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iPad Pro Why did you choose the iPad Pro 12.9 over the MacBook Air?
- Thread starter KadMac
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Definitely do-able--just not very fast or accurate. I would never want to try it on a long form that I have to fill out manually though. For example, my kids still get forms for athletics or doctor visits sometimes that have to be filled out in pen. I will typically fill those out right on my iPad and send them back rather than print, fill out, scan, send back.
Even for stuff I get from DocuSign, I tend to use the Pencil and give my real signature rather than the AI generated one they give me. For quick "circle here, highlight here" type stuff though, that usually gets done on my Mac.
Just to clarify that this was a M1 MBA & M1 iPad Pro use case
I work as an online humanities teacher, so lots of grading of essays by marking them up with the pencil in Canvas, and reading of books in PDF and ePub. Also a fair amount of long-form writing using the Magic Keyboard, and a little bit of drawing with the pencil.
When I’m teaching online, the iPad Pro is a dream accessory to my iMac. It lets me mark up PPT slides or PDF books in real time while I’m showing them to students via a screenshare.
Basically, the MacBook Air is not better at any of the things I do with my iPad. I will probably never own another laptop computer.
When I’m teaching online, the iPad Pro is a dream accessory to my iMac. It lets me mark up PPT slides or PDF books in real time while I’m showing them to students via a screenshare.
Basically, the MacBook Air is not better at any of the things I do with my iPad. I will probably never own another laptop computer.
Sure its fantastic device for note taking, reading and media consumption, but for this basic usage no need for iPP, iPad Mini or Air would be more then enough…
I wanted a tablet to draw with, so I picked up a refurb 2018 13" Pro a while ago for the screen size. My main machine is still a 2012 15" MBP because it runs a desktop OS without being locked down for the most part. It's old, but it's in no need of replacing, so I'm not planning on getting any new laptops anytime soon, and the iPad fills in for what it lacks for me.
I switched from iPad Air to iPP for these usages. Screen in iPP is much more comfortable on eyes than iPad Air. Also sketching experience is better. I also use for reading where mini is too small for academic books / journal PDF reading.
For me it was what I heard once on a podcast. A huge developer was being interviewed and he said “Mac development is dead and if you don’t believe me go to the Mac App Store and look at the top apps…What do you see? Apple Apps only and the next most popular Mac app that wasn’t produced by Apple was like PCalc or something ( don’t quote me on the specifics But it was basically that developers are putting development money on mobile only basically. And if you develop for iOS you get the iPhone crowd AND the iPad crowd with very little coding changes between the two
Short answer - I just like using iPadOS over macOS or Windows.
Longer answer - For my job, I really don’t need anything heavy processing-wise. I do some work in Pages and Numbers which work fine for me on my iPad. And for hobby use, I can import photos from my camera and edit them very fast. I can’t find a Windows app that works anywhere close to how Pixelmator Photo works. Macs have Pixelmator Pro. And my last point is the Pencil support. For both my job and hobby work, I take advantage of the Pencil. I make a new flyer every month, it’s easier for me to cut a product out of a photo with a Pencil than a mouse or trackpad. Same thing with any photos or drawings I do in my free time. I’ve used Windows and Mac machines for the last thirty years, it’s just refreshing using an iPad as my main machine now. Less complicated and I feel like I get my stuff done faster.
Longer answer - For my job, I really don’t need anything heavy processing-wise. I do some work in Pages and Numbers which work fine for me on my iPad. And for hobby use, I can import photos from my camera and edit them very fast. I can’t find a Windows app that works anywhere close to how Pixelmator Photo works. Macs have Pixelmator Pro. And my last point is the Pencil support. For both my job and hobby work, I take advantage of the Pencil. I make a new flyer every month, it’s easier for me to cut a product out of a photo with a Pencil than a mouse or trackpad. Same thing with any photos or drawings I do in my free time. I’ve used Windows and Mac machines for the last thirty years, it’s just refreshing using an iPad as my main machine now. Less complicated and I feel like I get my stuff done faster.
Because I went with the 16” M1 MBP as a laptop and a M1 13” MBA is the same machine but much worse in all area’s.
Atleast the M1 12.9 iPad Pro gives me something extra that the 16” M1 MBP doesn’t offer.
Atleast the M1 12.9 iPad Pro gives me something extra that the 16” M1 MBP doesn’t offer.
I hve an iPad pro because of the portability. However, my main computer is a Windows PC because of my heritage. I live in both worlds, but I would never want to own a Mac
The decision was simple for me because I’m a quadriplegic. I have the iPad mounted on the table for use from my bed. I also have a Fire TV box to voice control my television. The iPad Pro has been a life changer for me. I even attend my church service from my iPad. Before my injury I made a lot of GoPro videos and a lot of wildlife photography. I’m hoping as my caregiver-daughter has more time we will be able to go out and do this again as she was into it too. In the future I do want to attempt to use my Mac mini with the television. I’m going to have to switch from a touchpad to the magic mouse. My Mac mini is where I back up everything.
For a ~13" consumption device I think the iPad works better. I prefer laptops of 15" and up, as I think that unlocks the full potential/usefulness of MacOS.
I chose iPad over the Mac for a couple of reasons: versatility, overall user experience, and my own relationship with the OS.
In terms of versatility iPad is more flexible. I can simply hold it up to read or watch something in bed. I can get accessories like a stand that hold it up. When I want to do more typing or interact a little more precisely with a trackpad I can attach the Magic Keyboard (like I’m doing to type this post out). In other words I can make the iPad into a makeshift laptop but I cannot make a laptop into a makeshift iPad (at least in Apple land).
In terms of the user experience I watch a lot of content on my iPad, whether on YouTube or a streaming service of some kind. The speakers are killer, the display is gorgeous (especially if I’m watching HDR content), and I can use my fingers, trackpad, or pencil to navigate around or input information. If I’m browsing the net (can you tell I’m a 90’s kid?) ProMotion looks awesome and the display gets very bright, brighter than most MacBooks (exception would be the 14” and 16” 2021 MacBook’s Pro). This iPad is the cheapest way to get Apple’s best display on a device that’s not a phone. I‘m using the iPadOS 16 beta which means I can change the spacing for more or less space. I‘ve also been playing around with Stage Manager.
Speaking of which my last reason is my relationship to the OS. I vividly remember when Steve introduced the first iPad. Since then iPad has gotten far more capable. That’s also when I was paying attention to Apple and tech more closely so I’ve seen how they make iPad more and more capable every year and i’ve experienced the evolution first hand. With macOS there’s decades of interface design and history that I wasn’t paying attention to so I feel a little less familiar with it.
In terms of versatility iPad is more flexible. I can simply hold it up to read or watch something in bed. I can get accessories like a stand that hold it up. When I want to do more typing or interact a little more precisely with a trackpad I can attach the Magic Keyboard (like I’m doing to type this post out). In other words I can make the iPad into a makeshift laptop but I cannot make a laptop into a makeshift iPad (at least in Apple land).
In terms of the user experience I watch a lot of content on my iPad, whether on YouTube or a streaming service of some kind. The speakers are killer, the display is gorgeous (especially if I’m watching HDR content), and I can use my fingers, trackpad, or pencil to navigate around or input information. If I’m browsing the net (can you tell I’m a 90’s kid?) ProMotion looks awesome and the display gets very bright, brighter than most MacBooks (exception would be the 14” and 16” 2021 MacBook’s Pro). This iPad is the cheapest way to get Apple’s best display on a device that’s not a phone. I‘m using the iPadOS 16 beta which means I can change the spacing for more or less space. I‘ve also been playing around with Stage Manager.
Speaking of which my last reason is my relationship to the OS. I vividly remember when Steve introduced the first iPad. Since then iPad has gotten far more capable. That’s also when I was paying attention to Apple and tech more closely so I’ve seen how they make iPad more and more capable every year and i’ve experienced the evolution first hand. With macOS there’s decades of interface design and history that I wasn’t paying attention to so I feel a little less familiar with it.
I found this jarring as well when I went from a 12.9” iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard as my daily driver back to MacBooks as my daily drivers. It’s not as much of an adjustment on the larger screen laptops though, and part of the problem is definitely my bad eyesight. I did adjust quickly, and my current personal laptop, the 2021 14” MBP, gives me no problems in that area.
I have thought about this quite a bit though. The iPad version of the Magic Keyboard definitely brings the device closer to your face, but it is also limited by the size of the iPad itself. Apple’s hands were kind of tied here, unless they wanted to make the trackpad even smaller. As a result, it is missing some things I really like having on a keyboard, and also causes me to whack my fingers into the bottom of the iPad a lot. It also makes the iPad Pro thicker and heavier than a MacBook.
But this is all stuff that comes as a cost of true modularity. You can pop that iPad right off the keyboard, stick it in a folio case or whatever, and leave the weight you don’t need behind. Still things a Mac can’t do!
I'm a good position to answer this since I just decided to pass on the new MacBook Air and wait for the M2 iPad Pro to replace my 2018 iPad Pro. For the last year I have raged on the iPad for not being the "computer" I wanted due to iPadOS limitations - mainly I wanted 1 device to do it all. I have found acceptance that I need both Mac and iPad as they fill very different needs. Even with Magic Keyboard the iPad Pro will never be able to do it all for me, and I have tried hard. On the flip side, while I need a Mac, I will not force one to be my in bed, on the couch, mainly consumption, light productivity machine. The iPad is light, simple, and a breeze to use with fingers for these scenarios.
What I am going to do differently when I buy the M2 iPad Pro is not fall into the trap of buying the 1TB model to get the 16GB of memory and buy a new Magic Keyboard (if required due to design change). A maxed out iPad Pro won't make it any more the computer I want and will just leave me resentful that I spent >$2400 for something that will never work like a MacBook.
I would also consider an iPad Air instead of iPad Pro if it ever comes in 12.9" size. The extra screen size is the only reason I need a "Pro". The better cameras, promotion, mini LED screen, mean very little to me for what I use the iPad for.
What I am going to do differently when I buy the M2 iPad Pro is not fall into the trap of buying the 1TB model to get the 16GB of memory and buy a new Magic Keyboard (if required due to design change). A maxed out iPad Pro won't make it any more the computer I want and will just leave me resentful that I spent >$2400 for something that will never work like a MacBook.
I would also consider an iPad Air instead of iPad Pro if it ever comes in 12.9" size. The extra screen size is the only reason I need a "Pro". The better cameras, promotion, mini LED screen, mean very little to me for what I use the iPad for.
This. I got an iPad because I don't need a MacBook, I am in love with my blue 24' iMac.
Yeah, true, but I'm also thinking of going the 14" + Mini 6 route like yourself! I like to draw on the 12.9, but probably not enough to keep only for that.
I chose it because of the versatility, and because there’s nothing I need to do that can’t be done on an iPad.
I like the touch screen, the ability to use the pencil, the fact that it’s always on, that I can use it with the MK, but pop it off and use it without when needed.
For me the iPad is the best of both worlds. YMMV
I like the touch screen, the ability to use the pencil, the fact that it’s always on, that I can use it with the MK, but pop it off and use it without when needed.
For me the iPad is the best of both worlds. YMMV
I have been using 12.9" iPP for many years (2015 - was my 1st).... Now I have 2018 and M1, my daughter got my 11" and last year I did not want to get the 11" so opted for the 12.9".... in 2018, I ended up getting a Mac mini, because I needed it for setting up a new printer and I have a LOT of external storage.
Now current - I wanted a mobile way to play full version of Sims 4.... So I got a good deal on 13" MBP - same price as Air.... but I returned it the other day, last straw was my M1 iPP next to it - screen was not great.... SO I exchanged it for 14" MBP.... not sure I am keeping it though, issues with trackpad. Not sure I like my desk setup with 2 - 28" monitors, 2 - 12.9" iPP and a 14" MBP - seems excessive. SO I may end up getting a new Mac mini.... I am having some issues with my 2018 getting really hot etc....
I do have to say the iPP is way more portable than the MacBooks.... I am an artist so use the pencil most of the time....
Now current - I wanted a mobile way to play full version of Sims 4.... So I got a good deal on 13" MBP - same price as Air.... but I returned it the other day, last straw was my M1 iPP next to it - screen was not great.... SO I exchanged it for 14" MBP.... not sure I am keeping it though, issues with trackpad. Not sure I like my desk setup with 2 - 28" monitors, 2 - 12.9" iPP and a 14" MBP - seems excessive. SO I may end up getting a new Mac mini.... I am having some issues with my 2018 getting really hot etc....
I do have to say the iPP is way more portable than the MacBooks.... I am an artist so use the pencil most of the time....
far superior screen
Cellular connectivity
Easier to use in bed or the car
Pencil is a used every day. iPad is a Dealbreaker without it.
Wireless screen for 16” M1max mbp
Cellular connectivity
Easier to use in bed or the car
Pencil is a used every day. iPad is a Dealbreaker without it.
Wireless screen for 16” M1max mbp
I think I'm actually at the point where it's a dealbreaker without the Pencil AND without cellular capability. If I'm going to have that in-between device, those are the top two things that now make it worth it to me. My mini 6 is meant to replace my iPhone OR my Mac if the situation arises, so I really like having the cell plan active on it. It's obviously also the only device in Apple's lineup with Pencil support, and I really love the Pencil.