Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Coming from MacBook Air 11"

R

roccobladr

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Jul 25, 2011
336
158
I'm hoping to make the switch from my 11" MacBook Air to one of the new iPad pros (once iOS11 comes out). I figure I should be able to get all of my work done with an iPad and it would be cheaper than a new MacBook. I know power wise, I should be fine since my MBA is from 2011.

My question is the size comparison. Has any one else come from an 11" MacBook Air? Which size did you choose? Are there any images comparing the size of the MBA vs 10.5 iPad Pro and 12.9?
 
I am not sure about the size, but I upgraded from a 9.7 inch iPad to a 13 inch MacBook Air. The Macbook was soooo much better at doing day to day tasks. You cannot do what you do with a proper desktop OS on iOS. Forget running multiple apps at the same time (without pausing). Forget downloading torrents. It's just not as powerful or versatile as a proper computer. Stick to your MacBook Air or get a new Macbook. The iPad is a downgrade.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe, Wackery, KGB7 and 1 other person
I have the MacBook and MBP and iMac. I can't imagine typing long emails or doing my work, all on my 10.5 iPad. It's awkward; could be that I don't have a keyboard with my iPad. I use my computer(s) everyday. More efficient for me. When I'm out, on the couch, bed, then I use my iPad for videos, Facebook, entertainment stuff.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe and AidenL
I had a iPad mini 2 and since I have a 10.5" iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard, I changed A LOT my mind, whether the iPad is productive or not.
I use a BT-Keyboard in the past, but it's really different to have it attached to the device. It's always with me. Ok, iPad will still don't replace my MacBook, but it is a A LOT more productive than with my iPad mini 2. At least the split screen is better, because it's now possible and the display is bigger.
 
I have an 11" MacBook Air and also bought both a 10.5 and 12.9 iPad Pro this week to test out which size I liked better. You might try the same if you can. I've decided to return the 12.9 and keep the 10.5. I've enjoyed the smaller one for the increased portability. The 12.9 feels too big when doing casual reading / web browsing on the couch. I think the 12.9 is really nice though and would be more compelling if I were to mostly use it on a desk or as a laptop replacement like your situation. Wish I could keep both.

Size-wise, the 10.5 feels closer to the 11" Air screen though a bit smaller. The 12.9 is very similar in size to the 13" Air screen. The 12.9 screen is expansive and gorgeous, though a bit awkward to hold at times. The 10.5 is also gorgeous and plenty big for most tasks (including multitasking) but is more portable.
 
I have a similar plan. Just sold my 11" Macbook Air to buy the 10.5" iPad.

It all depends on your usage scenario. The 11" Macbook Air is (was) an awesome laptop. After Haswell, its battery life and size basically made me forget it's a laptop, and at that time for me, it's a better solution than a 9.7" iPad 4 that I had. In real-life productivity, the 11" screen and 784p resolution unfortunately is quite cramped for a desktop environment. On its own, trying to be super productive on it can be frustrating sometime. On the bright side, once you connect it to an external display, it is just as productive and great performing as any regular laptop.

So, if you will be using your Macbook Air mainly in a desktop environment (especially with an external monitor), keep it, or if you really like the form factor, get a "newer" refurbished models. Anything after Haswell has awesome battery life.

So why I sold mine? Recently, I surprised myself how productive I can be even on my iPad mini 2 (no side by side, just slide over, and even then that improves productivity). Considering my 11" Macbook Air was more of on-the-go "laptop," and the kind of things I do on it can be replicated on an iPad, I think I can be as productive on a 10.5" iPad. Add iOS11, and the iPad wins me over. The 11" Macbook Air doesn't have SD card slot, so either way I have to carry a dongle. I rarely use USB flash drives anymore thanks to Google Drive. Add on to that that Apple is selling an iPad with as much storage as my Macbook Air (256GB), I don't mind living on the bleeding edge of post-pc era. :)

In short, depends on what you use the device for, and what other devices you already have. If this is your only laptop, then by all means either keep it or get another laptop/Macbook. A laptop is still crucial as a primary device. However, if this is your secondary laptop, I see an iPad can be a good alternative.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe and Wackery
pika2000 said:
I have a similar plan. Just sold my 11" Macbook Air to buy the 10.5" iPad.

It all depends on your usage scenario. The 11" Macbook Air is (was) an awesome laptop. After Haswell, its battery life and size basically made me forget it's a laptop, and at that time for me, it's a better solution than a 9.7" iPad 4 that I had. In real-life productivity, the 11" screen and 784p resolution unfortunately is quite cramped for a desktop environment. On its own, trying to be super productive on it can be frustrating sometime. On the bright side, once you connect it to an external display, it is just as productive and great performing as any regular laptop.

So, if you will be using your Macbook Air mainly in a desktop environment (especially with an external monitor), keep it, or if you really like the form factor, get a "newer" refurbished models. Anything after Haswell has awesome battery life.

So why I sold mine? Recently, I surprised myself how productive I can be even on my iPad mini 2 (no side by side, just slide over, and even then that improves productivity). Considering my 11" Macbook Air was more of on-the-go "laptop," and the kind of things I do on it can be replicated on an iPad, I think I can be as productive on a 10.5" iPad. Add iOS11, and the iPad wins me over. The 11" Macbook Air doesn't have SD card slot, so either way I have to carry a dongle. I rarely use USB flash drives anymore thanks to Google Drive. Add on to that that Apple is selling an iPad with as much storage as my Macbook Air (256GB), I don't mind living on the bleeding edge of post-pc era. :)

In short, depends on what you use the device for, and what other devices you already have. If this is your only laptop, then by all means either keep it or get another laptop/Macbook. A laptop is still crucial as a primary device. However, if this is your secondary laptop, I see an iPad can be a good alternative.
Click to expand...


So this is and has been my primary computer since 2011. I work as a nutrition counselor dietitian. 90% of my job is listening, the other 10% is electronic charting. My job only requires a web browser, email, WebEx (sometimes recording..not sure if this is possible on the iPad app version). The only other things I've done on this laptop are creating music with Garageband, docs/very light spreadsheets, and store pictures. All of my music is relegated to Apple music and stored as a back up on an external drive.

All of these things would probably be easier on a MacBook but I don't see why I actually would need another laptop/computer for this. The biggest factor is honestly the price and value. A base MacBook is 1300$, 256GB 12.9" iPP with keyboard is 1069$, 256GB 10.5 iPP with keyboard is 908$.

I guess I'll have to wait to see what iOS 11 can really do for me. Mouse/trackpad support would be an absolute no brainer, though I'm not sure if I necessarily require it.
 
as much as I want to try and replace my Mac with the new iPad, I really do not think it is possible. There is an existing thread about mouse support, and that is the real issue for me. I can only image how tired my arm would get trying and then have to touch the screen vs. using a trackpad.
 
I'm actually coming from the MacBook Air 11" and just placed my order for the 12.9 256GB Pro. I'm going to try and use it as my main device and I think that it should work well for me because honestly I do most things on my iPhone 7 Plus and the only thing that I used my MacBook for was doing some video edits for my YouTube channel which all are pretty simple and don't through iMovie.

I plan to do all my edits now on the iPad Pro using LumaVision in combination with the Apple Pencil and see how it works out for me. I think I will be fine though. If push comes to shove and I need a laptop, I can just use my work laptop for things here and there.
 
TechnicallyTee said:
I'm actually coming from the MacBook Air 11" and just placed my order for the 12.9 256GB Pro. I'm going to try and use it as my main device and I think that it should work well for me because honestly I do most things on my iPhone 7 Plus and the only thing that I used my MacBook for was doing some video edits for my YouTube channel which all are pretty simple and don't through iMovie.

I plan to do all my edits now on the iPad Pro using LumaVision in combination with the Apple Pencil and see how it works out for me. I think I will be fine though. If push comes to shove and I need a laptop, I can just use my work laptop for things here and there.
Click to expand...

Can you post a comparison shot of the MBA with the iPP? I travel a lot and trying to see how the sizes would compare.
 
Nisaja said:
The Macbook was soooo much better at doing day to day tasks. You cannot do what you do with a proper desktop OS on iOS. Forget running multiple apps at the same time (without pausing). Forget downloading torrents. It's just not as powerful or versatile as a proper computer. Stick to your MacBook Air or get a new Macbook. The iPad is a downgrade.
Click to expand...

Thing is, that's your opinion as it applies to your daily workflow and use-case. Lots of people do seem to be able to do what they'd normally have done on a Mac just fine on an iPad and many actually seem to prefer it. Look at the latest benchmarks for the iPads and you'll see they are actually incredibly fast and powerful machines. Add in the Apple Pencil and iOS 11 and even more people might make the jump.

Coming from a MBA 11" with its non-retina screen and aging hardware and the OP might be surprised by what he can get done on a new iPad Pro.

But you're right, there's still some things you can't do on an iPad. Like downloading torrents.

* waits for someone to come along and point out you can download torrents with the right software and a jailbroken device *
 
  • Like
Reactions: TechnicallyTee
roccobladr said:
So this is and has been my primary computer since 2011. I work as a nutrition counselor dietitian. 90% of my job is listening, the other 10% is electronic charting. My job only requires a web browser, email, WebEx (sometimes recording..not sure if this is possible on the iPad app version). The only other things I've done on this laptop are creating music with Garageband, docs/very light spreadsheets, and store pictures. All of my music is relegated to Apple music and stored as a back up on an external drive.

All of these things would probably be easier on a MacBook but I don't see why I actually would need another laptop/computer for this. The biggest factor is honestly the price and value. A base MacBook is 1300$, 256GB 12.9" iPP with keyboard is 1069$, 256GB 10.5 iPP with keyboard is 908$.

I guess I'll have to wait to see what iOS 11 can really do for me. Mouse/trackpad support would be an absolute no brainer, though I'm not sure if I necessarily require it.
Click to expand...

I would make a full list of all the things you have to do for work. Including a list of all websites you use and everything that has to work on those websites. Then if you decide to buy an iPad, go through the entire list and test everything within the return period. This way you can find if everything works for your workflow. Some websites do not work correctly with iOS, some require flash, some require java, some detect that you're using a mobile browser and show a limited site instead and won't load the desktop site regardless of trying to request it through the browser. Try to be as thorough as you can so you will know if it works for you before you're unable to return it.

Unfortunately no one here can say if it will work for you or not, we can just offer how things have worked for us and how we feel about it. I personally am unable to switch to an iPad and get the same productivity as I do with my MacBook. Another person who does different things may reply that it works 100% for them and it is better than their laptop was. Both of us would be right.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe, Abazigal, TechnicallyTee and 1 other person
legioxi said:
I would make a full list of all the things you have to do for work. Including a list of all websites you use and everything that has to work on those websites.

Unfortunately no one here can say if it will work for you or not,
Click to expand...
Yet you just did that by assuming the websites you listed is what the OP will have to use.
 
I mostly use my iPad for day to day tasks but i would never be without my MacBook pro. For downloads and creating documents and spreadsheets, its just so much easier with a MacBook. For me, the two device work hand in hand perfectly
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
pika2000 said:
Yet you just did that by assuming the websites you listed is what the OP will have to use.
Click to expand...

I didn't list a single website nor did I say the ones OP needs would or wouldn't work. I said -any- website OP uses should be tested to make sure the iPad would work out for the OP prior to the return period being up. That matches what I ended it with, that we can't say if it would work, only the OP can. That means the OP would need to test to see if it can work out.

Maybe you should reread what I posted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
OP, do it.

I've moved from MacBook Pro to iPad Air 2.

The iPad with iOS 11 is a fully capable laptop replacement.

Simply put, it's like this..

Write down everything you NEED to do.
Work out which app / programme is needed.
Find out if iOS offers an app for that.
If it does them all, you can live on iOS!

It worked for me. Now, when I need a new device, it costs half a MacBook Air rather than 50% more!

I can take the iPad with me virtually anywhere. A stand case and Bluetooth Logitech keyboard is handy and comfortable. Not having a laptop weigh on my chest in bed is more comfortable too. It's easier to put the iPad down than walk away from the laptop.

ICloud backup keeps my data safe. Integration between phone and iPad is still there.. unlike Android/Windows options.

I say, if your needs permit, go for it. It's the future.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TechnicallyTee and macgeek18
I think when attempting to switch from a laptop to an iPad, one thing you have to be prepared for is that not everything can be done the same way. It's not only something you must accept, but also embrace entirely as well.

Take something as elementary as copy and paste on iOS, which can be a pain. I personally use copied (which is a godsend for handling multiple chunks of text) and can't imagine going back to the old way.

Some things can be done better on a tablet, some things may not be done as well, and some things cannot be done on an iPad at all. It also means you need to be prepare to do a lot of "trial and error" in finding that ideal workflow for your needs, or simply to work around the limitations of ios. Which can be frustrating at first (I personally found it fun), but I believe it will all be worth it in the end.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
iOS just cannot do what a desktop OS can. Like one pointed out, you can't copy paste whatever you like. Only text, pictures and select files. You can't plug in a flash drive, or a portable hard drive and access your stuff. You don't have true multitasking. Switching between apps is slow and laggy. On Mac OS it's instant because those apps you minimize don't pause. An iPad is an iPhone with a bigger screen, and lets face it, Apple Pencil is only useful for designers.

Trust me. I thought it was the future too. I ditched my old laptop and bought an iPad 2 way back in 2011. It was nice, but in no way did it replace a proper desktop. Besides, you can't type comfortably. Sure there are smart keyboards, but that's just turning an iPad into a laptop. Why not buy the real thing?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Scepticalscribe
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back