We have said this many times here... this a bit naive, that iPad is still cheaper than a MacBook air plus iPad (hopefully pro) which is what Tim aims at selling customers, a full ecosystem of devices
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iPad as a laptop replacement
- Thread starter Omar Comin' Yo
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It's not a matter of MSRP but one of profit. If Apple makes more money on the Macbook Air than an M2 iPad w/4G then they want more people to buy the Macbook Air.
Which do you think is more profitable, iPadPros + iPad AppStore sales or MacBookAirs + Mac AppStore sales?
As far as total profits for Apple, Macs are the destination while iPads are a gateway.
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You're getting it wrong, it's not either/or. They ideally want you to buy both.
To me iPad is a satellite to my 16” MacBook Pro, not a replacement. I have no problem with owning both.
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I would really love to replace my desktop computer completely with my iPad, but I still haven’t been able to do it. I do 95% of my work on my iPad, but there’s still that remaining 5%. Sometimes it’s because I can’t do something on the website on a mobile browser but it will work on a desktop browser. Other times it’s because that company only allows you to use an app on the iPad, they won’t allow access to their website through a mobile browser, and that app has limited features, so I will have to go to my desktop browser to do what I need.
Then the remaining stuff that I need a desktop computer for is when a typical file system will work better because I need to deal with one file while using many different apps. Sometimes there will be a way to do it on the iPad but it’s like I have to use ingenuity to come up with a way to do it, sometimes using another app in between, and I feel lucky if I could get it to work. It’s just not very productive that way.
Then the remaining stuff that I need a desktop computer for is when a typical file system will work better because I need to deal with one file while using many different apps. Sometimes there will be a way to do it on the iPad but it’s like I have to use ingenuity to come up with a way to do it, sometimes using another app in between, and I feel lucky if I could get it to work. It’s just not very productive that way.
Same - to me the finality is the comical limitation of both Safari and Chrome on mobile… Both (better than they have been) yet still crippled in key areas.
The browsers are what hold back the iPad more than iPadOS… for the most part.
If this is ”comical” I find it hard to encounter an adjective to described the limitations for compiling a native program and everything related outside Swift Playgrounds. 🤪
I dunno - I like the idea of the apps available... the safari and chrome limitations, to me, are the most frustrating.
I’m in a similar boat. I use a corporate iPad and HP laptop. It’s about a 95/5 split in favour of iPad which I use with Apple keyboard and mouse. Just because iPad isn’t heavily crippled by security ‘features’ and I find Windows irritating in general. I often hook it up to the office supplied HP 24 inch monitor and can live with the mirror only (plus black bars on the sides). Side By side apps is good enough for my uses in this set up.
A few in-house apps not compatible with our MS365 set up are the 5% hold outs requiring me to open up the HP. If my employers would spring for an Air 5 I’d be very happy indeed (we have iPad 9).
Can the Vision Pro replace your laptop…iPad and need for an office environment? Based on Apple promos, you’d have to say ‘yeah, maybe just’. Ultimate digital nomad use case right there…
iPad Air with Cellular = $750.
M2 MacBook Air (no Cellular) = $1100.
The iPad is cheaper.
Absolutely. Even when you compare similar SSD specs.
8/256 M1 iPad Air (WiFi only) = $750
8/256 M1 MacBook Air (Wifi Only) = $1000
There are any number of keyboard cases for $100 or less and it doesn't have to be a trackpad case since the iPad's screen is a trackpad, so the iPad with keyboard still costs less than a MacBook Air. Of course you can always make the iPad thinner and lighter than the MacBook by removing its keyboard; doing the same to a MacBook breaks it.
Ultimately these granular price comparisons are a sort of red herring. If you enjoy using an iPad it really doesn't matter if it costs the same as a MacBook.
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That is false. The M1 MBA doesn‘t have Cellular. If you remove Cellular to make it comparable to the M1 MBA.
8/256 M1 iPad Air = $750
And for FaceBook, YouTube, e-mail, like what people buy a 8GB M1 MBA for, 64GB storage is fine. So you can even make the iPad Air more cheap.
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Yes. I updated my post.
Obviously the 64GB iPad is much less expensive, but I think it's fair to compare the 256GB iPad. Even still, the iPad is cheaper.
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today
I am:
the iPad gen 10 blue was used for 5.5 hours, drawing, imdm research and sports news checking.
the Mini 7 hours streaming games then some documenters.
the MacBook Air M1 2020 0.00 minutes.
I never turned that on yesterday.
so maybe.....?
I am:
- sulken headed,
- embarrassed
- disbelieved
- astonished
- remorseful
- and deflated.
the iPad gen 10 blue was used for 5.5 hours, drawing, imdm research and sports news checking.
the Mini 7 hours streaming games then some documenters.
the MacBook Air M1 2020 0.00 minutes.
I never turned that on yesterday.
so maybe.....?
these comparisons of value based on price between such different devices make sense only for a very small set of people. There are huge differences between an iPad air (with a third party keyboard) and a MacBook air (much larger screen, much better speakers, better battery life for the Mac, but also lack of touch, pen and convertibility, lack of cellular on the Mac and lack of many desktop only apps on the iPad). In some regards it almost makes more sense to compare the iPad to a Windows laptop/convertible than to a MacBook... But we tend to be in "Apple-only world" here...
They don't make sense to me because I value the iPad for its form factor as a tablet; if I want a tablet, I buy a tablet, if I want a laptop, I buy a laptop. For me, this comparison is the equivalent of value-comparing a passenger car and a pickup truck.
Which is why I gave up a long time ago and own iPads, laptops, desktops, a car, an SUV and a truck. 🤣
This is an interesting point, which never occurred to me. If* the iPad has such thermal constrictions, I’m afraid that’s another reason why we won’t see macOS running on an iPad.
(*) This is a big if, and an interesting engineering point to debate: is the M2 on the iPad Pro more thermally constrained than the M2 MacBook Air? As far as I know, the M2 iPad Pro has all the rear surface to dissipate heat.
Anyways, I think this issue could be solved tuning the M2 on the iPad to thermal throttle earlier, or simply having a slightly lower clock speed.
While trying to get my mouse on a corner of the screen on the mac mini
by accident
the mouse and now keyboard works on the iPad 10!
im thrilled! Just typing finally on an ipad!
every sentence i type on the ipad has a ”m“ between 2 words
not once or twice, every time!
Maybe this ipad can replace a macbook?
by accident
the mouse and now keyboard works on the iPad 10!
im thrilled! Just typing finally on an ipad!
every sentence i type on the ipad has a ”m“ between 2 words
not once or twice, every time!
Maybe this ipad can replace a macbook?
The MBA has the advantages of hinge vents and keyboard openings to dissipate heat while the iPad has a heat generating screen on one surface.
Mac fans are suspicious of any negative performance decisions Apple makes, I think Apple knows that if they throttle or underclock the iPad so MacOS runs smoothly the people who most loudly say they want it would just complain.
If I understand correctly, you just used Universal Control.
One of the reasons why I’d like to get a new Mac mini is to be able to use Universal Control along my iPad Pro.
that is an amazing experience,
BUT
sometime the mouse jumps to the MacBook air
so I had to tweak that a bit!