iPad or MacBook?

An iPad is largely meant to be a consumer device....as in used to consume data. Read books, watch movies, listen to music. You can do some creation on it, but most apps are skinned down versions of their original programs and lack functionality.

There are also compatibility issues and challenges in getting data on and off the ipad unless you are always on the internet so you can use something like dropbox.

So if you want to create data and content, go for the macbook. If you want something portable and handy to consume data, then go for the ipad.

I would say, of the two, the macbook is the most functional and universal and compatible.

Afraid I don't. I use Documents to Go not the iworks package.

Unfortunately, yeah, that's the only way. I went on vacation and happily existed on my iPad only for several days. But if I want to work in photoshop or download things at home I have to use the laptop. Same with ripping my music cd's if I want more music or chatting with my friends.

The Face At The Window wrote:

Can an iPad do everything a MacBook can do?

Cheers.

Bottom line answer - No. No tablet I've ever seen or used can be considered a replacement for a laptop or desktop computer. The inherent limitations of the processor, graphics, memory and storage mean a tablet simply cannot do many things that a computer can do.

I love my iPad 4, but it cannot nor has not replaced my MBP at home or my computers at work. I have Docs to Go and do use it to edit word & excel files sometimes, but it is not suitable for long sessions, and wholly unsuitable sometimes given the scope of what I am working on. The iPad is also not capable of true multi-tasking either, so while I can run a powerpoint presentation from it (even edit it on it), creating one from scratch on it would be a nightmare.

My iPad is great for taking notes at meetings and when away from my desk. I also love it to take things with me that I need to read and which I want to make notes of while reading it (GoodReader is a great app for that, for example - pdf files of published papers or reports I need to read for work load in it and I can annotate them with my notes as needed), and I can use Box.net, Dropbox, 4shared or some such free service to move files between the iPad and my computer(s).

To my mind, the iPad makes a great portable extension to your primary computer(s), but it comes nowhere near replacing them. No tablet is even close to that level yet, nor will be for a long time.

Just my warning that I think you will be setting yourself up for a huge disappointment if you approach an iPad purchase as a computer replacement. It is a superb mobile companion to a main computer, but not a replacement.

Google is your friend.

http://www.cultofmac.com/185805/why-you-should-buy-an-ipad-instead-of-a-macbook- for-college-back-to-school/

http://www.imore.com/imore-tv-25-buy-ipad-11inch-macbook-air

http://www.pcworld.com/article/208411/MacBook_Air_vs_iPad_Which_One_Would_You_Ch oose.html

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/02/22/ipad-versus-macbook-air-which-is-right-for-you/

 Cheers, Tom 😉

I would not want to use one to make a presentation. Normally, when I am working in powerpoint, I have several other programs open as well - Excel or other programs I am using to generate figures, or copy data from and into tables for the presentation, maybe reference pdf docs as well. Trying to work with all that on an iPad would be downright painful and frustrating. And, I think the touch interface is far less practical for that kind of work then a regular keyboard and mouse.

An iPad or tablet just cannot duplicate that kind of work setting, nor the ease of use of a computer for that kind of thing.

Also keep in mind that an iPad 4 has 1GB RAM (iPad 2 512MB), so large presentations, document files or graphic files can get bogged down - many of the files one might work with on their computer, even if they can be opened on an iPad, will be slow to work with, and may require a lot of scrolling to interact with.

I love my iPad. Is it really truly a replacement for my MBP, no. However, I think depending on what you need to create you may be able to manage. I took my only my original iPad to a 3 week class for work and was able to create whole documents and a presentation using the on screen keyboard and nothing else.

If you were serious about using an iPad as your only computer a keyboard would be a smart move and you should look into dropbox as others have mentioned. I think it can be done, but it takes effort.

I have used Pages, Keynote and Numbers on the iPad and I think they handle everything I need them to handle. I even created a whole tracker for work on my iPhone via Numbers and they still use it (in excel) today. Only took a few minutes.

Do I think Apple envisioned the iPad as a computer replacement, no. Do I think that many people around the world are getting by with only an iPad, yes. I think that an iPad extends the life of your computer. You probably have an aging computer and are looking for something more current, quicker, etc. Chances are if you bought an iPad you would use your computer less but have it for the "heavy lifting" you may need to do occasionally.

Honestly it is completely up to you. I think it can be done.