Macbook Air vs iPad Retina - Best Buy Sale Makes Them the Same Price

With the Macbook Air going on a $200 sale today and tomorrow at Best Buy, you might be trying to decide whether to get the lightweight netbook instead of an iPad. The discount brings the cheapest Macbook Air model down to a comparable price with the top of the line iPad Retinas, but you should choose based on what you want out of a portable computing device. Let's compare the two.

Storage

It's well known that the iPad, even the top of the line model, won't hold as much data as most laptops. But the ultra-portable and light Macbook Air is not "most laptops." Here we find the two pretty similar, the $829 premier version of the iPad comes with 64 GB of storage, and the lowest-end Air has the same (usually $999, now a comparable $799 during the Best Buy sale). Since they are both new Apple computing devices, both storage drives are solid state (SSD), offering lower booting times, faster computing, and safer data storage.  

Speed

The Macbook Air comes with a 1.7 GHz dual-core processor that can be Turbo Boosted to 2.6 GHz, assisted by 4 GB of RAM. The iPad Retina's processor is a custom Apple chip called the A6X. Translated into regular specs, it's a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor that integrates a quad-core graphics processor within the same chip. The chip has no RAM. This gives the Macbook Air a processing advantage, but you have to ask yourself what you'll be using your new portable device for. If you already have a desktop or a bulkier laptop, and you don't need this device to edit video or solve complicated physics equations on-the-go, then the processor difference is probably negligible.

Portability

You will get a handier product with the iPad. It weighs only 1.46 pounds, is .37 inches deep, with dimensions of only 9.5 inches x 7.31 inches, easy to slip into a handbag or even large pocket (remember the Kangaroo-pouched Starter jackets?). That being said, at 2.38 lbs and 11.8 inches x 7.56 inches and .68 inches thick, the Macbook Air isn't exactly a heifer.

Data-Portability

Another aspect of portability is how you get your data. The top iPad has WiFi and AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon cellular data compatibility, whereas no Apple laptop models come 4G/LTE ready. However, new iPhones (and other smartphones) can easily set up a wireless hotspot for the Air, and there are USB-pluggable cellular antennae that cost $25 - $40, so the Macbook Air really stacks up well against the iPad in this category.

Power

The iPad beats out the Macbook Air here too. Unplugged, the iPad goes for up to 10 hours of WiFi web surfing and 9 hours of cellular surfing. The Macbook Air lasts for half that time.

Screen/Input

This is where the comparison between the $799 (discounted) Macbook Air and the $829 top-of-the-line iPad really makes a difference. The iPad's Retina Display, while about 2 inches smaller than the Macbook Air's, is more brilliantly detailed.

But ultimately, comparing the screens is more about comparing the way you use the device. How do you want to interact with your portable device? For example, if you're going to be typing enough that you're planning on buying an iPad keyboard, you should probably just get the on-sale Macbook Air instead. On the other hand, if you just want something to surf with, type the occasional email, and watch videos with, get the iPad. Also, if you plan on taking pictures, get the iPad, which has a better camera than the Macbook Air.

Also, while it feels stupid holding up a tablet to take a picture, it looks even dumber with a laptop.