iPad Pro No, the iPad Pro is not more expensive than a MacBook

[rui no onna]

Not being able to SSH doesn’t make the iPad any less of a computer.

Iirc, I used Termius to SSH to my Raspberry Pi server.

 

[ZombiePete]

What does it matter, honestly?

Truthfully, this is how I feel about almost all of these discussions. Buy it if it works for you, don’t if it doesn’t. The endless debating about costs relative to whether it can do X or Y has gotten old. It feels like here and other places you can’t post a comment without someone jumping in and proclaiming why the iPad can’t replace a laptop or why ”real professionals” don’t use iPads or endless debates about what “work” is.

 

[rui no onna]

Same here, but to be able to do my job fully, I need a windows device as Excel on Mac is inferior to its Windows counterpart + some add-ins are only available on Windows. So my work laptop (a Surface laptop - not a great device in my personal opinion) is doing that job.

Yeah, I use a ThinkPad E15 on Windows 10. I don’t think MS Access is available on Mac plus I absolutely need the 10-key number pad. My only gripe is I wish it was lighter, cooler and fanless/silent.

We have some work-issued Surface Pro 2-in-1s and most employees hate them.

 

[ZombiePete]

We have some work-issued Surface Pro 2-in-1s and most employees hate them.

We have some Dell-equivalents and the general consensus is that they’re mediocre laptops with touchscreens and crappy keyboards. No one ever uses them as tablets. The battery life sucks and Windows is just a terrible tablet OS.

 

[Surfsalot]

Yes it is

 

[dawnrazor]

anyone who has used a keyboard with an ipad would probably agree that living without it is not an option… indeed when I priced up the M4 ipad pro it was an absolute given that the magic keyboard was included.… even though I know there are alternatives… the design of the magic keyboard does it for me… on the other hand I absolutely do not need an apple pencil and only ever found my 2nd generation apple pencil a novelty and it sat in a drawer never being used… just sold it for 3/4 of what I bought it for 3 years ago… so not complain too much…

 

[rui no onna]

anyone who has used a keyboard with an ipad would probably agree that living without it is not an option…

Not really. Typing this now on the iPad mini's OSK and I'm fine doing the same on 10-11" and 13" iPads.

For bed/couch use, I prefer the pure tablet experience.

I do have a Magic Keyboard for the 12.9" somewhere (got it for $150). I just find it awkward to use on the lap (too top heavy) while I prefer my multi-device Logitech on my desk.

 

[dawnrazor]

Not really. Typing this now on the iPad mini's OSK and I'm fine doing the same on 10-11" and 13" iPads.

For bed/couch use, I prefer the pure tablet experience.

I do have a Magic Keyboard for the 12.9" somewhere (got it for $150). I just find it awkward to use on the lap (too top heavy) while I prefer my multi-device Logitech on my desk.

The exception that proves the rule everybody ;-)

 

[profcutter]

What the OP comparison actually points out is what a ripoff the MBAs are

Under specced for the prices Apple charges

Can’t it be both? iPad Pros overpriced, and MBA’s underspecced for the price?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Can’t it be both? iPad Pros overpriced, and MBA’s underspecced for the price?

Absolutely!

 

[eltoslightfoot]

Can’t it be both? iPad Pros overpriced, and MBA’s underspecced for the price?

Nailed it, honestly. It is definitely both.

 

[nikikaly21]

I could not agree more. Magic keyboard is not worth it. If I want a mouse and keyboard I have my MBP & my 4080 Alienware.

 

[PlayUltimate]

I use the older apple mac magic keyboard, absolutely no issue at all, but understand it is no good if you want an all in one clamshell to open up and just start typing. For guys that don't need to travel so much though, it is a great compromise assuming you have one, else under 100 to purchase.

Ditto. I have the one the needs AA batteries. Don't use if very often; but nice to have when needed. iPP is nicely protected in a Zugu case.

 

[profcutter]

Look folks, I’m just not going to stand for this kind of unprovoked Apple bashing regarding the Magic Keyboard. It’s worth every penny, just look at the bespoke quality, 350? It should have been 950! Or more!

 

[rui no onna]

View attachment 2380708 Look folks, I’m just not going to stand for this kind of unprovoked Apple bashing regarding the Magic Keyboard. It’s worth every penny, just look at the bespoke quality, 350? It should have been 950! Or more!

Yikes. That looks awful. 😱 Did you bury that in sand or something?

 

[profcutter]

Yikes. That looks awful. 😱 Did you bury that in sand or something?

Hah, no. I commute every week for my job. I got this right when the keyboards first came out. It’s suffered some excessive wear and tear, and when the edges peeled apart from going in and out of my bag, I peeled it the rest of the way off because it was getting distracting and in the way of my typing. I have a 2011 17 inch MBP that looks almost mint. I really couldn’t believe the iPad Magic Keyboard was just covered with some cheap vinyl or whatever. It often poops out, even when it was new, and as someone else posted above, some apps and sites just ignore input. I love love love the concept, just way too many corners cut on the way.

 

[FrozenDarkness]

i’m astonished the ipad looks scratchless.

but yea, i think the soft vinyl or whatever is awful.

 

[iPadified]

For me, a good Mac starts at $2500 (16 inch MBP), so sure the iPad Pro is cheaper. None are cheap though but can still provide lots of value.

 

[profcutter]

i’m astonished the ipad looks scratchless.

but yea, i think the soft vinyl or whatever is awful.

Yeah no complaints about iPad build quality. Turns out metal and glass are tougher than vinyl 🤷‍♀️

 

[ApplesAreSweet&Sour]

What the OP comparison actually points out is what a ripoff the MBAs are

Under specced for the prices Apple charges

Exactly. And this defending of Apple’s every price and product segmentation strategy is Stockholm Syndrome 101.

-It doesn’t matter what any of us think is right or wrong because Apple is the only one making these products and nothing comes close.

With Apple’s indirect monopoly, we’ll have to pay whatever an iPad, MacBook or any other Apple computer costs or settle for something entirely different and usually much worse from competitors.

We’re only discussing all of this because Apple’s prices have been perpetually climbing and we desperately struggle to make the best decision when none of them offer a reasonable value/$.

As a lifelong Mac user, I never thought that Windows computers would be the solution to my computer buying conundrum.

But that’s what it comes down to -we are never getting fair prices and great value/$ from Apple every again unless it’s competitors actually manage to compete with Apple’s products.

Only increased competition can kill these mindless discussions and defending of Apple’s ruthless price gauging, and what every little spec upgrade and overpriced accessory costs and what it’s worth.

The fact that anyone in here is comparing Apple’s newest, biggest iPhone, iPad Pro M4, to any of Apple’s actual computers shows how easily misled we’ve all become just because Apple ships a great (overpriced) keyboard for it and compares it to windows laptops and puts the “Pro” moniker on it.

iPad is a big, super powerful iPhone with a really great stylus. But it’s nothing more.

Stop comparing smartphones to real computers just because Apple’s marketing team knows which buttons to push.

iPad is a smartphone, sans the “phone” part.

 

[jclardy]

What the OP comparison actually points out is what a ripoff the MBAs are

Under specced for the prices Apple charges

And also the reason people want macOS on an iPad - the iPad hardware is awesome. Recent mac hardware is all great, but the iPad design has exceeded the Mac since 2018 (minus not ever getting any extra ports or magsafe charging...)

 

[masotime]

I use an old 2018 iPad Pro 12.9" for that.

In fact, I will downgrade when the time comes and put my money in a new Mac.

I'm curious - what are you going to downgrade to? The 2018 iPad Pro is practically ancient now in terms of resale value. I can't think of a scenario where you could command a resale price that would afford a device that performs better, in which case isn't it better to just keep it?

 

[masotime]

With Apple’s indirect monopoly, we’ll have to pay whatever an iPad, MacBook or any other Apple computer costs or settle for something entirely different and usually much worse from competitors.

Wow ok - I thought grapes are sour. Looks like Apples are sour too - very sour apparently.

What's wrong with "competitors"? Microsoft's recently announced Surface Pro seems pretty nifty. Comes with OLED too - and that's just one example. What's wrong with "something entirely different"? You don't have to buy Apple products.

Let Apple stew in their own pricing mess. Buy what you need. There's a reason why $MSFT is doing a lot better than $AAPL 🤣

 

[Melbourne Park]

Weights (with HP Elitebooks for comparison):

M4 11" & Keyboard: 2.3 lb
HP X360 Elitebook 12": 2.5 lb
Macbook Air 13": 2.7 lb
M4 13" & Keyboard: 2.8 lb
HP X360 Elitebook 13.3": 2.8 lb
M2 13" & Keyboard: 3.1 lb
Macbook Air 15": 3.3 lb

Those PC convertibles are competitive on weight. And they have 16 hour endurance, unlike Apple's 10 hours.


Pricing options:

Macbook Pro 16" 18/512 $2,499.00
Macbook Pro 14" 8/512 $1,599.00
Macbook Air 15" 8/256 $1,299.00
Macbook Air 15" 8/512 $1,499.00
M4 13" & Keyboard 8/256 $1,648.00
M4 13" & Keyboard 8/512 $1,848.00
iPad 10.9" 4/64 $349.00
Ipad Air M2 11" 8/128 $599.00

M4 13" with keyboard, 8/256 GB - $1,648
Macbook Air 15" 8/256M & iPad - $1,648
M4 13" with keyboard, 8/512 GB - $1,848
Macbook Air 15" 8/512 & iPad - $1,848
Macbook Pro 14" 8/512 & iPad for $1,948. An extra $100.

I will probably buy for my wife a quality version of new PC notebook with a touch screen, and buy a base model iPad. Why have a high end iPad for just surfing and listening to podcasts? I may even open up her 10.5" iPad Pro and replace its battery - or get a computer store to do it for me (Apple refuses to). She needs a proper file system and for Outlook and Microsoft Word to operate efficiently, plus she insists on a touch touch screen when using a notebook. A touch screen Mac Air would have been great because Office works OK in it and the file system is fairly straight forward. Not so on the iPad.

 

[eltoslightfoot]

I'm curious - what are you going to downgrade to? The 2018 iPad Pro is practically ancient now in terms of resale value. I can't think of a scenario where you could command a resale price that would afford a device that performs better, in which case isn't it better to just keep it?

I should have been clearer. I am talking if/when my iPad Pro 12.9" fails someday. Although I have thought more about it, and I like some of the ways that it simplifies things for creative endeavors. I would probably just get the most reasonable iPad Pro I could afford if my current one fails. For instance, that means right now I would get an M1 iPad Pro most likely. But I am really hoping my current one hangs on for a while longer.