MacBook, MacBook Air or iPad Pro (9.7), what's best for me?

[Alistair Ward]

Hi,

At the moment I have a dreadful laptop that needs replacing. I have no iPad, just an iPhone 7 Plus and an Apple Watch Series 2. I need a computing device and need help as to what I should choose.

I'll make it clear that I don't need masses of power; I never do anything intensive or complex such as editing video, and prefer to use my tablet/laptop for light use such as lots of media consumption, lots of simple web browsing, online shopping and email. I might have to occasionally work from home on Office programmes, too. Again, nothing intensive. I need something light and portable which all three devices cover.

What should I get for my usage? I love the MacBook and the iPad Pro 9.7; design is important to me and I'm not a fan of the Air in this regard. However I feel I can't disregard a laptop due to the keyboard (I don't like iPad external keyboards) and the MacBook Air is well priced, too. The problem is I'm not sure if I'd really miss the Macbook's Retina Display and better design..

That's when I considered a MacBook Air and an iPad Pro, would this be a better idea than buying the MacBook alone? The Pro for Media consumption and the Air for work...?

I know the MacBook isn't very powerful, but then again I don't really need it to be..so I'm in a bit of dilemma at the moment.

Please help Thank you.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Yes. What you've considered should work for you. Go for it!

 

[Matty]

Hey @Alistair Ward!, That's what we are here for

This answer is just my opinion so don't take this as a 'cast in stone answer'. So the first question i would have to ask is, do you care about screen size?
While the iPad Pro 9.7" should be more than powerful enough to suit your needs, it's screen is quite small for being used as a laptop (Plus Keyboard) compared to Macbook Pros. So i wouldn't advise using it because of that. The iPad Pro 12.9" on the other hand is definitely big enough but its a little old at this point and due for an upgrade soon

My suggestion would be to pick up a [URL="https://forums.imore.com/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.sjv.io%2Fc%2F221109%2F473657%2F7613%3FsubId1%3DUUimUvbUpU2919308%26subId2%3Dvbim%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fshop%252Fbuy-mac%252Fmacbook-pro%26ourl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fshop%252Fbuy-mac%252Fmacbook-pro%253Fproduct%253DMF839LL%25252FA%2526step%253Dconfig%2526afid%253Dp239%25257C159229%2526cid%253Daos-us-aff-ir%2526subId1%253DUUimUvbUpU2919308%2526subId2%253Dvbim%2522&token=VvvQWhKW]Macbook Pro 13" (2015)[/URL]. It's got a lovely keyboard, screen and battery life. While the [URL="https://forums.imore.com/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.sjv.io%2Fc%2F221109%2F473657%2F7613%3FsubId1%3DUUimUvbUpU2919308%26subId2%3Dvbim%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fmac%252F%26ourl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fshop%252Fbuy-mac%252Fmacbook%253Fproduct%253DMLH72LL%25252FA%2526step%253Dconfig%2526afid%253Dp239%25257C159229%2526cid%253Daos-us-aff-ir%2526subId1%253DUUimUvbUpU2919308%2526subId2%253Dvbim%2522&token=Wxary3cI]Macbook (2016) [/URL]should meet all your needs, the value for money isn't as great. You lose a ton of ports and the keyboard is very shallow.

So thats my suggestion. Im sure many will differ with me but thats ok

 

[pkcable]

WOW what a loaded question! Here's some blogs that might help you decide.

Which iPad should you get: iPad Pro, iPad, or iPad mini? | iMore

iPad Pro vs. MacBook: Which should you buy? | iMore

An LTE iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil will cost more than a MacBook | iMore