In recent months, especially with the constant improvements of the iPad Pro, the Cupertino company is constantly insisting about a kind of rivalry between the iPad and the MacBook. In fact, Tim Cook seemed to have some interest in "killing" the personal computer in favor of the iPad, despite the fact that this was precisely at the time when tablets were beginning to stagnate in the market. SIf you are thinking of acquiring an Apple product for your day-to-day life, you may start to wonder between the MacBook and the iPad, we are going to help you by reflecting on their main differences.
The cheapest iPad also counts
The new 10,2-inch size of the iPad 2019 and the fact that we can now add an official keyboard in the form of a very useful sleeve makes even the iPad a good bet for everyday use as a 'personal computer'. However, to be fair I think we should compare the iPad Pro range with the entire MacBook range and leave the iPad (2019) as an alternative to those who really don't want to spend too much and at the same time don't have too high a claim. Remember that iPad (2019) runs iPadOS at its latest version.
However, cThere is no USB-C port, which greatly limits its capabilities. However, this iPad has 3GB of RAM, compatibility with Apple Pencil and we can find it from 369 euros at points of sale such as Amazon. With this we mean that if you are clear that the iPad will have limited connectivity, we can take advantage of its lightness and enormous autonomy for basic tasks when consuming content, editing some photography and of course task management and office automation. An interesting device that could accompany us day by day to the institute and the University for less than 400 euros, it seems to me without a doubt better than the alternatives in the same price range that integrate Windows 10.
The "Pro" range is already something else
When we go to the iPad Pro things change. We have two options, 11 and 12,9 inches, memories between 64GB and 1TB and most importantly, a USB-C port that eliminates any type of limitation at the connectivity level. In this section, except in terms of quantity, we find a technical tie with the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro range, all these devices depend solely on their USB-C ports, so the limitations will be set by the adapters. However, we must not fail to mention that the iPad Pro has versions of 4GB and 6GB of RAM (depending on the selected storage) so it becomes enough for day to day.
However, in terms of "utility" it does not seem fair to me to compare the iPad Pro range with the MacBook Pro range in terms of raw power. The iPad Pro has been proven to be sufficient, but the MacBook Pro goes a little further in performance when it comes to editing video or carrying out heavy tasks, never forgetting that macOS has certain applications at the productivity level that take much advantage of iPadOS, still very green in this section.
Portability is important too
The MacBook in any of its versions is still a device designed to be perched on a base and much more complex than the design of the iPad. The quintessential thin and light MacBook Air offers a closed thickness of 1,56 cm and a total surface area of 30,41 inches long. For its part, the largest version of the iPad Pro (12,9 ″) is 0,59cm thick by 24,76cm long and 17,85cm wide, but we do not forget the weight, barely 468 grams for the iPad Pro and 1,25 Kg for the MacBook Air.
If we are looking for portability, lightness, comfort and above all to be able to use it in a much more versatile way (in bed, on the couch, in the subway ...), the iPad Pro, even in its largest version, offers better alternatives even to the thinnest and lightest MacBook. However, we must mention that from the point of view of practicality, iPad Pro loses integers without the Smart Keyboard case, Since using it without a support shaft, much less without a keyboard is nothing short of insane.
iPadOS vs. macOS
iPadOS has been Apple's great little revolution lately, the iPad operating system has become a fully functional little desktop system with one of the best user interfaces ever seen, the hybrid between MacOS and iOS that we all expected. However, we find the absence of a large part of the applications focused on development and productivity that are present in macOS, although we have many alternatives, if we ask for a little more professionalism, the dependence on iPadOS can be truncated by the absence of software from quality.
On the other hand, macOS continues to be a lightweight system, in constant development and above all reliable. Even though iPadOS has grown, it still has work to do to offer itself as a serious alternative to macOS. and therefore to the MacBook. We must not forget that some integrations such as the iPadOS keyboard and mouse system are still immature and require some retouching that can become a nightmare.
So… when is an iPad or a MacBook better?
The key will lie in the needs of the user. If you are thinking of consuming content, you are a student who bases its development on the Office suite, photo editing, documentation management and you want a versatile device that will allow you to play, easily take it wherever you want, unlimited connectivity thanks to USB- C and above all a heart attack autonomy, the iPad in any of its aspects is your alternative.
If your work depends on this tool, you are looking for reliability, a lot of development at the software level and a reliable and quality product that has decades of good reputation behind it, the MacBook is your team. Also the price is a cornerstone, if your budget is limited to 500 euros, an iPad is better than a Macbook.