Why we Replaced An Old Laptop With a New Ipad Pro

A few months ago, I gave up my ageing 2012 13” Macbook Pro for the new 2017 10.5” iPad Pro.

Here’s why I didn’t buy a new laptop:

1. The new Macbook Pro lineup is lacklustre and overpriced. For RM7000, the cheapest 2017 Macbook Pros were LESS powerful than the iPad Pro (in benchmarks) and didn’t even have standard USB ports.
2. The cheapest 2017 Macbook Pro wasn’t a bump up in spec from my 2012 Macbook Pro. Mine already had 256GB of SSD storage, 8GB of ram and a 2.5GHz dual core processor. The base model 2017 Macbook Pro offered the same specs but in a more efficient form.
3. The only reasonably priced Apple laptops were the Macbook Airs. But these are downgrade in terms of physical hardware. The Macbook Air’s display is not quite as sharp as an older Macbook Pro’s as it uses a bargain basement TN panel. The processor in the Macbook Air is a 5th generation Intel chip, which in 2017 was a little silly considering Intel was already supplying Apple with 7th generation chips. The Macbook Air was also not a huge bump in spec and performance, so spending RM4000-RM5000 didn’t make sense
4. The only viable laptop replacements were Windows machines like the Dell XPS 13. I was very close to going for this incredible machine, but my weakness with Windows is that I would end up gaming instead of doing work. I also had grown accustomed to Apple productivity software like iMovie, so I didn’t really want to go back to Windows. Plus, the XPS 13 is still not a cheap laptop. You get what you pay for, but it’s still around RM4000-5000.

I ended up writing out my reasons for getting a new device. These were the criteria that needed to be fulfilled:

1. It had to be light. Portability on my 2012 13” Macbook Pro was a major issue. The thing was heavy, all aluminium and needed to be charged every 4 hours. This dissuaded me from being productive on trips and drives.
2. It had to be fast. Specifications were not a major issue as long as the new device was guaranteed to be lightning fast.
3. It had to be wireless. Over the last 3 years of working with PCs, laptops, etc, the one thing I was constantly frustrated by was clutter. I didn’t want dongles, USB extensions and cables running all over the place. I wanted modularity and ease of use with as little clutter as possible.
4. It had to be worth the money. There’s no running away from it. With the Ringgit in the toilet, all imported laptops and devices were going to be expensive. But as long as it delivered on the three criteria above, I would not discriminate.

So after hashing out a number of options, the only device that made sense was the new iPad Pro. 

It was more portable than any laptop in existence (10.5” wide, 0.47kg, 10 hour battery with full use).

It was fast. 8GB on a laptop is the bare minimum for smooth operation. 4GB on a tablet is overkill, and that’s what the iPad Pro comes with. The A10X chip is cutting edge (10nm process), powerful (6 core CPU, 12 core GPU) and efficient (3 of those CPU cores are low power). On benchmarks, multicore and graphics intensive tests showed the iPad Pro was faster than the Macbook Pro. Plus, iOS 11 promised to bring in more productivity enhancing features.

It was wireless. With only a headphone jack and a lightning connector port, the iPad Pro was guaranteed to be wireless by design. Integration with Google Photos and Google Drive made it possible to store most files online. The 256GB model that I got also meant I only had to delete photos after a few months when I had time to back everything up.

It delivered on value. Yes, RM3500 is a lot for a TABLET. But it’s not just a tablet. The 4 carbon fibre wrapped speakers are insanely loud and clear. It’s louder than any laptop, smartphone or portable speaker I’ve heard. The display is incredibly accurate, bright, and quick. The True Tone function ensures that it looks great in every environment. What’s more, it has the same 12MP camera that you find in the iPhone 7. Yes, it’s not a camera replacement, but it’s great to have in a lot of instances. Basic videos can be cobbled together without disrupting one’s workflow with file transfers.

Well, that’s why I switched from Macbook Pro to iPad Pro. Find out whether it worked or not in part 2.