This has been my experience as well. I have a 13 inch MBA, iPhone 4, and an iPad. I use both the MBA and iPhone several hours a day but the iPad hardly at all. Make of this what you will.
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Can't really make up my mind. MBA 11" or iPad 2?
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The ipad isn't a device that fills every need. It's a very useful device with an incredible battery. If you can get by with 4-5 hrs of battery, then the macbook air 11" is a much more useful device (for most tasks). If you need it to fit in your pocket, it's not for you. The ipad does a great job of being an 80% device. It does 100% of what 80% of users need, and 80% of what most users need. It's just a new paradigm, and people who are used to previous paradigms will need to get acclimatized to a new way of working.
Agreed. If you are looking for a handbreaking machine, get the pro. the air will do most of the tasks people need.
iPad <> MBA 11 isnt a perfect comparison...especially since they can vary in cost by 500.00. Would you be getting the base of both models? If youre only doing some light word processing/etc, the iPad is going to be just fine...especially when paired with a nice bluetoothe keyboard case (yes, I know this effectively makes it a laptop).
I was a big iPad user until i got my Air but now its no contest. Get the Air. its a full computer with none of the iPads limitations.
Check here for best prices.
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Check here for best prices.
http://www.appleinsider.com/mac_price_guide/
Since this is the MBA forum, I'm sure the replies will be mostly pro MBA - and they should be.
The MBA is a full-blown computer that can run Flash, other browsers (Firefox, Opera, etc), Windows (Virtual or Bootcamp), and much more.
It also comes with a nice keyboard.
With the introduction of the App store for Mac computers, many of the IOS apps have been adapted for the the Mac computers, including the MBA; you just need to use the track pad, instead of the screen - and no smudges!
If you're patient, try and wait for the next MBA, which should feature the Sandy Bridge processor and perhaps some other nice surprises - rumored to be this summer.
The MBA is a full-blown computer that can run Flash, other browsers (Firefox, Opera, etc), Windows (Virtual or Bootcamp), and much more.
It also comes with a nice keyboard.
With the introduction of the App store for Mac computers, many of the IOS apps have been adapted for the the Mac computers, including the MBA; you just need to use the track pad, instead of the screen - and no smudges!
If you're patient, try and wait for the next MBA, which should feature the Sandy Bridge processor and perhaps some other nice surprises - rumored to be this summer.
Any student needs a primary computer first.
The ipad as others have stated is more like a 2nd or 3rd device to use.
The MBA 11 inch (for a student) really should almost be considered a secondary device.
Students may be able to get able with the 13 inch MBA air with 4GB as their primary computer.
So for the OP, they should choose option 2 or 3 (either keep the 2009 13 inch MBP and get ipad 2) or sell the old MBP and upgrade to the 2011 MBP.
The ipad 2 (in my opinon) appears more like the iphone 3G to iphone 3GS upgrade. It's faster, more capable than the first generation ipad but it's not like going from iphone 3G to iphone 4.
The ipad as others have stated is more like a 2nd or 3rd device to use.
The MBA 11 inch (for a student) really should almost be considered a secondary device.
Students may be able to get able with the 13 inch MBA air with 4GB as their primary computer.
So for the OP, they should choose option 2 or 3 (either keep the 2009 13 inch MBP and get ipad 2) or sell the old MBP and upgrade to the 2011 MBP.
The ipad 2 (in my opinon) appears more like the iphone 3G to iphone 3GS upgrade. It's faster, more capable than the first generation ipad but it's not like going from iphone 3G to iphone 4.
Keep the Mac you have and get an iPad. The iPad is the future of notebook computers for most users. I don't even own a Mac notebook anymore. I just have an iMac at home and use my iPad for everything I need to do on the go. If you already have a Mac then get the iPad.
Get an Air.
Ipad is more a secondary machine and you'll need to sync it to something to ideally.
I'm trialling and Air 13" Ultimate (coming from a pre unibody Macbook Pro 15") and have a ipad 1 also, which I have been using less over recent weeks, especially since I got the Air.
Ipad is more a secondary machine and you'll need to sync it to something to ideally.
I'm trialling and Air 13" Ultimate (coming from a pre unibody Macbook Pro 15") and have a ipad 1 also, which I have been using less over recent weeks, especially since I got the Air.
The ipad, the air isnt meant to replace the ipad, it has limitations.
Works both ways. They're different devices. But an ipad + a home computer will be flexible in ways that an air alone won't be.
Get a Dell and free yourself from these concerns.
0)
So should he get a dell or a galaxy tab?
+1! As noted in an earlier post, I use both my MBA and iPhone 4 for several hours a day but my iPad has fallen into virtual disuse.
Investing in any laptop still stuck C2D-land isn't the best of options at the moment. Can't see the MBA sitting as-is for much longer with all the 32nm options available. Frankly should be rated a "Don't Buy" on the buyer's guide page. MBA is a sucker buy at this point.
Grab a Sandy Bridge 13" MB or an Ipad2. If you absolutely need a MBA, hold on to your current one until the refresh. Lugging around your current 2009 13" MB is not exactly strenuous.
Grab a Sandy Bridge 13" MB or an Ipad2. If you absolutely need a MBA, hold on to your current one until the refresh. Lugging around your current 2009 13" MB is not exactly strenuous.
My recommendation to any prospective purchaser of an MBA would be not be put off by its C2D processor. Only the most processor intensive application will run significantly faster on an i series processor than it will on a C2D. Moreover, people who run such apps know who they are. The 13 inch MBP's graphics are significantly inferior to those of the MBA and the iPad is a large iPhone, which in no way can really substitue for a genuine computer. There a number of valid reasons to select a 13 inch MBP or an iPad over an MBA but the MBA's C2D processor is not one of them.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: It is a big mistake to be a spec whore.
Sigh....
Ok, you want to drag it out? Sure why not, I've got some free time.
He has a mid-2009 13" MBP. A light machine that is easily portable. And his tasks are as follows:
"I need it for taking notes, doing some presentations, writing research paper, and all that good stuff that high schoolers do"
All of that can be done perfectly fine with his existing laptop without buying into an already outdated architecture. Not only an outdated architecture but a slow one. Yes, they're binned SU/L9400's, but that's 3 year old architecture that is slower than his current laptop and running under extreme throttling from OSX.
The underlined portion for youth today (and for nearly the last decade), simply to cut the bulls**t here, is downloading episodes of family guy and converting them into mp4 for itunes/ipod/iphone. That and ripping CD's/DVD's or converting audio. And there you most certainly will see dramatic increases on a SNB chipset. The current 13" MBP blows the mid-2009 model out of the water in Futuremark and video trans/encoding.
Quote where he says anything about gaming in the original post. Gaming shouldn't be taken seriously on a 13" MBP, and especially not an 11" MBA. Graphics? That's cute. They have the same amount of memory available to their GPUs so Photoshop GPU acceleration would be roughly the same. Only the overall application performance would be worse thanks to a slower and more heavily throttled CPU.
Says the guy with two laptops (MBP, PB), one ultraportable (MBA) and a smartphone (IPhone4). Gee, I wonder why you found no real use for the Ipad. There are plenty of people who do find it useful and working on a college campus I can say I see many students, including a few in classes I teach, taking Ipads to class instead of laptops.
Yes, it most certainly is. Stop being obtuse.
Executive summary? From someone who seems to lack an understanding of the actual hardware involved in the discussed products? That's adorable.
To the OP: Listen kid. Save your money. Spend it on something useful, like beer or a girlfriend. Those extra 2 pounds of laptop are not going to kill you (considering the weight of most kids backpacks). If you really, really, absolutely, positively must have something smaller and all you really need is notes and presentations, save up an extra $100, grab an ipad with the hdmi out and a bluetooth keyboard. You'll still be way under the price of a new MBA, it's lighter and smaller, and you'll still have the 13" MBA at home if you get the entry wi-fi Ipad.
If it were a lateral move from your current laptop to a new 11" MBA, that's one thing. But a high school kid spending $500 just to do it coming from a mid-2009 13" MBP? Pointless.
Hi, I'm having the same problem, can't decide whether I should get a MBA or iPad2. I'm a graphic designer and use Adobe products all the time, but I mostly use my iMac for that, but I want to have a device which I can carry my work with me.
I was going to get a MBP but I don't need a laptop that fast and expensive. I think I'm warming to MBA 13'' idea.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Edit: I have an iPhone4 as well.
Edit2: When do you think the new MBA come out?
I was going to get a MBP but I don't need a laptop that fast and expensive. I think I'm warming to MBA 13'' idea.
Any other suggestions?
Thanks
Edit: I have an iPhone4 as well.
Edit2: When do you think the new MBA come out?
Wow, sorry I upset you. I had no idea that our disagreement would be so important to you. Let's just leave it to other posters to decide whether my analysis or yours makes the most sense. It works for me.
I should apologize. It was a long day, and the telecom company is hassling me with installation appointments (Vodafone is like something out of the 8th circle of hell). My response was more smartass-y than needed.
It was just the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY bit that stuck in my craw. C'mon man. That was a bit pompous. I've been here a long time, I've owned a lot (and I mean a lot) of Apple products (and many non-Apple products) over the many years, I work in a computer hardware/software intensive field, I see college students everyday so I understand the current educational atmosphere, and BYO servers and workstations have always been a hobby/side-job for me. I'd be perfectly happy to debate the merits of buying into or waiting for a refresh. Outside of gaming (which should not be a buying point for either device), the GPU will give no real improvement in application performance for his needs.
If all he really needs it for is typing notes and something to hook up to a projector, the Ipad is much cheaper, brand new hardware, more portable, and fulfills all the originally stated requirements. Plus he's got a built in marketplace full of games designed to actually run on that machine if he wants to game. Not to mention he can keep the existing laptop as his "workstation" and load up the ipad with music and video for when he gets bored. I find browsing through an audio/video collection on an Ipad a lot more fun that doing so on a laptop.
That's all without even considering some of the really neat educational applications available or in development for the Ipad. There are quite a few useful chemistry apps for instance. Many publishers are making textbooks available as digital purchases, or he can scan in pages of his textbook to help eliminate even more weight from his bag.
My recommendation is still save your money kid. But if you absolutely must have something smaller and more portable, get the ipad. You'll be saving yourself hundreds and hundreds of dollars over getting a new MBA and you'll still have the mid-2009 Macbook that's more powerful than the MBA that you can leave at home or take with you.
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for me the big difference is the 3g on the ipad. I don't have an iphone, and it is very convenient to have that connectivity most everywhere.
Apology accepted, thanks. In retrospect, I, too, should have handled my earlier post differently. There was really no reason to quote your post before I stated my opinion about the C2D. I realize now that my executive summary might have seemed like a needle. It wasn't meant that way, though, I promise.
Your point about the 13 inch MBP saving money is valid. I would recommend that any student on a budget get a 13 inch MBP rather than an MBA because of all the money it would save. To get comparable RAM, processor speed, and storage space in an MBA would cost 50 percent more than the price of a 13 inch MBP. My point in my earlier post was that, to me at least, the MBA's C2D chip is not a valid reason to pass it over.
I do believe, however, that the OP should be very wary of the iPad if he intends to do significant data input. The iPad's virtual keyboard works but is much slower and error prone, at least in my hands, than a conventional keyboard.
Like so many of us here, I, too am an old IT professional and have owned many Apple products and many computers from other makers over a whole lot of years. Ironically, I always worked in Windows shops but have long preferred Apple's hardware and OSs.
The beauty of exchanges such as ours is that the OP and others can read our respective points of view and then make up their own minds.