If you squint, it’s a computer

Apple has a new iPad on the market, and its story is much the same as that of the M1 version from 2022. It’s fantastic.

While I love the value of the $469 base model, if you want a tablet to be your main computer, the Air is the model you should go for. I’ve been using an iPad as a computer on and off all year, and I always want to go back when I need to review something else. More than ever I feel comfortable recommending people ditch a traditional laptop for an iPad.

However, just be aware that you need to commit to learning iPadOS. You can’t just transfer over your existing Mac workflow. It’s going to take some troubleshooting and reworking. iPadOS is mature now, but that also means it’s more complex than you think so be aware that there might be some reaction until you build some new workflows.

But don’t worry, I’ve found some real upsides to the iPad life. For starters, when I commit to using a tablet as my main computer, it gets used for work and leisure. This may sound inconsequential, but if you’re only going to buy one computing device, making sure it’s one you can use from sun up to sun down is important. It’s also a lot more portable and while Mac gaming is coming along, the best gaming in Apple’s world is on the iPad.

The iPad Air vs the regular iPad

If you’re thinking about buying an iPad the first question you need to answer is if you want the iPad Air or the regular iPad. Apple is calling the base model the iPad (A16) this year to denote its chip, while trying not to confuse it with the 11-inch Air and Pro models. To most it’s the 11th iPad, and the new Air is the 7th generation iPad Air.

While a variety of hardware upgrades separate the two product lines, the most notable is that the Air has a much nicer screen, even if it’s still capped at 60Hz. The Air also has a substantially more powerful M-series chip, opening the door for higher-end software like Apple Intelligence and ‘Stage Manager,’ which allows you to use the iPad more like a traditional computer. The speakers are also better on the Air, and it comes in two sizes–11 and 13 inches. The regular iPad only comes in the smaller size.

It seems like an easy choice to pick the iPad Air over the regular iPad, but in Canada, the price gap is wider than you want it to be. The standard iPad starts at $499 ($469 with education pricing), and the iPad Air comes in at $799 ($749 with education). The $300 difference might not seem that wide to start, but if you plan to use the iPad Air like a computer, you’re gonna be tempted toward the larger model which starts at $1,099. Then, if you want to buy a keyboard case, you’re likely looking at another $200-$400 on top of that.

All of that is to say, while you can buy any tablet with your disposable income, the base-model iPad is a really unbeatable value. However, if you care about specs or want to use this like a computer, then go for the Air, but be prepared to spend more.

The iPad Air vs the MacBook Air

the 11-inch iPad does feel a bit more like a netbook next to a regular 13-inch laptop.

That mens, if you get a 13-inch iPad Air with a keyboard, you’re in MacBook Air territory—not only in size but also in price.

This question is harder to resolve because the answer depends on you. Which I know is a cop out, so I’ll try and outline what I mean as much as I can, but as weird as it sounds, it just seems like there are people who like tablets and people who love MacBooks. You can have both, but if you’re only looking for one you’ll need to determine what feels more fun to use at the end of the day.

The iPad is better if you spend a lot of time writing and reading, but that’s contingent on it including the Apple Magic Keyboard. For maximum points, most people will want the 13-inch for computer tasks like multitasking. On the other side of that, if you yearn for the days of netbooks, the 11-inch with a keyboard is just as powerful as the larger model and you can use it with an external display to get around the small screen when you need to get real work done. On the go, it just takes a bit to get used to the smaller key layout, but without the keyboard as a tablet for media consumption it’s hard to beat.

iPad Air 13 vs MacBook Air. Take note, this is the older version of the Magic Keyboard, but it illustrates the size.

If the iPad ran every app I wanted perfectly, I’d use it every day, and there are people who do jobs like mine who do use one because they’ve adapted their workflows to the tablet. If you had to spend all your time in spreadsheets, you might not want an iPad, but if you do a lot of drawing or note-taking, the iPad slides back into the top spot.

It’s a constant game of pros and cons and you can go more in-depth with it in our older MacBook vs iPad Video. The iPad and the MacBook may have upgraded since then, but the software/hardware lines that separate the two devices are still the same.

What my time with an 11-inch iPad Air was like

I like to keep the iPad propped up so I can still interact with the touch screen.

For me, the iPad Air was able to fit in as my main computer even in the smaller form factor, but there were moments when I missed the larger screen from the 13-inch, especially when I needed to multitask on the go.

That said, I really enjoyed the size of the 11-inch screen for portability. Being able to read books or old magazines on this display is really convenient. Watching YouTube or other videos is also great. The speakers are awesome, and if you have it sitting in front of you, the stereo effect is amazing. Personally, I find myself using my phone for a lot of social media and web browsing nowadays, but if you like to use your iPad on the couch, you likely want the 11-inch or even the mini.

One of the things that caught me off guard was how great the sound quality was. While playing Assassins Creed: Mirage the sound was super immersive. The rest of the gaming experience was a little less exciting, however.

AC actually needed to run on Medium settings with about a 60 per cent render scale to be playable. Above that, the screen was letterboxing so the game was in 16:9, which was annoying. After maybe ten minutes of playing, I still got lost in the game and had fun, but I just wish it was better optimized. Resident Evil 2 played much better for me and was more optimized to be played on the tablet, and other mobile games like Skate City, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, and COD:Mobile ran extremely smoothly.

A great tablet, or a decent computer

I keep coming back to an exchange I saw on Twitter. Tech YouTuber Quinn Nelson shared a post explaining how much he’s excited about the M4 Air since it’s a great value, but throughout this year he mainly used his 11-inch iPad. He’s the type of nerd you’d expect to be a Mac user, but after spending enough time with an iPad to learn how to use it productively, he doesn’t want to go back to a bulky computer.

Even looking around my own home, my partner has the perfect job to only use an iPad, but she’s firmly in love with her MacBook Air. She does mostly email and meetings, uses web apps and works on the go sometimes, so the small size of the iPad would be a win, but she’s just a Mac person, so tablets don’t appeal to her.

The iPad Air is great plugged into a external display.

On the other hand, I’m iPad person and I use mine like a computer a lot. I love writing on it with the Magic Keyboard, and I have an optimized desk setup that allows me to integrate it into my workflow really easily. As a video editor, I still like working on a laptop with multiple displays, and more mature video editing apps, but really, that’s come down to preference. Fernando Silva, the video editor at 9to5Mac, edits all of his videos on an iPad Pro using Luma Fusion and honestly if Final Cut for iPad was a one time purchase I think I’d do a lot more editing on iPad as well.

If you want an iPad to be your main computer, get the iPad Air, but make sure you commit to learning it. That’s the key you need to be aware of. It may do a lot of the same stuff as your Mac, but it will do it differently, and that will take time to figure out.

The iPad Air is available to pre-order in Canada today and will go on sale on March 12. It comes in two sizes and four colours, starting at $799 and $1,099, respectively.