All iPads Should I buy an iPad if I already have a MacBook?

[coffeeplease]

I went to the Apple Store recently and played around with the iPads. They had GoodNotes 5 installed and I thought the use of the Apple Pencil and handwritten notes really neat, getting rid of the need for pen and paper. Granted, I don't do much of this now, but maybe I should be? I always thought the 120 Hz display wouldn't make a difference, but damn do the iPad Pros look smooth.

Anyways, I'm hearing that you don't need an iPad until you start using one. Do people use the iPad as an entertainment device or more towards productivity? I already have a MacBook Pro hooked up to a monitor and can do both on it, so I'm not seeing an absolute need for it. Have any of you bought an iPad going in with not much uses for it, but ended up using it more than you thought (or not)? I'm a software engineer, so if there are others out there with an iPad and MacBook, love to hear your thoughts.

 

[Shirasaki]

3 years ago, if someone told me you could use iPad as a half iPhone, I’d just ignored it. Now, I use iPad way more than iPhone I don’t even care much about how iOS 15 evolves. Before I loved big screen iPhone. Nowadays iPhone screen size doesn’t matter much to me anymore.

iPad for the most part is like what an iPhone should be but could never be. No matter how big the phablet screen is, you can’t multitask.

Website without optimisation will look horrible on a phone. Not so much on iPad. Having big screen means everything can be bigger, including buttons in games, which is much easier for the eyes.

iPad has optional expensive keyboard case that offer great typing experience. I dunno how far Bluetooth keyboard can go on an iPhone assuming possible to use at all.

Yes, iPad generally is Bulkier than iPhone for the bigger screen, but then the battery life is way better. Apple Pencil experience is just a plus for iPad Pro.

To me, iPad is mostly a mobile gaming and YouTube machine (M1 iPad Pro yes but I need 512GB). I also do productivity apps on it from time to time. Unlike iPhone, I carry iPad around wherever possible. Oh iPad Pro also have better speakers than on iPhone.

 

[coffeeplease]

3 years ago, if someone told me you could use iPad as a half iPhone, I’d just ignored it. Now, I use iPad way more than iPhone I don’t even care much about how iOS 15 evolves. Before I loved big screen iPhone. Nowadays iPhone screen size doesn’t matter much to me anymore.

iPad for the most part is like what an iPhone should be but could never be. No matter how big the phablet screen is, you can’t multitask.

That's interesting, you think of the iPad more as a bigger and better iPhone.

Website without optimisation will look horrible on a phone. Not so much on iPad. Having big screen means everything can be bigger, including buttons in games, which is much easier for the eyes.

I play some casual games sometimes, so I can definitely see the benefit of gaming on an iPad versus an iPhone.

To me, iPad is mostly a mobile gaming and YouTube machine (M1 iPad Pro yes but I need 512GB). I also do productivity apps on it from time to time. Unlike iPhone, I carry iPad around wherever possible. Oh iPad Pro also have better speakers than on iPhone.

What kind of productivity are you doing on it?

What are some situations where you take the iPad with you? My MacBook rarely leaves the house these days. Do you own a MacBook as well?

 

[Shirasaki]

What kind of productivity are you doing on it?

What are some situations where you take the iPad with you? My MacBook rarely leaves the house these days. Do you own a MacBook as well?

Microsoft office stuff mostly. Nothing much else.
I take iPad instead of iPhone wherever possible, including grocery shopping even though I just listen to YouTube videos anyways.
I have a very small MacBook Air 2014. It’s too slow to even run any macOS that is supported except bare metal. I upgraded it to MacBook Pro M1 with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Yes, the one with Touch Bar and scissor switch keyboard. I weirdly like this combo instead of waiting for better M1X MacBook Pro.

 

[coffeeplease]

Microsoft office stuff mostly. Nothing much else.
I take iPad instead of iPhone wherever possible, including grocery shopping even though I just listen to YouTube videos anyways.
I have a very small MacBook Air 2014. It’s too slow to even run any macOS that is supported except bare metal. I upgraded it to MacBook Pro M1 with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. Yes, the one with Touch Bar and scissor switch keyboard. I weirdly like this combo instead of waiting for better M1X MacBook Pro.

Since you also have an M1 MacBook Pro, what makes you prefer the iPad over it for using Microsoft Office? What do you use your MacBook Pro for?

I would be too lazy to carry around an iPad when going grocery shopping ?

 

[Royksöpp]

An 11 inch iPad Pro is the perfect travel device. I have a MBP as well, but I prefer to take my iPad with me instead. It’s small and light, and far more versatile. I love the Magic Keyboard, it feels so nice to type on. There is also the option of an Apple Pencil which makes the iPad even more compelling. Obviously it will never replace my Mac, but as a secondary device, it’s a joy to use. I’ve had an iPad since the very beginning and I could never do without one. Trust me, once you start using it you will find many uses for it.

 

[Digitalguy]

3 years ago, if someone told me you could use iPad as a half iPhone, I’d just ignored it. Now, I use iPad way more than iPhone I don’t even care much about how iOS 15 evolves. Before I loved big screen iPhone. Nowadays iPhone screen size doesn’t matter much to me anymore.

iPad for the most part is like what an iPhone should be but could never be. No matter how big the phablet screen is, you can’t multitask.

Website without optimisation will look horrible on a phone. Not so much on iPad. Having big screen means everything can be bigger, including buttons in games, which is much easier for the eyes.

iPad has optional expensive keyboard case that offer great typing experience. I dunno how far Bluetooth keyboard can go on an iPhone assuming possible to use at all.

Yes, iPad generally is Bulkier than iPhone for the bigger screen, but then the battery life is way better. Apple Pencil experience is just a plus for iPad Pro.

To me, iPad is mostly a mobile gaming and YouTube machine (M1 iPad Pro yes but I need 512GB). I also do productivity apps on it from time to time. Unlike iPhone, I carry iPad around wherever possible. Oh iPad Pro also have better speakers than on iPhone.

Sounds familiar... Personally I have always hated large phone, and anything more than 5.8in is too big for me....
I don't understand how most people watch videos on their phones, even those that are almost a inch larger. So I do everything that I can on iPad and my phone is only used for calls and notifications (and in bed and when I am waiting on a queue standing...). iPads also replace pen and paper. And for work I remote into desktop devices, I never use the iPad to work directly (only as a second screen in sidecar/duet or remote desktop)

 

[Shirasaki]

Since you also have an M1 MacBook Pro, what makes you prefer the iPad over it for using Microsoft Office? What do you use your MacBook Pro for?

I would be too lazy to carry around an iPad when going grocery shopping ?

Uh, because iPad can run iPadOS and iOS apps while practically speaking M1 MacBook Pro can’t?
And for Microsoft office, it’s more about leveraging my office 365 plan than anything else really, plus in rare cases data is on iPad but not anywhere else.
MacBook Pro is mainly for collaborating with my PC laptop which runs basically all critical hardware and software. Both MacBook and PC have teamviewer installed and I remote to each other. Copying files in between, sharing clipboard, acting as a pseudo secondary display and so on.

 

[schneeland]

For me, the iPad or rather the iPads fill a different niche in my device ecology than the MacBook (or computers in general). I tend to say, they lean a bit more towards consumption for me, but for each size it's a bit different:
- The iPad Mini is my preferred portable device for casual web browsing and listening to music in and around the house
- The iPad Pro 11 works best for most reading (eBooks, PDFs, web pages) and is also great for games; it's also still fairly portable (just not as much as the iPad Mini). Also, while being a tad too small, its nice for sketching with ProCreate (or similar apps).
- The iPad Pro 12,9 is a bit of a niche thing - I bought it mostly to read and annotate A4/letter PDFs, which is technically significant overkill, but still very convenient. It's also the best iPad to use for sketching. However, it is noticeably heavier than the 11, and also not exactly cheap.

If you get just one device, I would probably recommend the Pro 11, unless you have a lot of technical/academic papers in A4/letter format. You do not necessarily need the newest model though - the 2020 models will do just fine.

 

[now i see it]

I was given an iPad that worked fine and I played with it, trying to like it, for about two months. I didn't like it so I gave it away. I also have a mini sized Android tablet - which I never use either.
In my book, the best combination is iPhone + MacBook, or if this CSAM surveillance fiasco blows up: Android phone + windows laptop.

 

[NastyMatt]

I have a 2017 13" MBP and a 2020 12.9" IPP (with MK and pen), I got the IPP to 'play with' and ended up much preferring the IPP.

Don't get me wrong, the MBP is a great laptop (well nearly - the keyboard is a little wooden and I think the touch pad is too big) but it is just that - a laptop. The IPP is a multi use/function device, obviously the touch screen is the differentiator, with the IPP on the MK you interact with it more intimately as it's quite close to you. Now when using my MBP I want to do something quickly just by prodding the screen.

My IPP is in operation ALL day - if not by me then by my kids, work - films - gaming - drawing - reading - music. I travel a fair bit and prefer it to a laptop. If I actually use my laptop it is purely for work and then shut.

Caveats

• my work is not technical - I am heavily focused on written (email, documentation, meetings) so things like the poor file management or lack of pro film editing does not affect me
• no screen extension (only mirroring) is poor
• why on earth put the camera portrait???!?!? Have 2 if needs be, landscape and portrait and auto use which one dependant on the orientation

 

[Madchemic39]

I would.

 

[lostom]

I use an iPad Pro 12.9 and a MBA M1 everyday for different uses, if I had to choose 1, I'd go with the MBA over the iPad.
In Australia we have a saying, horses for courses, depends on what you want to get from your device, I do use Goodnotes 5 on the iPad and it works perfect for me at work on site.

It's trivial, not even having to get the MBA out and opening it, makes the iPad more accessible (to me), I can just start using it and taking notes immediately, when I'm home I almost always use the MBA as I prefer MacOS file structure and I can "get around easier".

Given I don't use a keyboard on my iPad, perhaps not an ideal comparison, I do often use the two devices side by side, but that's realistically only as an extra screen per se.

I love both, if I had to choose, I would go down the MBA, MBP route everyday.

If you don't need it, you don't need it.

 

[kamalds]

No, you don't. Macbook Air runs iPad apps just fine, incase you need one, plus I find myself more productive on Air as most productivity apps are designed for keyboard+mouse than touchscreen, unless you're an artist. Example, Office 365 is far more superior than iPad version. Same goes for Photoshop/Gimp.

Edit - that said, I do prefer using my $300 Galaxy Tab A7 android tablet for YouTube and Prime Video over Macbook Air as it is just much easier to carry around.

 

[Shirasaki]

why on earth put the camera portrait???!?!? Have 2 if needs be, landscape and portrait and auto use which one dependant on the orientation

Apple needs another “courageous” moments to get rid their own hurdles and think about putting cameras in landscape mode.

Macbook Air runs iPad apps just fine, incase you need one,

Only valid before Big Sur 11.3.1. Whatever left afterwards are just leftover and nothing interesting anymore.

 

[ejin222]

As a heavy iPad user (I also use a 16" MBP and Mac Mini), there is something about my 12.9" iPP that just feels more special, or futuristic, than my MBP. If Apple put MacOS on the iPad, I think I would prefer and use it 100% of the time. But until then, there are things that my iPad can only do and things my MBP/Mac Mini can only do even after years of using both.

 

[Digitalguy]

Apple needs another “courageous” moments to get rid their own hurdles and think about putting cameras in landscape mode.

Only valid before Big Sur 11.3.1. Whatever left afterwards are just leftover and nothing interesting anymore.

They need to find another way to charge the pencil, which is what is preventing a camera in landscape mode

 

[CoMoMacUser]

Do people use the iPad as an entertainment device or more towards productivity?

I use it for entertainment and other content consumption. For example, I hate trying to read magazines on a laptop or desktop because I have to scroll up and down and sideways to read a single page. With the iPad, it's like print: a single page that I don't have to touch until I'm done with it.

The only content creation I do on the iPad is brief responses to emails and DMs.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

 

[Shirasaki]

They need to find another way to charge the pencil, which is what is preventing a camera in landscape mode

Good point, forgot about that.

 

[coffeeplease]

For me, the iPad or rather the iPads fill a different niche in my device ecology than the MacBook (or computers in general). I tend to say, they lean a bit more towards consumption for me, but for each size it's a bit different:
- The iPad Mini is my preferred portable device for casual web browsing and listening to music in and around the house
- The iPad Pro 11 works best for most reading (eBooks, PDFs, web pages) and is also great for games; it's also still fairly portable (just not as much as the iPad Mini). Also, while being a tad too small, its nice for sketching with ProCreate (or similar apps).
- The iPad Pro 12,9 is a bit of a niche thing - I bought it mostly to read and annotate A4/letter PDFs, which is technically significant overkill, but still very convenient. It's also the best iPad to use for sketching. However, it is noticeably heavier than the 11, and also not exactly cheap.

If you get just one device, I would probably recommend the Pro 11, unless you have a lot of technical/academic papers in A4/letter format. You do not necessarily need the newest model though - the 2020 models will do just fine.

The mini is small enough that I’m okay just using my phone for the same use cases. I thought the 12.9 is a little too big and heavy for portability. The 11-inch Pro and Air seems like the perfect size for me. Reading eBooks is something I’d try to do more of, I can’t focus on reading when on the Mac.

 

[coffeeplease]

My IPP is in operation ALL day - if not by me then by my kids, work - films - gaming - drawing - reading - music. I travel a fair bit and prefer it to a laptop. If I actually use my laptop it is purely for work and then shut.

Did you do any kind of drawing before getting an iPad? I only played around with it at the Apple store, but it’s something I may be interested in trying out. Maybe I am an artist.. ?

 

[coffeeplease]

I use an iPad Pro 12.9 and a MBA M1 everyday for different uses, if I had to choose 1, I'd go with the MBA over the iPad.
In Australia we have a saying, horses for courses, depends on what you want to get from your device, I do use Goodnotes 5 on the iPad and it works perfect for me at work on site.

It's trivial, not even having to get the MBA out and opening it, makes the iPad more accessible (to me), I can just start using it and taking notes immediately, when I'm home I almost always use the MBA as I prefer MacOS file structure and I can "get around easier".

Given I don't use a keyboard on my iPad, perhaps not an ideal comparison, I do often use the two devices side by side, but that's realistically only as an extra screen per se.

I love both, if I had to choose, I would go down the MBA, MBP route everyday.

If you don't need it, you don't need it.

This sounds like how I would use it as well (at least plan to), with no Magic Keyboard. Is using it as an extra screen a good experience at least? I plan to do the same regarding notes, just seems easier to use iPad for it

 

[coffeeplease]

No, you don't. Macbook Air runs iPad apps just fine, incase you need one, plus I find myself more productive on Air as most productivity apps are designed for keyboard+mouse than touchscreen, unless you're an artist. Example, Office 365 is far more superior than iPad version. Same goes for Photoshop/Gimp.

Edit - that said, I do prefer using my $300 Galaxy Tab A7 android tablet for YouTube and Prime Video over Macbook Air as it is just much easier to carry around.

This is my thoughts on the productivity side, I’d still be using the Mac mostly for it. iPad would be more of an extension and media consumption.

 

[coffeeplease]

As a heavy iPad user (I also use a 16" MBP and Mac Mini), there is something about my 12.9" iPP that just feels more special, or futuristic, than my MBP. If Apple put MacOS on the iPad, I think I would prefer and use it 100% of the time. But until then, there are things that my iPad can only do and things my MBP/Mac Mini can only do even after years of using both.

Something special or futuristic is 100% how I felt trying it at the Apple store.

 

[coffeeplease]

I use it for entertainment and other content consumption. For example, I hate trying to read magazines on a laptop or desktop because I have to scroll up and down and sideways to read a single page. With the iPad, it's like print: a single page that I don't have to touch until I'm done with it.

The only content creation I do on the iPad is brief responses to emails and DMs.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

It does! I am the same, reading books on a laptop does not feel right. Thank you