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Hellbent

iPad or small laptop?

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I can't decide if I want an iPad with or without a keyboard or a small laptop for mostly web related activities while in bed, on the couch, at Starbucks etc.

Pros and cons of either? Any recommendations / suggestions on specific products?

I saw a student with a 12" MacBook that seemed perfect size. The air version is prolly expensive.

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Question is whether you want a device to watch movies on and browse the web, or if you have any plans to use it to make things with. Tablets are good consumer devices but useless as creative ones.

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Well, to be fair from what I've heard Apple is working on a form of Ipad with an advanced drawing tablet touch screen, but its been a while since and I'm both forgetful and not very savvy on Apple stuff. If anything, it'd bring the price of standalone drawing tablets down.

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yeah, difficult to believe that at some point Apple was the platform for Getting Shit Done.

Anyone remember that company? I almost liked them.

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If all you'll be doing is consuming content than an iPad is definitely the way to go.
The up-keep is so much easier than that of a computer, and if you ever have any problems with it, you can take it into the Apple Store and have them take a look at it for free.

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My job will be giving me a proper laptop for work, so I'm looking for something that will be easy to carry with me and have excellent battery life. It really will be mostly for web/email use. I use a web based organizational website at the web address workflowy.com. It's not perfect but it works pretty well for my purposes.

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Yeah, but it will be enough for most of my needs: the convenience of lightweight and easy to use. The iPhone is a bit small for typing quickly. Ipads are good, but expensive, and I'm not crazy about typing on the screen. Basically I need something that's super mobile and good for taking notes during meetings, or using it to help students with homework etc.

Work uses google apps (calendar, mail, etc.) so it seems the chrome book will tailor well to those needs.

Remember, I still have my desktop and the work laptop.

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Small laptop?
Usage:surfing, etc.

Solution:Netbook

Alt solution:Notebook (no not a paper notebook).

iPad?
Usage:surfing, etc.

Solution:Money


Decision- Notebook.

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Having a desktop and work laptop, I'd say go with a tablet, though perhaps not an iPad. Not a big Apple fan as their company policies are frankly staggering, but anyway I was given a gen 1 iPad and it did work well for about 4 years, then inexplicably slowed to a crawl. Not bad, good for youtube and email, but not a whole lot more. Just some food for thought!

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Do you want to consume, or produce?

If you want to produce anything, i.e. if the device is meant to support being creative as oppose to just passive, you have to get a laptop rather than a tablet.

Obviously you *can* create stuff on tablets but there is still a LOOONG way to go before they catch up to computers.

Since this is on DW, if you want to play the widest range of doom mods or make your own then that means laptop.
If you want to code, laptop.

Just FWIW the MacBook (12") is more expensive than the Air, and less powerful, but it is smaller, lighter, and has a better screen.


EDIT: oh I skim-read the thread and missed Fraggle writing basically the same thing.

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