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erasr

macrumors 6502a
Sep 18, 2007
743
644
I’m considering getting the 11” and keyboard as an occasional laptop, but still use my MBA M2 as the main day to day work laptop.

What would be nice is to take an iPad to a coffee shop and do some light stuff, or if I’m on holiday etc.

I do a lot of Keynote stuff. The only concern I have is that iPad Keynote is clearly built for touch, and compared to Mac Keynote, it’s pretty average.

Other than that, I do a lot of branding consultations. Viewing websites, etc.

Just wonder whether my use case is alright for iPad. I want the 11” so that I can use it as a tablet on holiday too.
 
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MyAppleWorld

macrumors 6502a
Nov 1, 2005
624
94
Birmingham, UK
I now have 13inch m4 and so I’ve started using the trackpad. With this in mind, it feels very mac-like. Which got me thinking, why don’t I just use my MBA more and get rid of iPad? I had 11-inch IPad and it meant I never used my mac.
 
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zakarhino

Contributor
Sep 13, 2014
2,611
6,963
For very light typing, nothing heavy, 11” + Magic Keyboard would be OK though, wouldn’t it?

I just picked up the 11” Magic Keyblard and trying it out for the first time. It’s not bad, a lot more usable than I first thought it would be. The keys are a bit mushy and I can’t type as fast as I can on a regular Apple keyboard but it’s a nice experience overall. The trackpad is small, yeah, but very usable with default tracking speed settings. Overall it’s a good buy, I won’t be returning mine.
 
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varezhka

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2022
73
55
What would be nice is to take an iPad to a coffee shop and do some light stuff, or if I’m on holiday etc.

I also found iPad + keyboard to be a better vacation travel companion (w/light work) than my MacBook Air.

I did find the Magic Keyboard a little too compromised, however. Instead I started taking my MX Keys Mini and returned the MK. Much nicer keyboard experience and no need to swap back and forth on the folio covers.
 
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blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,972
4,472
The new MKB for the 13" M4 really does make it feel like a true laptop in many ways. HOWEVER by many accounts it is still quite lousy to use on a lap and that is going to matter for some people, myself included. I use my MBP often in bed on my lap.

You also have to factor in price. If I was forced to get a new laptop tomorrow I'd get the base model M2 MBA for $850 brand new. That is nearly half the price of the 13" base model M4 iPP plus MKB (both at retail granted). And while you also do get a tablet to boot with the iPP I'm personally not a fan of using the 13" size in-hand. So in reality if I did get the 13" iPP it would exclusively be used with the MKB. And if that is the case, the MBA is the clear choice, at least for me.

I think this also applies to countless consumers. They would be better off, for example, getting a base model M2 MBA plus a base model 11" iPA versus a 13" iPP with the MKB. You'd be saving money along the way as well.
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,916
13,260
The new MKB for the 13" M4 really does make it feel like a true laptop in many ways. HOWEVER by many accounts it is still quite lousy to use on a lap and that is going to matter for some people, myself included. I use my MBP often in bed on my lap.

You also have to factor in price. If I was forced to get a new laptop tomorrow I'd get the base model M2 MBA for $850 brand new. That is nearly half the price of the 13" base model M4 iPP plus MKB (both at retail granted). And while you also do get a tablet to boot with the iPP I'm personally not a fan of using the 13" size in-hand. So in reality if I did get the 13" iPP it would exclusively be used with the MKB. And if that is the case, the MBA is the clear choice, at least for me.

I think this also applies to countless consumers. They would be better off, for example, getting a base model M2 MBA plus a base model 11" iPA versus a 13" iPP with the MKB. You'd be saving money along the way as well.

That’s looking at the situation with a bias for Macs though (understandable considering this is MacRumors).

These stats are pretty interesting.


A lot of iPad users are likely still on 7.9/9.7” and the next largest share is for the 10.2” (7th - 9th gen) followed by 10.9” (10th gen, Air 4-5). Most people simply aren’t buying iPad Pros. Those that do probably have their own reasons unrelated to Macs.

I have the M1 MBA which just sits unused and I expect the same will be the case if I were to upgrade to the M2/M3 MBA. MacBooks are just a waste of money for me.

Meanwhile, I use every one of my primary iPads for at least 10 hours a week. Admittedly, the Mini is getting the brunt of usage at 8+ hours daily. The M1 12.9 is averaging ~30-40 hours a week (typically used as 3rd display for email, Google Meet/Chat, PDF markup, etc. while I have other things on the dual monitor desktop).
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,972
4,472
That’s looking at the situation with a bias for Macs though (understandable considering this is MacRumors).
No it's not. There are still concessions being made with respect to iPadOS vs macOS and also the ergonomics of the MGK. While I do think the function row and larger trackpad are especially awesome on the new MGK, by all accounts I've read it still isn't as functional when not used on a hard flat surface. A lot of consumers don't exclusively use their laptops on a hard surface.

If the new MKBs were ideal to use in all physical situations, then I would be more open to the idea of them as a laptop replacement for many (assuming you are cool with using iPadOS over macOS). But that isn't the case. And like I said prior, the MBA will work better as a laptop in such scenarios so you are better off with an M2 MBA and an M2 iPA (assuming you want a tablet as well).
 
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Harmonious Zen

macrumors 6502a
May 18, 2013
874
551
That’s looking at the situation with a bias for Macs though (understandable considering this is MacRumors).

These stats are pretty interesting.


A lot of iPad users are likely still on 7.9/9.7” and the next largest share is for the 10.2” (7th - 9th gen) followed by 10.9” (10th gen, Air 4-5). Most people simply aren’t buying iPad Pros. Those that do probably have their own reasons unrelated to Macs.

I have the M1 MBA which just sits unused and I expect the same will be the case if I were to upgrade to the M2/M3 MBA. MacBooks are just a waste of money for me.

Meanwhile, I use every one of my primary iPads for at least 10 hours a week. Admittedly, the Mini is getting the brunt of usage at 8+ hours daily. The M1 12.9 is averaging ~30-40 hours a week (typically used as 3rd display for email, Google Meet/Chat, PDF markup, etc. while I have other things on the dual monitor desktop).
What exactly do you use your iPads for and why do you have more than one?
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,916
13,260
What exactly do you use your iPads for and why do you have more than one?

Mostly reading (novels, fanfics, comics, etc), anime and browsing. Plus the usual stuff - shopping, banking, paying bills, taxes, etc. Basically almost all the same stuff I do on the laptop.

The 12.9 also gets used as an office companion device (PDF markup, checking emails, instant messages, video conferencing, etc).

I don’t like using my iPads while charging. The cable gets in the way plus I feel like I’m gonna break the USB-C port so I just swap iPads when my current one needs to be charged.

Before (especially when iPads were RAM-starved and sometimes even now), dual iPads was also my “multitasking/split view”.

I also like to optimize screen sizes based on the content I’m viewing.

mini: webcomics

10-11”: manga

13”: American comics
 
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DeepSix

macrumors 6502a
Feb 4, 2022
844
932
The new MKB for the 13" M4 really does make it feel like a true laptop in many ways. HOWEVER by many accounts it is still quite lousy to use on a lap and that is going to matter for some people, myself included. I use my MBP often in bed on my lap.

You also have to factor in price. If I was forced to get a new laptop tomorrow I'd get the base model M2 MBA for $850 brand new. That is nearly half the price of the 13" base model M4 iPP plus MKB (both at retail granted). And while you also do get a tablet to boot with the iPP I'm personally not a fan of using the 13" size in-hand. So in reality if I did get the 13" iPP it would exclusively be used with the MKB. And if that is the case, the MBA is the clear choice, at least for me.

I think this also applies to countless consumers. They would be better off, for example, getting a base model M2 MBA plus a base model 11" iPA versus a 13" iPP with the MKB. You'd be saving money along the way as well.


Here in Canada you can get a brand new M3 Air with 16GB ram for the same price as the 13" M4 iPad with pencil 2. Then you have to get a keyboard on top for the ipad. A no brainer which id choose.
 
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Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
No it's not. There are still concessions being made with respect to iPadOS vs macOS and also the ergonomics of the MGK. While I do think the function row and larger trackpad are especially awesome on the new MGK, by all accounts I've read it still isn't as functional when not used on a hard flat surface. A lot of consumers don't exclusively use their laptops on a hard surface.
Of course, there is a bias. You are clearly coming at it from a Mac perspective... I use my MGK on the bed and on my lap, not entirely on hard surface. And I have no issue with the ergonomics, but I think what you are omitting here is I don't have to exclusively use it as a laptop.

I can take it off and use it as a tablet if I so choose, which using an MBA... is a no-go.

If the new MKBs were ideal to use in all physical situations, then I would be more open to the idea of them as a laptop replacement for many (assuming you are cool with using iPadOS over macOS). But that isn't the case. And like I said prior, the MBA will work better as a laptop in such scenarios so you are better off with an M2 MBA and an M2 iPA (assuming you want a tablet as well).
Now, for a value or cost perspective... buying a M2 MBA and M2 iPA totally makes sense. But this whole "ergonomics of the MGK" situation is something that an individual need to experience for themselves.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,972
4,472
Of course, there is a bias. You are clearly coming at it from a Mac perspective... I use my MGK on the bed and on my lap, not entirely on hard surface. And I have no issue with the ergonomics, but I think what you are omitting here is I don't have to exclusively use it as a laptop.
This is not at all what I have read in reviews, on this forum, and on Reddit. The overwhelming consensus is that the MKB with the 13” M4 iPP is not comfortable to use whatsoever on a lap, etc.
 

Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
This is not at all what I have read in reviews, on this forum, and on Reddit. The overwhelming consensus is that the MKB with the 13” M4 iPP is not comfortable to use whatsoever on a lap, etc.
I'm not saying you are wrong, or the reviews are... my point is that it's a case-by-case situation.

And at this point, there's plenty of naysayers against using an iPad as laptop replacement to begin with. So, they employ use whatever reason to discredit the use of it.
 
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sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,991
34,254
Seattle WA
This is not at all what I have read in reviews, on this forum, and on Reddit. The overwhelming consensus is that the MKB with the 13” M4 iPP is not comfortable to use whatsoever on a lap, etc.

It's a generic problem with tablets with keyboards and 2-in-1 laptops. Standard laptops have weight in the keyboard body while tablets and 2-in-1's have the weight in the vertical display - they are inherently unstable in your lap and you need to use the palm rests to steady them. My Pro & MKB are no worse - or better - in this regard than my Surface Pro. The SP may be more difficult as it has the kickstand extending its length.
 
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Ludatyk

macrumors 603
May 27, 2012
5,962
5,131
Texas
I agree. But honestly you in the small minority that say the MKB works well on a lap.
Heck, I'm in the small minority who believes in an iPad as a laptop replacement lol.

But it's one of those situations where the user hands are placed on the palm rest; they have a trackpad to navigate around iPadOS. And then the screen is titled to where it's viewable... I personally think it's much ado about nothing.

A user encounters an issue when they decide to use it as a touchscreen while docked to the MGK (because it do have a potential of tipping over) ... when the point of the MGK is to use it as a laptop, not a tablet.
 

ofarlig

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2015
931
1,148
Sweden
This is not at all what I have read in reviews, on this forum, and on Reddit. The overwhelming consensus is that the MKB with the 13” M4 iPP is not comfortable to use whatsoever on a lap, etc.

I have both at home and I use my 13” with Magic Keyboard more or less only in my lap. The macs try to slide off my lap while the iPad stays put so my iPad is comfortable to use in a lot more situations.

That’s the reason I sold my own MBP, it was way more annoying to use when not on a table.
 
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Ultracyclist

macrumors 6502
Oct 13, 2014
335
311
Zwijndrecht, Netherlands
Heck, I'm in the small minority who believes in an iPad as a laptop replacement lol.

But it's one of those situations where the user hands are placed on the palm rest; they have a trackpad to navigate around iPadOS. And then the screen is titled to where it's viewable... I personally think it's much ado about nothing.

A user encounters an issue when they decide to use it as a touchscreen while docked to the MGK (because it do have a potential of tipping over) ... when the point of the MGK is to use it as a laptop, not a tablet.
No, I don’t think you are the only one. And you and I know that.
My iPad replaced my MacBook as of iPadOS 16 beta 2. The week of WWDC I bought my M1 iPP and sold my Air4.
Being honest some of the times, especially in the early days’, I had some minor issues With iPadOS, but hey, after all it still was beta and with the release of iPadOS 17 beta 1 all was smooth sailing form there.

I still hope Rapid weaver comes to the iPad because this and Altstore are the only apps I still need my MacBook for. I don’t see myself ever buying a new MacBook As long as I can get by using my old MacBook for the Altstore function of Sideloading.

I even introduced the iPad in the workplace and put all my co-workers on one.




IMG_6446.jpeg

My office space. Me and my co-workers all have the “same” setup. They have the Air 5 with a 25” ultrasharp monitor and the apple keyboard and trackpad combo. For the out of office time they have a MKB knockoff That works on BT, but gets the job done.
 
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