iPad vs. Laptop

A number of people made fun of the iPad when it was first introduced; some call it just an oversized iPhone while others relate its name to a female hygiene product. Four “generations” (plus a smaller version) later, everyone now takes the iPad seriously. So serious that it even threats the existence of the laptop computer.

Can the iPad really replace a laptop? Laptops can do things that the iPad still can’t do. But as time goes by, the iPad is constantly upgrading its arsenal making it an indispensable device. Are you contemplating on whether to buy a laptop or an iPad? This article might help you.

What Laptops Have

That iPads don’t Have

 

Proper Keyboard/Mouse

Tapping on the iPad screen for a long time would be tiring so you would rather have a laptop’s keyboard. And while you can buy a Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad, this will affect one of its strength — portability. Also there is something called tactile feedback, or the sense of pressing something, which is non-existent in larger virtual keyboards.

Editing articles could be a pain on an iPad too. It would take you a few tries to place the cursor in the right position between words which would never happen when you have your mouse on your laptop.

 

Better Games

There are tons of good games on the iTunes store but still nothing beats playing games on a laptop PC. The A6X on the iPad 4 is powerful but it can’t outmatch even a mid-level laptop. In terms of game selection, you can play not only Windows or Mac games, you can also run emulators to play console games (like Playstation or Wii) or you can go to the internet and play online. The number of accessories you can add to a laptop is also more than those for the iPad.

 

Cheaper Price

The starting price for the 4^th gen iPad is $499. If you want to go cheaper, you could go two gens behind and settle for the $399 iPad 2. That’s still about a hundred and fifty bucks more than the Samsung Chromebook which is currently Amazon’s top selling laptop.

 

What are the best laptops to buy?

Merchant		Product	Price	Buy Now
		ASUS A53U-EB11 15.6-Inch Laptop (Mocha)	Too Low to Display used from: 272.99	Go to Store
		Dell Latitude D610-1.73 Laptop Wireless Computer	Too Low to Display used from: 139.00	Go to Store
		Dell Latitude D630 14.1-Inch Notebook PC - Silver	Too Low to Display used from: 145.00	Go to Store
		HP 2000-2a10nr 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)	Too Low to Display used from: 496.16	Go to Store
		Toshiba NB505-N508BL 10.1-Inch Netbook (Blue)	Too Low to Display used from: 199.99	Go to Store
		Samsung Chromebook (Wi-Fi, 11.6-Inch)	$249.00 used from: $299.00	Go to Store
		ASUS A53U-EH11 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Mocha)	$399.99 used from: $296.00	Go to Store
		Acer Aspire One AO722-0473 11.6-Inch HD Netbook (Espresso Black)	$399.99 used from: $209.45	Go to Store
		Toshiba Satellite C855D-S5230 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black)	$420.99 used from: $319.79	Go to Store

 
As iPads become more powerful, the more the things we can do using it. Photo editing or word processing is impossible with the iPad in the past but now they are just everyday tasks.  And so the issue of content creation vs. content consumption is slowly being addressed.  What other advantages do the iPad have over a laptop?
 

What iPads have

That laptops don’t have

 

Portability

iPads are smaller, lighter and thinner than laptops. You also need smaller space when using it, making it ideal to use inside a train or a car. iPads are also now being used as e-book readers which is far more convenient than carrying multiple books. Other uses of the iPad include a notebook, a mirror (using front cam), calculator and a spreadsheet. You can go to school bringing only this tablet!

 

Better Battery Life

Laptop batteries typically take three to four hours before they are drained.  The longest battery life for any laptop is currently held by Dell’s Inspiron Mini 1012. This device manages to stay on for 459 minutes or about 8 hours. That is easily trumped by the iPad which lasts around 11 hours. This makes the iPad better for travels where outlets are hard to find.

 

Clearer Displays

Even though the iPad has a smaller screen than most laptops, it has a much better resolution. The famous Retina display makes images and texts look clearer and brighter. This makes reading books or watching movies a much more enjoyable experience on the iPad than on a laptop.

 

iPads to Consider

Merchant		Product	Price	Buy Now
		Apple iPad 2 MC769LL/A Tablet (16GB, WiFi, Black) 2nd Generation	Too Low to Display used from: 324.00	Go to Store
		Apple iPad (first generation) MB292LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi)	Too Low to Display used from: 200.00	Go to Store
		Apple iPad 2 MC979LL/A Tablet (16GB, Wifi, White) 2nd Generation	$414.00 used from: $319.00	Go to Store
		Apple iPad MD328LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, White)	$483.00 used from: $375.00	Go to Store
		Apple iPad MC705LL/A (16GB, Wi-Fi, Black)	$496.99 used from: $380.49	Go to Store
		Apple iPad MD329LL/A (32GB, Wi-Fi, White)	$569.00 used from: $438.82	Go to Store
		Apple iPad 2 MC916LL/A Tablet (64GB, Wifi, Black) 2nd Generation	$579.99 used from: $403.00	Go to Store

 

So which should I choose?

 

It would still ultimately depend on you. The iPad and a laptop each have their own strength and weaknesses. If you like to be more productive, you should consider getting a laptop. Not only can you type properly, you can also use better productivity software like spreadsheets and presentation applications. If you are into graphics and photo editing then go for a laptop too since Adobe Photoshop is still better than the iPad’s Photoshop Touch.

If you’re not looking for a device for working then you might choose the iPad. As mentioned, the iPad is a content consumption device with all the apps, games, videos, books and music you can run on it. iPads also are more optimized for social networking; you can easily share photos even game scores to your social media accounts right on the app itself. So if you like to stay connected to your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, the iPad is for you.

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