I am going into College this fall and considering getting an m3 mac air 13-inch with 16gb ram and 512 ssd or getting the 11inch iPad pro. I currently use my mac for web browsing, youtube, Netflix, and some casual games. Is their certain advantages for college of either devices? I currently use a M3 mac air
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
M3 Mac Air vs M4 iPad Pro
- Thread starter Milly342
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You might want to check with your college as to what exam software they use and what devices it supports.
You should bring the MacBook Air, not the iPad. Too likely that you’ll have assignments which won’t run on the iPad, and then what will you do? The difference in weight is very minimal.
Definitely.
I own both a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro. There are many things you cannot do with an iPad. For example, they both can run Microsoft Word, but it would be extremely difficult to write a long paper using Word on the iPad.
If you want an iPad for note taking (with the Apple Pencil) and viewing videos, just get the cheapest model; it does all of that fine. But the iPad is very limited for productivity. For instance, you can use Alt-Tab to switch between applications, but you cannot move windows around with the mouse. You cannot drag and drop to copy files; at least, not very well. And the web browser is very limited compared to a Mac or Windows web browser.
With your MacBook Air, you’ll have a surprisingly powerful laptop. You can attach an external keyboard, mouse and monitor, no problem. And US colleges are very Mac-friendly. The only weakness of the Mac, compared to Windows, is gaming. But I hope you see that as an advantage to the Mac, because you can waste hours and hours playing games and getting no studying done.
By the way, I hope you love college! It’s a place where you’ll develop life-long friendships. Go to as many lectures and events as you can. There’s so much to learn and fill your mind with. Make the most of it and learn all you can.
I sometimes use geforce now and thats not that often and other then that im bringing my playstation so gaming wont matter. Thank you man, im excited for college.
also for my use case is the macbook pro worth the extra price for the better screen?
Last edited by a moderator:
I think the best approach is MacBook Air, so you can carry it anywhere easily, and you can have a monitor/keyboard/mouse on your desk. The Logitech MX keyboard and mouse are outstanding and they make a version of the MX keyboard with the Apple keys.
MacBook Pro is great but it’s quite a lot heavier and thicker. It’s nice to have a slim laptop that you can always toss in your backpack along with your other stuff and carry anywhere without difficulty. I have two children in college and they both have Airs and they are very happy with them.
Some Chase credit cards add a one year warranty to the purchase. You might want to check with your card or your parents’ cards to see if they have the extended warranty feature, and use that card if you have one.