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.
New MacBook Air vs ipad
- Thread starter Spartyfunguy
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
My "real work" consists of writing. That's it. (I'm a journalist.) I've actually gotten very good at typing on the iPad's screen. It doesn't take much, just a little concentration and practice. I'm probably close to my speed on a real keyboard.
For me, the iPad is the solution I've been looking for my entire career. I'll pass on the MBA for now.
For me, the iPad is the solution I've been looking for my entire career. I'll pass on the MBA for now.
i can't see how typing on the ipad for long periods of time would be comfortable at all. even apple recommends using the keyboard accessory for long term typing.
The ipad's battery last 10 hours and thats trying really really really hard. If the MBA can match the ipad's battery. MBA wins easily, but until then. It depends what you want to do with your purchase.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 8.12; MSIEMobile6.0) Sprint T7380)
scotto: Since Apple doesn't sell those plastic ring stands that they display the ipads on in the store... what do you put the iPad on when you do on-screen typing?
And... I'm curious? How come you don't use or prefer the physical keyboard accessory?
And, your editors accept submissions in "Pages" software? Do they happen to have Macs, which is functioning as a key to your writing on the iPad whole thing working out?
scotto: Since Apple doesn't sell those plastic ring stands that they display the ipads on in the store... what do you put the iPad on when you do on-screen typing?
And... I'm curious? How come you don't use or prefer the physical keyboard accessory?
And, your editors accept submissions in "Pages" software? Do they happen to have Macs, which is functioning as a key to your writing on the iPad whole thing working out?
That surprises me that you find the iPad's touchscreen acceptable for typing. I type fast and a lot, and I type maybe half as fast on the iPad. About 75 wpm on the MBA though with very little errors. I actually type better on my ThinkPad to the MBA. Have you ever tried a ThinkPad? I love the MBA, but for typing the ThinkPad's keyboard just has something really right and irreplaceable when I am typing a book/article/etc.
I use the Apple case that they've sold since day one. I never liked the looks of it, but ended up buying three or four different 3rd party cases before realizing that Apple's case was the best, at least in its combination of protection (which is decent if you're careful) and weight (negligible).
I carry the bluetooth keyboard with me, but never end up using it. For one thing, you're not allowed to use them on planes (I got called on it once.)
I mainly use EverNote. It syncs everything in their own proprietary cloud and you can just strip the text out if you submit it in "good copy" form. But I do use Pages but save the docs as MS Word files (I'm surprised Apple lets you do that, but they do.)
90% of the writing I do with the iPad is notetaking during interviews, researching at courthouses, libraries, etc., and writing up draft copy. In just a few months, the iPad has so entered the public consciousness that people don't blink an eye anymore when you whip one out during an interview and start typing away. EverNote, for me, is the killer app. If the iPad ran nothing but EverNote, I would still own one.
(Interesting side note. A lot of old journalists mastered the art of shorthand. This allowed them to write up to 180 words per minute -- with a pen and paper. They stopped teaching shorthand sometime in the 70's, and until the iPad came along and I could type during interviews, there was no good way of keeping up with human speech. Usually you had to record the interview and go back to it later. But shorthand was a far superior system that, unfortunately, has died off.)
It's not ideal, but it's not a terrible compromise, either. Especially when you're prowling through stacks of stuff in a dusty old courthouse or sitting in an interview. Lappies just aren't practical in those environments. Most importantly, I find it far less arduous than writing everything longhand.
I;ve heard great things about ThinkPads, though, and want to look into them as my everyday computer for long, long, long writing sessions.