat, but the iPad Pro is much fresh to work with on the lap.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

I have an iPad Pro 12.9" (2018). It could have almost completely replaced my 2013 rMBP when I was in between that and my new Air (for my work and personal). I do my Excel work on the Air or my own Mini (2014). Still, that may change in the near future. They're pretty impressive machines. Enjoy it!

 

[Populus]

Thank you. The only two things that I might miss from a MacBook Air could be the ability to have it attached to a second display (thus, having two screens), and Excel being more capable on a Mac. But like I said, I already have a mini for those things...

On the other hand, if I had the MacBook Air I would probably miss the extreme portability of the iPad Pro, the long battery life, the lack of heating/overheating on my lap, the ease when it comes to reading books and PDFs and make annotations, etc etc... I think that, overall, I made the good choice. Only time will tell.

 

[VertPin]

I love the iPad. I love the Mac. However, if you’re having doubts and need software that may not be available on the iPad, I would exchange it for a MacBook Air.

 

[Populus]

I love the iPad. I love the Mac. However, if you’re having doubts and need software that may not be available on the iPad, I would exchange it for a MacBook Air.

Yeah, although like I said I already have a Mac mini on my home, so the only situation I could face is needing Mac software on the go. But if this happens, I can always sell the iPad Pro with the keyboard, sell the Mac mini, and buy a 2020 Mac notebook.

The main issue here, aside that I love the iPad, is that we're on a transition regarding Mac hardware. And I prefer to wait until new designs, new ARM SoC, and new features arrive to Macs. And the iPad Pro is a great device to see how this transition develops.

 

[zachlegomaniac]

Yeah, although like I said I already have a Mac mini on my home, so the only situation I could face is needing Mac software on the go. But if this happens, I can always sell the iPad Pro with the keyboard, sell the Mac mini, and buy a 2020 Mac notebook.

The main issue here, aside that I love the iPad, is that we're on a transition regarding Mac hardware. And I prefer to wait until new designs, new ARM SoC, and new features arrive to Macs. And the iPad Pro is a great device to see how this transition develops.

Nothing ventured nothing gained.

 

[AustinIllini]

I have an Air and an 11" iPad Pro and they're completely separate to me. Overall, I prefer the Mac paradigm to the iPad, but iPad is great for notetaking and traveling.