iPad Pro iPad Pro or MacBook Pro

[DougiePhresh]

I know there is a thread on this already - but it is ten years old and has 300+ pages of replies. I do not have the time or energy to go through that all.

I have a 2020 M1 MBP and it has gotten increasingly irritatingly slow recently (I just went back to school and have been using it a lot more now than I had been for a few years). When I bought this MBP back in 2020 - I did actually purchase an iPad Pro first - used it for a few days and realized the OS (I do not believe iPad OS had been released yet) was not going to cut it for what I wanted, so I returned it and got the MBP.

I want to know thoughts on whether an iPad Pro, in 2025, can legitimatly replace my MBP for school purposes (writing papers, doing research, etc.) or should I wait for the new MBP to be released and grab one of those? My wife has a 2025 MBA and I hate it - so that is out of the question.

 

[A1423]

I did this a couple of years ago and came to the conclusion that while it theoretically could for office suite tasks, in your example like writing papers and checking email. If you’re using a computer, don’t switch to an iPad. You’ll switch back. I didn’t even make it through the return window at Best Buy.

I still think they are great at augmenting a desktop system. Take your iPad to school, and have all your notes and such on your computer at home. But I personally wouldn’t only have the iPad.

 

[vanilla_prison]

The iPad Pro could definitely fill the needs in your specific workflow. Many people try to make the iPad their main computer and get frustrated then give it up for a “real computer” because they don’t give themselves time to adjust to the operating system. Switching from Windows to Mac will give you headaches because you don’t know how to do what you are used to right away. Switching from Mac to Windows is the same situation. iPadOS is no different. Sure, there are certain limitations (single audio source, no clamshell mode, no terminal, etc), but for basic computing needs it does a fantastic job. I’d say it takes at least a month to get used to a new operating system and how it handles different tasks. iPadOS 26 has brought a lot of changes, especially for multitasking (really window management) that can make lots of different workflows possible. I have a 13” M4 iPad Pro with the MKB and a 15” M4 MBA. I hardly ever touch my Mac, really only for specific use cases. My iPad does 99% of what I need a computer to do. In addition, it is a great two-in-one device. Sometimes I forget that I’m using an iPad when I have it connected to the MKB. But when I do want a tablet, I just take it off the keyboard, attached it to the Smart Folio, and bam! Now I have a device that I can carry around and draw on.

 

[DougiePhresh]

The iPad Pro could definitely fill the needs in your specific workflow. Many people try to make the iPad their main computer and get frustrated then give it up for a “real computer” because they don’t give themselves time to adjust to the operating system. Switching from Windows to Mac will give you headaches because you don’t know how to do what you are used to right away. Switching from Mac to Windows is the same situation. iPadOS is no different. Sure, there are certain limitations (single audio source, no clamshell mode, no terminal, etc), but for basic computing needs it does a fantastic job. I’d say it takes at least a month to get used to a new operating system and how it handles different tasks. iPadOS 26 has brought a lot of changes, especially for multitasking (really window management) that can make lots of different workflows possible. I have a 13” M4 iPad Pro with the MKB and a 15” M4 MBA. I hardly ever touch my Mac, really only for specific use cases. My iPad does 99% of what I need a computer to do. In addition, it is a great two-in-one device. Sometimes I forget that I’m using an iPad when I have it connected to the MKB. But when I do want a tablet, I just take it off the keyboard, attached it to the Smart Folio, and bam! Now I have a device that I can carry around and draw on.

This is the kind of insight I was looking for - thank you

I don't really care at all about the single source of audio, clamshell mode, or Terminal - so those are a non-issue. What I really missed back in 2020 was stuff like window and file managament. Which, from what I hear, has gotten much better?

 

[Ursadorable]

Whenever someone asks me this question, my answer is always the same.

Are you a content consumer, or content creator? If you're a creator, the iPad is no substitute for a full fledged computer. If you're simply a consumer, then the iPad may be for you. There are other reasons of course, but to me, this is one of the most defining decision points on the matter of iPad vs Mac.

Can you create content on an iPad, of course. But the experience is lackluster.

 

[ericwn]

Apple provides us with a two week return period. Give the iPad a try if you feel so inclined and return it if it doesn’t work out for you. Personally, while I could use my Pro as my main source of computing, I’m more efficient and relaxed using my Mac for longer sessions. The Pro is a great secondary player in my setup.

 

[A1423]

Apple provides us with a two week return period. Give the iPad a try if you feel so inclined and return it if it doesn’t work out for you. Personally, while I could use my Pro as my main source of computing, I’m more efficient and relaxed using my Mac for longer sessions. The Pro is a great secondary player in my setup.

Bestbuy has 60 days if you have their total tech membership.

 

[ericwn]

Bestbuy has 60 days if you have their total tech membership.

Good to know. Every retailer will differ in their policy.

 

[Ludatyk]

This is the kind of insight I was looking for - thank you

I don't really care at all about the single source of audio, clamshell mode, or Terminal - so those are a non-issue. What I really missed back in 2020 was stuff like window and file managament. Which, from what I hear, has gotten much better?

Window and file management has gotten better with iPadOS 26… as @ericwn pointed out, give it a go and try it out for yourself.

Ultimately, you will decide if it can handle your workflow or not.

 

[BB714]

I have been using the iPad almost exclusively since it was released. I knew immediately it was a game changer, though in those earlier days, it was much harder to do things. I had to use various workarounds. But as the years progressed, things got easier obviously. Only this year did I go back to the MacBook (Air) and regret it. I bought the into the M4 marketing and the admittedly good price for my M4 MacBook Air. At the time I bought the MacBook, ios26 wasn't announced. If it were, I would have kept my M1 iPad Pro.
Here's the thing: Laptops are clunky. Ergonomically, they're just 40 year old designs meant for desks (and laps I guess). We live in a different world now, much more mobile and nimble. Reading on a laptop just plain sucks for me. Horizontal reading articles doesn't feel "normal". Touch ID is a real pain too after having Face ID for so long. And for most apps, there a disconnect with a laptop ( a sort of middle man between me and the thing I want to do) because of the keyboard and trackpad, as opposed to "touching" the app. As a part time musician, that disconnect just furthers me away from my goal of needing to do something instantly.
On its own, the MacBook Air I have is fine. This is about ME and usability. I really have no complaint about the hardware (Tahoe on the other hand), but knowing what I know now about the iPad Pro and ios26, I would stick with the iPad Pro ecosystem

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I know there is a thread on this already - but it is ten years old and has 300+ pages of replies. I do not have the time or energy to go through that all.

I have a 2020 M1 MBP and it has gotten increasingly irritatingly slow recently (I just went back to school and have been using it a lot more now than I had been for a few years). When I bought this MBP back in 2020 - I did actually purchase an iPad Pro first - used it for a few days and realized the OS (I do not believe iPad OS had been released yet) was not going to cut it for what I wanted, so I returned it and got the MBP.

I want to know thoughts on whether an iPad Pro, in 2025, can legitimatly replace my MBP for school purposes (writing papers, doing research, etc.) or should I wait for the new MBP to be released and grab one of those? My wife has a 2025 MBA and I hate it - so that is out of the question.

I have the 2020 iPP M1, 2TB SSD, (that I believe makes a great difference) I LOVE IT!,even more so with iOS 26. I think
IOS 26 makes the iPP complete, who else knows what is coming in the future

 

[xxFoxtail]

I personally can get away with just an iPad Pro. Suits my needs perfectly, but I do have a MacBook Air that I’ve been back and forth about selling off. I like how modular the iPad is compared to the MacBook. Having a tablet, laptop and desktop in one device is kind of nice.

To test if it could fit your needs before you actually buy one, see if you can get away with using your iPhone for everything. If all of your apps and websites work on that, they're just about guaranteed to work on an iPad. If your local store has a good return policy, no harm in trying an iPad out. Just return it if it doesn’t work for you.

I’m just wondering, you say your M1 MacBook Pro has gotten slow. What exactly do you do with it? Maybe try factory resetting it to see if that gets it back up to speed. My spouse has a M1 MBA that still runs like it's new. My M2 MBA was fine until I put macOS 26 on it.

You say the iPadOS didn’t really cut it for you back then, but didn’t say why. Was it lack of apps? Was it the multitasking system?

 

[Mike330R]

I have a 16" M1 MBP that is use 99% of the time in my lap on the couch.
Just got a 13" M4 iPad (only 256G) and prefer the larger screen while on the couch. Plus my MPB has more storage.
I use the iPad in the man cave to look stuff up and while traveling.
For me I prefer the larger screen.

 

[iPadified]

I know there is a thread on this already - but it is ten years old and has 300+ pages of replies. I do not have the time or energy to go through that all.

I have a 2020 M1 MBP and it has gotten increasingly irritatingly slow recently (I just went back to school and have been using it a lot more now than I had been for a few years). When I bought this MBP back in 2020 - I did actually purchase an iPad Pro first - used it for a few days and realized the OS (I do not believe iPad OS had been released yet) was not going to cut it for what I wanted, so I returned it and got the MBP.

I want to know thoughts on whether an iPad Pro, in 2025, can legitimatly replace my MBP for school purposes (writing papers, doing research, etc.) or should I wait for the new MBP to be released and grab one of those? My wife has a 2025 MBA and I hate it - so that is out of the question.

What kind of research?

 

[DougiePhresh]

What kind of research?

Legal

 

[iPadified]

Legal

So no special software as in STEM? Unless you write many hundreds of pages long reports heavy with figures, iPad should probably do the job but it is obviously not a Mac so you need to adjust. The new windowing system likely is great novelty. Ensure the word processors/softwares have the features you need to create legal reports and documents such as indexing, references etc. Word for iPad is very anemic but can interphase with Mendeley.

Personally I have no clue why people is so focused on "Files".

 

[chrono1081]

I know there is a thread on this already - but it is ten years old and has 300+ pages of replies. I do not have the time or energy to go through that all.

I have a 2020 M1 MBP and it has gotten increasingly irritatingly slow recently (I just went back to school and have been using it a lot more now than I had been for a few years). When I bought this MBP back in 2020 - I did actually purchase an iPad Pro first - used it for a few days and realized the OS (I do not believe iPad OS had been released yet) was not going to cut it for what I wanted, so I returned it and got the MBP.

I want to know thoughts on whether an iPad Pro, in 2025, can legitimatly replace my MBP for school purposes (writing papers, doing research, etc.) or should I wait for the new MBP to be released and grab one of those? My wife has a 2025 MBA and I hate it - so that is out of the question.

I would personally grab a MacBook Air myself if I were in your spot. Thin, light, way more powerful than people realize so you get the nice portability of an iPad (it's actually thinner than the iPad + keyboard case) without sacrificing a computer.

While many people do use iPads as their many computers very successfully I personally still prefer a full computer.

 

[BB714]

I would personally grab a MacBook Air myself if I were in your spot. Thin, light, way more powerful than people realize so you get the nice portability of an iPad (it's actually thinner than the iPad + keyboard case) without sacrificing a computer.

While many people do use iPads as their many computers very successfully I personally still prefer a full computer.

Power is only half of the equation. I would personally use a device that adheres best to my "work flow" even if said device isnt the fastest or most powerful. If a person enjoys the way something interacts with them on an intrinsic level, I would go with that every time.

 

[Devvy]

I know there is a thread on this already - but it is ten years old and has 300+ pages of replies. I do not have the time or energy to go through that all.

I have a 2020 M1 MBP and it has gotten increasingly irritatingly slow recently (I just went back to school and have been using it a lot more now than I had been for a few years). When I bought this MBP back in 2020 - I did actually purchase an iPad Pro first - used it for a few days and realized the OS (I do not believe iPad OS had been released yet) was not going to cut it for what I wanted, so I returned it and got the MBP.

I want to know thoughts on whether an iPad Pro, in 2025, can legitimatly replace my MBP for school purposes (writing papers, doing research, etc.) or should I wait for the new MBP to be released and grab one of those? My wife has a 2025 MBA and I hate it - so that is out of the question.

I would ask two questions first:

1. Any idea why your M1 MBP got slow? I own an M1 computer and would not call it slow. Is there anything you do specifically that is resource intensive?
2. You say you hate the 2025 MBA. Why is that? What makes it different from a MBP? Or do you hate laptops in general?

 

[HarryWild]

If you can hold off until January 2026; get the 14” touchscreen MacBook Pro entry level M5!

 

[ericwn]

Do you really expect a touchscreen Mac after all these years? And that at entry level?

 

[Pezimak]

No matter what they do, at the end of the day the MacBook Pro is just more powerful and more capable in its tasks. If you are gong to use it for work use, I would suggest a MacBook Pro. I use my M4 iPad Pro and M3 Max MB Pro and my Mac always shows it's power over the iPad.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I used an iPad Pro + MKB as my primary computer for 4 years - 2020 to early 2025.

Unless you intend to do a lot of drawing, go with the MBP. With the iPad you will always be running into funny little quirks and limitations. The Mac, as a platform, is just infinitely more flexible and capable.

 

[Student of Life]

Legal

Legal as in undergrad or as in Law School?

This is a big distinction, you can get away with the iPad Pro in undergrad. For Law School most finals are done on Exam 4 or its equivalent which do not exist in iPads. This means you will have to hand write your exam on a bluebook without a laptop. iPads are very helpful as a supplementary product to aid your laptop not replace them. Annotating cases with the Apple Pencil on the pro is a great way to save time. Using it via sidecar to have extra screen space etc. The amount of time and energy and cost, needed to get the iPad Pro to work as fast and cohesive as its equivalent laptop will put you at a competitive and financial disadvantage among your classmates. There is a reason Law Student use laptops.