iPad vs. MacBook Air

[AlaskanFlightMedic]

So I am going back-and-forth here…

I returned from the dark side a few years back and have pretty much eliminated anything to do with PC from my life; still working on the employers.

Anyway I do most of my work between a MacBook and iMac but have given serious thought to getting a MacBook Air or iPad for portability and serviceability in more rugged. Especially on long off road treks. I am building a list of pros and cons for both so I open this up to anyone with an opinion.

 

[scottishpinz]

Let me guess, you need the functionality of the macbook but like the form factor of the iPad! Me too! But until the iPad has more function its not up to meeting the needs of 'most' computer users. If space isn't really at a premium you might as well get a Macbook not even the 'air' model.

 

[Christian P.]

I have an Ipad for sale. I am buying a McAir...

There are a couple things that don't work for me on the Ipad.
Mostly files handling (no easy way to save/edit/manipulate) and no multitasking.

 

[Voodoo11]

Here is a decent comparison of both.

http://www.businessinsider.com/macbook-air-review-2010-11


Personally, i would wait for the ipad 2 and carry both. ipad for entertainment, bedtime browsing, etc.

MB Air for work, email, docs. If I only had to get one, I'd get the air as typing is needed for emails, work, docs, etc.

 

[AchillesBogart]

I'd be inclined to go with the macbook air. They're both small, the macbook air is pretty close to a letter sized piece of paper and the ipad's a bit smaller. The ipad looks fancy but it feels more like a gimmick to me. I think the screen is actual glass (or maybe that's the latest iphone, I don't remember), so what if it falls out when you open a door? Dropping the laptop wouldn't be any better, but when I'm not using my macbook pro its shut and in a case so its a little less likely to get damaged when I unload my rig. Do you keep a journal or write up your trips? You don't have a real keyboard on the ipad so typing would be more like using a cell phone. How clean do you keep your hands in the field? Good abrasive dirt and sand could mess up the touch screen when you use it. Neither have a cd/dvd drive, but the air has a usb port so you can transfer pics from a camera to it. All that said, the ipad does come with 3g so if you do a lot of online stuff in the field there is the benefit of that, but you can usually get a 3g usb adapter from your cell provider for a computer too, though that is more money you have to shill out.

 

[7wt]

I just bought a new Air and I can't say enough great things about it. The computer fixes all the little niggles I had with my 15" Pro. It is a lot smaller and lighter, not having the CD drive just means I don't have to hear it cycle on all by it's self at 3am or so and it doesn't have an illuminated keyboard to drain battery power. To top it all off, it has more memory, faster boot times and it was a good bit cheaper than my Pro was four years ago. Last but certainly not least, it is a lot more solid too. Not having a removable battery and the chassis being machined out of a single piece of aluminum means the chassis doesn't flex. This looks as if it will be the perfect travel computer which is good because I have been carrying my 15" Pro back and forth to school than I ever thought I would. Oh, the SD card is a nice touch as well. It means I can pull the card out of my camera and slip it in the computer without that pesky cable. My only worry was the 13" screen but it doesn't seem like it is going to be a problem. The page I am looking at now is the same size as I would have had it on my 15" anyway.

I was looking at the new iPads pretty hard but decided that the laptop was a better fit for me at this time.

 

[Scott Brady]

I bought an Air, and now my iPad collects dust. . .

I wish the 11" had the processing power of the 13", as it would have been even better overall.

The 13" MBA is the finest laptop I have ever owned (and I have owned many)

 

[Christophe Noel]

I have a MacBook Pro, iPhone, and I bought my wife an iPad for Christmas. The iPad is a lost child. It's really just a bloated iPod Touch. The Air seems like the no brainer here. An Air and and iPhone get's you covered soup to nuts.

That said, I love to play the Angry Birds app on the iPad. :sombrero:

 

[7wt]

Scott,

What mapping software are you using for your Air? Also, how are you handling the GPS interface? I am thinking about adding some topos to use in the field. I am a moron when it comes to this kind of stuff so walk me gently though if you can. Thanks!

BTW guys, this keyboard even seems to type nicer than my old Pro. FWIW, I purchased the Air with 4GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory.

 

[timmy!!!!!!!]

I have thought about it for awhile but I decided to get an Ipad2 since I have both a macbook and a g4 ibook. I can use either of those if I need a full blown laptop. Now I am debating on getting a mac mini to keep in my dorm room.

 

[Scott Brady]

Scott,

What mapping software are you using for your Air? Also, how are you handling the GPS interface? I am thinking about adding some topos to use in the field. I am a moron when it comes to this kind of stuff so walk me gently though if you can. Thanks!

BTW guys, this keyboard even seems to type nicer than my old Pro. FWIW, I purchased the Air with 4GB of RAM and 128 GB of memory.

The only thing I really use for navigation anymore is my iPhone 4, although I do use the HEMA Navigator with obscure Russian maps when in "interesting" countries.

However, I have used MACGPSPro in the past with great success. It is essentially a Mac version of Ozi Explorer.

 

[7wt]

Cool, thanks Scott. I am still trying to decide if I want to take this little baby into the field or not.

 

[Scott Brady]

Cool, thanks Scott. I am still trying to decide if I want to take this little baby into the field or not.

I am using a small F-Stop camera bag that the computer slides into, along with my camera. Works well and is pretty compact.

 

[timmy!!!!!!!]

Update.

I sold my old school macbook and ipad2 for a macbook air today. Picked up the previous generation air with free Apple TV for less than the newest generation and am loving every minute of it! It makes more sense for me to use my mac mini as my home computer and my macbook air as my travel laptop. I may see about getting a Ipad 1 down the road to full-fill my procrastination habits..

 

[MossMan]

I want an Air that folds all the way open and can used like and iPad.