apple air vs ipad pro

[back alley]

musing and reading about the apple air...vs the smaller ipad pro.
i have the bigger ipad pro but i think i made a mistake in buying it...just based on the size and weight of it i never take it with me. one of the goals i had for it was to become one of those coffee house geeks working on image editing while i sip a nice hot espresso.
the air seems to be a bit behind in tech specs compared to the ipad pro plus it has the older non retina screen. the ipad is also about $700 more than the air.
also, the air can take on a full editing program where the ipad uses apps.

so, if i've made some sense here what do you think? is the mac air gonna do it for me or should i go for a smaller ipad pro?
it will also be used for use on the net and emails but not much more.

 

[ptpdprinter]

I believe I read today that Apple is about to introduce a new MacBook Air (and Mac Mini), so you might want to hold off a month or two.

 

[Jamie Pillers]

What's the 'keyboard' feature of the iPad like? Is it just an image of a keyboard on the screen, like an iPhone? Can you use a separate keyboard with the iPad via Bluetooth? The keyboard feature would be important to me if using for internet searches and emails.

 

[FrozenInTime]

Rumor has it there will be an updated macbook air in september ... so hold on.

When my last macbook air died about a year ago, I too thought I would try a ipad pro.
It’s not been a total success , though affinity photo has certainly made life easier.
But there are too many ipad pain points, so will look to get a laptop later this year.
The macbook keyboard dust ingress issues seem to have just been resolved in the latest updates.

 

[ptpdprinter]

What's the 'keyboard' feature of the iPad like? Is it just an image of a keyboard on the screen, like an iPhone? Can you use a separate keyboard with the iPad via Bluetooth? The keyboard feature would be important to me if using for internet searches and emails.

There is a flexible "Smart Keyboard" option for both the smaller and large versions of the iPad Pro. The iPad is great for email and surfing the web. I wouldn't use an iPad to edit my images except in a pinch. I prefer working on my 27" display.

 

[Bill Clark]

Is it just an image of a keyboard on the screen,

Yes.

But a much bigger screen that helps me as my finners are too large for an iPhone screen!

I use the iPad mini and my wife uses the the next size up.

You could check out a bluetooth keyboard. I like the smallness of the iPad mini. But I don’t use an external anything with it.

I like the mini. It works just fine for my retired needs. But I still have an iMac with Photoshop that I still use but less frequently now.

 

[Axel]

For me the IPad does not work as a substitute for a computer.
It is nice for watching TV and web browsing but for image editing and writing I prefer a classic notebooklayout.

So my vote is for the Airbook.

 

[twopointeight]

I use an 11 inch MBA for geeking-out in cafes on LR. I also travel interantionally with it to store images, transfer files to external HDs and work on a few as I go. I also use it on the sofa at home and in the studio. But I never finish image work on it. I go to the iMac for jobs and such. The 11 inch is no longer made and I'm not sure if the 13 inch still has the smallness factor that works for me? But I know the ipad pro is not what I need.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

You might consider the Microsoft Surface Pro. I bought one a couple months ago after looking at different tablets. I had an android tablet and hated it; it was too limited in what it could do. Looked at iPad and iPad pro and felt the same way. They're not replacements for real computers.

The Surface Pro IS a real computer. Runs Windows 10 Professional. Right now the Surface Pro, latest model, with Core i5 processor and 8GB or RAM is on sale for $809, including the type cover.

I never thought I'd go back to Windows, but Apple stuff has just gotten ridiculously expensive for what it offers. I've been VERY happy with the Surface Pro. Runs the full desktop versions of Photoshop and Lightroom!

 

[Timmyjoe]

My biggest problem with trying to use an iPad Pro (or any iPad really) to edit photos is that it takes FOREVER to download the photos from the camera card, compared to my MacBook Air. And my photo editing programs are so much better on the laptop, and using FTP client to connect to my editor's server is so much better on the MacBook Air.

The iPad sure is cute and convenient, but not a workhorse like the MacBook Air.

Best,
-Tim

 

[Dan Daniel]

Before I started in a small store, someone had convinced the owner that they could handle all the photo editing and such from an iPad Pro.

What a load of cr.... Don't do it. Don't even try. If you want to read emails and Twitter and RFF in a cafe, an iPad is cute. There are even nice cases with built-in keyboards which will make it easy to post to Facebook (if for some idiotic reason you ever do such a thing). Me, I use mine while sitting on the toilet or checking emails in bed- great for killing time! But real editing? Nope.

I don't know what the answer is- Air, wait for new release, Surface, etc. But iPad- Pro or not- is NOT the answer.

 

[sevres_babylone]

Another vote for waiting till the fall. There are supposed to be a new Air, and new iPad Pros.
I am fortunate to have a circa 2011 11 inch MacBook Air which I still use for both my law practice and my photography. The video is good enough that I can use it with a 26 inch NEC monitor. It's a bit slow now with Silver Efex Pro. The only problem I have had was a waning battery. When I went to the Apple Store for a replacement, they said they didn't support it anymore, and that I had to go to a store that deals with vintage machines! I was able to get a third party battery for it, and it's working well. While I was waiting at the Apple Store the person next to me complimented me on my Air, and said she wished she'd kept her old one, because the later ones didn't have the same ports, and hubs became necessary. It will be interesting to see what Apple does with the upcoming models. I don't have an iPad, but I am interested in seeing how people will rate the upcoming (next year) Photoshop for the iPad Pro.

 

[Rob-F]

I upgraded from a 13" Macbook to the 15" Macbook Pro, in order to have a larger screen for checking my shots, even in the field. The serious work waits until I get home to use my iMac, with its still larger screen. I don't think I'd be happy for long with an ipad for photo editing, despite the convenience of its small size for travel.

 

[BillBingham2]

The last generation Surface had a VERY high rate of breakage over a short period of time with every company I've worked at of late. The $399 price is aggressive, but not sure how much memory (RAM) it has, or how much an upgrade would cost.

There are several new macs coming in less than a month, I would agree with waiting. MacRumors.com says there might be a low-cost laptop. While it might not be powerful enough for you, but it should have a 13" screen. It should also drive other systems to a lower price point.

B2 (;->

 

[gilpen123]

I have been using Ipad Pro 10.7 for a while now. It's absolutely great for emails and social media. I don't travel anymore with a laptop, all office and business apps are perfectly usable and other contents that I would like to access. The Lightroom iPad version is workable for on the go editing but you may need a laptop for more complex editing like working with layers and the like. IMO, this not a substitute but a compliment to your laptop/desktop computer.

Downloading pictures from camera memory card is quick using the proprietary lightning to SD card adapter. I also use a Transcend Jet Drive Go lightning/usb in transferring iPhone pictures and files to and from. Btw, using the keyboard needs a little adjusting to but can get pretty easy when you're used to it as I am now. One thing good is it does not need bluetooth connection which is a battery drainer.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

The last generation Surface had a VERY high rate of breakage over a short period of time with every company I've worked at of late. The $399 price is aggressive, but not sure how much memory (RAM) it has, or how much an upgrade would cost

The Surface Pro costs a lot more than $399. Are we talking about the same thing?

The one I have is the current version, the Surface Pro 2017. I haven't heard of any issues with them, and mine has worked flawlessly.

 

[back alley]

if i make this new machine a christmas present to myself then i can wait till december to make the decision.
i currently use an Mac mini with a 28 inch viewsonic monitor and that suites me to a t!
years ago i bought a mac notebook but wound up hooking it to a monitor and it never left the house. if i weren't interested in using something for image editing then the iPad pro is ideal except for buying the too big for me one.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

The iPad Pro is vastly more powerful than the Macbook Air, and I find the non-retina display on the Air intolerable in 2018. I definitely understand your distaste for editing on the iPad, though. You're probably better off with a new, basic-model 13" Macbook Pro—it's fast and has excellent screen resolution. Don't get the one without the touch bar—that one has the innards of an Air.

I agree that you should wait a month, though—new stuff is coming, and there may be a new retina Air replacement with a faster processor!

 

[willie_901]

My wife's 2009 MB Air still works perfectly - even the battery held up. But she is running out of internal storage. I'm waiting until the 2018 is formally announced before I replace her MB Air.

My 2011 MB Air was flawless until August 2017 when I spilled 16 oz of iced tea on the keyboard. I replaced it with an early 13" 2017 MB Pro that was new, but one generation old at the time.

Here are the most recent rumors about the new 2018 MB Air.

I would bet the 2018 MB Air will only have USB-C ports which means you will have to buy USB-C to USB, and or ethernet, etc adaptors and, or a dock. However USB-C external drives are quick.

If the new MB Air starts at $1,200, then current MB Air prices will hold. If the price is $1,000 then newer, current MB Airs will drop in price.

I would look for refurbished MB Airs on Amazon. I'd buy a 2015 model with 256 GB internal SSD.

 

[Godfrey]

I have been using an iPad Pro 9x7 as my mobile computer for everything since they came out. It's the right size to fit in camera bag, backpack, satchel, etc. With the right software, it's easy to write, edit photos, convert raw files, and all the other stuff I typically do with a mobile computer.

I have the iPad Pro 12.3" too. It is larger and heavier than I like to carry, but makes a great "around the house" TV and movie watching/editing machine, is great when I want to use it for drawing work with the Apple Pencil. And I use it as a sheet music display when I'm playing the piano.

I bought a MacBook Air 13" ... top of the line stuffed with every option ... in Summer 2016 as I was preparing to retire. I never used it, it sat in the box and was taken out to be for updates every few months, then went back in the box. I sold it last month to a friend who wanted a laptop and have not missed it at all.

My standard image processing machine for my desktop is a 2012 generation Mac mini with maxed out RAM, top of the line i7-quad core processor, 2 1T SSDs inside, etc. I use it for most of my image processing to run Lightroom and all my desktop apps. I wouldn't replace it with an iPad Pro just yet, but another generation of iOS and iOS app development and it might well become unnecessary.

The iPad Pro keyboard cover works very well for typing and is waterproof against coffee spills, although over time (two and a half years of constant use and abuse) it's become a little fragile now and then. ANY iPad past the second generation can be used with just about any Bluetooth keyboard, and with most USB keyboards as well if you use the Lightning->USB adapter dongle. No issues whatever.

The Lightning->SD Card adapter dongle reads the SD cards out of any of my cameras flawlessly onto the iPad Pro. The Lightning->USB adapter dongle works flawlessly with my CF card reader as well (some don't work so well). There is excellent software for converting raw files, image editing, video editing, presentation/movie creation, writing, and numerical analysis (spreadsheets) available for iOS, much of it very low cost or free. Even from Apple themselves.

So ... For me, the iPad Pro has done the number well for mobility and full function. I'm heading off on a six week trip where it and my iPhone 8 Plus will be my computer and communications machines exclusively. I'll likely update my iPad Pro 9x7 to the 10.1 inch soon.

I'll soldier on with my Mac mini as my desktop machine for image processing at home until something comes along that warrants a replacement. I don't need a laptop at all.

G