iPad Pro vs Mac: What is your main workstation? [Poll]

Staff Writer | Apr 17 2021 - 11:09 am PT

For some time, Apple has been pushing users to consider using the iPad as their main workstation. With the rumored 2021 iPad Pro likely coming next week and the company rolling out its refreshed Mac lineup, are you Team iPad or Team Mac?

While both products have their advantages and weak points, it mostly depends on what the user really needs. For example, the iPad Pro is great for the ones who care about portability and love iOS-themed apps. The Mac, on the other hand, has the majority of software for work and has a more mature OS.

In the text below, you’ll find why people choose a Mac over an iPad and an iPad over a Mac. In the final section, you can vote and share your thoughts about your main workstation.

Team Mac

The Mac is the reliable choice for every Apple user who wants to study or work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a journalist, an engineer, designer, or a lawyer, a Mac provides really great software choices and a mature operational system.

Since the introduction of the M1 Macs late last year, users now have a faster notebook with longer battery life, and most of the problems related to the Intel Macs gone.

The M1 MacBook Air, for example, is fanless, so it doesn’t make noise even when you’re pushing its hardware to the limit. With all-day battery life, the user can really forget about the charger. With a new Magic Keyboard, Apple got rid of the flawed butterfly mechanism. With its own processor, the company offers integration with some iOS/iPadOS apps on the M1 Macs as well.

Another positive point of the M1 Mac is that it’s powerful and has a great price point. The MacBook Air starts at $999 with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD storage option.

With redesigned Macs being rumored, the Apple Silicon lineup is going to be even more powerful and modern. Users keep askin, for a bezel-less iMac and proper Full HD FaceTime camera on all Mac lineup.

Team iPad Pro

“What’s a computer?” is what Apple keeps telling its users to migrate from a PC notebook to an iPad. The company offers three iPad lines but in this article, I’ll focus on the iPad Pro.

At least since the second-generation iPad Pro, Apple’s been pushing the advantages of its tablet rather than choosing a notebook. The iPad Pro, for example, is a great device for users who want a powerful machine with a touch screen in a portable form factor.

The Magic Keyboard and the second-generation Apple Pencil are essential accessories for the iPad Pro and if a user wants to take advantage of Apple’s tablet, it must buy one of these two products.

The Magic Keyboard is a key accessory for journalists and writers with backlit keys and adjustable angles. The Apple Pencil, on the other hand, is a powerful tool for designers, animators, and photo/video editors.

The iPadOS is a newer system focused on the iPad lineup that takes advantage of the bigger screen. There are some great apps available for Apple’s tablet but most users have to learn “tweaks” to perform similar tasks that they could easily do on a Mac.

The problem with the iPad Pro is its pricing. Starting at $799, the user probably will spend at least another $129 on the Apple Pencil and $299 on the Magic Keyboard. Summing all of this, it becomes more expensive than a M1 MacBook Air.

With the rumored 2021 iPad Pro set to received mini-LED display technology and a Thunderbolt port, Apple will have to push its professional tablet even further to compete with the M1 Macs. iPadOS 15 will also play a huge part in the tablet’s success.

Wrap-up: iPad Pro vs Mac

As both iPad Pro and Mac are getting a refresh, what’s your main workstation right now: an iPad Pro with acessories or a Mac? With Apple’s yet-to-be released products, are you planning to switch from an iPad to a Mac or vice-versa?

Both of them have advantages and can be used for different tasks. Tell us in the poll and the comment section below what’s your main workstation and why.

Add 9to5Mac to your Google News feed.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.