iPad Pro This just doesn't sit right with me.

[bobjonesco]

Let’s see.

13” iPad Pro M4 WiFi

• 512 GB (8GB RAM. 16 GB only on higher models)
• 9-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU
• 1 USB-C port
• 10 Hours battery life
• Magic Keyboard
• NO Pencil

$3,128 AUD ($3,347 with Pencil)


Compared to the closest MacBook Pro in specs.


14” MacBook Pro M3

• 512 GB (8GB RAM)
• 8 Core CPU, 10 Core GPU
• 2 USB-C ports, HDMI, SDXC, headphone jack
• 15 hours battery life
• Fans

$2,699 AUD


The much less capable device running iPad OS is $429 AUD (or $648 AUD with Pencil) more expensive.


'bUt itS SOoO ThiN aND SpacEBlakkk!!'

 

[Mainsail]

Yeah, I did a similar comparison for the 13" iPad Air + Mk vs 13" MBA. The iPad Air is more expensive, heavier w/MK, older chipset, smaller screen, and less storage in the base model. Doesn’t add up to me unless you really need a pencil for drawing or notes, and then you are stuck with iPadOS vs MacOS.

 

[Macalway]

I have nothing constructive to add, but can't delete this post I created

 

[nStyle]

Unless something big is coming from WWDC, absolutely nothing has changed and anyone with an M1 or newer should not upgrade.

Spoiler: it's not. Apple will never put MacOS or make the iPad as useful as a MBP. It's a separate product category that caters to lighter, more casual users and artists.

 

[Maven1975]

It makes perfect sense. This give Apple the reason now to raise the MBPs even further next revision. So hey… it’s a DEAL!

Meanwhile, I still have a 2018 IPP since they refuse to address PWM issues. Have zero faith they did anything about it this year either.

 

[Jim Lahey]

And the iPad with keyboard setup is deliberately hamstrung with no usable IO, half an operating system and no headphone jack in the hopes you'll need both. Which you likely will if you're the type of user who wanted their iPad to also be a quasi-laptop then realised it wasn't. This is the how the game is played at Apple.

 

[cupcakes2000]

The much less capable device running iPad OS

Speak for yourself. In many people eyes it's a much more capable device. Perhaps buy the one that offers the capabilities you need ?

 

[ofarlig]

Yet the 14” MBP I had was the one gathering dust and ultimately got sold since I use my 12.9” iPad Pro with the keyboard instead.

The MBP just had a worse user experience for my personal usage, a big thing is that notifications are handled like computers have forever instead of how they are handled on every other device we use. Also features like slide-over combined with how app states and app sleeping is handled makes it a lot more fluid to use the iPad.

 

[ric22]

Speak for yourself. In many people eyes it's a much more capable device. Perhaps buy the one that offers the capabilities you need ?

It has its own uses, but how is it "more capable", aside from being lighter and having a camera on the back (and a good one rather than a crap one on the front)? Touch screen I guess you'll say? Aside from these points, anything else?

Regarding the OS- obviously one is more capable than the other.

 

[ofarlig]

It has its own uses, but how is it "more capable", aside from being lighter and having a camera on the back (and a good one rather than a crap one on the front)? Touch screen I guess you'll say? Aside from these points, anything else?

Touch screen, pen support, 5G support, camera on the back, LIDAR-scanner, Face-ID, Gyro/accelerometer are some hardware things that the MacBooks don’t have. And on top you can add software features that for some (like me) makes iPad OS more capable than Mac OS, slide-over alone makes a lot of difference for me.

 

[ric22]

Touch screen, pen support, 5G support, camera on the back, LIDAR-scanner, Face-ID, Gyro/accelerometer are some hardware things that the MacBooks don’t have. And on top you can add software features that for some (like me) makes iPad OS more capable than Mac OS, slide-over alone makes a lot of difference for me.

Fair enough. Aside from the touch screen/pencil, those are pretty niche on the hardware side, I believe. The good rather than bad front facing camera is a big deal, though.

 

[sartois]

Unless something big is coming from WWDC, absolutely nothing has changed and anyone with an M1 or newer should not upgrade.

Spoiler: it's not. Apple will never put MacOS or make the iPad as useful as a MBP. It's a separate product category that caters to lighter, more casual users and artists.

I don't even have an M1 iPad. I can't even think of a compelling reason to upgrade my iPad air 4th gen with A14 chip. It's only purpose in my world (as a software developer) is to watch YouTube, Netflix and it occasionally functions as an e-reader. It's now almost 4 years old and it still does those simple tasks very well. Maybe following this Apple event I'll get it a new case as a treat for it as the one it has is showing it's age.

One day Apple will create a "Magic Dock" where you can attach your iPad Ultra Mega Pro to it and it will auto-magically switch to MacOS, charge the iPad, support 3 or more external displays, full size keyboard and mouse and there will be a setting to also switch to MacOS when attaching to the Magic Keyboard for when you're on the go. It will be called a "laptop replacement device" as it can do all the things a laptop can do so can actually replace it. That day is not today. Maybe next year...

 

[klasma]

I have nothing constructive to add

That doesn’t usually deter commenters. 😛

 

[Ctrlos]

The iPad Pro and the Macbook are two different computers though. Its like comparing a train to a car because they both get you from A->B. Sure, the train is faster and more comfortable and just like a Macbook gives you time to get work done. But a car is more flexible and allows you to go to more places like an iPad.

 

[klasma]

People decide between iPad and MacBook based on use cases, not based on capability specs. While I agree the iPad Pro is really expensive, it does feature a unique display and is more light-weight than the competition, supports a Pencil that is unrivaled (at least on stand-alone tablets), and it’s for people who prefer iPadOS over Android. Personally I have no interest in a MacBook, so the comparison is irrelevant.

This is like comparing MacBooks with Windows laptops on specs, it hardly matters if you don’t want to use Windows (or don’t want to use MacOS).

 

[nj-morris]

Have you considered not buying the new iPad Pro?

 

[MajorFubar]

I'm not their intended customer, but to me the kick in the balls is that the existing pencils and keyboard won't work with the new iPad Pro. So if you want a new iPad Pro, and you want to use it with a pencil and keyboard, you HAVE to buy the new ones, you can't use the ones you were already using with your existing iPad Pro. I can almost buy into the requirement for not being able to use the old keyboard...but pencil?

Pure greed aside, somewhere down the line this strategy is creating unnecessary waste. And the fact that, in the light of this, Apple is still able to label itself as company that is 'environmentally friendly', just shows that we're measuring the criteria of that completely wrong.

 

[b17777]

I'm upgrading from a iPad 5 to a 11" Pro so it all makes sense to me. I know I'll get 6 or 7 years out of my new one easily.

 

[Abazigal]

Let’s see.

13” iPad Pro M4 WiFi

• 512 GB (8GB RAM. 16 GB only on higher models)
• 9-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU
• 1 USB-C port
• 10 Hours battery life
• Magic Keyboard
• NO Pencil

$3,128 AUD ($3,347 with Pencil)


Compared to the closest MacBook Pro in specs.


14” MacBook Pro M3

• 512 GB (8GB RAM)
• 8 Core CPU, 10 Core GPU
• 2 USB-C ports, HDMI, SDXC, headphone jack
• 15 hours battery life
• Fans

$2,699 AUD


The much less capable device running iPad OS is $429 AUD (or $648 AUD with Pencil) more expensive.


'bUt itS SOoO ThiN aND SpacEBlakkk!!'

The numbers seem a bit off.

On my end (granted, this is in Singapore, with education discount).

Your 13” iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard - $2648
14” M3 Pro MBP - $2703

So slightly cheaper, though it will end up costing more once I add the Apple Pencil and cellular option.

What am I missing?

 

[Jim Lahey]

In many people eyes it's a much more capable device.

I agree with this. If for no other reason than Apple's core media apps Music, Books and Podcasts are far better experiences on iPad than they are on macOS. And I say that as someone who has moved back to Mac after excommunicating the iPad persona non grata.

 

[Jim Lahey]

The numbers seem a bit off.

On my end (granted, this is in Singapore, with education discount).

Your 13” iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard - $2648
14” M3 Pro MBP - $2703

So slightly cheaper, though it will end up costing more once I add the Apple Pencil and cellular option.

What am I missing?

OP is referring to the vanilla 8GB M3 MacBook Pro, though? Of course leave it to Apple to create confusion where there previously was none, but that's another conversation 😀

 

[bobjonesco]

Just check the Australian Apple site for prices.

 

[Puonti]

14” M3 Pro MBP - $2703

...

What am I missing?

The original post did not specify M3 Pro silicon. Just base M3. Could that be it?

 

[bmat]

I have automatic and seamless integration with my work email and word on my iPad Pro. I have to go through Citrix on my MBP. Yes, that’s a my work problem — but I expect others in the corporate world run into similar obstacles with Macs that they don’t with iPads because IT departments treat iPads as mobile devices and provide support.

Doesn’t answer the price discrepancy point — but it also is why many people gravitate toward iPads in those situations.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

And the iPad with keyboard setup is deliberately hamstrung with no usable IO, half an operating system and no headphone jack in the hopes you'll need both. Which you likely will if you're the type of user who wanted their iPad to also be a quasi-laptop then realised it wasn't. This is the how the game is played at Apple.

I don’t know what you mean by “no usable I/O.”
The iPad has a thunderbolt port, and additionally, the magic keyboard has a USB-C power port.
That’s more I/O then the 12 inch MacBook ever had.
And the M1 Air also only had two USB-C ports.

Hook up a dock to this iPad, as you would more than likely have to any regular MacBook Air, and you have the same I/O.