Which should I buy? iPad or Mac mini

[0098386]

A MBP doesn't need a break. I used a Powerbook throughout university, it was my work and play machine and it never broke into a sweat. It's still alive 6 years later and serves as a work laptop for my dad.

I'd stick with that or get a nice upgrade for it.

 

[eawmp1]

You have a computer that works. The above poster was recommending buying the mouse/monitor/external keyboard to use your laptop as a desktop...not an unreasonable recommendation.

Perhaps dropping $500 on therapy to get to the root of your irrational decision-making with regards to purchasing electronics would be money better spent.

 

[Jett0516]

buying the ipad is a suicide. Go with the macbook!

 

[eawmp1]

buying the ipad is a suicide. Go with the macbook!

Thanks for playing. Try reading more carefully next time.

 

[Bengt77]

Plus you get all the cool games in the app store that you can't play on a Mini.

In (hopefully) a couple of weeks, you can have Steam on your Mac mini, though...

Having stated that, at one point I used to own two computers (my current MacBook and a 23" iMac). Seriously, I thought it was a pain in the butt to keep the two computers synchronized. I ended up selling the iMac as I never used it anymore. As it turned out, I'm a laptop person through and through, I just never realized it since I never had one before I got this MacBook.

the ipad MacBook Air has really only mobility and ease of use over the mini Dell Inspiron.

See? Your reasoning doesn't necessarily make sense.

 

[aleni]

the mac mini offers the same experience with MBP, but with iPad, it's totally a new experience to feel. if i were u, i'd buy iPad because it's going to be a pain in the ass to see people having fun with iPad everywhere, even on youtube videos and every time you are stuck watching iPad that people have on youtube videos and you just bought a mac mini which delivers the same experience with Macbook Pro.

I never give my MBP a break, hell it's a machine, it's supposed to work hard

 

[bigaudiofanatic]

I understand the point of not giving the computer a break I am more talking about the battery. Mine has not been shut off for more than an hour sense I got it. Plus I like the idea of having a desktop of a device to surf the web without having the laptop out. Both would work well so will my mbp.

 

[That-Is-Bull]

I understand the point of not giving the computer a break I am more talking about the battery. Mine has not been shut off for more than an hour sense I got it. Plus I like the idea of having a desktop of a device to surf the web without having the laptop out. Both would work well so will my mbp.

I guess it would extend the battery life a little. If that's worth $600 to you, go for it. But I'd still get the iPad over the Mini.

 

[dXTC]

Does anyone know if the ipad can run by itself, or requires syncing/updating/activating to a pc or mac like the iphone and ipod touch?

I don't know about activating, but I believe the iPad does require syncing with a computer, like the iPhone and iPod touch. It's not a completely standalone product like the MacBook. At least, that's how I understand it. Even if it could be put in standalone mode somehow, I'd still sync it, since without a media drive (such as card reader or standard USB port) there's no other easy way of backing up music and other media that's been downloaded, nor an easy way of getting my current collection to it.

I still find it funny, nearly a decade out from the first iPod, that some people try to make their iPods into a "standalone" media storage and player. I understand their reasoning for doing so, as they may have smaller computer hard drives. Even so, I've always thought of my iPods as physical manifestations of a portion of my iTunes library-- "checkout cards" of sorts.

 

[CaptainChunk]

the mac mini offers the same experience with MBP, but with iPad, it's totally a new experience to feel. if i were u, i'd buy iPad because it's going to be a pain in the ass to see people having fun with iPad everywhere, even on youtube videos and every time you are stuck watching iPad that people have on youtube videos and you just bought a mac mini which delivers the same experience with Macbook Pro.

Am I to assume that this "totally new experience" is something you have direct experience with?

The lunacy of this statement is quite hysterical. You're feeding the irrationality of the OP, who doesn't seem to know what he wants or why he wants it other than to burn a hole in his pocket.

And for the record, there are several mobile devices (even non-Apple-branded) that can pull down YouTube videos flawlessly. Preordering an iPad solely on that reasoning makes almost ZERO sense. Besides, I'm curious to see just how many people will a) buy an iPad with the expensive 3G option (which really should be standard); and b) actually pay for a dedicated data subscription from AT&T that's redundant to the one they already have on their iPhones.

I'm trying really hard to not to come across as an iPad hater, but it just seems that too many people are blindly recommending them for all the wrong reasons.

 

[aleni]

Am I to assume that this "totally new experience" is something you have direct experience with?

The lunacy of this statement is quite hysterical. You're feeding the irrationality of the OP, who doesn't seem to know what he wants or why he wants it other than to burn a hole in his pocket.

And for the record, there are several mobile devices (even non-Apple-branded) that can pull down YouTube videos flawlessly. Preordering an iPad solely on that reasoning makes almost ZERO sense. Besides, I'm curious to see just how many people will a) buy an iPad with the expensive 3G option (which really should be standard); and b) actually pay for a dedicated data subscription from AT&T that's redundant to the one they already have on their iPhones.

I'm trying really hard to not to come across as an iPad hater, but it just seems that too many people are blindly recommending them for all the wrong reasons.

sorry. my english sucks. i mean when a new toy from apple released, there is a lot of people going to post a video about that. that's what happens when the iphone is released and i just bought a mac mini a month before (i have a mbp so it delivers the same experience with macmini). everyday i'm watching iphone that people have on youtube videos, drooling and salivating over the iphone that
makes
me regret purchasing a mac mini which i dont really need. it ends with the
mac mini got into sale and bought the iphone. the mac mini was having a reduction price value even if it's only a month old.

i didn't mean buying an ipad only for watching videos on youtube. my englih is not fluent, it's not my mother language so maybe you will understand what i meant this time.

 

[aleni]

by the way, am i the only person here who are watching and drolling a new apple's toy on youtube videos before i actually buy it?

 

[Santabean2000]

You don't sound like you need either. If you really want to spend $500 on something you'll enjoy, pack your bags and head off somewhere for a weekend with somebody, it's the moments that make people happy not their assets.

Funny. But far too true to be useful for foolish Mac-addicts who populate these forums...

 

[CaptainChunk]

i didn't mean buying an ipad only for watching videos on youtube. my englih is not fluent, it's not my mother language so maybe you will understand what i meant this time.

No worries, man.

All I'm saying is that there's a fine line between shopping for a computer and shopping for a multimedia appliance like the iPad. They're two completely different things. I suppose it's up to the OP to decide whether he needs either one at all.

 

[aleni]

No worries, man.

All I'm saying is that there's a fine line between shopping for a computer and shopping for a multimedia appliance like the iPad. They're two completely different things. I suppose it's up to the OP to decide whether he needs either one at all.

yeah, i didn't force him/her to buy the iPad, but from my experience with mac mini and mbp, the mac mini stays at home collecting dust because it's a pain to use 2 computers.