Steve Jobs said those words 9 years ago when he introduced the original iPad, and for the
past 9 years, that hasn’t really been true.
iPads have always been limited, and you could do so much more with a laptop, but now, in
2019, Steve Jobs’ statement is finally coming true.
This is all due to the combination of two things, the extremely powerful and capable
iPad Pro that is finally equipped with a USB-C port, and the upcoming release of iPadOS,
Apple’s brand new operating system that’s exclusively for iPads, adding a lot of computer-like
functionality.
These two things together are able to satisfy the most common computer needs that people
have today, and as you’ll see in a minute, the iPad Pro packs a ton of performance and
in some ways, offers even more than you can get with a MacBook.
We currently have a couple of options when looking for a lower-end premium Apple computer,
we’ve got the 2018 iPad Pro, starting at $800 for the 11” or $1000 for the 12.9”.
We’ve also got the 2019 MacBook Air for $1100, and the 2019 13” MacBook Pro for
$1300.
And this years’ base MacBook Pro is a really great value for the cash, as you guys have
probably seen in our recent Which MacBook should you buy video, but what’s great about
the iPad Pro is that if you go all out and load up the larger 12.9” model with 256GB
of storage, Apple’s new and improved smart keyboard,
and the 2nd generation Apple Pencil, it still comes out cheaper than the 13” MacBook Pro
with a matching 256GB of storage.
And even better, if you don’t need some of those things like the larger display, the
Apple Pencil or the smart keyboard, you can pick and choose exactly what you want to save
even more cash.
Now the point of this video is seeing if the iPad Pro can actually be the better choice
for some people, instead of going for a more expensive MacBook, as well as seeing what
advantages you get with either one.
For starters, a lot of people think the MacBooks will perform better, because they’re obviously
much larger and thicker machines, so we ran Geekbench 4, a cross-platform benchmark that
tests raw performance, and we found that the $800 iPad Pro performs better than both MacBooks
in both single and multi core tasks, which is absolutely incredible for the price.
We then tested the graphics performance with Geekbench 4’s Metal Test, and we were shocked
to see that the iPad Pro got a higher score than even the $1800 2019 MacBook Pro, and
all of these MacBooks came out very recently.
The crazy thing to think about is that the iPad Pro is about to get even more powerful
with the expected iPad Pro update coming this fall, which should be packing a new A13X mobile
chip.
And with having that much power packed into a thin and light device like the iPad Pro,
it would definitely be a great idea to protect your investment with an incredibly affordable
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So back to the iPad Pro, even with the 2018 model, it’s
definitely not a slouch compared to a MacBook.
Yes, it does have only 4GB of RAM compared to 8GB or even 16 for an extra $200 on those
lower-end MacBooks, but iOS has always been optimized for low amounts of RAM, and basically
every app out there still works flawlessly.
We can easily see two major markets where the iPad Pro makes sense to buy instead of
a laptop, and before we get into that, let’s first discuss the perks of each choice, starting
with the MacBook.
Of course, you get a full built-in keyboard and a trackpad with full cursor support.
So you get a more traditional and comfortable laptop feel.
You get an extra port on the MacBook, or 3 extra ports if you’re willing to spend at
least $1800, and they’re much faster ports, supporting Thunderbolt 3, so you can do more
with them.
The biggest advantage is macOS, which has a lot more flexibility.
Multitasking is much better on macOS, and same with connecting and using external devices
and drives.
There’s just so much more you can do with macOS, especially using full desktop productivity
apps like Final Cut Pro, Lightroom, XCode and Photoshop.
And finally, the speakers are quite a bit better, so here’s a quick sound comparison
so you can hear the differences.
***** SOUND COMPARISON******
While the MacBook speakers are noticeably better, the iPad Pro is the only iPad to come
with 2 speakers on each side, so you get true stereo sound.
And now let’s discuss the advantages of the iPad Pro.
For starters, it’s much more portable than any MacBook.
It’s both smaller, thinner and much lighter, so it’s easy to carry around.
Another perk is that you have the choice of buying a keyboard like Apple’s Smart Keyboard
Folio, which also acts as a protective case for both the back and the front of the iPad.
While the keys aren’t as nice to type on, at least you don’t have to worry about failed
keys like with the butterfly keyboards on the Macs.
And in the worst case scenario, if the Smart keyboard somehow breaks, you can easily swap
it out for a new one..
Or buy one of the many bluetooth keyboard options like the Brydge Pro keyboard.
Now you can’t do that on a MacBook.
And when you’re not using the keyboard, you can easily flip it to the backside and
use the iPad in tablet mode.
And that’s another benefit, you have a touchscreen display with the iPad that’s very simple
and intuitive to use, which currently isn’t available on any Mac.
And the iPad Pro’s display is many many times better than any MacBook display.
You have higher pixel density for a sharper image, you have a brighter 600 nit display
compared to 500 on the MacBook Pro, so you can actually watch some HDR content.
Not only that, but it’s still just as color accurate with P3 wide-color gamut support.
And finally, it gets ProMotion technology, which dynamically adjusts the display’s
refresh rate between 24 and 120hz for super smooth animations and navigation, while every
single Mac display is currently limited to 60hz.
While the MacBooks get Touch ID for quick login and authentication, the iPad Pro now
has Face ID, which is completely hidden in the bezels, so it’s really convenient.
Another advantage is that you can get an iPad Pro with LTE cellular service, allowing you
to have internet service, make calls and text people while away from WiFi.
That’s something that’s not possible on a MacBook.
The iPad Pro also gets a rear-facing camera, something that you obviously don’t get on
a MacBook, and not just any camera, it’s a top-of-the-line camera from the latest iPhones
with 12MP photos and 4K video recording at 60fps.
The iPad Pro also has a 7MP front-facing camera that completely wipes the floor with the 720P
camera on the MacBooks.
Just check out this video and microphone comparison between them.
One thing that you can’t get on a MacBook is a stylus, and the Apple Pencil is the best
out there.
You can use it to draw, take notes, and quickly mark up documents and screenshots.
And even with the incredible performance that you get on the iPad Pro, it’s still rated
for the same 10 hours of battery life, and that’s with a battery that’s twice as
small as the one on the MacBook Pro.
And since the 7nm processor uses less power, you’ll probably get even better battery
life while doing power-demanding tasks like video editing.
Even better, the iPad Pro is completely fanless, so you never have to worry about any fan noise
at all.
And finally, there’s the new iPadOS which adds a bunch of computer-like features like
updated multitasking, new gestures, and automatic desktop mode in Safari, but the biggest advantage
is having access to the iOS app store.
There are undoubtedly many many times more apps on the iOS app store compared to macOS,
and most developers are continuing to make apps for iOS instead of macOS.
Plus, you have lots of alternatives for productivity apps like apps for video and photo editing
and much more.
And if we take a look at gaming, there are countless amounts of games available on iOS,
while the game selection on macOS is pretty much nonexistent.
With that said, here are the two major markets where it makes sense to buy an iPad Pro over
a MacBook.
The first major market is students, who I’m sure would much rather carry around a one
pound iPad in their backpack instead of a much larger 3 pound MacBook.
With the Apple Pencil, students can easily take notes, mark up documents and easily share
them with the iPad, which is a major benefit compared to a MacBook.
And with the Smart keyboard Folio, they can use it in class just like a laptop, and it’s
great because iPadOS has finally added full keyboard shortcut support for typing documents
and for use in Safari.
iPadOS has also finally added Local Storage and external drive support, so they can easily
hook up a flash drive and transfer their schoolwork and files to and from the iPad.
External storage support is definitely not as full-featured and flexible as on macOS,
but it offers just enough functionality for what students need it for.
There’s a high-quality rear-camera, so students can quickly and easily snap a photo of their
professors chalkboard or powerpoint presentation slide for future studying.
Not only that, but with external display mirroring support, a student could even connect their
iPad Pro to a projector to present their slideshow to their class, without having to use a laptop.
And if they need the extra performance for certain productivity apps or games, the iPad
Pro offers immense amounts of power.
The display is also excellent and the speakers are good enough to stream Netflix or any other
media they’d like.
The iPad is basically gonna become the new standard computer for students.
And finally, the second major market for choosing an iPad Pro over a MacBook is the massive
amount of people who just need a basic computer for common tasks.
There are people who absolutely need a Mac for doing things like high-end video or photo
editing, programming in Xcode and audio production in Logic Pro, but a good majority of people
only do basic computer tasks like browsing the web, typing up and printing documents,
transferring and storing files, using apps, and maybe even playing some games, and with
Apple’s upcoming iPadOS, the iPad Pro is gonna do all of those things, and it’s gonna
do them well.
If you think about, if you take a common person that might not be very familiar with technology
and how to use a traditional laptop, when they pick up an iPad Pro, it feels natural
to them.
The touch UI is simple and more importantly, it’s very familiar, because it’s the same
thing they’re used to on their iPhone or smartphone.
Laptops like Apple’s low-end MacBook Air have been the standard for common people who
just need a basic reliable computer, and it still is even to this day, because the majority
of people have no idea that with iPadOS, an iPad can now finally replace a laptop.
So if this video has convinced you to save some cash by going with an iPad Pro instead
of a MacBook, we’ll leave links below to the best sales on the 2018 iPad Pro, and don’t
forget to protect it with a warranty from Upsie.
If this video helped you out, make sure to tap that like button and click the circle
above to subscribe.
Thanks for watching, and we’ll see you in the next one!