When introducing the newMacBook Air(13 - inch : , 11 - column inch :) in October 2010 , Steve Jobs asked , “ What would happen if a MacBook and an iPad hooked up ? ” It ’s one of the stranger things Jobs has ever order on stage , but it got the point across : With its little size , light weight unit , and flash store , the new MacBook Air is the most iPad - alike Mac that Apple has ever made .
But how comparable are they , really ? More specifically , which one is the better gadget for getting work done , the 11 - in MacBook Air or the iPad ? The answer depends on how you define study and what compromises you ’re willing to make .
Hard Facts
Sporting the same aluminium shell and the famous Apple logotype , the 11 - column inch line and the iPad are decidedly cousins . The Air is about seven - tenths of a pound lighter than the iPad . In two dimensions ( heaviness and deepness ) , it ’s of comparable sizing . If you position the iPad atop the MacBook Air , you ’ll see that the Air is a slight more than two inches blanket than the iPad .
But that comparison vamoose over one important stage : the iPad is always opened , ready for purpose at the push of a button . The MacBook Air crop only when you open its grapple and put it on a surface where you’re able to type , utilize the trackpad , and see its screen . The iPad , by contrast , can be used in a circle of place where a traditional laptop really ca n’t .
But that very disadvantage is also the Air ’s biggest forcible advantage over the iPad : It needs more room because it ’s got a physical keyboard . The iPad has that virtual on - screen keyboard , but if you require to practice a wired or wireless keyboard , it wo n’t form an integrated unit that will rest on your lap . ( A few iPad cases , such as theZaggMateand theClamCasetry to solve that job . )
For the past couple of months , I ’ve alternated between carrying an iPad and a MacBook Air on my commute . I tend to take one or the other free-base on whether or not I ’m planning on typecast a mess . Back in November , for model , as part of National Novel Writing Month , I save 2000 Christian Bible a day , every day ; to maintain that pace , I needed to work on the bus to and from study . I used the MacBook Air the entire calendar month . That ’s not to say I ca n’t write on the iPad , but it ’s much slower than on the MacBook , and there ’s absolutely no way of life to use an iPad plus keyboard comfortably on the bus .
I surmise that for many the great unwashed , the decisive factor in choosing the MacBook or iPad for employment will be the keyboard . If you need to do a mountain of type in spaces that do n’t give you way to prop up your iPad and break out your wireless keyboard , the iPad just is n’t up to the occupation .
Software Separation
The other big difference of opinion between the two devices is the software they run .
Mac OS X is a mature figurer operating system . It requires a mouse and a keyboard . Software abounds , from Microsoft Office to the smallest utility ; none need be approved by Apple to be used on a Mac . The file arrangement is also exposed , so you could see and rig all the files on your MacBook Air .
Apple ’s iOS , by comparison , is not yet four years old . Though it supports external keyboard , it ’s primarily based on touch comment . Plenty of apps have been created for it , but most are still a bit mere - bones . For example , while there are lots of apps out there for redact plain text , precious few let you redact title text . ( For more on that , see Kirk McElhearn ’s roundup of iPad textual matter editors , page 43 . ) You ca n’t rig Indian file immediately as you’re able to on the Mac ; different apps have dissimilar ways of opening , saving , and divvy up files , which can be awkward . distinctly this is an manoeuvre system with some originate to do .
All that said , I ’ve happen that there are some good iPad apps for doing much of my oeuvre . The Mail and Safari software that come with the iPad are both excellent . In oecumenical , Apple ’s iWork cortege does a good job of letting you open , edit , and save file in Microsoft Office – compatible format , though single file management and version control are still a peck . Keynote , in fussy , is splendid — and you may even apply it to give presentations on outside monitors via a video adapter .
The addition of multitasking support in iOS 4.2 makes the iPad a better work machine . Quickly exchange among multiple apps provides a vast productivity rise : I can read something in an e - chain armour , look it up on the World Wide Web , and then glue the results into a chat windowpane . The fact that only one app at a clip is seeable on the iPad can also be a good thing : While I can have a text editor program , IM app , and Twitter client all on CRT screen and compete for my attention on my MacBook , on the iPad I have to focus solely on the app that I ’m using — a boon for the well distracted .
What Makes Sense When
The iPad is obviously a fantastic consumption equipment : I ’ve translate book , watched movies and baseball game plot , read RSS feeds , and play untold numbers of game on mine . And in terms of get piece of work done , the iPad has replaced both my iPhone and my MacBook Air as the twist I check when I ’m at rest home and need to tick off what ’s going on at the office . I take it to meeting as a note - taker and e - chain armor checker . I love its size and the fact that using it feels more passing than opening up a laptop .
For serious study , I bring along an Apple Wireless Keyboard and a case that lets me determine the iPad on a flat airfoil such as a desk or mesa . I once write a 2000 - Scripture Macworld clause at my in - laws ’ kitchen table using that setup , and it worked just fine . I can connect to our VPN with it , impart me approach to our servers . Because I have the 3 G iPad , I can get online with AT&T ’s 3 G cellular data web without a disjoined equipment — something no Mac can do . And the iPad ’s barrage fire endure about twice as long as the MacBook ’s .
The iPad ’s main disadvantage is that , while you’re able to do almost anything with it , sometimes a given task takes a raft more effort than it would on a MacBook Air . But if your work does n’t require a lot of keyboarding or apps that are n’t available on the iPad ( Adobe ’s Creative Suite , say ) , the iPad start out to make a lot of horse sense .
With an 11 - inch MacBook Air at my disposition , I no longer experience that rent a laptop on a business trip is such a severeness . In fact , the 11 - inch MacBook Air is smaller and lighter than the iPad and Apple Wireless Keyboard combining .
Just as importantly , the MacBook Air is a Mac . It can run Photoshop , Dreamweaver , Coda , BBEdit , Firefox , Parallels , and VMware — you name it . If your employment require one of these actual Mac apps , or if you do technical or creative work that requires lots of horsepower , only a Mac will do . And if your job requires Web- or Flash - based apps , again the selection is clear . And if you expend the bulk of your daylight solicit furiously on a keyboard , the MacBook Air has the advantage .
Either or Both?
The truth is , however , that this is n’t an either - or doubtfulness : If you may afford it , you may — care me — have both an iPad and a Mac . For that matter , you may also have a smartphone . They all overlap in functionality — but each also does something the others ca n’t . There ’s less overlap between an iPad and , say , a MacBook Pro than there is between the tablet and a MacBook Air . Likewise , if you ’ve have an iPhone , you ’ve essentially got an iPad miniskirt in your sack all the time , and so you may not need that iPad . You might be better off pairing that phone with an Air .
But if you have to choose between the iPad and MacBook Air , it comes down to where you ’re willing to compromise . The iPad wins on size and convenience ; I ’d rather read PDFs , due east - Book , Websites , and RSS feeds on the iPad than on the MacBook Air . And I ’d rather use an iPad in a briefing room to show off documents to colleagues or clients . And if all I need on a business stumble is the Web and Es - mail , the iPad will be enough . But for anything more than that , I still involve my MacBook Air .
[ Jason Snell is Macworld ’s editorial director . ]
