All iPads Which apple device to upgrade

[itzme]

I wanted to take advantage of the student discount program apple is running. I can afford to upgrade one device a year. I have a;

2017 Macbook pro 128 gb. base model, always running out of space, there is a applecare on it until Feb 2021

2nd gen 12.9 ipad 256 gb

I am not sure which device to upgrade. 128 gb always bothered me and the keyboard is horrid, the ipad is cheaper to upgrade.

Which is the better device to replace? I am a student so I use them both heavily. Both have applecare on them.

 

[slimejester]

Honestly, I’d hold off completely upgrading either until Apple rolls out the ARM MacBook and A14X iPad Pro. The ARM MacBook is likely to be released before the end of the year and its rumored price starts at $799, so that would be even less than getting a MBA or MBP with the back to school promotion. Also, the educational pricing is available year-round for Macs and iPads, so you’d only be missing out on the free AirPods if you wait.

 

[Savannah Terry]

I wanted to take advantage of the student discount program apple is running. I can afford to upgrade one device a year. I have a;

2017 Macbook pro 128 gb. base model, always running out of space, there is a applecare on it until Feb 2021

2nd gen 12.9 ipad 256 gb

I am not sure which device to upgrade. 128 gb always bothered me and the keyboard is horrid, the ipad is cheaper to upgrade.

Which is the better device to replace? I am a student so I use them both heavily. Both have applecare on them.

Get the iPad Pro.

 

[MisterMillz]

If you’re bumping against the limits of 128, then it‘d make sense to replace that. Otherwise, upgrading either to the newest offering would be a nice upgrade.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I wanted to take advantage of the student discount program apple is running. I can afford to upgrade one device a year. I have a;

2017 Macbook pro 128 gb. base model, always running out of space, there is a applecare on it until Feb 2021

2nd gen 12.9 ipad 256 gb

I am not sure which device to upgrade. 128 gb always bothered me and the keyboard is horrid, the ipad is cheaper to upgrade.

Which is the better device to replace? I am a student so I use them both heavily. Both have applecare on them.

Wait until October/November before making your decision. Apple will very likely reveal ARM MacBooks around that time.

 

[darngooddesign]

Whatever device's slowness or lack of capability affects your life the most.

If you use your Mac more then upgrading it will have the greatest positive affect on your life. However, if you an move the things which fills its drive to the iPad and just add a cheap BT keyboard to the Mac for home use then upgrade the iPad.

 

[ejin222]

Or why not just get an external SSD for your MBP and save some $$ for a really nice upgrade later down the line?

 

[*~Kim~*]

Would upgrading to a refurb 3rd Gen Pro and Magic Keyboard or getting the 4th Gen Pro or 4th Gen Air on student pricing with the MK mean that you could do more with the iPad, therefore leaving the 128GB MacBook for those tasks that the iPad can’t do?

Bear in mind that any of the above is a new form factor and requires the newer pencil than the one you have (or a Logitech Crayon, so you wouldn’t need to change if you already have that.) The Air 4 and 3rd Gen Pro have the same RAM as your current device, so waiting for a refurb 4th Gen Pro might be better, as that has 6GB rather than the 4 you currently have.

 

[KittyKatta]

Which is the better device to replace? I am a student so I use them both heavily. Both have applecare on them.

MBP 2017 and iPad Pro 12.9? Lets be honest here, those are two very capable machines so how would an upgrade affect your workflow?

Its funny because you may think your gear is outdated but in 2020 I bought a MBP2017 and iPad Pro 12.9 and there is nothing that I feel I'm missing out on. Maybe you have a specific task that requires brand new gear but if not then I'd say its best to wait and see what the ARM transition brings to Macs AND iPads.

 

[muzzy996]

MBP 2017 and iPad Pro 12.9? Lets be honest here, those are two very capable machines so how would an upgrade affect your workflow?

Its funny because you may think your gear is outdated but in 2020 I bought a MBP2017 and iPad Pro 12.9 and there is nothing that I feel I'm missing out on. Maybe you have a specific task that requires brand new gear but if not then I'd say its best to wait and see what the ARM transition brings to Macs AND iPads.

Agree with this.

@itzme - It’s unfortunate that the storage in your MBP is undersized for your needs but that can be mitigated now with an external SSD at a fraction of the cost of upgrading either of your two devices.

I guess by nature of this thread being on an iPad forum rather than the Macbook side the advice will be skewed towards upgrading the iPad despite any indication from you that it is lacking in any way. Just know that there will be a group of us who feel otherwise.

 

[rui no onna]

2017 Macbook pro 128 gb. base model, always running out of space, there is a applecare on it until Feb 2021

I am not sure which device to upgrade. 128 gb always bothered me and the keyboard is horrid, the ipad is cheaper to upgrade.

Which is the better device to replace? I am a student so I use them both heavily. Both have applecare on them.

If I were in your shoes, I'd go with the upgrading the MacBook. You're already complaining about storage and keyboard on that while it seems no complaints on the iPad yet.

Personally, my minimum for internal laptop storage is ~500GB. Sometimes, it's just not practical or convenient to have a USB dongle or external HDD dangling from laptops so I want large enough built-in storage for essential programs and files as well as sufficient free space for scratch files.

Granted, I use Windows so I can DIY my storage upgrades (e.g. 2TB NVMe SSD for $200-350).

 

[itzme]

Thanks all, I did not know ARM was so close. I will wait for that and upgrade the macbook.