Ipad + Imac vs MBP?

Originally, i bought the ipad 2 to hold me off until apple redesigns their MBP (i'd sell the ipad when the MBP is released).. but the more i think about it, the more i like the idea of just getting a IMac and being done with it.. obviously wait for the refresh though. using the ipad for college (notes and web surf, etc.) and come home to do homework assignments on the imac.

cost wise, it seems efficient too..
$750 ipad + $1500 21.5" imac = $2250.
or $2300 15" MBP

thoughts?

BTW, i know this is a notebook forum, but just wanted to see what you guys had to say on the subject.

 

I have both an iPad (first generation) and an early 2011 13" MBP. I take my iPad with me everywhere as I can easily take notes on it (though I recommend getting a stylus and a notes app if you are going to take down a lot of notes), it is smaller than a typical spiral bound notebooks, and it goes all day on a single charge. I don't need a powerful computer when all I am going to do is take notes and surf the internet. I take my MBP with me when I need to give a detailed presentation, when I need to access MATLAB or AutoCAD on the go, and/or when I need more than just the bare basics of internet access.

That is just me though. There was actually a thread made by someone here not too long ago that was a poll that essentially asked this question. I suggest you search the forums for it as there was at least two pages of replies.

 

Interesting idea. I've been thinking the same thing.

I now have a 13" MBA. I'm considering replacing it with Ipad + Imac.

 

Its up to you really.
I went for mbp because i carry it to work and hook with external monitor. Then going home and doing same. Ipad+imac would solve nothing for me.
Also mbp allows to photoshop on the move etc.

ipad is a toy, i would get used 1st gen if anything. Dont think new one worth extra 300-400usd (can buy used for 200-300 prolly)

 

The iPad is most definitely not a toy and I hate it when people call it that. Is it a necessary part of life? Absolutely not but neither is ANY computer. You can either use an iPad or you can't (as in find a use for it). Not wanting to use an iPad (and obviously not understanding) does not automatically make it a toy.

 

1. Computer IS necessary part of most people life since they cant work without it. If they cant work, they cant make money, they have nothing to eat and starve. How is it not necessary?
2. iPad is a toy as long you dont make money with its help. Sure you can consume content and useful information with its help which isnt necessarily for fun but if anything its more of a toy then ANY laptop.

 

kornchild2002, Lieto:

Let's stay on track here. [/backseatmodding]

Anyway:

Bomino, I believe it's all based upon how you like to do things. Using the iPad for notes in class and the iMac for homework when back at your desk sounds more attractive than lugging around a 15" piece of aluminum around all day. The smaller form factor of the iPad would appeal to you more than anything after extended transport of your MBP.

Unless you're constantly in need of the power of a full fledged notebook, the iPad + iMac combo looks like it'd fit your needs accordingly.

In favor of kornchild2002's first post.

 

If you don't have an ipod, then get an ipad. Why even compared ipad with computer? For one, the computer actually has a keyboard so 'nough said!

Apple trolls!

 

yeah, looks like I'm going to stick with the pad and get a imac in the future. thanks for the input guys. imac/pad seems like the way to go.

 

I think that MBA gives you similar portability as an ipad and it has better functionality, keyboard, etc., so I'm just wandering why you are planning to get rid of the MBA. I have an imac at work and I've ordered a MBA. I don't find any reason for the choice "ipad+imac" other than cost. To me mba+imac is the best way to go.

 

An 11" Macbook Air is probably what I'm going to replace my 13" Macbook Air with.

I have an iPad 2 and it gets a lot of usage for different reasons.

 

Off-topic

Computers have really only become a "necessary" (as you put it) part of life over the last 15 years. What did people do before that? I guess the world just didn't exist until Windows 95 came out. People used to get along with computers just fine and they could still put food on the table.

So I guess that means that my car is just a toy because I only use it to drive to work (I don't actually use it to make money), my smartphone is a toy as I don't have some business scheme that revolves around it, my refrigerator is a toy as it still refuses to print money, etc. I am not making an argument that an iPad is a necessary part of daily life. What I am saying is that just because something isn't required for work does not make it a toy. 99% of the stuff that we own would be just toys. No, that is not the case and people who make that argument don't understand. I am also someone who negates everything you said as I use my iPad at my job every single day. It is helping me earn my salary so it is therefore helping me make money.

 

I am not sure where this is coming from — all that i meant is that macbook+external monitor is better all-around solution for both work and random stuff. From "i dont use it to work" perspective ipad+imac might be better, thats why i was referring to ipad as a toy in that context.

 

You know exactly where it is coming from: your misuse of the word "toy" and applying it towards something that doesn't fall into that category (though it might be recreational and/or superfluous).

 

Toys R Us does carry the iPad 2 though!

I'm sure some people do use it as a "toy"--either for their children or for their pets. But that only emphasizes how versatile the iPad is--it can be a toy, a business enhancer, an ebook reader, an entertainment medium, a productivity tool and more all at the same time.

 

After seeing a video of iannotate, I readily dropped all idea that the ipad2 was a toy. Such a setup would be a boon for any researcher who has to go through academic journals - and that's serious work.

Here's one thing to think about with laptops. A lot of people buy laptops and think that will encapsulate their entire computing life. But, before long, many people buy an external monitor (or 2), a keyboard, a mouse, etc. So the cost of computing is really laptop + $$$ of accessories.

If you add all of that together, you could get an imac+macbook air 11 for the cost of a Macbook Pro 15 + accessories.

 

how many people really buy keyboards and even mice? It is like that whole antivirus deal made up by Apple geeks when anti-virus is pretty much free or given away on pennies at dept stores these days. And, if you are going for an external display, then why would you buy a smaller Ipad anyway?

 

You dont get it do you?
The whole idea to have ONE macbook pro 15 + monitor is that you have everything in one place (obviously you back up at least twice per day ). Your mails, your sketches, photos, music, itunes apps, contacts, messenger conversations — you dont need to do any "oh i forgot to sync my imac with air today" thinking or "meh, i could also show this and this to a client judging by what he said just now but its on my imac at home". You can imagine more of such examples.

Another reason is that you can actually do serious work on your mbp from anywhere, you can take it to vacation or business trip etc.

I am not denying that you can do researches with the help of ipad its just there are not much examples in my own life that i can think of. Sure for some people air+imac might be better, dunno.

 

I also think their math is a little off. A decent iMac is $1500 and then the 11" MBA is $1000. So that is $2500 in total for that combination yet the base quad-core 15" MBP is $1700. Even by the time you add an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, the MBP route would still be less expensive.

Accessories for the MBA would also have to be purchased such as some type of case and an external hard drive (unless one can live with a paltry 64GB of storage). One could make things fair and compare the $1500 iMac to a 13" MBP (the IGP in the iMac might be better but they are both more on par with each other) and that brings costs down further for the MBP route.

Either way, things can add up once accessories are included whether we are talking about a MBP, MBA, or iPad 2. I can make one option look really inexpensive by not purchasing the top accessories and make the other look like it is only something that Steve himself could afford.

 

Math is ok, top imac + top air is 3k. Top mbp 15 is 2200.
Add 27 inch monitor to that and voila — 3k as well.

 

They weren't talking about the top 13" MBA, they were looking at the 11" MBA and iMac (model not specified) while comparing that to an unknown 15" MBP and an unknown list of accessories.

 

That doesnt change the whole picture.
low end 15 mbp +27 inch monitor = $2700+ usd anyway

 

maybe if you buy an Apple branded monitor... my 27" barely cost me $350 (it was a big sale though, black Friday...) but still it doesn't cost $900 for a decent 27"er, only half that.

 

I know plenty of people who have purchased keyboards and mice for use with laptops. Some people want things like bluetooth keyboards and mice, and are prepared to pay for it. The same can be said for good ergonomic keyboards.

As you have pointed out, everybody has their own preference. I have a 15 inch laptop now and never carry it anywhere because I think it's too bulky. I also need a quad core computer because I do a lot of scientific computations. If I want a quad core I have to get a MBP 15, which I know I will never carry around due to size. So the MBP 15 doesn't make much sense in my situation. The ipad will not give me everything, but at least I can use it for basic tasks, plus stuff like reviewing and annotating research articles (which I usually do on paper).

As for always having everything, people sometimes have a computer at work and at home and use dropbox or some other software to sync everything automatically. When I go on vacation I don't need everything with me.

The 27" imac uses an IPS screen with very high resolution. Your $350 monitor will be a TN monitor with 1080P resolution. They are not comparable.

 

Nobody said anything about the 27" iMac. It was comparing Apple's 27" monitor to other less expensive 27" monitors (and pairing that with a 15" MBP). Apple's 27" display comes in at $1000 and is just a standard 16:9 LED LCD model. You can buy 27" panels from other manufacturers with the same resolutions for a lot less if you know where to look.

 

No it's not. The Apple 27" Cinema display is an IPS display with a 2560x1440 resolution. All comparative monitors are near $1K as well. Apart from the physical size of 27 inches, there is no comparison between the Cinema display and your typical $350 27" display with 1080p resolution.

 

I've long lost track of what the argument here is about (as I'm sure the OP has too), but I agree with this point. 27" IPS displays do cost around $1,000 (you might get some for $800-900 if you're lucky, but others may go upwards of as much as $1500).

 

Apple's site made no mention of the display having IPS technology on their store page, I had to actually go into the page dedicated to their 27" panel to see that it was in fact an IPS display. So that is my mistake.

The point of someone's argument was that an unknown iMac with a 11" MBA would cost the same as an unknown 15" MBP and accessories for it. Well, that would be the case if we were talking about the base 15" MBP with Apple's Cinema display along with the base iMac. That, as others and I have said, it not completely correct as the person making the argument didn't say whether or not they included an Apple Cinema display in their price. Someone else said that other display manufacturers are less expensive and that is true. The person making all of the arguments was very vague.

I was simply pointing out that an iMac and 11" MBA may or may not be less expensive than a 15" MBP with all of the accessories. It all depends on what accessories are purchased and who makes them. Also, the top of the line iMac (which would actually be more comparable to a 15" MBP as the dual-core Core i7 in the 13" performs better than the dual-core Core i3 in the $1200-$1700 iMacs) with an 11" MBA would be more than a base 15" MBP with accessories. I further made the argument that one would also have to purchase some type of accessories for the 11" MBA as well.

Then someone else came along and started defending the highly flawed mathematics saying it all works out if you stick with Apple's Cinema Display as an accessory with the base 15" MBP. That is where the discussion skewed saying that it isn't needed and that the person who originally made the price statement was very vague.

 

regardless of prices.. I'd rather have 1 machine than 2... simply not having to care for 2 OSes and make sure files and software are in sync and everything... just one I can use anytime any where.

 

Never! Need as many machines as humanly possible!

 

Although I agree that it is generally easier to have one main system, I have never had an issue juggling a main computer and an iPad over the past year. The whole syncing process is pretty brain dead. I could understand issues when it comes to managing two computer systems (I have multiple PCs and my non-primary units always seem a few months off from my MBP) as you would constantly have to sync files back and forth. I think things are a little different with the iPad especially since you can plug it into a PC and it will automatically sync everything over and back.

 

I can imagine....

 

Dropbox ftw.