Do I want an iPad or a laptop?
January 1, 2020 8:47 PM
I'd like to get something other than my iPhone for when I'm on the road - and I can't decide if I want an iPad with cell service/wifi or a very light laptop with only wifi. It's mostly for e-mail, sometimes for video calls and documents/articles/newstories, periodically for surfing. If you are a commuter and/or work on the road a lot, what do you have and why?
I use an ipad pro with a smart keyboard as my daily use laptop.
Lightweight, all-day battery life, I like they keyboard better than anything produced recently on a macbook and it's removeable.
Spec'ing it out until I was happy meant it cost about what a new macbook air would. It's certainly not cheaper.
posted by mce at 9:10 PM on January 1, 2020
Lightweight, all-day battery life, I like they keyboard better than anything produced recently on a macbook and it's removeable.
Spec'ing it out until I was happy meant it cost about what a new macbook air would. It's certainly not cheaper.
posted by mce at 9:10 PM on January 1, 2020
I use my iPad Pro in my job as an itinerant teacher and I really, really like the great display, the battery life and the slim hard smart keyboard case and stand you can get for it, which feels much better than a roll-up keyboard (but truthfully does not quite feel as sturdy as a laptop keyboard). I have a district issued Air that I could use instead, but for my purposes the Pro is an easy choice when I’m deciding what to throw in my backpack.
posted by charmedimsure at 9:13 PM on January 1, 2020
posted by charmedimsure at 9:13 PM on January 1, 2020
I use the cheapest new iPad with the apple keyboard for work stuff that doesn’t require significant processing power (emails, document review/drafting) and I’d say 90% of my personal use. I have to travel via train fairly often for work and not needing to balance my large company issued laptop on the little tray table is very nice.
I do wish I’d gotten the cellular model but tethering to my iPhone works fine whenever Amtrak WiFi is bad (which is generally the case)
posted by bxvr at 9:18 PM on January 1, 2020
I do wish I’d gotten the cellular model but tethering to my iPhone works fine whenever Amtrak WiFi is bad (which is generally the case)
posted by bxvr at 9:18 PM on January 1, 2020
I have one of these Chromebooks. It's lightweight, the battery lasts forever, and the keyboard+touchpad work fine. It has the best wifi reception of all my devices. Also it has a matte screen, which makes it very usable in daytime. (I don't know about video calls, maybe Google Duo works, I've never used the camera) I can even do command-line stuff with Termux.
Unfortunately, Gmail is now near-unusable on low-powered Chromebooks (funny eh?) so I can't recommend it for email.
I like my iPad for reading books and game-playing. Tethering to my iPhone works fine on either device.
Unfortunately, Apple borked Mobile Safari in recent iOS versions so browsing is a bit unpleasant and sometimes acts weird.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:37 PM on January 1, 2020
Unfortunately, Gmail is now near-unusable on low-powered Chromebooks (funny eh?) so I can't recommend it for email.
I like my iPad for reading books and game-playing. Tethering to my iPhone works fine on either device.
Unfortunately, Apple borked Mobile Safari in recent iOS versions so browsing is a bit unpleasant and sometimes acts weird.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:37 PM on January 1, 2020
If your emails are more than a couple of paragraphs or more than a few emails a day - you'll want a keyboard.
There are, of course, addon keyboards for the iPad, but the detachable keyboard on Microsoft Surfaces are usable. Pricey, though.
I've had a recent Dell XPS and X1 Carbons and T-series as work computers. If you have an actual desk/ table (most of the time), I find these much better than a tablet. Especially coupled with a Logitech MX Master 2S (I really want the 3 that recently came out), it's a very productive and very portable actual workstation.
Not a fan of the XPSs, big fan of the X1 Carbons - especially at higher trim levels. Either at ~12-13" are perfectly usable, and both are solid desktop replacements with a dock+monitors, maybe a favourite keyboard if you care about that. My (earlier) XPS had a solid 6 hour charge, a (current) X1 has a reliable 8 of actual work.
Very intrigued about the X1 Carbon Yogas - convertable laptop/ tablet. Not sure about the keyboard on the back in tablet mode, though.
For videoconferencing, I find that better processors help regardless of connection. When I don't have wifi, I turn my phone into a hotspot and wifi through that and use my existing cellular data. With LTE4, MS Teams video is almost always solid. Don't notice much difference when on LTE3.
posted by porpoise at 9:48 PM on January 1, 2020
There are, of course, addon keyboards for the iPad, but the detachable keyboard on Microsoft Surfaces are usable. Pricey, though.
I've had a recent Dell XPS and X1 Carbons and T-series as work computers. If you have an actual desk/ table (most of the time), I find these much better than a tablet. Especially coupled with a Logitech MX Master 2S (I really want the 3 that recently came out), it's a very productive and very portable actual workstation.
Not a fan of the XPSs, big fan of the X1 Carbons - especially at higher trim levels. Either at ~12-13" are perfectly usable, and both are solid desktop replacements with a dock+monitors, maybe a favourite keyboard if you care about that. My (earlier) XPS had a solid 6 hour charge, a (current) X1 has a reliable 8 of actual work.
Very intrigued about the X1 Carbon Yogas - convertable laptop/ tablet. Not sure about the keyboard on the back in tablet mode, though.
For videoconferencing, I find that better processors help regardless of connection. When I don't have wifi, I turn my phone into a hotspot and wifi through that and use my existing cellular data. With LTE4, MS Teams video is almost always solid. Don't notice much difference when on LTE3.
posted by porpoise at 9:48 PM on January 1, 2020
On the road I use my iPad Pro exclusively. I have a smart keyboard for it but I only bring it along if I expect to be doing a lot of typing.
My laptop has been gathering dust in its travel bag for a few years now. It just doesn’t offer me anything that would be worth the extra weight and hassle.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:10 PM on January 1, 2020
My laptop has been gathering dust in its travel bag for a few years now. It just doesn’t offer me anything that would be worth the extra weight and hassle.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 10:10 PM on January 1, 2020
I use my iPad Pro on the road unless I absolutely have to do a lot of typing. (I'm a writer, so this does sometimes happen.) 90% of the time, though, the iPad works just fine for my needs, is a lot more fun (games! digital art!), and is much less of a pain to haul around.
posted by yhlee at 10:16 PM on January 1, 2020
posted by yhlee at 10:16 PM on January 1, 2020
I only use my personal laptop for my taxes now and as storage device for my media. I cannot get away from the work laptop but for personal use and email my iPad would be absolutely fine.
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:17 PM on January 1, 2020
posted by koahiatamadl at 10:17 PM on January 1, 2020
I’m currently laid up and having to use the latest non-pro iPad instead of my 16-inch MBP. (Yeah, I could really have lived without having to buy two new pieces of Mac hardware last year...). Anyway, I’m grateful to have it, as using my laptop would be physically challenging right now, but I’m barely doing anything online except lazy retweeting because I find typing on the screen sufficiently irritating and the limitations of the OS make me itchy.
posted by praemunire at 11:51 PM on January 1, 2020
posted by praemunire at 11:51 PM on January 1, 2020
For any tablet or phone, I highly recommend the Plugable Full-Size Bluetooth Keyboard (it does USB also). A little pricey, but rugged and relatively small. My texts used to be thumble-stumble. Comes with a great cover/stand for slab or phone.
posted by Chitownfats at 2:11 AM on January 2, 2020
posted by Chitownfats at 2:11 AM on January 2, 2020
I travel a lot and if I am only doing writing/emailing/watching movies and a bit of browsing, I like my cheap toshiba chromebook rather than big work-issued laptop. I've tried tablet and keyboard but still find typing a pain. My chromebook is about 5 years old, keeps its charge for 6/7 hours and the charging cable is lightweight. I'm also not as worried if something happens to it as it's so cheap and rugged. Google docs is now much more compatible with 'track changes' in word, so that is useful.
Caveat is that I've never used an ipad so perhaps that is better than my ancient samsung tablet and bluetooth keyboard setup!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 3:18 AM on January 2, 2020
Caveat is that I've never used an ipad so perhaps that is better than my ancient samsung tablet and bluetooth keyboard setup!
posted by sedimentary_deer at 3:18 AM on January 2, 2020
When I used to travel a lot for work, I had both - an iPad for on-the-go and my work laptop. But for very very light usage I'd probably just choose a mid-tier iPad with a keyboard case and Apple Pencil. The cellular is a big bonus, IMO. I can whip out my iPad and be reading email just about anywhere vs. needing to log into WiFi or whatever.
As long as you don't need any applications you can't run on the iPad then you'd be fine.
posted by jzb at 5:00 AM on January 2, 2020
As long as you don't need any applications you can't run on the iPad then you'd be fine.
posted by jzb at 5:00 AM on January 2, 2020
A laptop is a lot more practical and can do a lot more stuff much easier. Laptops even come with their own stands, which happen to double as keyboards! You can just use your phone as a wifi hotspot when you don't have access to wifi. A thin, small Chromebook would be as portable as an iPad, and you could get one with a touchscreen if you want.
posted by AppleTurnover at 5:17 AM on January 2, 2020
posted by AppleTurnover at 5:17 AM on January 2, 2020
Very intrigued about the X1 Carbon Yogas - convertable laptop/ tablet. Not sure about the keyboard on the back in tablet mode, though.
It's probably stretching the definition of "very light laptop", but i have a Thinkpad X1 Yoga and one of the reasons I got it over another 2-in-1 is that when you rotate the screen the chassis raises so that it is flush with the keyboard and the keys then lock, so you don't get the weird feeling of keys depressing under your fingers while you use the tablet screen. Oh, and it also has models with cellular capability, although these days I don't see much difference between that and sharing a hotspot.
The X1 Yoga is light for what it is - it's sufficiently light that sometimes I have to double-check that it's in my bag - but it's heavier than e.g. my XPS 13. I wouldn't call it "very light" and it's noticeably larger than an iPad - it's a 14 inch screen, and the tablet structure gives it a larger bezel than the X1 carbon.
Toddles: I tend always to carry a laptop, because I find the irritation factor of _not_ having a laptop at a time when you need to do something specifically laptoppy - multiple windows open, full-sized keyboard, hinged and therefore not requiring an even surface etc - outweighs the portability. However, I usually double it up with an iPad (or more recently an iPad Mini), because those are much easier things to use to read emails/watch downloaded video/read e-books in an unergonomic hotel bedroom or on a train or plane. iPads really shine on long-haul flights, and if you do regular transoceanic or coast-to-coast trips I would absolutely get one.
The things that iPads still aren't great for is multitasking (this is not an unchallengeable belief, but I find the multitasking experience still unsatisfactory, although I haven't had a Pro model), and also productivity without a flat surface underneath them - there are aftermarket solutions like the Brydge clamshell keyboards, but you're definitely getting into tradeoffs there on portability.
However, if you genuinely aren't going to need to use it for any purpose other than the ones you've described above, then only "documents" would feel like a difficult use case for an iPad - if you mean reading, that's fine, and if you mean single-tab document writing in environments with elbow room and a flat surface, then an iPad plus a Smart or Magic keyboard (I hugely prefer the magic keyboard, but it's a matter of taste, and it is another thing to carry around) is a pretty versatile solution.
It sounds from your Ask like you have work that involves a fair amount of travel, but you have a non-mobile workstation, and are not asked to do full-on productivity work when you're on the road. In that case, an iPad (with some additional hardware to taste) should do everything you've been using your iPhone for, with more real estate on the screen.
(Oh, and of course if you are using iOS-native apps like FaceTime, you might have some software lock-in from your iPhone also, although video conferencing is the only thing in your list that I wouldn't expect you to just be doing through the browser. YMMV.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 7:04 AM on January 2, 2020
It's probably stretching the definition of "very light laptop", but i have a Thinkpad X1 Yoga and one of the reasons I got it over another 2-in-1 is that when you rotate the screen the chassis raises so that it is flush with the keyboard and the keys then lock, so you don't get the weird feeling of keys depressing under your fingers while you use the tablet screen. Oh, and it also has models with cellular capability, although these days I don't see much difference between that and sharing a hotspot.
The X1 Yoga is light for what it is - it's sufficiently light that sometimes I have to double-check that it's in my bag - but it's heavier than e.g. my XPS 13. I wouldn't call it "very light" and it's noticeably larger than an iPad - it's a 14 inch screen, and the tablet structure gives it a larger bezel than the X1 carbon.
Toddles: I tend always to carry a laptop, because I find the irritation factor of _not_ having a laptop at a time when you need to do something specifically laptoppy - multiple windows open, full-sized keyboard, hinged and therefore not requiring an even surface etc - outweighs the portability. However, I usually double it up with an iPad (or more recently an iPad Mini), because those are much easier things to use to read emails/watch downloaded video/read e-books in an unergonomic hotel bedroom or on a train or plane. iPads really shine on long-haul flights, and if you do regular transoceanic or coast-to-coast trips I would absolutely get one.
The things that iPads still aren't great for is multitasking (this is not an unchallengeable belief, but I find the multitasking experience still unsatisfactory, although I haven't had a Pro model), and also productivity without a flat surface underneath them - there are aftermarket solutions like the Brydge clamshell keyboards, but you're definitely getting into tradeoffs there on portability.
However, if you genuinely aren't going to need to use it for any purpose other than the ones you've described above, then only "documents" would feel like a difficult use case for an iPad - if you mean reading, that's fine, and if you mean single-tab document writing in environments with elbow room and a flat surface, then an iPad plus a Smart or Magic keyboard (I hugely prefer the magic keyboard, but it's a matter of taste, and it is another thing to carry around) is a pretty versatile solution.
It sounds from your Ask like you have work that involves a fair amount of travel, but you have a non-mobile workstation, and are not asked to do full-on productivity work when you're on the road. In that case, an iPad (with some additional hardware to taste) should do everything you've been using your iPhone for, with more real estate on the screen.
(Oh, and of course if you are using iOS-native apps like FaceTime, you might have some software lock-in from your iPhone also, although video conferencing is the only thing in your list that I wouldn't expect you to just be doing through the browser. YMMV.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 7:04 AM on January 2, 2020
(Random additional thought - for quite some time that "I want to have the size and weight of a tablet with an LTE option, but with a hinged keyboard" need was - imperfectly - met for me by a Lenovo Yoga Book - the now-deprecated version with the touch-sensitive HALO keyboard and the 10.1 inch screen - running Android.
OP didn't mention an Android tablet as an option, and this is old tech; if you have anything like a recent iPhone you'll find the HD screen and the videoconferencing camera pretty archaic. Also, the HALO keyboard is not something I'd use for writing anything of any length - it's better than the on-screen keyboard in tablet mode, but it's very definitely an acquired taste, and there's little reason to want to acquire it at this point. However, it had great battery life, weighed almost nothing, was incredibly thin for a keyboarded device, fit in a tray table and made you look like you came from the future. Paired with, say, a Logitech K380 keyboard it was a pretty functional low-level productivity device, especially if your go-to productivity application is Google Suite.
I also bought a Surface 3 LTE - the last non-Pro, pre-Go Surface device, and the first one using an Intel (Atom) chip and running regular Windows (it updates to 10 from 8.1). The Type keyboard is _lovely_, relative to most tablet-cover keyboards, and I really liked the 10.8", 1920x1200 screen and the full USB port. The N-Trig digitiser is also very nice for pen input, although it means you can't use a regular Wacom-compatible pen.
The downside was battery life (less than a premium tablet, I found, despite the low-power chip - between 4 and 6 hours of relatively consistent but not too demanding operation), the absence of a hinged keyboard (the inbuilt kickstand adds a nice rigidity, but it's not as versatile as a hinge between keyboard and screen and you can't e.g. hold it in one hand and peck out an email when standing in a boarding line) and the absence of an app-centric experience (so you can't e.g pre-download Netflix movies easily for journeys without cellular signal, or to keep down data consumption).
These are obsolete products - no longer sold by their makers, charging with micro-USB, not USB-C, using older Atom chips etc - and I wouldn't stake my career on either being my only connected device, but that does mean you can often get good deals on unopened SKUs on secondary markets if you want to experiment with a tablet-leaning hybrid device.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 9:22 AM on January 2, 2020
OP didn't mention an Android tablet as an option, and this is old tech; if you have anything like a recent iPhone you'll find the HD screen and the videoconferencing camera pretty archaic. Also, the HALO keyboard is not something I'd use for writing anything of any length - it's better than the on-screen keyboard in tablet mode, but it's very definitely an acquired taste, and there's little reason to want to acquire it at this point. However, it had great battery life, weighed almost nothing, was incredibly thin for a keyboarded device, fit in a tray table and made you look like you came from the future. Paired with, say, a Logitech K380 keyboard it was a pretty functional low-level productivity device, especially if your go-to productivity application is Google Suite.
I also bought a Surface 3 LTE - the last non-Pro, pre-Go Surface device, and the first one using an Intel (Atom) chip and running regular Windows (it updates to 10 from 8.1). The Type keyboard is _lovely_, relative to most tablet-cover keyboards, and I really liked the 10.8", 1920x1200 screen and the full USB port. The N-Trig digitiser is also very nice for pen input, although it means you can't use a regular Wacom-compatible pen.
The downside was battery life (less than a premium tablet, I found, despite the low-power chip - between 4 and 6 hours of relatively consistent but not too demanding operation), the absence of a hinged keyboard (the inbuilt kickstand adds a nice rigidity, but it's not as versatile as a hinge between keyboard and screen and you can't e.g. hold it in one hand and peck out an email when standing in a boarding line) and the absence of an app-centric experience (so you can't e.g pre-download Netflix movies easily for journeys without cellular signal, or to keep down data consumption).
These are obsolete products - no longer sold by their makers, charging with micro-USB, not USB-C, using older Atom chips etc - and I wouldn't stake my career on either being my only connected device, but that does mean you can often get good deals on unopened SKUs on secondary markets if you want to experiment with a tablet-leaning hybrid device.)
posted by running order squabble fest at 9:22 AM on January 2, 2020
You can get a refurbished Surface Pro 3 on Amazon for $300 - $400 depending on options. This would have an i5, not a slow Atom. I've been using Surface Pros for some time now (my original had the battery die after several years, then unfortunately my replacement got dropped and cracked the screen pretty badly, so I'm on #3 now) and I would never want to go back to an under-powered typical tablet.
posted by rfs at 6:56 PM on January 2, 2020
posted by rfs at 6:56 PM on January 2, 2020
If you're even 5% a power user you'll need a laptop. No tablet is currently capable of usable multi-tasking or vaguely efficient use of screen real estate. Even the most basic of tasks take at least twice as long on a tablet compared to a mini laptop.
posted by turkeyphant at 8:04 PM on January 2, 2020
posted by turkeyphant at 8:04 PM on January 2, 2020
I use a tablet for most everything while on the road (Samsung Tab S6 as I prefer Android, but my wife does the same with her iPad) and have by and large been happy with it. As others have said, an add-on keyboard is always an option if you do a lot of typing.
That being said, when traveling for business I still often end up taking a small laptop as well (just an older Dell laptop, I have no experience w Chromebook or the like). This is mainly because I use applications (particularly remote desktops) that are very difficult to use on tablets, this doesn't sound like the case for you but might be worth considering. I've also found that heavy multitasking can be a bit unwieldy on tablets.
posted by photo guy at 12:44 PM on January 3, 2020
That being said, when traveling for business I still often end up taking a small laptop as well (just an older Dell laptop, I have no experience w Chromebook or the like). This is mainly because I use applications (particularly remote desktops) that are very difficult to use on tablets, this doesn't sound like the case for you but might be worth considering. I've also found that heavy multitasking can be a bit unwieldy on tablets.
posted by photo guy at 12:44 PM on January 3, 2020
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posted by DarlingBri at 8:50 PM on January 1, 2020