iPad vs a Mac Air...thoughts please

[HemiSam]

OK...this may be a stupid question but I've been wondering about it.  I own a 13" Mac Air that I've had for years and I use it mostly for this kind of stuff.  Surfing, email, posting, music, etc... I can type pretty good so I really like the Mac for this kind of stuff.  I find using my old iPad mini a PITA due to the typing.  Same thing surfing with my iPhone.

So....what are thoughts on getting an iPad Pro and getting a keyboard for it and using it as a replacement for the laptop?  I'll likely keep the Air, at least for a while, as I like it and I don't need to sell it.  But if the iPad is going to frustrate my efficiency in getting around the web and emailing, then there's no point wasting the money.

To be clear,  any serious number crunching, word processing, etc... I do on a Windows computer.  Mostly for work.

Thanks for any thoughts on the matter.

HS

[grawk]

Have you tried an external keyboard on your ipad mini?  The iPad pro is a great machine, but it's not better for web than the regular ipad, and there are lots of keyboard options available for any ipad.

I have traveled using just an ipad and bluetooth keyboard, and have been reasonably satisfied with it.  

[HemiSam]

4 minutes ago, grawk said:

Have you tried an external keyboard on your ipad mini?  The iPad pro is a great machine, but it's not better for web than the regular ipad, and there are lots of keyboard options available for any ipad.

I have traveled using just an ipad and bluetooth keyboard, and have been reasonably satisfied with it.  

Not really.  I purchased one for my wife a long time back that was part of the case for her regular sized iPad.  I completely forgot about it until now.  I'll see if I can find it and try it on the Mini.  Great thought, thanks.

HS

[EdipisReks1]

my iPad Air 2 and a Belkin "Ultimate Pro Keyboard" completely replaced a laptop for me, for any situation where I don't need Excel plugins (which I've yet to need "on the road").

[HemiSam]

Interesting.  This is what I'm thinking I might be able to pull off.  Hopefully the wifey locates her old keyboard and I can give it a test run this evening.

Perhaps I will go to the Apple store this weekend and see if they can set me up so I can try the Pad / keyboard combo on a newer device.  

There are some rumors that an iPai Air 3 may be released this year...

HS

[EdipisReks1]

I'd be surprised if the Air 2 was replaced with another Air.  I think they are going to have a baseline "iPad" and an "iPad Pro."

[grawk]

and either would work fine for your needs

[HemiSam]

You might very well be correct, Edipis.  Curious that the iPad Pro is thinner than the regular iPad.  The term "Air" was lost on me but I expect it's because I wasn't into iPads much the last few years.

I know you are correct, grawk.  If I'm not crunching stuff for work (which I do on a windows machine), my use is simple.  Surf, post, watch vids and listen to music and manage photos and such.  Very low level stuff from a processing perspective.  All my hotrod stuff logging data is done on old Windows machine I take to the track.

HS

[n_maher]

I know I'm probably in the minority but I'll offer a dissenting opinion.  I got rid of my iPad back in November and haven't missed it.  I prefer a laptop for surfing, email, etc. so I picked up a cheap 13" Air and it cover 95% of what I want it to.  The only time I want a tablet is when I'm on a plane.  I tried a surface pro and it's a fine device but for more of my use cases I am much more comfortable with a traditional laptop with a hinge that can support the screen without flopping around.  

[EdipisReks1]

Just now, n_maher said:

I got rid of my iPad back in November and haven't missed it. 

You clearly don't read enough comic books, Nate.

[n_maher]

Just now, EdipisReks1 said:

You clearly don't read enough comic books, Nate.

Truth.

[EdipisReks1]

If you read comics at all, Sam, the iPad is the way to go.

[grawk]

easy enough, if you don't want an ipad, an ipad is a terrible option. 

[EdipisReks1]

Just now, grawk said:

easy enough, if you don't want an ipad, an ipad is a terrible option. 

If you want an iPad, not getting an iPad is a terrible option.

[skullguise]

I've got an iPad and a laptop, each has fit different needs & uses very well.

The only thing I want to try at some point is the Cisco VPN client my company uses, along with the App that allows Remote Desktop to Windows machines.  That would save some space on the occasions I travel.....been too lazy recently to set them up though.

But for so many things, iPad and keyboard is just fine and dandy.

[HemiSam]

LMAO....and this is why I ask here.  Unadulterated honesty...

Nate offers an opinion that is where I am today and where I came from.  I own the Mac Air specifically for the uses he describes.  I'm comfortable in a keyboard environment.  

I am wondering if there's a better option that offers the iPad / keyboard combo.  One fear is it will be awkward and the other is I'll lose too much with a 9.7" screen vs my 13" Mac Air.  The full size iPad Pro will be too bulky IMO. 

I tend to get in a rut and tech is moving so fast I want to see if I'm missing an opportunity.  I don't travel much for work anymore so it's not too often I'm stuck on a plane where a tablet clearly would have its advantages.  Mostly just personal travel a few times a year.

skullguise - I have used this tech you refer to.  I have run it on a desktop at home and it's fine.  We have a website I can log on to and do this but I haven't used it in a long while.  What I do these days is use Cisco VPN combined with Citrix on my Mac Air when I don't feel like carrying my small Windows machine as well as my personal laptop (travel scenario).  It's OK.  Doesn't mirror my C drive or personal drive on the server, but I pretty much have what I need to get my work done.

HS

 

[MexicanDragon]

Where do you have this sitting? Are you at a table desk, or is it on your lap? If it's on your lap, use a laptop, simple. The keyboard cases just don't work well enough in that use case, and it would be enough of a frustration that you would wish you would have gotten a newer MBA, or an Ultrabook, or just stuck with your current MBA, but this is HC, so you'd buy a new MBA. I figure you're too busy with your job to have time to read comic books, so I wouldn't worry about a new iPad unless you're just in a mood to spend $$$, then I'd get one of each.

**BRENT**

[HemiSam]

That's a good question, Brent.  

For most of my surfing I sit on a recliner with one of those laptop prop-up jobbies that keeps my legs from getting too hot.  My headphone audio rig is to the right and I've got a side table to my left where my rum sits.  Occasionally I'll stand at the kitchen counter or sit at the breakfast table with the Mac Air.

You touched on one of my concerns...that the keyboard case may not be efficient / effective on the recliner.  

And, yes...this is HC.  I feel the need to piss my money away on new tech I fear.  Interestingly, the Mac Book Pro 13" is about the same weight as the Air.  WTH is up with that??? The MacBook is 1lb lighter with a screen 1" smaller.

Two boys to put through school and a car habit.  I'm going to work forever...LMAO.

HS

[dsavitsk]

Not an Apple product, but what about a Yoga that can work as a laptop with a supported screen, or as a tablet to split the difference?

[HemiSam]

dsavitsk,

That's a good thought from a functional perspective.  

What I can offer is Win 8 made me want to shoot myself (came on my son's laptop).  I use Win 7 at work without issue and was very comfortable with XP before we had to lay it down.  I have had no exposure to Win 10.  If it's anything like 8 I don't think my bar is deep enough...

HS

and at the risk of being stoned for being behind the times, my Mac Air still runs on Mavericks (it came with Mountain Lion and I upgraded once I felt Mavericks was stable).  I didn't bother with Yosemite or El Capitan.  

I'm a bad person...

[dsavitsk]

Fwiw, I completely agree with you on Win 8 v 7. I genuinely like 7, liked XP (and 2000, and NT), and find 8 more or less unusable. I had to set up a Windows domain on a Server 2012 (the server version of Win8) and it was a truly terrible experience. I never did get used to it.

I just got a new laptop with 10 on it, and I decided to give it a try before reverting it back to 7. My experience so far is that by toning it down and turning off some bells and whistles, it feels a lot like 7. Everything is comfortable thus far. I also set up a Surface Pro with 10 for my dad over Xmas, and I found the tablet stuff to be fine. But, this is coming from someone who has no real apple experience (last time I really used an apple was probably System 6), so I can't compare it.

[dcpoor]

For other folks that really dislike the tiled "Start Menu", I would recommend http://www.classicshell.net/

The start menu in Windows 8 is extremely frustrating to use. It's less terrible in Windows 10 but still not to my preference.

[Dusty Chalk]

I'm a Win7/Win10 guy...mostly (really, a Linux guy who is circumstantially force to use Windows).  I find Win10 perfectly tolerable once I shut off the default look&feel.  I never got that with Win8, but then it was my understanding that the person responsible for that universally despised OS lost his job for that.

[HemiSam]

This is great info, gents.  Thank you!

I probably need to give Win 10 a test spin here before long in case it's keeping me from being open minded on hardware I should be considering.

Arguably, what Apple does well is sell integrated solutions that hook you like crack...  It sure is convenient to have an iPhone and a Mac.  My family has taken to it so they must be getting something right as I keep buying the stuff.

HS

This is great info, gents.  Thank you!

I probably need to give Win 10 a test spin here before long in case it's keeping me from being open minded on hardware I should be considering.

Arguably, what Apple does well is sell integrated solutions that hook you like crack...  It sure is convenient to have an iPhone and a Mac.  My family has taken to it so they must be getting something right as I keep buying the stuff.

HS

P.S. failed attempt last night to revive the wifey's iPad with bluetooth keyboard.  The Pad wouldn't even take a charge....it went on and off regardless of the charging cable I used.  Tried using my iPad mini with the bluetooth key board but the mini would not recognize it.  I guess that stuff was older than I recalled...

[n_maher]

Sam,

If you want to give Win10 a cheap spin let me know.  I've got a mostly-surplus Surface Pro 3 that I could part with cheaply.  It's barely been used and comes from the HC family.