Choosing between iPad Pro and MacBook depends on what features and specs are most important to you. Here’s what you need to know to make the right decision.
Apple’s tagline for the 2020 iPad Pro is “ Your next computer is not a computer”. It’s a fancy way to address the tension at the heart of most of the buyers. It costs more than any laptop, but will it be able to replace your MacBook?
So to this comparison, both the devices hovering around a range of $1000 price point and since we have more updates coming to the iPad Pro, they are bridging the gap between a laptop and a dedicated tablet. And i’m pretty sure people are experiencing difficulty choosing which device to go for!
The MacBook Air has a starting price of $999 but if you spend additional $200 and get the 16 GB Ram and 512 GB storage capacity, and also the i5 processor that will be about $1300, that will be a Machine that will serve you for a longer time. And people are also wondering whether they should get a MacBook Air or a 13 inch MacBook Pro which will also be about $1300-$1400.
The iPad Pro, in contrast, are a bit of a tougher choice because A — we have two different sizes and B — the accessories that are necessary to buy with an iPad which if you add, would round you up to a MacBook. Apple Pencil for $129, the smart keyboard folio or another $100 and after this you might want to get yourself a trackpad to get a feeling of a laptop, that’s another $75 you need to fork out. In all, you will be spending $300 more in just accessories. So purchasing an iPad for $699 or $999 depending on what size and spec you choose, you will have to part with a couple of hundred dollars just to complete its setup. Why not buy a MacBook? A macbook you don’t need to spend extra cash on, which is going to perform everything at the best speed and the main reason to buy a MacBook is that it’s a laptop, not a Tablet. In an iPad, you will be getting the mobile OS and it is similar to using an iPhone with just a big body.
Well, what device you choose is totally for what you are going to use it for and also it’s your choice. Personally, I think that iPad is a great device. But for productivity tasks such as editing videos and replying to emails, that’s the main work of a Computer. If you find yourself typing a lot, go for a MacBook because the MacBook offers you a better response rather than the iPad keyboard. Like if you are sitting in a park and you have to send a couple of emails, you cannot sit all the time keeping your thighs together typing on a shaking device. That’s what a laptop is made for.
Coming to a field where the iPad leaves the MacBook in the dust, The Editing. After comparing the time that a MacBook Air and iPad Pro takes to edit a video, the iPad Pro edits the videos faster than the MacBook as it has an advantage of running on a mobile OS. Same for the photo editing. Photo editing on the MacBook vs editing it on the iPad using the Apple Pencil gives you a better response.
Using the Apple Pencil, you can draw pretty fantastic things and for someone who is into designing, the iPad for sure would help you design better than any device. And as I mentioned, photographers, the iPad thrushes the MacBook hands down.
Another area where the iPad Pro leaves the MacBook in the dust is gaming. You can play games on the iPad without worries of getting overheated. iPadOS offers you an array of games compared to a MacBook. Actually, the MacBook’s were never made for gaming however you can play short and light games on it. Well, the iPad has a powerful processor and dedicates graphics which offers you a smoother gaming experience.
With the iPad weighing 1.09 pounds and the MacBook weighing 1.29 pounds, both are one of the thinnest devices in the market. But the only thing that holds me back that if you/re dropping a thousand bucks on a device is that compatibility and use.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the MacBook Air comes with a 720p camera which I think is disappointing because at such a high price range, you should be getting a 1080p camera. Some of the windows PC at similar price range offers face unlock and yet the MacBook still has the touch id. On the other hand, Apple has put in the 12-megapixel main wide sensor with an f/1.8 aperture which captures great pictures but isn’t able to match the low light performance. Apple also added another 10-megapixel ultrawide sensor at f/2.4 with a 125-degree field of view. They didn’t stop here.
The biggest change is the camera system. You can’t miss it. The big camera bump on the back of the iPad Pro is now a square now. It features two regular camera sensors and a new LIDAR sensor. The iPad also features a selfie camera which is also used to unlock the device similar to the newer iPhone models.
So if you’re a student or you are just getting into the Apple Ecosystem, close your eyes and get the MacBook Air as a laptop is what a student needs. And if you are looking for a device which has a faster processor, better performance, lighter weight, and also if those cameras matter to you, get yourself the iPad Pro. If you’re an Apple fan boy, you would keep both and hey, don’t listen to what I or other people say, get a device that would suits your needs.
See also:
How to Get into the Apple Ecosystem for Less than $1500