Who owns both an iPad and MBA?

[bcaslis]

...
The iPad is just a neutered version of a mac.
...

Most bizarre statement I've seen outside the iPad forum. Remove the keyboard and all connections, change the interface to touch, and run completely different apps with enforced sandboxing.

Yup, just like a Mac. 🙄

 

[citivolus]

I have both, but I wouldn't necessarily say they complement each other. They have different use cases but also when they overlap, one tends to be better than the other. For example, when I'm in the car or on the train, I pull out the iPad. If I know I have to do a lot of work, I take the MBA with me. Pretty typical response I would think.

 

[robvas]

I have both but almost never use the iPad.

 

[DDustiNN]

There wasn't a choice for iPad + MBA, rarely touch iPad since getting MBA.

Yeah, I feel like the poll was a little biased on that one. The whole bit about them complimenting each other was pretty unnecessary.

Ever since getting my MacBook Air, I feel like my iPad is nearly useless.

• For random web browsing on-the-go, I'd rather use my iPhone since it's always with me.
• Same with games - I'd rather not carry around the iPad if I don't need to, if I can just play a quick game here and there on my iPhone.
• For more "serious" web browsing (multiple pages, research, etc), the MBA is of course the better choice.
• For note-taking, I'll stick with the MBA now since I can type much faster than I can write (previously used iPad + stylus in class).
• Productivity obviously goes to the MBA as well, hands down.
• For reading, I prefer my Kindle Touch as it's much smaller, lighter, and less strain on my eyes.

So, with a MacBook Air, iPhone 4, Kindle Touch... I just have no reason to ever use my iPad.

I don't get the "it's just fun to use" line, either. What is "fun"? Flicking through your home screens or something? It's the same as the iPhone. Even the MBA has amazing multi-touch gestures which really enhance the experience. I just see no reason to use the iPad over the others.

So does my iPad compliment my MBA by sitting idle and doing nothing...? I would certainly like for it to be useful for something, but it just seems like I never need it...

 

[bogatyr]

I have both but the iPad will never be more than a glorified PDF reader until they have a good handwriting app with search function. Something similar to what Microsoft envisioned by cut a couple years ago.

My MBA does everything the iPad does but better... except for reading PDF/eBooks.

I tried using my iPad for a month or two as my sole computer platform. Used the logitech keyboard/case. I spent most of my time SSH'd into a workstation or using remote desktop to do real work. Add in the fact that a touch screen sucks for keyboard use (i.e. leaning in to interact with the GUI is annoying) and you have a terrible creation tool.

Stylus/Writing support is CRITICAL for input. I know the iPad has some options out there, but I've tried dozens and they all suck. If Microsoft ports a copy of OneNote with handwriting support that mirrors their Windows tablet support... I'd be sold.

 

[bcaslis]

I have both but the iPad will never be more than a glorified PDF reader until they have a good handwriting app with search function. ...

Handwriting is the slowest input method ever invented.

- Steve Jobs

Yeah, just what I want, an iPad that needs a stylus for input. 😱

 

[bogatyr]

Handwriting is the slowest input method ever invented.

- Steve Jobs

Yeah, just what I want, an iPad that needs a stylus for input. 😱

Needs? No. Able to? Yes.

What good is a tablet that you can't write on for notes in meetings? Last I checked, if I need a keyboard to write notes on my iPad, an Air is the same size and has more function and a mouse.

The reason I bring up the mouse is when you have the iPad in a keyboard tray, you have to lean in to do any clicking but with a mouse you're not constantly leaning in to click items.

 

[raphaeltecsonmd]

i own a MBA 11", iPad 3 and iPhone 4s. I find them very usefule in their own unique way... or I may be just an Apple addict! 😀

 

[Matthew9559]

I have a MBA, Windows 7 Desktop, iPhone 4, and a 1st gen iPad.

To me, each one has a unique purpose.

MBA - General device for when I need to type something more than a paragraph or lots of tabs open at once.

Desktop - Gaming, Software Development, and converting videos.

iPhone 4 - Always with me, great for quick google searches, apps, and time waster with games.

iPad - My usual couch/bed device for browsing web/reading books/email.

I don't feel like its overkill because each device services a distinct purpose for me. The only overlap, if there was one, would be the iPhone/iPad in my case. I tend to use the iPad for couch surfing and quick google searches. Obviously the iPhone is more important because it's my phone but for what I use it for most the time there is some overlap between those two devices. I build a new desktop around every 4 years and make one or two upgrades (not always) in that stretch of time. Usually a new GPU, more ram or something to keep it speedy. I am the type of person who is okay with Medium settings on my favorite games at native res. I do not need every single graphics option turned to max or else I would spend a lot of money. 😉

To me, the iPad/MBA serve very different purposes and there is a lot that each devices does better than the other. The only real similarity I have between them is the portability. Both are extremely light and can be brought to places easily.

 

[gdeputy]

I have iMac, MBA, iPad and iPhone.

 

[bcaslis]

...
The reason I bring up the mouse is when you have the iPad in a keyboard tray, you have to lean in to do any clicking but with a mouse you're not constantly leaning in to click items.

I have no idea what you are trying to get at with a mouse, but I can take perfectly fine notes with the iPad onscreen keyboard. Any stylus is way way slower, and unless you are typing a novel I don't need a physical keyboard for this.

The point is those dismissing the iPad simply because it doesn't have the same input as a Mac are missing the point. The question isn't does one replace the other, the question is do you have both? And the poll clearly shows a majority do. They are both good at certain things. Some apps on the iPad are way better than anything on the Mac. But there are tasks that are better on the Mac.

 

[tecknik1]

I have both the MacAir 4.2 and Ipad2 and yes they both have their strengths and compliment each other.

I also travel with both and for quick surfing and checking emails the ipad2 is the weapon of choice and the perfect toilet toy

For office and serious typing chore the Air is the way to go .

 

[j.dstasio]

I used to have a MBP, a 1st gen iPad, and an iPhone. I used my iPhone far more than either the MBP or the iPad. Once I got an iPhone 4, I pretty much quit using the iPad completely because I suddenly hated the screen. After a while I got tired of the weight of the MBP and sold it and bought a MBA. I found I used it a lot more and it cut down on how much I used my iPhone. Now that the new iPad came out, I find I use the three devices about equally.

iPhone - Usually the only device I leave home with. Great for quick things while I'm out & about: Email, texting, looking up movie times, or directions to a restaurant.
iPad- similar tasks as the iPhone but where a bigger screen is handy. Used for light work like reading or editing PDFs, great for composing long emails. Watching movies on the train/ plane, killing time at the airport waiting for a flight.
MBA- A great computer for working on the road. My MBP was overkill for what I used it for. The MBA travels well and does everything my MBP did with a fraction of the weight.

 

[The Catalyst]

I own both. The MBA takes up ~80% of my online time.

 

[KohPhiPhi]

I have a MBA 13 and an iPhone 4. I've been looking to get the new iPad but, quite frankly, I cant justify the purchase. I just cannot find any use I'd make of it. Surfing the net off the couch? The MBA is so light that does that just fine. On the go? I'd rather take the iPhone in my pocket.

I dunno, I cannot find any real use for the iPad that the MBA+iPhone combo can't do.

 

[bogatyr]

I have no idea what you are trying to get at with a mouse, but I can take perfectly fine notes with the iPad onscreen keyboard. Any stylus is way way slower, and unless you are typing a novel I don't need a physical keyboard for this.

To do real input, I need a keyboard. I type a lot, it's part of content creation - and notes. Using the keyboard puts me at a distance from the iPad that in order to touch it with my finger to click on something I have to be hunched over (bad posture move) it or I have to reach in constantly. Both terrible for your back. So that is why I feel it is a terrible item for typing with and therefore terrible with content creation.

Now if it supported writing, I could write on it like a notepad in a meeting. Removing the keyboard and posture issues.

The point is those dismissing the iPad simply because it doesn't have the same input as a Mac are missing the point. The question isn't does one replace the other, the question is do you have both? And the poll clearly shows a majority do. They are both good at certain things. Some apps on the iPad are way better than anything on the Mac. But there are tasks that are better on the Mac.

I have both. There was no option for having both but finding the iPad fairly useless now. So I chose the only option with both which is what others in my situation may have done as well. The poll is very incomplete.

 

[glen e]

I write my Keynote presentations on my mac air, I present them with a projector with no power supply on a pad. Makes traveling so much nicer with a slim ipad vs the power brick and the mac air. The two compliment each other for me so well..just because in your world you fine the ipad "useless" does not mean it is, many of experience different. Try standing at a job site going over a blueprint plan PDF with a crew using a MBA and passing it around.... or in a airline cockpit passing a MBA around...

This argument has been going on here for years....Usually the writer that issues the edict that the ipad is "useless" is writing from a dorm room....LOL

 

[bogatyr]

just because in your world you fine the ipad "useless" does not mean it is, many of experience different. Try standing at a job site going over a blueprint plan PDF with a crew using a MBA and passing it around.... or in a airline cockpit passing a MBA around...

Actually, if you read my original post you'll see that I use it for PDFs and reading materials. That is the one thing it excels at. I also said nothing about consumption of content (i.e. presenting). My negative marks are all centered around content creation.

This argument has been going on here for years....Usually the writer that issues the edict that the ipad is "useless" is writing from a dorm room....LOL

You shouldn't presume to know who someone, that you don't know, is. My opinion is based on my real world usage at the company I work for.

 

[ThisOneHere]

I currently have the iPad 3 and have had a MBP in the past. I find that I am missing the power and capability that the MBP provided.

The iPad obviously serves its purpose: extremely lightweight, amazing screen, consumption.

I'm just curious who else here feels the same and, as a result, owns both for the two different purposes they offer.

iPad + keyboard just isn't an option. Sure, I'd have a clunky keyboard that I can hardly use anywhere but a desk, but I'd still be limited in what it can do: functionality.

I have an iPad 3 and an i7 MacBook Air. Before that I always had the 15" MacBook Pro iterations. I then transitioned to an Air after realizing I really don't play games or do anything intensive on the Pro, plus the Air was cheaper and came with an SSD. Pair it with the i7 and I honestly haven't noticed a day to day performance difference compared to the Pro. I routintely use photoshop, do web design, check email, do online shopping, etc from the Air and I love it.

That said, I use my iPad for quick stuff, and more entertainment like watching Hulu, HBO Plus, streaming movies, and for the occassional video games.

The way I use them, I feel they complement each other. I would like to ditch the Air one day, but until I can browse ALL websites (including the dreaded Flash enabled ones) and use Photoshop in an efficient manner (not probable on a 9.7" display), and be able to make changes to my websites, I'll have to keep it. In fact I hope they release a 15" Air so the two devices can complement each other even more.

 

[glen e]

To do real input, I need a keyboard. I type a lot, it's part of content creation - and notes. Using the keyboard puts me at a distance from the iPad that in order to touch it with my finger to click on something I have to be hunched over (bad posture move) it or I have to reach in constantly. Both terrible for your back. So that is why I feel it is a terrible item for typing with and therefore terrible with content creation.

Now if it supported writing, I could write on it like a notepad in a meeting. Removing the keyboard and posture issues.


I have both. There was no option for having both but finding the iPad fairly useless now. So I chose the only option with both which is what others in my situation may have done as well. The poll is very incomplete.

my comments are directed at this thread in general, as many comment on how superior one is over the other, and that is total hogwash...
relax......

 

[mj1108]

(#100!)

I have both a 2011 MBA and an iPad 3 and they do compliment each other really well. VERY happy with both. 😀

 

[Springroll]

I have both as they scratch different itches so to speak.
I use the iPad when commuting and when lying in bed and in the bathroom... Macbook Air for more serious work...🙄

 

[urkel]

my comments are directed at this thread in general, as many comment on how superior one is over the other, and that is total hogwash...
relax......

Where exactly are you seeing these "many" (any?) people claiming superiority of the iPad? If your comments are directed at THIS THREAD then why not quote the people who are upsetting you because this thread seems pretty level headed.

 

[Hamburger]

iPad1 and 11" MBA late 2010 here. MBA has more or less become a desktop hooked up to 24" ACD and is rarely used as a laptop these days. But I am still happy that I have the laptop option when I need it. iPad is in daily use for reading the paper, email, Facebook, browsing etc...

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

I have both, but I don't know if they actually compliment one another.

They are somewhat independent in my experience.That is, I do very different things (with a good bit of overlap- email, internet etc) with each one.