Replacing my MBP with a iPad3

[pfhannan]

Can the iPad3 do everything my MBP does?

[NaOH]

Of course not. Each device has strengths and weaknesses. The question is whether you can do everything with an iPad that you do with a MacBook Pro. Describing in detail how you use a computer will enable people to assess the viability of such a move.

[pfhannan]

I use mail, safari, chrome, itunes, m/s Office, iphoto, iMovieHD, calander, quicken, iDVD, Bluetooth printing. Can i use all of these?

[NaOH]

Quote: Originally Posted by pfhannan I use mail, safari, chrome, itunes, m/s Office, iphoto, iMovieHD, calander...

These are all doable on an iPad, though there's no version of Office, but Apple does make its Office-like iWork apps available for iPad (Pages, Numbers and Keynote). Those apps can handle Office file formats (.doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .xls, .xlsx). I don't believe there's a Chrome browser for the iPad, though there are alternatives to mobile Safari.

Quote: Originally Posted by pfhannan ...quicken, iDVD, Bluetooth printing. Can i use all of these?

As far as I'm aware, there's no Quicken-like app for the iPad, but maybe further research or another commenter will correct me. There's no iDVD for iPad and that's not likely to change since disc burning is well into its decline and there's no way to attach a disc-burning device to an iPad. For printing, you'll want to check if your printer works with AirPrint, the iOS printing functionality.

All that said, we still don't have a clear idea of how you use a computer. Yes, it's worthwhile to determine if the applications you use on a Mac are available in a comparable way on the iPad, but how you use those applications also matters. Why do you use two browsers? What are you doing with Quicken? Can it be done with a spreadsheet instead?

For example, on my Mac I save loads of web pages as PDFs. When created, keywords are embedded in the PDFs, the files are added to specific Finder folders for storage, and the PDFs appear in Smart Folders which are based off the keywords I use. I do all that using Safari. Well, Safari for iPad exists, and it looks and acts much like Safari on the Mac, but there's no way I could easily replicate what I do on the Mac on an iPad. What you use on a Mac is important for this evaluation, but how you use those applications is equally important.

And even if you give lots of details (which you still should) about what you do with a Mac and lots of people here provide feedback that sounds perfect to you, I would recommend spending some time using an iPad (like at an Apple Store). The iPad is both fundamentally familiar and fundamentally different as a computer. The reactions to those overlaps and discrepancies elicits a number of reactions: Some folks love it, some folks don't like it, some folks only want the iPad in certain circumstances so they continue to use a Mac in others, etc.

There's likely no simple "Yes" or "No" answer for you because of how the two types of computers operate and are used differently, so the more information you give will make it easier for people to provide insights. At that point you can then evaluate if the trade-offs and gains of an iPad are feasible for you.

[DeltaMac]

No MS Office for iOS (yet)
No Chrome for iOS, either.
Quicken, not really, but there's apps like this: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/qif-e...377381335?mt=8

How would you use iDVD on an iOS device?

[pfhannan]

I receive and send files using office, and use iDVD to create DVD's using iMovie HD. I'm an elected official, and do a lot of my business on the computer. just thought traveling with a ipad through the world would be better than my MBP

[NaOH]

Quote: Originally Posted by pfhannan I receive and send files using office, and use iDVD to create DVD's using iMovie HD. I'm an elected official, and do a lot of my business on the computer. just thought traveling with a ipad through the world would be better than my MBP

You may find traveling with the iPad is better than the MacBook Pro, perhaps because of its size, weight, battery life, ease of use, etc. That's not to say you should get rid of the MacBook Pro in favor of the iPad, just that you may feel the iPad is better for you in certain situations you're often in, and the laptop is better for others.