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which would you buy ipad or 11 mba

ipad or 11 mba

  • ipad

    Votes: 28 38.4%

  • 11 mba

    Votes: 45 61.6%
  • Total voters
    73
iPad

I have yet to buy an iPad but seeing the new MBA has really made me want one. For my use, the iPad and my MBP makes more sense than the MBA.
 
What are you using it for? Do you want a full featured computer with a proper keyboard? If it's only for browsing the web and watching video content, an iPad should be fine. Do you have any other computers to use as your main?
 
I already own an iPad. If I do pick up an 11 inch MBA, I won't be getting rid of my iPad. It is more comfortable to use in certain situations like sitting on the couch or lying in bed. If I could only have one of the two, I would have to consider the MBA instead but given a choice, I don't want to give up my iPad.
 
low power

I think the iPad 64GB 3G+Wifi is a better value than a MBA 11" as with those kind of low power computer, you don't do much than surf the web and watch video, do email, stuff like that.

The iPad has been uptimize for that sort of thing. And with 3G, you can do it anywhere you like. You could also buy the docking station with keyboard if you ever want to type text for a long time.

I had 2 MBA, 1gen and last gen before they annonce the new one. 1 gen, couldn't watch hulu or Youtube or Vimeo without huge lagggggg. 2 gen, does lag with HD content from Youtube or Vimeo. It never lags with an iPad.
 
I've got a MacBook and an iPod Touch. My wife has a new iPad. Given the choice I'd go with the 11" MBA plus my iPod Touch. I think it's fair to add the Touch since most people would have a iPhone (I don't use a cell phone).

Reasons:

1. iPad is terrible for data entry, speaking as a touch typist.
2. iPad is basically nothing more than an oversize (doesn't fit in shirt pocket) iPod Touch.
3. Applications I need to run are either not available for the iPad or only available as reduced functionality versions.
4. No Flash in iPad. No Java in iPad.
 
11" Macbook air all the way, your getting a lot more for a few extra hundred dollars. Face to Face camera. It's lighter than the iPad & it's going to have S.L. as the O.S. and later Lion. Looks like it may become the iPad killer.
 
I just don't seem them filling the same roll. For somethings yes, but I think many people could find a use for both devices(or perhaps a faster/bigger laptop)

If I could only have one, I'd say MacBook Air, just because it would fill the role of my main computer, so I'd rather a full Mac then an iOS device(which is very nice, but not OS X)
 
You can't answer this based on the information given. An iPad is awesome, I have one and love it, but it is not a full-featured computer. One is not going to be, for instance, running Photoshop on it (although there are a bunch of image effects and editor apps that are great in themselves--but they are not Photoshop, they cannot generally be used for professional production).

It depends on what you want it for.
 
I have a 15" MBP and iPhone, and I wouldn't consider buying an iPad. Not at this price, anyway.

I can see their usefulness of an iPad for some people, but I know I wouldn't bother carrying the iPad around in my man-bag when I already have the much-more-convenient iPhone in my pocket for checking email, Facebook, and playing Sudoku. 😉

Also, I have a Kindle DX2, so my needs for an eBook reader are already met. Plus it's better for the task.

An iPad doesn't really fill any of my needs. It would be convenient if I were sitting on the couch, watching TV, and surfing the web. However, do I really want to spend more money on another device to check Facebook? It's certainly not designed to be a real computer, so I don't know what else I'd do with it. 😕
 
I've owned an iPad since launch and just got re wife a 13"Air. Both are priducts with limitations so Personally, we like the iPad more because you expect to be limited on a handheld product more than on a computer.

The problem is that I wouldn't recommend an iPad until next gen. Too many features coming that will make people say "dang I wish I waited"
 
iPad over 11"
- I just find the 11" screen to be too small for a full computing device.
- The iPad is useful for surfing and apps where as the MBA would be for processing and creating. It's too small for that.

13" over iPad
- The larger screen is perfect size for travelling and consuming information.
- The screen is hi-res.
- Good size to work on for extended periods of time.
 
I agree... IMHO the 11" is simply too small for a full fledged laptop that I am going to be using all the time. I much prefer my combo of 3G iPad and MBP. For me it is the best of both worlds.

I do business and am in the field a lot and I find the iPad is lacking (at times), but this is solely due to App Store restrictions on the types of apps available. I do a lot of testing and it would be nice to be able to have all/most of the apps I need on my iPad, but Apple's not about to allow that currently.

I have considered the 13" MBA as a potential solution, but overall I find using an old & cheep (slightly modified) Sony VAIO running Backtrack4r1in conjunction with my iPad is the most economical solution for me currently.

That said, I would love a 13" MBA if it was given to me. In the end, it's too small (storage, ram, and a bit slow) for me to use as a daily laptop. It would be great if all I did was note taking, but it's just not enough computer for me. That's why I opted for MBP as a primary system, and use the 3G iPad for billing and light notes/research mostly. It's annoying at times carrying around multiple devices, but it is what fits my bill.

Point is that it is all about what you need/want from it. IMHO the MBA is an ideal classroom computer, but in my business it's just not versatile enough for me.
 
iPad over 11"

iPad is half the weight
has twice the battery life
is cheaper (especially when factoring in that G3 is built in)
is a better media consumtion device
more robust because no hinge
touch screen is somehow addictive

reasons to buy the air are for me:
better keyboard
more functional/productivity applications available

i hope that app developers make better productivity apps over time and that someone makes a low cost bluetooth keyboard that folds up like Palms had it.

i consider selling my ipad next march and them decide again if i want a new iPad or a MBA.
 
TheNewDude said:
iPad over 11"
- I just find the 11" screen to be too small for a full computing device.
- The iPad is useful for surfing and apps where as the MBA would be for processing and creating. It's too small for that.

13" over iPad
- The larger screen is perfect size for travelling and consuming information.
- The screen is hi-res.
- Good size to work on for extended periods of time.
Click to expand...

I agree I went to the apple store and saw the 11 inch MBA and it was way too small...the 13 inch MBA was awesome.

So Ipad over 11 inch air...
13 inch MBA over 13 inch MBP
Make sure you order 4GB of ram with your MBA orders

The touch screen on the Ipad is so awesome...up to 12 fingers can touch it and one time!

The Ipad 2 will be even more awesome....can we say facetime and 1 GB of ram or more and maybe even dualcore A4 processor? Maybe even a 128GB version?

April is not too far away....they will announce the Ipad 2 in late January...
 
What do you mean which one would I buy?

If I wanted a portable laptop, then I would get a Macbook Air
If I wanted a tablet device, then I would get an iPad.
 
I played with an 11" MBA over the weekend and I couldn't stand it. Too small. I would rather have an iPad, but mainly as just a toy. I can't really think of any situation that I'm ever in where a 13" or 15" MB/MBP isn't portable enough.
 
i just saw the 11" mba at the apple store and it is stunning. however it really is a notebook (or the best and most expensive) netbook out there.

i would see my future like this:

a iMac at home, a 11" MBA and an iPad.

currently I have a i7 MBP and an iPad.

the MBP is $2500 and the iPad $829 = $3329.

a 27" iMac is $1699, the 11" MBA is $1399 and the iPad is $829 = $3927

so for $600 i would get probably a much better setup and I would have something really portable.
 
ok both are expensive , but at least with the MacBook Air there is a proper keyboard included which you have to buy for the iPad (which renders the portability to zero ) on the MBA you get a core 2 duo processor ,the better graphics card ,more ram , a bigger display, higher resolution and OSX and as the app store soon comes to OSX too i cant see the use of a iPad

as the 64 gb ipad with the keyboard dock cost £654
while the MBA 11.6 with 64gb cost £849

ok there is the 3G option for the iPad which could be handy for people who travel a lot ...but then the 64gb version cost with the keyboard dock £754

a simple 3G stick for the MBA solves that too and is a cheap upgrade
 
I got the wife a 13" MBA to replace her 13" Macbook and she's unimpressed with it. Primarily because the 13" MBA is far too similar to the 13" MBP in terms of "feel" and footprint so it feels like she's sacrificing money and features just for a thinner profile when it's in a bag.

But the 11" is another story. That's the one we originally wanted but the 5hr battery life just didnt make sense for a product intended to be so portable. We can still return the MBA13 so we're going to look at the MBA11 and MBP13 and I'll let her decide if she's more interested in power vs purseability.
 
urkel said:
I got the wife a 13" MBA to replace her 13" Macbook and she's unimpressed with it. Primarily because the 13" MBA is far too similar to the 13" MBP in terms of "feel" and footprint so it feels like she's sacrificing money and features just for a thinner profile when it's in a bag.

But the 11" is another story. That's the one we originally wanted but the 5hr battery life just didnt make sense for a product intended to be so portable. We can still return the MBA13 so we're going to look at the MBA11 and MBP13 and I'll let her decide if she's more interested in power vs purseability.
Click to expand...

I do actually know what you mean, and agree with you, but isn't it crazy how far we've come? It almost sounds funny saying it's a pretty low figure, but it sort of is!

I've the 15in MBP, and find the 8 hour (official spec) battery to be great for university.

Obviously I realise why they can't put a battery with that capacity in. I just found the sentence to be a reminder of how far we've come with portable computers.
 
trip1ex said:
Whichever is newer and shinier. 😀
Click to expand...

He he.

I wish a MBA would suit my need. I travel a lot to different locations as a cameraman and I need my 15" MBP, but it really feels like a pain to lug around. I think most people that say a 15" is not a problem to carry/not much bigger than a 13", don´t spend a big part of the year traveling.

Then I thought about getting an iPad, but it would be another device to lug around with me.
So as long as I need FW800 and as much processor speed as I can afford (HD editing), the MBP and iPhone 4 combo will have to do
 
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