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ReallyBigFeet

macrumors 68030
Apr 15, 2010
2,956
133
You clearly do not own an iPad. I've watched a lot of AVI movies on this thing with VLC and Xine for iPad.
Still I'll have to hand it to you, 720p has to be converted to MP4/M4V otherwise the devise will say it'll have problems with playing and asks if you are sure you wanna run it.

SOME AVI movies play without conversion, not all. I've found many that don't play with VLC for the iPad....more than don't that do, in fact.

And don't even get me started on the aspect ratio.

Oh and....
 

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bowlerman625

macrumors 68020
Jun 17, 2009
2,135
11
Chicago, IL area
I actively use both my MBA and iPad. I don't see that changing either. I love the form factor of my new 11.6 MBA and love having imbedded 3G on my iPad. I understand if you need to have only one or the other for financial reasons. If that is not the case, I see an argument for having both as they greatly compliment one another. You could travel with both and still have less weight than most laptops.
 

ReallyBigFeet

macrumors 68030
Apr 15, 2010
2,956
133
Those who say that the iPad is just a big iPod Touch have a point.

It really is, although somewhat ironic that the same people who jumped my case when I called it that at its introduction are the same ones who have a beef with how I label the 11" MBA as a netbook.

But the iPad took the best features of the iPod Touch and in super-sizing them actually made them more accessible and more usable for a larger segment of the population. For example, many people wouldn't have dreamed of buying an iPod Touch just to use for browsing the web and as an eReader, but the forums here are FILLED with customers who bought the iPad for exactly those two reasons and nothing more. The larger screen made it possible for them to accept the device even though the iPod Touch had already provided those features for years. Other than being bigger, the features themselves didn't change.

I pretty much expect that the next iteration of the iPad will be just replicating the success of the newer (and more feature-laden) iPod Touch as well.
 

Corax

macrumors 6502
Apr 27, 2009
266
0
Willemstad - Curaçao
SOME AVI movies play without conversion, not all. I've found many that don't play with VLC for the iPad....more than don't that do, in fact.

And don't even get me started on the aspect ratio.

Oh and....

Hahaha, nice pic! I stand corrected. ;)
Really in all honesty, personally I haven't come across an AVI that didn't play.
But that could be just luck, or in your case bad luck. But I do take your word for it now. :D
And about the aspect ratio of the display, it does give me huge black bars up and down while playing video, but that doesn't bother me.
I enjoye it big time in long distance flights, (10 hour flights) especially because of the battery life and also the game entertainment it provides.
One time on a flight of 10 hours, I watched 3 movies, played Angry Birds and Real Racing HD several times, and listened to my music, before take off in the airport I used the internet for quiet some time and I only had to recharge it 24 hours after arrival.
 
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ReallyBigFeet

macrumors 68030
Apr 15, 2010
2,956
133
Hahaha, nice pic! I stand corrected. ;)
Really in all honesty, personally I haven't come across an AVI that didn't play.
But that could be just luck, or in your case bad luck. But I do take your word for it now. :D
And about the aspect ratio of the display, it does give me huge black bars up and down while playing video, but that doesn't bother me.
I enjoye it big time in long distance flights, (10 hour flights) especially because of the battery life and also the game entertainment it provides.
One time on a flight of 10 hours, I watched 3 movies, played Angry Birds and Real Racing HD several times, and listened to my music, before take off in the airport I used the internet for quiet some time and I only had to recharge it 24 hours after arrival.

All in fun :)

And I am in full agreement. As a personal media/entertainment 'center' the iPad is very hard to beat. That battery is just amazing. Its really too bad that they couldn't replicate this on the 11" MBA but then I guess the argument would have fallen too far in favor of that device over the iPad.

Although another big benefit of the iPad still remains its slate orientation. So many different ways you can use a device like that versus you always need a flat, horizontal surface to make full use of any netbook device. Go check out the "how do I use my iPad in bed" thread for a good example. :D
 

Corax

macrumors 6502
Apr 27, 2009
266
0
Willemstad - Curaçao
All in fun :)

And I am in full agreement. As a personal media/entertainment 'center' the iPad is very hard to beat. That battery is just amazing. Its really too bad that they couldn't replicate this on the 11" MBA but then I guess the argument would have fallen too far in favor of that device over the iPad.

Although another big benefit of the iPad still remains its slate orientation. So many different ways you can use a device like that versus you always need a flat, horizontal surface to make full use of any netbook device. Go check out the "how do I use my iPad in bed" thread for a good example. :D

True,
And maybe funny to by-passers, but there have been times where I was walking through the city, to an appointment, and was playing games at the same time...try that on an Air (I love my Air by the way, but it has different uses).
 

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,885
8,055
just how does the ipad complement(although most said compliment) the mba? which weakness of the mba does the ipad fill and in vice visa?

thx.

I would say the greatest strength of the iPad is it doesn't have a keyboard. The greatest weakness of the iPad is, again, that it doesn't have a keyboard.

Because the iPad is all screen, it can be held equally comfortably in both portrait and landscape, depending on the content you are looking at. You can hold it close or far. You can pass it around a room as easily as a notepad. You can pull it out of your bag, tap a switch and swipe the lock screen, and it's ready to go. No need to fumble with the lid, as with the MBA and any other notebook. Right now, I'm typing this in a cafe with the iPad plopped on my lap. I could probably do the same with a MBA, but the iPad is more compact. I'm also not too worried about dropping the iPad off my lap -- I have it in a thickish TPU case and a screen protector. I know a skid to the floor might scratch up the case but the iPad will be fine. If I drop the MBA from this position, it could very well end up with a damaged hinge, depending on the angle.

But the lack of a physical keyboard does make typing a bit slower, and editing can be awkward. And of course, a lot of things have yet to be optimized for the touch interface. An MBA literally does everything a desktop computer does, absent CPU power and storage constraints. The iPad is in many ways still an oversized iphone. But it so happens that for my use case, an oversized iPhone is just what I need and want. Other people will find that the MBA is exactly what they need. And some people will find that they need and use both. There is no definitive "best device" for all users.
 

ReallyBigFeet

macrumors 68030
Apr 15, 2010
2,956
133
I'll tell you what makes using the iPad awkward for extensive editing, and believe it or not its not the lack of a real keyboard.

Its the stupid touch-based editing controls. Seriously, do you know how long it takes to remove your hands from the keyboard, move your finger to the section you want to change, highlight and hold, adjust your editing 'balls' or whatever they are called, press and hold again, choose copy or whatever, etc etc etc.

Its maddening compared to finger on trackpad to highlight, Ctrl+C/V or whatever and done.

There are times I wish the pop up iPad keyboard would give me a small trackpad or something so I could just use a mouse. The whole touch-based editing is for the birds.
 

drjsway

macrumors 6502a
Jan 8, 2009
936
2
I have a 11.6" MBA and an iPad. If I had to give up one device, I would give up the MBA. Once you experience full screen touch web browsing, you can never go back to a trackpad.
 

Appleind

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 12, 2010
197
0
There are times I wish the pop up iPad keyboard would give me a small trackpad or something so I could just use a mouse. The whole touch-based editing is for the birds.

That would be really great if they can do that. I see your point here
 

Truffy

macrumors 6502a
It is amazing to read so many of you got rid of your iPads to get the MBA. Is it the competitive pricing. Are any of you prospective iPad buyers now going for a MBA?
I had intended to buy an iPad, based largely on the cool bling factor, but I have to admit that the virtual keyboard and lack of support for 'real' apps bothered me. I have no such concerns over the new MBA, however, which fills in where I felt the older model didn't really cut it.

Now I just have to decide on the 11.6" or 13.3"...I suspect the latter, maxed out, will end up taking first place in the beauty pageant.
 

Corax

macrumors 6502
Apr 27, 2009
266
0
Willemstad - Curaçao
The reason that I choose the iPad with 3G and GPS is because I knew the WiFi model would have less use to me and I certainly didn't want a larger iPod Touch. The iPad with 3G and GPS is more than that, because of it's larger form-factor but also because of being online everywhere I go and using it as a map, navigation tool/system.
I take it everywhere with me and use it a lot more than my iPhone (which still has it's uses in some other area's).
 

andyd409

macrumors member
Oct 23, 2010
59
1
I don't think so. They are two different devices with different use patterns. I believe many of the folks are selling their iPad to get a new MBA mostly for economic reasons, not because they want to get rid of their iPad or because the MBA can replace the functionality of the iPad.

I use my iPad for "couch surfing" (like now) and my iMac for content creation and my 11.6 MBA for portable convenience. My MBA has replaced my white MacBook for portability. It seems to me that others also share my computer usage patterns, just using each in their most convenient places and function.

Just MHO


Andy
 

KPOM

macrumors P6
Oct 23, 2010
18,311
8,323
Some financial analysts are speculating that iPad sales will disappoint this quarter because people are buying the low-end MacBook Air instead. We'll find out in January.
 

lilo777

macrumors 603
Nov 25, 2009
5,144
0
Some financial analysts are speculating that iPad sales will disappoint this quarter because people are buying the low-end MacBook Air instead. We'll find out in January.

People buying MBA instead of iPad might actually be a good thing for Apple (AAPL). It depends on profit margins on two products. The margins might be higher on MBA.
 

bcaslis

macrumors 68020
Mar 11, 2008
2,184
237
I have a 11.6" MBA and an iPad. If I had to give up one device, I would give up the MBA. Once you experience full screen touch web browsing, you can never go back to a trackpad.

Actually I think it depends on the webpage. I'd much rather use an MBA on a forum like this. Trying to pinch zoom to select a number for the next page in a thread is terrible on the iPad. But scrolling around normal pages, like NYT can be better on the iPad.
 

aberrero

macrumors 6502a
Jan 12, 2010
857
249
It really is, although somewhat ironic that the same people who jumped my case when I called it that at its introduction are the same ones who have a beef with how I label the 11" MBA as a netbook.

But the iPad took the best features of the iPod Touch and in super-sizing them actually made them more accessible and more usable for a larger segment of the population. For example, many people wouldn't have dreamed of buying an iPod Touch just to use for browsing the web and as an eReader, but the forums here are FILLED with customers who bought the iPad for exactly those two reasons and nothing more. The larger screen made it possible for them to accept the device even though the iPod Touch had already provided those features for years. Other than being bigger, the features themselves didn't change.

I pretty much expect that the next iteration of the iPad will be just replicating the success of the newer (and more feature-laden) iPod Touch as well.

You're wrong.

The iPad is not a giant iPod Touch in practice. It is a totally different experience. The iPod seems kind of like a gimmicky cheap version of the iPad.

The 10" display is large enough that it starts t ofeel a little bit minority reportish. You can interact with it using all 10 fingers and keep it at a distance. The iPod is kinda dinky and you have to hold it up and poke at it.

It is a very different comparison than, for example, the larger screen version of the Nintendo DSi, which is pointless except for old people who can't see very well.
 
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