mba might be my last laptop

[skcrane]

I just purchased mba for my wife and myself and really love them. for us the ipad for now just did not seem to fill our needs. we reached more for our laptops and iphones more than our ipads so we moved to the mba. I really do feel that depending on how apple develps icloud services this mba maybe my last laptop and I could easily see me with an ipad but the ios must improve to do so. I think if the icloud develops media storage capabilities and streaming that maybe the point I jump on board of just having a cellphone and tablet. We will see but cloud computing sure makes you think how we will use our computers in the future. The mba for me was the step to show me that I really did not need a computer with icore and quad core processing I really just needed the ssd and more portable form factor.

 

[entatlrg]

Welcome to the club!

My wife and I have MBA's as well. We could never get by depending on iPad's for portable use, the Air's ... rock!!

 

[Patrick946]

I think if the icloud develops media storage capabilities and streaming that maybe the point I jump on board of just having a cellphone and tablet.

I can't see depending 100% on a tablet unless there was a built in physical keyboard. The on screen keyboard in iOS is great for short messages, but writing a whole essay on it sounds like a nightmare.

 

[Cheffy Dave]

I just purchased mba for my wife and myself and really love them. for us the ipad for now just did not seem to fill our needs. we reached more for our laptops and iphones more than our ipads so we moved to the mba. I really do feel that depending on how apple develps icloud services this mba maybe my last laptop and I could easily see me with an ipad but the ios must improve to do so. I think if the icloud develops media storage capabilities and streaming that maybe the point I jump on board of just having a cellphone and tablet. We will see but cloud computing sure makes you think how we will use our computers in the future. The mba for me was the step to show me that I really did not need a computer with icore and quad core processing I really just needed the ssd and more portable form factor.

A LOT of us have come to the same realization
My 11" MBA is the bombdiggity!

 

[soubriquet]

MBA is my last latop...

Funny, my 11.6-inch runs faster and smoother than the quad-core iMac I just sold. The speakers sound better than previous macbooks and powerbooks I've had. To boot, it's totally silent, and doesn't burn my lap while in use. By far the best laptop in the apple portable lineup, especially for the price. Now all it needs is more space (haven't broken down and bought the $1200 upgrade from OWC) and thunderbolt!

 

[ravenvii]

I agree that the iPad comes nowhere close to fulfilling my computing needs, but that's why I have an iPad and an iMac. I never had to write an essay while on the go (your circumstances may be different). While on the go, I mostly consume, and the iPad is vastly superior to a laptop for that (Flash notwithstanding).

For long computing sessions, the iMac is also far superior to a laptop. My back has thanked me every day since I sold my MacBook Pro and bought the iMac back in 2008.

 

[mayhone1]

I just purchased mba for my wife and myself and really love them. for us the ipad for now just did not seem to fill our needs. we reached more for our laptops and iphones more than our ipads so we moved to the mba. I really do feel that depending on how apple develps icloud services this mba maybe my last laptop and I could easily see me with an ipad but the ios must improve to do so. I think if the icloud develops media storage capabilities and streaming that maybe the point I jump on board of just having a cellphone and tablet. We will see but cloud computing sure makes you think how we will use our computers in the future. The mba for me was the step to show me that I really did not need a computer with icore and quad core processing I really just needed the ssd and more portable form factor.

What size 11, or 13 and how much memory do u have I am really hoping to feel the same when I make the plunge in a week..l

 

[Penooker]

I think it's 80% of the way there. I would still upgrade to another MBA-like laptop if one came out with a IPS display or >50% increase in the battery life.

The display is not comfortable for extended use when you're used to nice desktop displays. The battery life of the iPad makes me realize how much I would enjoy full day unplugged computing.

I'm hoping the Lenovo X1 meets both of these, but the price is just too high above a MBA. Maybe the MBA in 2 iterations will have what I want.

 

[duggram]

For long computing sessions, the iMac is also far superior to a laptop. My back has thanked me every day since I sold my MacBook Pro and bought the iMac back in 2008.

Did you notice that this thread is about the MBA? I travel for a living and my MBA is on when I wake up, doing P90X, in the restaurants, on the plane, in the office, in bed, etc. Those aren't long computing sessions? I'm not trying to say that your pretentious comments are wrong, but if you have to use an iMac and an iPad to accomplish what I do quite well with my 13" MBA while on the road, don't the facts here speak for themselves?

 

[FuNGi]

I think it's 80% of the way there. I would still upgrade to another MBA-like laptop if one came out with a IPS display or >50% increase in the battery life.

The display is not comfortable for extended use when you're used to nice desktop displays. The battery life of the iPad makes me realize how much I would enjoy full day unplugged computing.

I'm hoping the Lenovo X1 meets both of these, but the price is just too high above a MBA. Maybe the MBA in 2 iterations will have what I want.

Sounds like you need an external monitor for the long-bouts of usage. I don't see the need for IPS on an 11 or 13" screen really. The battery seems great on this thing - 6-10 hours on my 13" of real-time usage depending on processes.

 

[jeremiah256]

Agreed!

I wouldn't be surprised if for a main computer, I never need anything more powerful than a MBA, even if the processors are one to two generations behind the latest and greatest. The rumored new MBA could easily last me five years, leveraging Thunderbolt and cloud services. But with regards to the upcoming WWDC, although I love Apple devices, some of their internet services (yeah, I'm talking about you, Mobile Me) have left much to be desired. That said, others (Google, Netflix, Amazon, Drop Box, Evernote) provide great proven cloud services that should cover any gaps that may exist in Apple's June offerings.

I just purchased mba for my wife and myself and really love them. for us the ipad for now just did not seem to fill our needs. we reached more for our laptops and iphones more than our ipads so we moved to the mba. I really do feel that depending on how apple develps icloud services this mba maybe my last laptop and I could easily see me with an ipad but the ios must improve to do so. I think if the icloud develops media storage capabilities and streaming that maybe the point I jump on board of just having a cellphone and tablet. We will see but cloud computing sure makes you think how we will use our computers in the future. The mba for me was the step to show me that I really did not need a computer with icore and quad core processing I really just needed the ssd and more portable form factor.

 

[gwsat]

After I got a 13 inch Ultimate MBA in October I virtually stopped using my iPad. About all I use it for these days is to check content and setup new recordings on a TiVo that is in another room in my house. Tablets are just fine and certainly have their place but for those of us who do a lot of data input, there is no substitute for a real computer with a real keyboard. For quick and dirty work that requires a lot of portability, my iPhone serves me well, so there's not much left for the iPad to do these days.

 

[ritmomundo]

your LAST laptop?

I'm pretty sure that you'll buy another laptop in a few years, if not sooner. Welcome to the club

Edit: BTW, its funny, I just saw this thread on the exact opposite topic: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1147375/