This guy brought his MacBook to Mediabistro’s Social Media Optimization conference in San Francisco (btw, good stuff) where it ended up serving as booster chair for his iPad.
The MacBook later went back in his laptop bag, never to be seen again.
A few months back, we asked whether your iPad was replacing your laptop — the answer was mostly no — but after seeing other folks with iPads at the conference, I wonder if that answer has changed.
I was in the minimalist minority (phone, pen/paper), about half the participants had laptops of varying modernity. The iPad people also had the advantage of being able to slip it back into a bag for coffee breaks, lunch etc., whereas the laptop luggers had to decide whether to leave it behind or not.
What are you using your iPad for now that you used to use your laptop for?
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
33 responses to “Is This All Your MacBook is Good for? [Pic of the Day]”
Until my iPad can do everything my MacBook can do, it won’t be replacing it. There is still so much (besides Flash) that it can’t do. Uploading pictures is a big one. Since the iOS doesn’t store files in the same way computers do, you aren’t able to do anything. Maybe in time, but I’m not holding my breath. I mainly use my iPad to read magazines.
I recently attended the Voices that Matter iOS conference in Seattle. I brought my 13″ MBP and my iPad 2 with the BlueTooth Keyboard. I never took my MBP out of my bag. I used Evernote to record audio of the sessions and typed my notes on the keyboard. Since Evernote was able to record in the background, I could pull up websites in Safari, update twitter and check email without missing a word. The battery made it through the day effortlessly and I was able to pack up quickly for breaks. I only used my MBP when I needed to run XCode. Next time I may not even bring the laptop.
Nice use of Evernote — one of my favorite things and great for conferences/lectures. I should add that I had that app on my phone in addition to pen & paper so that I don’t get mistaken for a complete troglodyte.
I just got back from a neurology seminar where I pretty much used my iPad exclusively. The biggest thing I use my MBP for the days is Quickbooks and anything that needs Flash. Also, I still find some things, like power points easier to do with a mouse and a bigger screen.
I have a MacBook and an iPad. My first two years of school I carried my laptop around to every class. I haven’t taken it out of my dorm room except to play games at my friends house. I have a bunch of cords running into it and it’s a hassle to move it, but with my iPad I just put it in my bookbag and go. I actually find some things, such as drawing graphs, easier to do on my iPad, it’s it’s incredibly easy to put them into my Pages documents (I use Penultimate). When I graduate and have the money, I’ll just buy an iMac and have my iPad and be good to go.
Can I ask what you are specifically referring to for pics? There are a few apps that make it easy to move things around.
I love the ipad 2 and gave one a test run for my grad level courses in history/theology/middle eastern languages. For me, it just wasn’t quite there yet enough to be able to count on it to do all I needed to do (essays with lots of citations and jumping back and forth to the internet to pull information, doing beefed up keynote/powerpoint, etc.)
So, I gave the ipad 2 to my folks (who use it daily – seriously it has transformed) and got a Macbook Air 11″. The Air is exactly what I needed – almost as nimble and quick as an ipad, really just as light as one, decent battery life, and it can do heavier lifting than an iPad for classwork. It’s the best laptop/netbook I have ever owned, hands down.
I love the ipad 2 and gave one a test run for my grad level courses in history/theology/middle eastern languages. For me, it just wasn’t quite there yet enough to be able to count on it to do all I needed to do (essays with lots of citations and jumping back and forth to the internet to pull information, doing beefed up keynote/powerpoint, etc.)
So, I gave the ipad 2 to my folks (who use it daily – seriously it has transformed) and got a Macbook Air 11″. The Air is exactly what I needed – almost as nimble and quick as an ipad, really just as light as one, decent battery life, and it can do heavier lifting than an iPad for classwork. It’s the best laptop/netbook I have ever owned, hands down.
The answer is still a definite “no”. My ipad will never replace my MacBookPro. But, I definitely use my ipad more often than my MacBook.
My current MBP 17 is the last of the breed. My next mobile computer will be a small MBA to do the few things I need a laptop for. My main computer will be my iMac 27. My iPad make my Desktop more valuable, just when I used the think they were dead.
I recently came back from a conference. I took my iPod and iPad with me and left my macbook at home. I never missed my MBP. In fact, I think I used my iPod more than my iPad.
I have an iPad 2, a MacBook Air, and an iMac. My work is all done on the iMac. The iPad 2 has basicxaslly replaced my iPad 2. Unless I’m going out of town for more than a few days, I’ve found that the iPad 2 is preferable. For high-typing tasks, I just whip out my Zagg keyboard. But 90+% of my usage requires little or no text entry. Reading newspapers and blogs is better on the iPad 2 than on the Air. I don’t miss Flash. I’d love to have a retina display. But overall, the iPad 2 wins.
I have a MacBook Pro 15 – which I used to lug back and forth home and office. Now it sits on my office desk permanently.
I have a MacBook Air 11 – which I use mainly for work at home, or on travels.
I have an iPad 2 – which is great for reading in bed, and the occasional work stuff when I am too lazy to walk to the study where my Air is kept.
And the iPhone 4 – for every other stuff, and probably my most used device. Music, calls, SMS, reading, emails, fun and entertainment.
Not an iPad in that picture
Well, i still prefer my newmacbookpro for work… i rare using my iPad…
And notes. The iPhone is good for taking notes, snapping pictures, …
The iPad is a computer with a novel interaction model. I use it to take information out of my laptop screen when I feel like interacting with it in a more direct way. Like reading, or managing email in a more engaging way.