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To people with an iPhone and a MacBook pro...

T

theking79

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Apr 28, 2009
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I'm considering getting the new iPad, but I have always been skeptical about the point in getting one when you own an iPhone and a MacBook.

To anyone who owns an iPhone and a MacBook, have you found the iPad actually of real use or just something to use for the fun/sake of it?
 
I have all 3 and find that I can leave the MBP at home when I travel, where in the past I had to lug it around. Now I can do email, surf the net and some of the other things I do on the laptop while on vacation, etc. So there is a level of practicality for me in having the iPad and not just for fun, though it's that also.
 
The iPad has good battery life and is a spacer saver when traveling. It can also be used as a book reader.
 
ipad
i use this for most of my work, because it is so portable, and i can move about the house, workplace, country, or the world without any effort. it's a great tool for writing (external keyboard) and reading (pdfs of books, journal articles, dissertations, etc.). after selling the ipad 2, i am in serious withdrawal.

macbook pro
heavy lifting. creating pdfs, ocr for pdfs, global searches for information in my records, etc. this stays at home and only gets turned on a few times a week. i could not do my work without it, but it is not my main computer anymore.

iphone
useful for quick lookups, listening to music, and various other light activites, but even when paired with an external keyboard, it is not very easy to get things done. i could live without my iphone, but it is convenient.
 
FWIW, I gave my iPad 2 to a buddy, and I'm missing not having one like crazy, even though I have an iPhone, MBP and MBA, there are some things my iPad was just better at, and the phones screen is just too small to be much use in drawing apps etc.

I can't wait to get my 3!
 
"Real use" vs "for fun/sake of it" is a blurry dividing line. There's little that an ipad does which you *can't* do on a macbook/iphone combo -- but that doesn't mean it has no value. The ipad is a nice complement to the other two, sort of a middle device for light web surfing or reading or what not while sitting on the sofa or at a cafe or something.

When travelling for business, I carry the ipad and leave my macbook at home. I don't do any personal stuff on my work laptop, and it's a lot easier to carry the ipad instead of my laptop.

Before finishing grad school, I heavily used my ipad to read/highlight/annotate PDFs (articles and case studies). Yes I could have done this all on the macbook or on paper, but it was much easier with the ipad.
 
palpatine said:
heavy lifting. creating pdfs, ocr for pdfs, global searches for information in my records, etc. this stays at home and only gets turned on a few times a week. i could not do my work without it, but it is not my main computer anymore.

iphone
useful for quick lookups, listening to music, and various other light activites, but even when paired with an external keyboard, it is not very easy to get things done. i could live without my iphone, but it is convenient.
Click to expand...
This. I use my iPad mostly for games, entertainment and reading. Sits on my coffee table and is there for anyone to pick up to quickly surf the net or look up a fact during a movie.

I too sold my iPad 2 weeks ago and didn't realize how much I used it until it was gone. Hurry up Apple.
 
I don't have a MB or MBPro but I had a PC laptop, iMac, and iPhones and we now have an iPad. Our laptop is barely used anymore. and that is a nice thing, the iPad is quick, "always on and connected to wifi" easy to hold, read, play small games, search recipes, or shopping.
 
I just got an iPad2. I'm learning that there is stuff that prefer to do on the pad rather than on the MBP. Stuff like some games, and some other stuff. I find doing a lot of the things that I used to do on the iPhone much easier to do on the iPad.

NEED it?? Well, that's a subjective call...;)
 
The biggest thing the iPad and other tablets do that you can't do with a laptop is rotate the screen. If you are heavy in PDFs and other reference material, that is pretty key. A 17" MBP has a ~9" tall screen. A portrait iPad screen is 8 1/4" tall. MBP 15 is just under 8", MBP 13 is under 7".

Additionally the iPad gives 1024 lines of resolution vertically when in portrait, which is greater than all but the MBP 17". If the retina rumors are true, then even the 17" won't have the vertical resolution.

I live with PDF manuals, policies, regulations, and even laws in my job, so for that the iPad is great.
 
I have all three. iPhone is my go-to device when I am not at home or at office. At home, MBP is my go-to device for heavy computing and programming. iPad is my go-to device after I retire for the day and am laying in my bed. :)
 
I have an iPhone, iMac in the kitchen (the "old" one), a 27" iMac in the loft and a 15" MBP. I had to give my iPad 2 to my daughter after her iPad 1 was "lost" during a trip. I miss not having an iPad and will get the iPad 3.

It is about media consumption and I don't use it the same way I use my other devices. The MBP is used for school with Fusion 4 (I need to use Microsoft Project). I have to carry it back and forth even though that will be over in June. The iPad will be used for trips, both business and pleasure. There is something nice about surfing, watching movies and checking email on a device like the iPad while on a trip.
 
theking79 said:
I'm considering getting the new iPad, but I have always been skeptical about the point in getting one when you own an iPhone and a MacBook.

To anyone who owns an iPhone and a MacBook, have you found the iPad actually of real use or just something to use for the fun/sake of it?
Click to expand...

Great question :)

My 15" 2010 i7, 8GB, 512GB SSD, Hi-Res MacBook Pro is an absolute must have for me. My work is in engineering & design, scientific & other resource intense tasks. Therefore I must have a powerful computer.

The same "must have" status applies to my iPhone as well.

I find my iPad a nice addition to my other Apple products. The reason it's not a must have is simply because I did just fine before iPads existed. Based on my workstyle, lifestyle patterns it fits in nicely as an auxiliary item.

For a quick check of my email or light web browsing around the house. It's very handy.
 
Since buying an iPad, I leave my macbook at home. My ipad is a great mobile computer. I use for taking notes in pages but I will start using inclass asap. I use goodreader and dropbox to keep everything in sync. The ipad has better battery life and is much lighter then my macbook pro.

I will be selling my macbook pro soon because it gets very little use. I will be getting a 2012 imac to replace my MBP.

I use my iphone for reading on my morning commute and listening to music.
 
I guess we could think about it like this:

We used to not have computers
We used to only have one computer
We used to not have laptops
We used to not have smartphones
We used to not have mainstream tablets like the iPad

We have all of those now, many of us have more than one of them.

I have a co-worker who thinks the future will involve our smartphones docking and being everything - computer, tablet and phone.
 
For me personally:

8:00 AM to 5:00 PM = MacBook Air for work
5:01 PM to 7:59 AM = iPad for all personal computing (and maybe a little work on the side)

My iPhone is largely used in situations when I'm out and about and can't carry either of the aforementioned units.

As others have said, the iPad is a savior when traveling.
 
I barely use my iPad but that's probably because I don't get out enough. The iPad is great for browsing the web around the house and I can see it being incredible for students (especially uni students) and at work (especially with custom job specific in house apps).

Honestly though, I prefer a keyboard and pad for the web around the house because I type a lot.
 
The decision gets harder when you have a MBA and an iPhone :D I used my previous ipads for ebooks and on the go browsing. No matter how light and portable an Air is, the iPad just feels more solid and sturdy (lack of a hinge I guess) for when you are mobile.
 
Patriot24 said:
My iPhone is largely used in situations when I'm out and about and can't carry either of the aforementioned units.
Click to expand...
I found this happening to me also. Before the first gen iPad I used my iPhone for everything... after, for only phone calls, texts and emails as my iPad was a better experience with everything else.
 
Last year I had the iPhone 4, MBP and iPad 2. At the time the iPad was more of a web browsing convenience. I decided to sell it as the usage didn't justify the expense at the time. However now I am heavy into technical whitepapers (PDF) and looking to start reading more on the iPad as it would be easier to sit in bed or wherever to read, so the iPad 3 with Retina display is perfect for that and I can finally justify having the 3rd option.
 
Its for this very reason that I've never bought an iPad, I feel it would be redundant since I have an iPhone and MBP... But thats just my opinion everybody's needs and usage is different...... Now my girlfriend on the other hand has a MBP and iPhone as well, I gave her an iPad for christmas and I could probably count on one hand the times she's used her MBP since I got her the iPad......
 
anirudh said:
The decision gets harder when you have a MBA and an iPhone :D I used my previous ipads for ebooks and on the go browsing. No matter how light and portable an Air is, the iPad just feels more solid and sturdy (lack of a hinge I guess) for when you are mobile.
Click to expand...

Agreed. The times where I want to browse the web and read articles around campus and anywhere really with a bigger screen than my iPhone, the MacBook Air is still a bit awkward to use without it being on a surface.

I plan on using my MBA and new iPad for quite different purposes, especially since the battery on the MBA doesn't last as long as I'd like, so I can reserve that battery for the more serious stuff and keep the casual regular use for the iPad.
 
I have all three. the iPad isn't as portable as my iPhone and isn't as powerful as my MacBook, so I hardly ever use it. It's great to take on holiday, and its good to use in the kitchen for recipes. I also use it to stream music to my HiFi, oh and I use it to watch iPlayer in the bath..... Actually, I use it quite a lot!
 
I've recently finished up with school so I have more time to use my iPad. While I was still in school I would bring my MBP and iPad with me - though the iPad didn't see too much use. I'm not accurate or fast enough with the virtual keyboard to whip out lengthy documents.

Now that I don't have school work to worry about I can appreciate the iPad for what it is. Great for browsing, email, etc around the house and on the go. I opted for the 3G variant and I find myself taking the iPad out of the house more and more.

My iPhone is still my most used gadget, but I've found that the iPad is a great companion device.
 
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the ipad didn't become really useful for me as more than an ereader until i started using an external keyboard (with the incase origami case too). some people don't like that and prefer to go with a full computer. that's cool. but, the ipad is less expensive than a macbook air, same weight with the keyboard, has twice the battery life, lets you do handwritten notes, and lets you read, so i pretty much never take the computer out of the house anymore.
 
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