Laptop or Tablet (MacBook or iPad)

[dustytrailhead]

Here I am at Starbucks trying to update the MacBook software from Big Sur to Monterey. The estimated time is “1day”. LOL! I don’t update that often (when did Monterey release? Oh, last year!? ), so I forget how long it takes even with a fast internet connection. Starbucks’ WiFi is middling at best. Here’s another downside to having a laptop; full sized operating systems are big and require significant time to update. Do I really need a laptop?
Of course, there are things that require a “computer”, but I don’t think I need one. I use my laptop once a year to do my taxes. And, that’s not because I need computing power to calculate all my income. If I made that much, I’d hire someone to figure out my taxes!
So, I don’t think I need a computer anymore. But, old habits die hard. I worked in IT since 1985. I worked on mainframes, minis, servers, workstations, laptops and then, starting in 2008, smartphones and tablets. But, always there was a workstation or laptop to get “real work” done. That mindset didn’t end at work.
When I quit working the first thing on the list was to buy a good laptop—you know one that’ll last—so I bought a MacBook Pro. I was used to Windows, so I had to learn macOS. No big deal, I’ve been learning to do stuff like that throughout my career. It’s a nice machine, with a nice user interface, gets software updates for years and its intrinsically more secure than a Windows device. Nevertheless, what did I use it for?
I do my taxes on it, through Safari, on a website. I settled an estate over a period of 3 months, creating letters, emailing, and documenting transactions, using the MacBook, all things I think I could have done on a tablet. I even installed a Windows VM using Bootcamp for fun, but I don’t use it. And, as far as I can tell I don’t really use the MacBook, either. I don’t do spreadsheets. I don’t edit video. I don’t create documents. There is no need for Remote Desktop (thank god!).
The only thing that could be a problem without the computer is managing the files I have accumulated over the past 30 or so years. But, I think there are ways around that, with some effort.
But, that’s just me. I want to know why you think you need a computer or why you think a tablet is insufficient. Because I haven’t made up my mind.

(The software update informs me that there are 9 hours remaining. Liar!)

 

[JDelete]

I was a long time windows user but switched to Macs for my own use in 2009. I don't regret it.

One thing I will say about the updates: I avoid installing any of the new OS versions until it is in the last dot release—usually about a .6 release. Then I wait a whole year or so until the newest, greatest, piece of glory finally has some of the bugs worked out.

I will also say that I have stopped at Mojave. I have tried Catalina and it is okay, but I have no reason to make the switch. Yes, I am a few OS versions behind the game now but I figure why fix what isn't broke—Mojave works fine for everything I do.

So, on to your question. I have two MBP, an iPad, and two iPhones. My daily work machine is a Macbook Pro (retina). Could I do it all on an iPad? Yes I could. I just find it a bit easier on the laptop.

Having said that, when I go on extended excursions, I do bring my laptop along but it is rarely if ever used. The iPad and the apps available for it make it so you can do just about everything on it that you can with a laptop. If you get a bluetooth keyboard, then the iPad becomes very usable.

I would say, no, you really don't need a laptop. Since you already have one, I would hang on to it for those, maybe, rare occasions when you need to get it out, dust it off, and use it. I am guessing those times will be rare.

 

[urbankid12]

I always been in the mindset that I always need a desktop with two screens. Granted I do some writing for a new career endeavor however im trying to progress to a laptop with a secondary screen. I have a mac desktop and am thinking of staying with apple for my new laptop. Although when I did vanlife the last year I managed just fine with a laptop.

I managed to downsize my TV to a large size tracfone that was carrier locked. I just never activated the service but took advantage of the lower price and it works just fine for watching my shows I loaded up on SD micro cards Somthing I couldn't do without a laptop. I don't think you need a laptop unless you need it for work for most of the daily stuff. Yet, it can be critical to organize data storage and editing data when needed. Taxes may not be an issue but phones can access files and e-sign documents better than laptops can anyways.

My last job we used tablets for clients to sign leases and review account information. Yet, I still wouldn't feel comfortable just having a phone. I usually like a double system where I have a backup, yet the last year I lived just fine with one laptop and my two iphones I used for internet.

I say store your data on the laptop AND have a backup USB or Micro SD card that you can keep that data AND download a book onto the laptop. That way it's holding your data in the space a typical book would take up in your tiny living space and yet your still maximizing that space.

Unless your living space is a minivan or smaller like an SUV or car your living out of then... pawn it asap! If you have to move it daily or every few days and you don't use it much at all then yea, its more of a hastle. Yet, if you have a bigger van and have the space you can hide it away in a safe spot then keep it and let it be a comfort for when you just might need it...

Say you need to print a car insurance card or document or need to convert a picture into a different format for a claim. Perhaps a file you recieved needs to be opened with a specific software that you need to use a desktop for. Situations can always come up and unless you want to use a libuary computer or try to track down a new friends laptop then perhaps it's best place is to collect dust in your rig until you really really need it right away.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Monterey? Dang, I'm still using Snow Leopard! I may be too behind in the times to even consider a tablet thing. The laptop is complex enough as it is for me. Do people find tablets easier to use?

 

[RVTravel]

I only like using my macbook air but also have an ipad that does not get used. I am not on the road though. My computer learning from the start was on mac in 1990. I never bought anything else.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I use a MacBook Pro sometimes hooked up to a 32" screen via HDMI for my aging eyes (excellent for photo editing). I do use a bluetooth keyboard/USB mouse with the large screen; the MacBook is just the processing unit. Don't know if iPad supports HDMI.

When outside my camper I prefer the connected keyboard/touchpad in one package, not having to deal with separate items. I do a lot of journaling, etc. sitting in a lawn chair outside with the Mac in my lap.

 

[Frood]

I had to finally stop using my MacBook Pro... Was 2011 version. Would update and it would rapidly count down from 11 hours, to 7, to 5... take about 2 hours to actually download. Then, installing the update, it would hang at 1 minute left for 2 or 3 hours...

Great times.

 

[JDelete]

Monterey? Dang, I'm still using Snow Leopard! I may be too behind in the times to even consider a tablet thing. The laptop is complex enough as it is for me. Do people find tablets easier to use?

There's nothing wrong with Snow Leopard (if you have the last update installed). Once they had all the bugs worked out, it is very stable. In my opinion, Mavericks was the last best version. After that everything went flat looking in their prep for making everything similar between iOS and MacOs.

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Oh no, I never update my computers or phones. That's how I get them to last forever!

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I go back about as far with computers, my first was the venerable Atari 800.
Later got into PCs because they were cheap as heck in the 90's and early 2000s.
I really miss that pre-gamer PC diy subculture. There were games to be sure, but it wasn't the sole focus of DIY builds as it is now.
I switched to Mac around 2008. I got a job at a start up that required me to know Mac. So I bought a Mini and a couple books and crammed on OS X for a month whenever I wasn't working.
Switching from PC to Mac I was floored by how much more stable the Mac was.
Anyway, I think you are always going to need a Mac around even if you do the majority of your computering on the iPad.
Apple has engineered a little ecosystem which presumes you have a Mac at the center and the tablet, phone and watch as accessories.
So sometimes you need that laptop to do account tasks or to update the firmware of the idevice.
Also, this is just me as a professional tech nerd, I always backup my iDevice before a major update. Same goes for the computer.
It rarely happens, but I have seen people get a corrupted device after an update. Or more likely, a much loved app is suddenly incompatible.

 

[CoyoteG]

iPads and iPhone. I don’t own a computer anymore. I’ve only found a few things I can’t do on an iThing that I can’t do on a laptop. But that gap is closing quickly.
On my iPad mini I have cellular so I can use that as a hub to run updates on my other iPad that doesn’t. Everything powers up through the 12v plug in the car.

 

[hugemoth]

I had been using Windows since the time of MS DOS. Needed it for web development, mapping, and Photoshop mainly. After retirement I found a Windows machine to be unnecessary and went to Android exclusively. Now a 10" Android tablet and a couple Android phones are all I need. Still miss Photoshop once in a while but make due with a few apps from the play store.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Was tempted to go Android, but the ratio of the malware on mobile devices is about 90% Android. It's not a very secure platform.
Apple is infuriating to say the least, but their walled garden approach more or less works.
In this, as with many things, it's extremely aggravating that we only have 2 choices.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

iPads and iPhone. I don’t own a computer anymore . . .

What is and is not a computer has gotten kind of fuzzy.
My iPhone 11 has a faster processor, more memory, and more storage than a Cray 2 supercomputer.

 

[bettersimplerlife]

Long time lurker here.....but I recently stopped using the computer altogether. Switched to Apple ecosphere in 2007. I'm a web developer (since 1995) and haven't found anything that I can't do on an iPad. The newer M1's were a game-changer.

As to the issue of the files......
I have the Apple magic keyboard (with trackpad and 2 USB C ports) and the trackpad and ports make life so much easier now. Multiple external SSD drives allow me to access client files on the iPad (I have several TB of client files). When Apple came out with the Files app and the ability to connect external drives, that made my life so much easier. The only thing that can be a bit of a pain is to backup the drives, but I backup individual files to both a primary and a backup drive as I go, so I always have more than one copy. Since I am still working (for the next 2 years at least) this allows me to keep client files.

I have the Microsoft Suite of apps, have the ability to FTP via apps, use Photoshop PS app for most of my image editing, although if I need layers, I use pixlr.com (free web app). I do all of my video editing on the iPad, using Lumfusion (with the files saved to an SSD), and can even use an online app in lieu of Adobe Illustrator. I did get a "travel" printer but found I haven't needed it. I suppose you could email documents to a Staples if you really need to print something. I have over 300 movies saved to an external SSD, and watch movies on the iPad as well.

Quit using the Macbook 8 months ago, and have yet to find anything I can't do on an ipad. But....if you really need the MacBook, and are near a city, the Apple store will do the update for you.

 

[pnwnative]

It's complicated. I mix and match. I have a Kindle fire tablet, an iPad, a Windows machine and a Chromebook. Like them all for different reasons. Used to use Macs, may get one later. If given one option, I'd just have my iPhone with a keyboard and can do pretty much everything on it. Battery life is paramount.

The Dell laptop is used most of the time, unless outside and then its always the iPhone. The Chromebook is when I want a zen-like experience without fans and just that browser most of the time (don't use the Android apps). I do have a Samsung phone, but the battery life was not great. iPhone might be boring, but Android doesn't feel complete - there's always some annoyance that Google didn't finish it. That's Google's signature mark.

I take the Chromebook camping because of the battery life and don't worry about it disappearing, only paid $100 for it.

And I have Motorola phone, got free via T Mo that I use to play my old radio shows on YouTube at night when I go to sleep.

I also have a 2-in-1 Windows laptop for light gaming and sketching and painting. Long, long battery life and a beautiful machine.

 

[scaredycat72]

I bought a new 12.9 inch iPad pro. I don't know anything I would use a laptop for that I can't do on my iPad so for me a tablet is fine. The only real heavy processing stuff I need to do, in the future, is edit videos and pictures and while people are always saying you need a real desktop for that, you really don't. People are just use to what they're use to and 5 monitors and a desktop may make things easier or quicker, in the past people were doing the exact same stuff using computers that had less power, less memory, and less processing power than my phone let alone my iPad. There's an app, native program, or website that does everything I need so the extra weight and stuff of a real computer, just to have the prestige of extra weight and stuff and not have to change my workflow, isn't for me.

 

[dustytrailhead]

Quit using the Macbook 8 months ago, and have yet to find anything I can't do on an ipad. But....if you really need the MacBook, and are near a city, the Apple store will do the update for you.

That’s good to know, but I imagine it requires an appointment.
I finished updating my 2015 MacBook Pro. It took about 6 hours over two days at Starbucks. I wonder if Monterey will be my last macOS. It is almost 7 years old.

I’m still chewing on the laptop vs tablet conundrum. Spilled coffee on my iPad this morning. I’m surprised I haven’t done that before. Things started out a little uneven today, which is a continuation of yesterday. I sent a pan of oatmeal skittering off the counter when I hit its handle with my elbow. Miraculously, it landed upright. Wow! Anyway, these kind of stupid human tricks make me reluctant to buy an $1800 iPad Pro and keyboard case.

 

[user 29855]

Here I am at Starbucks trying to update the MacBook software from Big Sur to Monterey. The estimated time is “1day”. LOL! I don’t update that often (when did Monterey release? Oh, last year!? ), so I forget how long it takes even with a fast internet connection. Starbucks’ WiFi is middling at best. Here’s another downside to having a laptop; full sized operating systems are big and require significant time to update. Do I really need a laptop?
Of course, there are things that require a “computer”, but I don’t think I need one. I use my laptop once a year to do my taxes. And, that’s not because I need computing power to calculate all my income. If I made that much, I’d hire someone to figure out my taxes!
So, I don’t think I need a computer anymore. But, old habits die hard. I worked in IT since 1985. I worked on mainframes, minis, servers, workstations, laptops and then, starting in 2008, smartphones and tablets. But, always there was a workstation or laptop to get “real work” done. That mindset didn’t end at work.
When I quit working the first thing on the list was to buy a good laptop—you know one that’ll last—so I bought a MacBook Pro. I was used to Windows, so I had to learn macOS. No big deal, I’ve been learning to do stuff like that throughout my career. It’s a nice machine, with a nice user interface, gets software updates for years and its intrinsically more secure than a Windows device. Nevertheless, what did I use it for?
I do my taxes on it, through Safari, on a website. I settled an estate over a period of 3 months, creating letters, emailing, and documenting transactions, using the MacBook, all things I think I could have done on a tablet. I even installed a Windows VM using Bootcamp for fun, but I don’t use it. And, as far as I can tell I don’t really use the MacBook, either. I don’t do spreadsheets. I don’t edit video. I don’t create documents. There is no need for Remote Desktop (thank god!).
The only thing that could be a problem without the computer is managing the files I have accumulated over the past 30 or so years. But, I think there are ways around that, with some effort.
But, that’s just me. I want to know why you think you need a computer or why you think a tablet is insufficient. Because I haven’t made up my mind.

(The software update informs me that there are 9 hours remaining. Liar!)

Random thoughts.......
First of all, weigh your needs. Older iPads can be had at bargain prices. The biggest concern is battery life, so check that, and if necessary get a new battery installed. Second of all, ALL physical storage will fail; some types sooner than others. I have had thumb drives from very reputable companies fail. CD's and DVD's can be damaged by scratches or heat. Subscribe to online storage (The cloud.) Apple and Google both provide this, as does Microsoft (OneDrive) and DropBox. Depending on the plan and how much storage you require, it can even be free. You can then use a thumb drive, external drive, or whatever to keep your files available for off-line use, but with the knowledge that they will be safe and secure. A very dear friend of mine had digitized all of her family memories going back 55 years, and then lost them when a fire consumed her RV.
Last, If you spilled coffee on your keyboard, don't give up hope. There are several ways to restore it to health, depending on whether sugar was present. Certainly the hard disk can be removed, and the data recovered. I just recovered 620 gigabytes of data from a friend's hard disk after a power surge wiped out his PowerBook. Took about 20 minutes.

For what it's worth.....

 

[user 29855]

Here I am at Starbucks trying to update the MacBook software from Big Sur to Monterey. The estimated time is “1day”. LOL! I don’t update that often (when did Monterey release? Oh, last year!? ), so I forget how long it takes even with a fast internet connection. Starbucks’ WiFi is middling at best. Here’s another downside to having a laptop; full sized operating systems are big and require significant time to update. Do I really need a laptop?
Of course, there are things that require a “computer”, but I don’t think I need one. I use my laptop once a year to do my taxes. And, that’s not because I need computing power to calculate all my income. If I made that much, I’d hire someone to figure out my taxes!
So, I don’t think I need a computer anymore. But, old habits die hard. I worked in IT since 1985. I worked on mainframes, minis, servers, workstations, laptops and then, starting in 2008, smartphones and tablets. But, always there was a workstation or laptop to get “real work” done. That mindset didn’t end at work.
When I quit working the first thing on the list was to buy a good laptop—you know one that’ll last—so I bought a MacBook Pro. I was used to Windows, so I had to learn macOS. No big deal, I’ve been learning to do stuff like that throughout my career. It’s a nice machine, with a nice user interface, gets software updates for years and its intrinsically more secure than a Windows device. Nevertheless, what did I use it for?
I do my taxes on it, through Safari, on a website. I settled an estate over a period of 3 months, creating letters, emailing, and documenting transactions, using the MacBook, all things I think I could have done on a tablet. I even installed a Windows VM using Bootcamp for fun, but I don’t use it. And, as far as I can tell I don’t really use the MacBook, either. I don’t do spreadsheets. I don’t edit video. I don’t create documents. There is no need for Remote Desktop (thank god!).
The only thing that could be a problem without the computer is managing the files I have accumulated over the past 30 or so years. But, I think there are ways around that, with some effort.
But, that’s just me. I want to know why you think you need a computer or why you think a tablet is insufficient. Because I haven’t made up my mind.

(The software update informs me that there are 9 hours remaining. Liar!)

When it's time to do my annual taxes, I go to a Fedex location where you can rent time on their computer. I use Intuit and they have my previous couple of years of tax returns to make things quicker. No laptop required, even though I have several, as well as a Mac Mini