Why should i buy the ipp 12.9 if MBA has:
larger screen
cheaper
magic keyboard
better battery
thanks!
larger screen
cheaper
magic keyboard
better battery
thanks!
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iPad Ipp 12.9 (2020) vs MBA (2020)
- Thread starter cibonak
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Premium tablet vs an entry level Mac.
If your applications are available for the Mac, use them there if you prefer a traditional computer. The iPad runs iPadOS and the 12.9 is amongst the most advanced tablets
Have you owned any of these products before?
If your applications are available for the Mac, use them there if you prefer a traditional computer. The iPad runs iPadOS and the 12.9 is amongst the most advanced tablets
Have you owned any of these products before?
Can you turn an MBA into a tablet?
Does the MBA have a touch screen?
Will you always use the iPP with a keyboard?
Do you want MacOS or iPadOS?
Are the apps you need/want supported on both?
Pretty simple - do you want a laptop or a tablet? We can't answer that for you.
Does the MBA have a touch screen?
Will you always use the iPP with a keyboard?
Do you want MacOS or iPadOS?
Are the apps you need/want supported on both?
Pretty simple - do you want a laptop or a tablet? We can't answer that for you.
Do you want more of a pc or a tablet. The iPad can be pc it alot of aspects. The mba can’t be a tablet
I've gone back and forth on this myself. With the pricing it really is hard to justify iPP over MBA, especially once you factor in buying a keyboard and/or trackpad to go with iPP. With that said I went with iPP because I wanted built in LTE and because frankly I wanted a dumbed down system. I am a linux engineer, and when I want to unplug or just read I find it more enjoyable on an iOS device because I just don't really have to manage it like you do a desktop/laptop. Just nice to step down to something simple sometimes.
But the iPP is just an optional fun device for me. If I were getting it as a main use device I'd get the MBA.
But the iPP is just an optional fun device for me. If I were getting it as a main use device I'd get the MBA.
Magic keyboard is just the new name of their keyboards with scissors switch keys again, the 16" Macbook pro calls its keyboard magic keyboard too.
Same here, not sure which way to go, as I miss my Macbook's lightweight but do enjoy my MBP 13" ports and power. It may come down to weight, as the IPP with Magic Keyboard looks to be about 1171g (IPP 471g = my guess of about 700g for the Magic Keyboard) while the MBA with a case cover is about 1550g. My only worry, and this can't be determined really until trying it out for several days, is can I adjust my workload and apps to work good enough with iPadOS vs MacOS.
A hacksaw can saw a 2x4, but there are better tools for the job. That’s how I equate most productivity tasks on an IPP. Once you dress it up with accessories you’re in a midrange MacBook Pro realm. I have a IPP 12.9 now, great machine but will never replace my MacBook for many reasons, namely iOS apps vs Mac.
What are some of your difficulties or issues that you run into when trying to use iPadOS?
I’d call an iPad Pro a laptop alternative rather than a clone. It’s a powerful iPad with a focus on productivity and content creation.
Just get what’s best for you and the tasks you want to accomplish. Not everyone needs to run VMs (or even wants that) or do handwritten notes with a pencil.
As others have said, it really depends on what your uses are. I use my iPad for taking searchable handwritten notes at work, reading and annotating documents, and responding to emails or viewing documents in meetings. These are (mostly) things that a Mac can’t do or can’t do as well as an iPad. For more multitasking intensive tasks or traditional computer tasks (spreadsheets, photo editing, long document editing), I much prefer using my Mac. The iPad can do some of these things. But it is never as fully functional nor as convenient as just doing it on a Mac. So, you really need to imagine how your are going to be using your new device. If your uses are things that are best done on a tablet, with maybe some occasional light laptop work thrown in, get the iPad. It’s a fantastic tablet experience and the Pencil gives it functionality the Mac simply doesn’t have. But, if you are thinking you will get the iPad plus the new Magic Keyboard and just replace all the stuff you do on your current laptop, stop and just get the Mac.
For emphasis on what I just said, consider the following two points
For emphasis on what I just said, consider the following two points
- A MacBook Air starts at $1000, but all the reviews are saying you probably should spend an extra $100 and get the i5 processor over the i3. So, for $1100, you get a laptop with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, 2 USB-C ports, a backlit keyboard, and the ability to run all the Mac apps out there (plus some iPad apps with Marzipan) with more flexible multitasking. The comparable iPad Pro configuration would be the 12.9” 256 GB Wifi plus the upcoming Magic Keyboard accessory. The iPad costs $1100 plus another $350 for the keyboard for a total of $1450. For that money, you get 6 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, 1 USB-C port, a detachable backlit keyboard, and can only run iPad apps with a more limited multitasking system. You gain tablet features that the Mac does not have. But, the iPad is a less capable computer for more money if that is going to be your primary use case.
- The iPad’s main limitation has always been and continues to be its software. The cheapest $330 base model iPad can do absolutely everything the $1000 iPad Pro can on the software side. Yes, the Pro has a bigger, nicer screen, better speakers, more RAM, newer model pencil and keyboard, etc. But on the software side, it’s identical to the most budget iPad. Nobody is positioning the entry level iPad as a laptop replacement. So, if the Pro iPads are pretty much identical in terms of software, that should give you an idea of just how good they are as a laptop replacement. Maybe things will change going forward now that the iPad has it’s own OS (at least for marketing purposes). But, that’s how it is right now. The chip in the iPad Pros is comparable to most laptop chips. Yet, the OS and apps are still nowhere near taking advantage of that potential.
Agree, the lack of a finder and file management system until very recently made the iPad a no go for me. Now with the MacBook discontinued (one can always hope), the IPP with iPadOS and Magic Keyboard looks like it could be a possible replacement, given that its near in weight and size. BTW, my understanding that with the Magic Keyboard, the IPP would have two functioning USB-C ports.
It is funny. Every year I go through the same ritual. Apple releases new iPad features (software and/or hardware), and I try to go iPad only. Then, after a week of frustration, I go back to my MBA. So, maybe the mouse/trackpad support will be the silver bullet......TBD.
I will just echo what others have said; a base 12.9 IPP plus Pencil plus Magic Keyboard = $1,480, which is much more expensive than the base MBA at $999. Also, you can buy a base iPad as a complementary device for your MBA if you want to enjoy the tablet experience and still be ahead. Anyway, there might be better options that going iPad only depending on your use case and situation. No one right answer.
I will just echo what others have said; a base 12.9 IPP plus Pencil plus Magic Keyboard = $1,480, which is much more expensive than the base MBA at $999. Also, you can buy a base iPad as a complementary device for your MBA if you want to enjoy the tablet experience and still be ahead. Anyway, there might be better options that going iPad only depending on your use case and situation. No one right answer.
For me there are a few issues that I've encountered with my iPad pro over the few months that I've owned.
While I agree now having a USB C port and the new iPad OS has certainly change the game for the iPad, until the file system is more open it will always fail as a true laptop alternative.
I had a hell of a time getting photos from a hard drive onto the iPad pro. They were exported from another computer and organized by folder and date. while I could easily drag and drop the entire folder where the photos into the files app, there would then be no way to view them collectively in the photos app.
then when I try to move them the files app froze up on me and when I rebooted the iPad I lost half my storage space has somehow that Frozen aspect of files seem to completely ruin the storage on my unit. The only fix was to reset the entire iPad. I can only then restore it from a previous backup.
the only way to get my photos into the photos app without using iCloud was to have to go through iTunes.
Its issues like this and the lack of an easy accessible file system that all apps have use of without sandboxing that will prevent it from truly working like a computer replacement for me.
While I agree now having a USB C port and the new iPad OS has certainly change the game for the iPad, until the file system is more open it will always fail as a true laptop alternative.
I had a hell of a time getting photos from a hard drive onto the iPad pro. They were exported from another computer and organized by folder and date. while I could easily drag and drop the entire folder where the photos into the files app, there would then be no way to view them collectively in the photos app.
then when I try to move them the files app froze up on me and when I rebooted the iPad I lost half my storage space has somehow that Frozen aspect of files seem to completely ruin the storage on my unit. The only fix was to reset the entire iPad. I can only then restore it from a previous backup.
the only way to get my photos into the photos app without using iCloud was to have to go through iTunes.
Its issues like this and the lack of an easy accessible file system that all apps have use of without sandboxing that will prevent it from truly working like a computer replacement for me.
I agree that file mgmt on the iPad can be a pain. I prefer to use 3rd party solutions - FileBrowser for Business for general file management and Photo Manager Pro for photo store and display. The latter supports folder structures and direct import/export over WiFi. I don't use the native Photos app at all.