If you've got both a notebook computer and an iPad, which should you take with on you when you head off to spend the holidays with your family, or hit the beach for a break in the wintertime blues? It depends primarily on what you do -- and don't -- plan to use it for, of course.
Some of the differences -- and associated pros and cons -- are a function of the hardware. Some are the User Interface (UI) and User Experience (UE) as defined by the operating system, and found in most of the apps available for the device.
Here's some generic comparisons, followed by my thoughts based on comparing my Apple iPad 2 against my Lenovo ThinkPad X120e notebook, two devices that have a similar-size display.
Software
There's bazillions of apps for the iPad, many free -- but that's only useful if the ones you want are there. There's a greater selection of software for the laptop, but the difference isn't as great as you might think, especially when we're talking about apps that you'll use on vacation.
If you've been using an iPad or the laptop for a long time, you probably already have the software you need; if you're switching, but if you're bringing one or the other with you on a trip for the first time, be sure to get the apps you need before you leave. Winner: Depends.
Consuming Content
If you plan to be "consuming" content -- watching movies, TV and other video; reading e-books, e-magazines, e-news; listening to stored or streamed audio; looking at maps, e-brochures; etc., then the iPad is likely to be the better choice.
It is far easier to hold, particularly if you want to use it in portrait mode. Plus it's lighter and smaller -- good if you're walking around, on a bus, in a car, etc.
On the other hand, you might bring your notebook instead because it probably has a bigger screen and better audio (depending on the notebook and iPad version). In addition, the laptop's harddrive likely has more room to store video, plus the deive has easier-to-use outboard storage.
Creating Content
If you're going to be creating text-heavy documents on your vacation, an iPad plus a Bluetooth keyboard may be sufficient. If you're going to be doing editing as well, the notebook, with its pointing device, and the better feature set in word processing and text editing apps, may be preferable.
Similarly, you can edit photos and videos on an iPad or a notebook, and the iOS and Android tools for media editing have becoming increasingly powerful. If storage isn't the deciding factor, you need to decide which you prefer.
User Interface and User Experience
The iPad, with iOS and a touchscreen, is very different from a Windows notebook with keyboard and mouse -- even if you have a touchscreen notebook.
The mouse or touchpad is very precise. With a touchscreen, you often have to zoom to be able to touch where you mean to -- and I find that iOS's mouse-like select/copy/delete are tricky to use. For some activities, like content consumption, and some types of web browsing, the touchscreen is good enough or even better. Winner: Depends.
The iPad only shows one app at a time, taking over the entire display, while desktop OSs can show and re-size multiple windows. Winner: Notebook.
Task switching in a desktop OS is a simple matter of ALT-TABbing, while with iOS you have to stab the HOME button the right number of times at the right speed, and then find the other app's icon and tap it (or use SEARCH, and tap). Winner: Notebook.
Notebooks, especially if they run Windows. require weekly system software bug fixes and nearly daily virus updates. These can be probablementic when traveling without a reliable Internet connection. The iPad doesn't have any of this. Winner: iPad.
Internet Access (Wi-Fi and Broadband)
Both iPad and notebooks come with built-in Wi-Fi. The iPad supports 802.11n, which is the newest version; so do most new notebooks.
Both can be purchased including embedded mobile broadband chips and antenna. You'll need to purchase service; options may include contract or come contractfeee. Alternatively, you can tether to your smartphone or to a mobile hotspot router, or, for the notebook, use a USB mobile broadband adapter. Prices and rules vary, so there's no "winner" here.
Power
The iPad's battery is good for nine to ten hours of use, depending on what you're doing (mobile broadband chews up more than Wi-Fi does), while even most high-capacity notebook batteries are rarely good for more than six hours of regular use. (You may be able to stretch notebook run time with various tweaks, like an SSD, and throttling down many settings.) Winner: iPad.
The iPad also wins in terms of power supply compactness. Even though it needs a 10W, versus the iPhone's 5W one, it uses the iOS dock-to-USB cable (which also works with iPhones) to connect to the iPad, while most notebook power supplies are at least 1.5x the size of the iPad's, and have that much bulk or more in AC cabling. (Exceptions include Apple's notebook AC power supplies, and Targus' Premium Laptop Charger with the built-in fold-out prong.) Winner: iPad.
Windows has more power mode options than iOS, e.g., Hibernate and Sleep, but since iOS devices are all solid-state storage, there's not as big a difference between the modes. My iPhone and iPad seem to "wake up" from display-dark mode faster than my notebook; there's also the question of re-establishing Internet connections. Winner: iPad, in most cases.
Other Features
The iPad has some features that notebooks don't, but notebooks have more features that iPads don't. For example:
A GPS is typically built into the mobile broadband option, so both iPads and laptops can have this.
The iPad has front-side and back-side cameras; most notebooks only have display-side webcam-quality cameras. Winner: iPad.
When it comes to storage, iPads come with a maximum of 64MB. You can get a 512GB SSD for a notebook -- it won't be cheap, of course -- and notebook hard drives currently go up to 1TB, for under $120. Winner: notebook.
Support for Flash is essential for many streaming and game sites, and far too many other web sites also use it. All desktop browsers support Flash. iOS doesn't support it natively, so Apple's Safari browser for iOS doesn't. There are several third-party iOS browsers that support Flash, in a limited manner. Winner: notebook.
When comparising options for slots and ports, there's no contest here -- the iPad has only its docking slot. You can get adapters for video, USB drives, SD cards, and some other accessories, but the iPad doesn't provide enough power for many of these. Notebooks typically have an SD card slot, VGA and/or HDMI, one to three USB ports, and perhaps also an Ethernet port. Winner: Notebook.
My iPad vs. My ThinkPad
My iPad is a 9.7-inch iPad 2 with 32GB and the AT&T Mobile Broadband chip (currently not with service), accessorized with an Apple Smartcover and a Logitech Keyboard Case by ZAGG for iPad 2 -- it's really just a keyboard that can also serve as a display-side protector for the iPad (See my reviews of eight Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad), plus the Apple Camera Connection Kit adapters.
The notebook I'm comparing the iPad to for this article is my Lenovo ThinkPad X120e, a three-pounder with an AMD E-350 CPU (the higher of the two choices) currently with 6gb (of a possible 8GB) of RAM, an 11.6-inch display, 6-cell high-capacity battery, 320GB hard drive, three USB ports, VGA and Ethernet ports, and Bluetooth. The keyboard is very usable.
Bulkwise, the iPad, even with the SmartCover and Keyboard/Case, is slightly thinner and lighter than the ThinkPad. Factoring in the AC adapters, the iPad is the winner, but a few ounces and maybe an apple's worth of space.
If I'm simply out and around during the day, but not expecting to do much writing and certainly no editing, I'd probably take my iPad (or neither). If I do plan to do writing, I'd take the notebook.
If I'm going somewhere not on business, and the incremental weight and space wasn't an issue, frankly, I'd take both -- but I'd leave the notebook in my room, as a rule, while I'd probably take the iPad with me during the day.
Source: TabletPCReview
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