Should I buy iPad Pro or a 16inch MBP, or neither?

[sahni130]

Hello all,
Hope everyone is staying safe in these times.

I’ve recently been working from home on my 2019 13 inch mbp 1.4ghz, 8GB ram. I’ve got two monitors hooked up to it via usb-c to hdmi cables. I feel like it really struggles, especially with Microsoft Remote Desktop. I’m thinking that the 8GB ram is just not enough for my workload now.... I usually have outlook, excel, PowerPoint, and a couple things open. The other day PowerPoint froze and I had to force quit it. I also take a lot of notes from conference calls and other things so maybe having an iPad would be helpful.


A couple scenarios I’m thinking of is supplementing the mbp with an iPad Pro... I could use the iPad for content creation and taking notes would be pretty easy with the Pencil. Carrying the iPad would be pretty easy too.

or should I just sell the 13 inch mbp and get the 16 inch with 16 or 32gb ram? Some of the excel models we have are pretty heavy. Or maybe just get a Mac mini and connect the monitors to it?

jay

 

[glenthompson]

Your MBP is probably struggling with multiple monitors due to not having a discrete GPU. That alone on the 16” would be a big improvement in performance.

 

[throAU]

I'd get the iPad Pro.

your 2019 13" will support it via sidecar as a second monitor on the go, and if the stuff you're trying to do creativity wise is doable on the iPad, you'll like it.

That said I was doing the things you're doing with a 2015 13" MacBook Pro (with 8 GB - but with either internal display only, or a single monitor hooked up), and currently do them with a 2020 air, so maybe an OS reinstall to get rid of some issues might be an idea.

Your machine SHOULD be capable of doing those things, but the two monitors might be pushing it a bit.

 

[Pbwj]

I would go for the mbp 16. I got one when it came out and I hardly find myself using my iPad pro now. It's just so much more efficient to achieve tasks on a laptop than it is on an iPad. There are also apps that I use frequent that can't be used on iPads (ex Photoshop). The customization and easy ability to switch between apps or have multiple windows on at the same time just can't be beaten.

 

[sahni130]

Thanks all! When i bought the machine I did not anticipate needing more power but I definitely seem to need it now. I have placed an order for the 12.9 iPad Pro 256GB (Cellular) from my carrier, Verizon. It does not ship until April 29th but with 0% interest financing and 30 day (I think) return period, I thought "why not give it a try". And well, I just like new technology in general and I have never had an iPad before.

Going to see how it fits into my workflow and lifestyle (Sidecar seems pretty cool) but I know for sure next time around I am definitely getting more ram and a discrete GPU in my laptop. I definitely enjoy having 2 monitors or 3 even (just makes life so much easier) so better to have more power than not, methinks. Perhaps the 16-incher could be my "desktop"/home computer and iPad could be the sidekick....or sidecar, pun intended. LOL.

In addition to work, I think it will be great to use the iPad for notes in my graduate (MBA) program- being able to draw/write equations and things like that seems way easier on iPad as well and A HIGHER RESOLUTION front camera for videoconferencing. Maybe I'll like it, maybe I won't and just get a 16-inch and a Thunderbolt dock, etc....but let's see. The 13-inch MBP has certainly made me miss my beast of a Dell at work.....a younger me who worshiped Apple would be shocked I am saying that but hey, use whatever tool gets the job done.

Best,
Jay

 

[MacGizmo]

You're asking other people to choose whether or not you need a bicycle or a truck.

You appear to use office-related apps (low-resources needed), but like to run them all at once on dual monitor setup.

Buying an iPad does what for you? It's a slight improvement in processor speeds coming at the expense of productivity.

Just buy a base-model 16" MBPro and you'll improve your situation by an order of magnitude and ensure several years of use. If you can afford it, upgrade to the next level of video card and/or 32GB of RAM.