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iPad Pro Does it make sense to buy an iPad Pro with MK for someone who has an iPhone Max and a Macbook? Would one of the devices lie unused and collect dust?

KensaiMage

KensaiMage

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 25, 2017
235
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What is/was it like in your experience?

Not an artist / probably won't use the device for handwriting.

If one has also an iMac - would you get rid of the Macbook or an iPad? ...would you use all three devices - an iMac a Macbook and an iPad?

Not travelling at all, doing stuff at home.
 
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Don't have a Macbook but I do have a Dell XPS 13 laptop, XS Max, and 2018 12.9 Pro. No MK but I do have Bluetooth keyboards and a Magic Trackpad 2. I see them all as useful but different devices having some but not total overlap in functionality I need. I wouldn't want to give up any of the three devices and were one to fail, I would replace it with another of similar form. None lie unused.
 
Th iPad Pro W/MK is definitely a good side product on the go if you don't want to bring your Macbook with you. iOS has a lot of the same "desktop" apps that you would find, so you you should not have much issues going between products.
 
hovscorpion12 said:
Th iPad Pro W/MK is definitely a good side product on the go if you don't want to bring your Macbook with you. iOS has a lot of the same "desktop" apps that you would find, so you you should not have much issues going between products.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, the Office 365 products on the iPad are not full-featured.
 
If you have money to blow why not.
I use my 27 inch iMac, 13 inch MBP, iPad Pro and iPhone all at the same time.
I also have an iPad Mini 5.

Comes in handy during Fantasy Football season.
 
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The answer is not new so with a bit of browsing on this forum you’ll find plenty to read.

It essentially comes down to your own useage pattern. Obviously you won’t likely use three devices at once.

I use my iMac the least these days, followed by my iPhone. I use my iPad the most.
 
Don't underestimate the value of a device collecting dust. It's still there if you need it.
 
I have a Mac mini for my Desktop environment work during the day, and a 2020 iPad Pro for mobile work either travelling or sitting on the couch. I also have access to my wife’s MacBook but I barely touch it. Just feels so cumbersome plus the iPad has all the multimedia capabilities, the screen is better and brighter, and it’s easier to hold in a mobile working or lounging situation.

I’ve found that if they have the same screen size, iPad OS is just easier to use somehow. Trying to switch between full screen apps on a 12” MacBook is frustrating to me for some reason. Forget trying to use multiple apps windowed on one screen. I added a keyboard and mouse to my iPad and it’s wonderful. I can also sync it so it’s like a big version of my phone. At home my phone can go on the charger in the kitchen and my iPad becomes my interacting device. Just many more uses

Now this is all because I have the Mac mini I use for my work, it’s my main computer and I couldn’t do my work without it. My point of view is all from this being a secondary support device.
 
sparksd said:
No - I won't depend on Internet access when traveling nor will I be using on-line services with potentially sensitive documents. I want the full-up localized functionality. Why I still take the laptop.
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Yeah, this is my biggest beef with iOS and iPads. Why not allow us to sync all files to our device, just like Dropbox or iCloud on a laptop.

My iPad is definitely collecting dust. OP, just keep in mind you're going to get some pretty biased responses on this forums. It's mostly frequented by people who've found a great niche in their lives that the iPad fills perfectly. Almost no one who visits this part of the macrumors forums actually dislikes or doesn't actively use their iPad. I was formerly in that camp, but have since felt the overall experience too gimped for constant use. So it's just sitting there and I'm not getting another one for the foreseeable future. Probably even more the case now that Macs are getting Apple CPUs and will soon be able to run iOS apps.
 
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I’m in kind of a fortunate situation where my employer supplies my Macbooks. We get new ones about every 4 years. They just gave me a 2019 model 15” MBP a few months ago.

I’m allowed to use the Mac for personal use too, but I don’t. When I am working during the day, I use the Mac because we’re really supposed to do work activities on work equipment when possible. But when I have a choice, it’s never the machine I choose.

I still like working in macOS for some things, but for me, it’s just not the way to go anymore. The 15” MBP would definitely collect dust if it were my personally owned machine. I would never use it.
 
I have a windows desktop, a 2010 MBP and iPad 7. My desktop gets used the least. My macbook pro is used almost everyday but stays on a desk and my iPad is used everyday as my portable device. Eventually the iPad will replace my laptop when time comes. I don’t see myself getting another laptop.
 
If you have an iMac, I don't see the point in the MacBook. Especially since you say you aren't really traveling. For me, Mac mini + iPP is the perfect solution. I use the iPP in a lot of ways-- as a tablet for gaming, to draw on while working (I teach online and use a whiteboard extensively), and as a "laptop" when I need or want to. Honestly, I don't really use any applications on the Mac mini that I couldn't also use the iPP for-- it's really just nice to have a whole lot of documents open at the same time while I'm teaching-- problems I'm screen sharing to my students, the answer key, the video chat, my calendar, a browser for messing around while I wait for them to solve things. ;)
 
Cosmo M3 said:
Why do you want an iPad Pro?
Click to expand...
Simply to make my life easier. To do the tasks I do daily snappier. I'm a post pc/mac user so standard computers make me feel a little bit tired.

All I hear is: "if you need a mac/pc buy a mac/pc"... but I don't want to need it, I want to be able to feel the flow on an ipad pro and enjoy the experience.

Some tasks seem to be cumbersome on macs/pcs and outdated and some seem to be cumbersome on an ipad.

Sometimes I wish I could have a hybrid of a macbook pro and an iPad pro... a MacPad Pro with touch perfected macOS?
 
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You have a Macbook so why would you need the iPad with magic keyboard? That sounds kind of redundent.

I have a MBP and an iPad Pro but I don't use the iPad with Magic Keyboard. I use it as a tablet.
 
I don’t have a need for multiple devices at this point, but, when I did, I had an iMac, iPP, and phone. I sold my iPP because I had a regular iPad, and felt like with having an iMac I didn’t need an iPP because I pretty much ONLY used it for a game here and there, and social media - I had the iMac if I needed it for everything else. However, when I no longer needed to keep an actual computer (my work needs changed), I sold the iMac, iPad and got the iPP with MK.

Now, I use my iPP with MK for everything, and will likely not have to have an actual computer again.

So I guess my suggestion would be to have an iMac for those things that require a computer, an iPad (regular or pro depending on how much you’ll be doing on it) and a phone.
 
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It really depends on your usage. I’m a programmer and a "proper" laptop is indispensable. I do have and use an iPad Pro 12.9 and a MK but it can only really be used for quick fixes.
 
I have a MacBook Pro 16" and an iPhone Pro 11. I have purchased (and subsequently sold) no less than three iPads. I like the idea of them, but ultimately they sit and collect dust.

Before getting my MacBook Pro I did have an iMac. Totally made sense to have an iPad then, but when I went back to a MacBook I sold the iPad.

MacBook is easy to grab, fully functional, and can be used all over the house. iPhone used on the go or for quick checks. To me, the iPad is a device that sits in the middle but replaces neither.

Tim
 
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I toyed with the idea of a Macbook twice, the first time I kept flip flopping over the configuration and ended up not buying, then the second time (some 4 years later) I started to wonder if it would actually collect dust. I ended up buying a Windows laptop and since upgrading my iPad, it largely has done (though it keeps iTunes and more content.) It’s sometimes useful for that purpose, but I couldn’t justify a Macbook.

Already having a Macbook, I’d say it’s harder to justify an iPad. I say this having a Mini rather than a Pro and MK, which seems even more likely to result in the computer collecting dust. Unless like a previous poster, selling the Mac is something you’d consider doing, if it did turn out to be collecting dust.
 
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