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deleted

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 31, 2022
4
3
Our dilemma. it's all about screen size, 80 years of age and no television - by choice!
Time to replace our vintage iPhones (2) MacBook Pro (1) and iPad (1). Not having a television means we can enjoy our individual viewing tastes, Netflix, BBC, ITV ,home videos, music, photos, FaceTime, WhatsApp et al.
For screen size the choice falls between MacBook Air or iPad Pro, maybe the iPad has an edge to take on holidays.
Love all your comments, don't understand most of the tech stuff but sign in every day, Dan's videos are a favourite.
Hope these shorthand notes make some sense. Best wishes from John & Sandi in Hedge End Village in the south of UK
 

ericwn

macrumors G5
Apr 24, 2016
12,118
10,910
If your current iPad has all the apps that you need, you can test it out. If not, Apple offers you two weeks return policy with no questions asked, I strongly recommend you try the devices in question to see for yourself.

Not having a TV doesn’t mean much to me, modern TVs and the Apple TV add on box have all the apps for the common streaming services too.
 

BB1970

macrumors 6502
May 19, 2009
449
1,209
No TV here either. I would get the iPad Pro 12.9, assuming you don’t have any particular needs from a laptop (banking, certain sites that require macOS etc). I’d much rather be comfortable on a couch watching a movie on an iPad than a laptop with attached keyboard. Plus… the 12.9 screen is beautiful (Mini LED). It sounds to me though on the most part you’d use yours as a “consumption” device, as opposed to a creativity one, meaning storage space isn’t as important to you (I personally can’t go under 512 these days, but I do a lot of video and audio creative stuff).
All in all, if you’re looking at a screen for most of your online presence, make it a nice and comfortable one.
 

Rafterman

Contributor
Apr 23, 2010
7,267
8,809
iPad touch abilities would be the tiebreaker for me, seeing as there appear to be no app limitations that would require a Macbook.
 

sparksd

macrumors G3
Jun 7, 2015
9,996
34,299
Seattle WA
No TV here either. I would get the iPad Pro 12.9, assuming you don’t have any particular needs from a laptop (banking, certain sites that require macOS etc). I’d much rather be comfortable on a couch watching a movie on an iPad than a laptop with attached keyboard. Plus… the 12.9 screen is beautiful (Mini LED). It sounds to me though on the most part you’d use yours as a “consumption” device, as opposed to a creativity one, meaning storage space isn’t as important to you (I personally can’t go under 512 these days, but I do a lot of video and audio creative stuff).
All in all, if you’re looking at a screen for most of your online presence, make it a nice and comfortable one.

Agree. Though I have a 55" 4K TV with sound system and 4K DVD, I use my 2021 12.9 a lot for streaming.
 

Expos of 1969

Contributor
Aug 25, 2013
4,825
9,514
John and Sandi.....If I was in your situation, I would get at least one TV. They are not expensive these days and I would rather watch some programs on a bigger screen than an iPad. If you lack rooms for private viewing that may be a problem but you should be able to handle one TV. Just my opinion.
 
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deleted

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 31, 2022
4
3
thank you so much for all your advice, secretly hoping replies would favour the iPad, will wait now until September, hopefully to purchase two of the latest iPads, two phones and two watches, should then see us okay for next five years
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,917
13,261
thank you so much for all your advice, secretly hoping replies would favour the iPad, will wait now until September, hopefully to purchase two of the latest iPads, two phones and two watches, should then see us okay for next five years

It really depends on your preferences.

My aunt and uncle bought a 65” 4K TV (they’re so inexpensive now) for the living room. My uncle usually watches sports on the big TV while my aunt watches K-Dramas on her 12.9” iPad.

For traveling though, 2x iPads (or MacBook or combo) will work better so you each have your own portable TV.

I don’t watch much (prefer reading) but when I do, I usually just use the iPad unless it’s a show that my family also watches.
 
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jav6454

macrumors Core
Nov 14, 2007
22,303
6,264
1 Geostationary Tower Plaza
If your current iPad has all the apps that you need, you can test it out. If not, Apple offers you two weeks return policy with no questions asked, I strongly recommend you try the devices in question to see for yourself.

Not having a TV doesn’t mean much to me, modern TVs and the Apple TV add on box have all the apps for the common streaming services too.
Agreed, the best thing is to try things out and take it from there.
 

Isamilis

macrumors 68020
Apr 3, 2012
2,191
1,074
Our dilemma. it's all about screen size, 80 years of age and no television - by choice!
Time to replace our vintage iPhones (2) MacBook Pro (1) and iPad (1). Not having a television means we can enjoy our individual viewing tastes, Netflix, BBC, ITV ,home videos, music, photos, FaceTime, WhatsApp et al.
For screen size the choice falls between MacBook Air or iPad Pro, maybe the iPad has an edge to take on holidays.
Love all your comments, don't understand most of the tech stuff but sign in every day, Dan's videos are a favourite.
Hope these shorthand notes make some sense. Best wishes from John & Sandi in Hedge End Village in the south of UK
My 83 y/o father, recently bought iPad Pro 11” (he previously used MacBook Air) due to his difficulties to walk / down from bed. He enjoyed it very much, due to its simplicity and loud speakers. His usage are mostly watching YouTube, FaceTime and pictures.
 

TheRedOx

macrumors regular
Feb 18, 2009
180
97
Chicago, IL
For me the iPad is a far better device for media consumption than the MacBooks. I traded in a 14” MBP for a 12.9” M1 iPad Pro a few months ago solely because I couldn’t hide the cursor when viewing HBO Max full-screen.
 

orionquest

Suspended
Mar 16, 2022
871
791
The Great White North
I can't imagine enjoying content on an iPhone or iPad for long term viewing. I've done it traveling, but at home I want to relax in the couch or bed and not have to hold or prop up a iPad or iPhone or do this all the time, plus some distance from the screen. Unless you have some fancy setup I believe a TV would be a better longer term solution. You don't have to subscribe to any cable services just stream to the TV. And since you already have devices if one person doesn't want to use the TV they still have that individual option.
 

TechRunner

macrumors 65816
Oct 28, 2016
1,345
2,327
SW Florida, US
Two 12.9” iPad Pros and two sets of AirPods would let you both sit anywhere, home or away, and enjoy your streaming wirelessly on a premium mobile device. My two cents…
 

rui no onna

Contributor
Oct 25, 2013
14,917
13,261
No need for the over priced iPad Pros. Basic iPads will suffice.

True, any recent iPad can handle the task. Which model boils down to personal preference and budget.

My aunt chose the iPad Pro 12.9 for the larger display and FaceID. I guess her fingerprints are pretty worn down since TouchID frequently fails for her.

My dad and brother are definitely FaceID fans. My mom is die-hard home button TouchID.

For me, it depends on the usage scenario. I definitely appreciate FaceID when I’m using the iPad on a stand with bluetooth keyboard and mouse. When I’m waiting at the doctor’s office wearing a mask, TouchID is preferred.
 

Six0Four

macrumors 65816
Mar 27, 2020
1,060
1,360
If it's gotta be a Mac or iPad I would say a Macbook. I say this because you say you use it to watch TV etc, and the more square aspect ratio on the iPad will give you large black bars along the top and bottom. You will see a bigger picture on the Mac.

Screen Shot 2022-06-06 at 8.28.49 AM.png
 
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Pezimak

macrumors 68040
May 1, 2021
3,445
3,845
Our dilemma. it's all about screen size, 80 years of age and no television - by choice!
Time to replace our vintage iPhones (2) MacBook Pro (1) and iPad (1). Not having a television means we can enjoy our individual viewing tastes, Netflix, BBC, ITV ,home videos, music, photos, FaceTime, WhatsApp et al.
For screen size the choice falls between MacBook Air or iPad Pro, maybe the iPad has an edge to take on holidays.
Love all your comments, don't understand most of the tech stuff but sign in every day, Dan's videos are a favourite.
Hope these shorthand notes make some sense. Best wishes from John & Sandi in Hedge End Village in the south of UK

Hi from a fellow Brit in the South West :)

I would look at the iPad Pro. My mum has used hers every day since I got it, it’s a bit old now though. I bought a new 11” iPad Pro M1 in February and love it.
Wait till the iPad is updated next and look at the 12.9” model I would say, get the cellular one if it’s to replace your iPhones.
I may buy my mum a new iPad Pro when the new models are launched.
 

*~Kim~*

macrumors 65816
May 6, 2013
1,178
470
UK
I’d go for the Air 5. The unexpected surprises of its 8GB RAM and M1 (the same chip as the current iPad Pro) are about as future proof as you can get without spending mega bucks.

If you want the iPad Pro I would hold out for the next update.
 

deleted

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 31, 2022
4
3
thanks Pezimak and Kim appreciate you taking the time to reply. Will wait until September when both options are available, still leaning towards the 12.9 iPad
 

perezr10

macrumors 68020
Jan 12, 2014
2,014
1,486
Monroe, Louisiana
If it's gotta be a Mac or iPad I would say a Macbook. I say this because you say you use it to watch TV etc, and the more square aspect ratio on the iPad will give you large black bars along the top and bottom. You will see a bigger picture on the Mac.

View attachment 2014196
But you can keep watching your favorite show while in the bathroom with an iPad 😀
 
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