The iPad has become one of the most powerful tablets out in the market today. It is in undoubtedly high demand, and for good reason too. The iPad combines a high level of functionality and portability, so there are many reasons you may want to buy one. But, should you? Here we break down the pros and cons of an iPad, and whether or not it's really worth its hefty price tag in the long run.
So, why is the iPad the best tablet out there? There’s a lot to recommend, including the fact that it packs the same M1 chip as the latest Macbook Pro. The new iPad also comes with a beautiful display. The Liquid Retina XDR packs 10,000 LEDs into its 12.9-inch screen, boasting 1600 nits of peak brightness and a 1 million-to-1 contrast ratio. What's more, it comes with 5G connectivity, Thunderbolt support and a new 12-MP ultra wide front camera that keeps you in the frame during video chats. With all these features, there is good reason to take the plunge and make the purchase.
The iPad is also great to up your study game. It comes with efficient and effective note-taking, and a clutter-free study material. You never have to worry about misplacing anything, and the paper-less lifestyle means easily deleting and redo-ing any practise you may want to revisit. In that sense, the iPad is an excellent tool for productivity.
That being said, as impressive as the iPad can be, I would not recommend using it as a replacement for your Macbook, for several reasons.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro costs $1,099 — and that’s just for the tablet. If you want a Magic Keyboard to go with that (which would be essential for me), the price jumps to $1,448. Meanwhile, the 13-inch MacBook Pro starts at $1,299. It is also worth mentioning that the iPad Pro starts with just 128GB of storage, while the MacBook Pro has 256GB. It will cost you another $100 to get 256GB on the iPad Pro. By the way, if you plan on getting the Apple Pencil, that’s an additional $129. In this sense, the Macbook is better value for your money.
Apple rates the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro for 10 hours of surfing the Web on Wi-Fi. That’s pretty good endurance, but the MacBook Air M1 is rated for 15 hours of wireless web and the MacBook Pro M1 boasts 17 hours of battery life. Personally, I'd much rather have extra juice to make sure I always have time to get work done, even on the long days. When it comes to multitasking, the Macbook remains far superior and the iPad has ways to go before matching that level of seamless efficiency.
Despite this, I’d like to add that maybe we’ve been answering the wrong question all along. Maybe the iPad can't replace your laptop, but was it supposed to in the first place? The iPad Pro is something different, and you should use it to do different things.
The iPad is ideal for situations where you wouldn't take a laptop, and couldn't use a desktop. For instance, you can set an iPad on a piano to transcribe music notation, you could use its AR feature to view product designs and prototypes, and edit a podcast with the Apple Pencil.
The beauty of Apple products is that they have all evolved to become so powerful, you never have to worry about which device can get the job done - they all will. The iPad will not replace your laptop, but rather it is designed to add variation to your unique user experience,
So, to answer the question, should you buy an iPad? If its features match your needs, it is well worth the investment. Just don't expect it to perform as something it was never designed to be.
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