Which device would be better for the next two years?

[servenvolley]

I was looking to get a new iPad Pro, this one:
Refurbished 12.9-inch iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular 256GB - Space Gray (3rd Generation)

$1,109.00
Was$1,299.00 Save $190.0

• It is for sale on the Apple store in refurbished. I also saw this Macbook for sale as well:
  
  
  
• Refurbished 12-inch MacBook 1.2GHz dual-core Intel Core m3-Gold
  • $1,099.00
    Was$1,299.00 Save $200.00
    
    As a portable device for writing and media consumption, which of these is going to be the better device for the next three years?

 

[MultiFinder17]

If you're going to be doing any writing, go for the MacBook. Remember that you'll want to get a keyboard case to go along with the iPad, so expect to spend some more on that. If you need something light, portable, and that you can potentially do other productive tasks on in the future, I'd go for the Mac.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

In all honesty i'd save just a tiny bit extra and go for the 13" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. It's something that you'll get absolute pleasure from for the next 4 to 5 years every day!

I say this from my experience over the last week.
I've just been in Cape Town for the last 7 days and decided not to take my MacBook with me - instead just my iPhone X and iPad Pro 11.
Trying to type letters and attach items was an absolute nightmare. Web browsing on the iPhone was just horrific compared to the size of a MacBook screen.
Again, the touch keyboard of the iPad was not suitable for typing letters and documents.

It's TRULY made me realise how important the Mac is. The iPad is now for sale to one of my pals and from now on, the MacBook is travelling EVERYWHERE with me and the iPhone is used fo watching film, listening to music and for use as a camera etc.

I have the MacBook 12" but i'm upgrading it to the MacBook Pro as for me, 13.3" for a screen is perfect - I can use it for 4 to 7 hours a day with no eye strain etc but the 12" is not so good in that respect. I've just fitted a SSD to my old 13.3" MacBook and it's now as fast as my MacBook i5 (NOTE: I'm waiting until this time in 2020 for a brand new design MacBook Pro 13/14").

Last week for me was a real eye opener in the real world of using iPhones & iPads for everyday tasks and both failed for me. And this is why I don't understand Max, Plus size iPhones when they really are not a substitute for a Mac.

 

[ascender]

For me it would come down to two things... the keyboard (or lack of) and macOS v iOS.

I don't think there's anything better than an iPad for media consumption.

But for writing on the go? Unless you add something like the Brydge keyboard (which is quite heavy), I'd say the MacBook.

 

[Aston441]

MacBook for getting any real work done. Cheapest iPad to waste time on the Web. I tried using iOS to do real work. It’s a painful, unintuitive, sloppy ergonomic nightmare without a real mouse/pad.

I really can’t understand why anyone would pay more than $300 for an iPad.

 

[FilmIndustryGuy]

get the 12 inch MacBook and the new iPad mini. 2 great options for on the go depending on what you'll be doing. the bigger iPads are more useful if you are drawing. but personally id wait to see if a 12 inch MacBook comes out in 2020

 

[HappyIntro]

I'm wondering if the OP has made a firm decision on this. I'd vote for the MacBook for sure, if it's a 2017 version - much more powerful tool than iPad, even with the less powerful CPU. As a total package, it's great. I have loved using my 2017 MacBook.

 

[DNAppleGold]

MacBook for sure, if it's a 2017 version .

I’d likely go this way as well. The MacBook is just as portable and a iPad with keyboard. If your doing a lot of editing and swapping docs with others, the MacBook is just better (particularly of you use word). If you store docs on the cloud and use other computers to access the fact that the Mac will automatically download docs will be a huge help. I still have one and it is by far my most used device after the phone
That said the 2017 MacBook is not speed deamon. The iPad Pro will be faster at opening apps, better for media consumption, and better for input that works better with a pencil.

 

[keiji11]

they are both completely different devices i will get both on ebay used. I recently got a 12macbook 2016 8g/512g battery cc 300 for usd390 only. you can get it pretty cheap if u don’t mind buying a second hand device

 

[TorontoJen]

What kind of writing? I'm a writer, and I can't imagine writing full-time on an iPad Pro, even with a keyboard. I just hate the copying and pasting and manipulation of text with an iPad without a mouse. I use my MacBook for writing and it's a lot easier. My iPad is just general surfing and media consumption.

 

[servenvolley]

I'm wondering if the OP has made a firm decision on this. I'd vote for the MacBook for sure, if it's a 2017 version - much more powerful tool than iPad, even with the less powerful CPU. As a total package, it's great. I have loved using my 2017 MacBook.

I have not made a decision yet. Still considering options.
[automerge]1574451400[/automerge]
I write fiction novels. Yes, the iPad keyboard is a big concern for sure. I use and old 27” iMac to work three plus docs at a time but I also use a portable device for single doc work as well.

 

[TorontoJen]

I have not made a decision yet. Still considering options.
[automerge]1574451400[/automerge]
I write fiction novels. Yes, the iPad keyboard is a big concern for sure. I use and old 27” iMac to work three plus docs at a time but I also use a portable device for single doc work as well.

I also write fiction novels. It’s not really the keyboard that was my issue, it was using the screen and my fingers to manipulate swaths of text. You can totally attach a mouse with the latest OS on an iPad, but it’s kind of an afterthought and slightly weird.
If you are just fast drafting and stuff, then maybe an iPad would work if you will be doing a lot of your intense editing work on your iMac.
I have tried it, and for dealing with so many chapters and words, an iPad just wasn’t ideal for my particular situation, as I got frustrated quickly.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[revmacian]

I'll echo what others have said about the keyboard. I bought an iPad Air 3, ended up doing a lot of writing and the on-screen keyboard is just horrid for that type of task. So I ended up buying a third-party keyboard. Then I bought a MacBook Air a couple weeks ago and the iPad Air doesn't get much use anymore, it's just so much better typing on a Mac keyboard.

If, however, you're not going to be doing a lot of typing and the device will be used solely for media consumption, it might be better to go with an iPad.

 

[HappyIntro]

I'm sort of a wanna-be fiction writer; I've found that the best iPad setup for writing, for me, was to grab one of my comfy full-size keyboards and plug it into the iPad and just go to town. I printed out all keyboard shortcuts and sought to use as many of those as I could. Selecting text with my finger is one of the most ridiculously bad ways to select/edit text I can think of. Even when I only reached for the screen occasionally, it was so inefficient and imprecise that I gave up on using the iPad for my writing and went back to Mac laptops - a mouse or track pad is 1000% better than having to touch the screen with my fingers. I look forward to when iPadOS provides a normally functional cursor/mouse experience - then I will give it another try.

 

[servenvolley]

Ok, so you guys are making too much sense about working on documents on an iPad and I am certainly going to go with a Mac. Thanks.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

for writing and media consumption, no doubt macbook is better. You have got full version of Microsoft Word or Apple Pages vs stripped down version of those apps for the iPad. Media consumption is also better since the aspect ratio of most videos are 16:9 and Macbook screen aspect ratio is 16:10 which is a lot closer than 4:3 screen aspect ratio of the iPad. you have got less black bars while watch videos.

There are things in which iPad is the clear winner however and that is note taking and pdf reading. The MacBook doesn’t have a touchscreen and therefore can not be used for note taking with a stylus. Reading a pdf document is also a lot more pleasant with a tablet since you can read in portrait mode and you can easily Mark and annotate your documents using dozens of pdf annotation apps available from the App Stor.

 

[JtheLemur]

Speaking to the 12" MacBook option, I just picked up an Apple refurbished 2017 MacBook (i5/512GB) to replace my original 2015 MacBook, and I couldn't be happier. I do a bunch of professional design work on this bad boy – it's an awesome machine. In my case I have a much beefier Mac in the studio, but for all personal stuff and working remote, the 12" is an amazing machine, and easily my all-time favorite Apple laptop.

However, please don't spend $1100 on those specs. OWC sells them for an amazing price, undercutting Apple's refurbished storefront as well as many Amazon options.

https://eshop.macsales.com/configure-my-mac/UAIC1S33FXXXXXI