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Recommendations on Staying with new Apple iPad vs Small Laptop

GrayTide

GrayTide

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My current iPad 2 has some issues and it may be time to upgrade to newer technology. Since I have been with my daughter in the hospital the past week I have been trying to educate myself on what is new and reading reviews. I have looked at the new Apple iPad Pro 9.7 with the Apple Smart Key Pad. I just learned about using the Smart Phone for tethering so you can use a laptop for your internet connection? I like the idea of getting a small device 10"-12" that has a keyboard and USB ports, but am unsure about tethering. Most of my time is at home with WiFi. I would appreciate any thoughts, recommendations and advice as to how to proceed and your experiences with different brands. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: No Chromebooks BTDT.
 
rgw

rgw

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My wife has the 9.7in iPad Pro (and the little stylus they made for it too). She rarely if ever uses her laptop since she got the iPad Pro. Occasionally gets on the iMac (desktop) but that is about it.
 
rgw

rgw

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GrayTide, Apple just announced - and will be shipping next week - a 10.5in iPad Pro that I believe would be perfect for your needs. Additionally, the OS update this Fall seems to finally bridge the last little gaps between iPads and Macs for the average user.


Thought you'd be interested.
 
Tidewater

Tidewater

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rgw said:
GrayTide, Apple just announced - and will be shipping next week - a 10.5in iPad Pro that I believe would be perfect for your needs. Additionally, the OS update this Fall seems to finally bridge the last little gaps between iPads and Macs for the average user.


Thought you'd be interested.
Click to expand...
Some of the apps related to MS office are available for free on the 9.7 inch iPad, but you have to pay the MS office subscription fee if your screen is bigger. Something to look into.
I have a colleague who bought the bigger iPad, not he has to pay a monthly Office 365 subscription fee or do without MS Office.
I have an iPad 2 with keyboard and stylus and I'm very happy with it.
 
rgw

rgw

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Interesting Tidewater. They're getting rid of the 9.7in iPad Pro and replacing it with the 10.5in iPad Pro. Wonder if it will fall into the free Office app category?
 
Tidewater

Tidewater

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rgw said:
Interesting Tidewater. They're getting rid of the 9.7in iPad Pro and replacing it with the 10.5in iPad Pro. Wonder if it will fall into the free Office app category?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure, but my friend did and he didn't.
(I realize that is an incomplete sentence).
He found out after he bought the machine.
I'm not MS Office's biggest fan, but I acknowledge its market share. I just really do not like the business model behind 365.
 
rgw

rgw

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I have a weird relationship with "software as a service" models:

On one hand, they've been selling software as a license for use since the rise of personal computing but they treat the transaction like a good where you're just getting a license for that software snapshot at the time of purchase. This model comports with the fact that software is "living" and iteration upon that software is constantly happening. You're not getting screwed out of trivial feature enhancements because you bought the license to the software before that code commit was completed by their employees.

On the other, SaaS is yet another blood-sucking eel on your wallet and this sensible model was only "realized" by suits as a means to provide a value-add for extracting more money from you on a reoccurring basis.
 
rgw

rgw

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All the project managers and business analysts at work have Surface Pro tablets. They seem to like them but practically only use them for meeting notes. The higher end models could do a bit more than that but the keyboards don't seem great for coding and the like...
 
CharminTide

CharminTide

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Oct 23, 2005
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rgw said:
All the project managers and business analysts at work have Surface Pro tablets. They seem to like them but practically only use them for meeting notes. The higher end models could do a bit more than that but the keyboards don't seem great for coding and the like...
Click to expand...
Here's my take on their lineup:
Surface Pro if you mainly seek tablet usage or high portability, with touch/pen input emphasized over keyboard/mouse.
Surface Laptop if you want a traditional laptop form factor with an emphasis on mouse/keyboard input.
Surface Book if you want both in the same device.
 
crimsonaudio

crimsonaudio

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iPad vs laptop depends largely on your usage. If you need file manipulation / management the laptop is the way to go. For simple web use (surfing, email, Netflix, etc) the iPad is nearly perfect.

We have several of both around here, my wife (not a power user, just a simple web user) prefers the iOS environment. I can use it, but far prefer the laptop as I tend to do more file handling work.
 
rgw

rgw

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crimsonaudio said:
iPad vs laptop depends largely on your usage. If you need file manipulation / management the laptop is the way to go. For simple web use (surfing, email, Netflix, etc) the iPad is nearly perfect.

We have several of both around here, my wife (not a power user, just a simple web user) prefers the iOS environment. I can use it, but far prefer the laptop as I tend to do more file handling work.
Click to expand...
Apple is adding a File explorer and a fully-fleshed drag and drop system in iOS 11. It is getting dang close.
 
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