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I love my Paperlike and you will too: https://paperlike.com/gregsgadgets/2603
The M4 iPad Air is the same price as the MacBook Neo with a better screen, better performance, more memory, so why isn’t everyone singing its praises?
Buy M4 iPad Air: https://amzn.to/4s1xdew
Buy iPad Air Magic Keyboard: https://amzn.to/4tcc6qF
*affiliate links above
I love my Paperlike and you will too: https://paperlike.com/gregsgadgets/2603
I'm getting one mainly because there are iPhone/iPad OS apps that don't run on MacOS…..also some features of certain apps like Logic for iPad need an M-series processor
There is no comparison between the two. The problem with the iPad is not the hardware, it's iPadOS. I have an M1 MacBook Pro and and M4 iPad Pro 13 inch with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil Pro. I haven't spared any expense in trying to replace my MacBook with my iPad.
But the iPad cannot do basic stuff the M1 Macbook does without me jumping so many hoops on iPadOS which is deliberately handicapped by Apple. The iPad gets only watered down versions of Macbook apps like Word, Excel , Powerpoint, and others including photoshop, final cut pro, etc… whose Mac versions can do what the iPad versions cannot.
Every time I try to use the M4 iPad Pro by itself, it reminds me why I need my M1 MacBook Pro.
I still use a 4th generation IPad Air with the A14 combined with a Magic Keyboard and Pencil. I still works great for most everything.
I just bought mine. Came in the mail. Its so thin I cant believe it !!!
Except you only get half the storage and have to spend another $300 or so for a keyboard… And the comparable M4 iPad Air, the 13-inch, is $200 more than the base 256GB Neo. Without a keyboard and half the storage. The iPad Air is a TERRIBLE value proposition.
I got an iPad Air m4 and it’s been a powerhouse, video editing, writing music and consuming media. The screen looks great and I don’t have any problems with 60hz
If only PWM was higher on the Pro iPads. Unfortunately eye can’t buy one because the screen irritates my eyes.
Question for iMac people: I have a 27” 2010 iMac. The SuperDrive doesn’t work anymore. Can I connect any modern external cd/dvd drive (proper cable of course) to it? I have some ancient games I don’t want to give up playing on it.
All it needs is quad speakers
I feel like the iPad Air should get the same display as like the 2018 iPad pros
I’m a niche user opted for the iPad Air m4 13” over the Neo for a few reasons 1) More power, 2) Cellular connectivity, 3) Pro Pencil compatibility, 4) Teaching software compatibility. Yes, adding the higher memory, Magic Keyboard and Pro Pencil to the package takes the cost well over the Neo and even the MacBook Air, but the portability and connectivity is superior for what I need as a remote educator who doesn’t always have access to WiFi.
Thanks! While too many people are recklessly glazing the Macbook NEO, there are far better low-cost Apple products.
– M4 iPad Air. Only $50 for the 3rd party pen and keyboard. Total cost = $650 with the M4 CPU and touchscreen.
– M4 Mac Mini. Good port options (3 Thunderbolt 4 ports) and the powerful M4 CPU.
– Refurbished M3 Air with 16GB of RAM. Selling on Amazon for $850 with 512GB of SSD storage.
Anybody here a realtor and planning to use the iPad for signing contracts? I have a MacBook Air M1 which still works perfectly fine does what I need it to do but I want something not as bulky and more versatile.
I'm a developer and I just ordered one of the M4 Airs. I have one of the new 28 core Mac studios, and work provides me with a MBP, so for me it's just replacing my 2019 iPad. I'll use it mostly for just content viewing, but also as a 4th display for work sometimes. I didn't consider a Neo.
I could've just gone with a regular iPad, but to me the bump up to an M4 chip and 12GBs of memory was worth the couple hundred just to future proof it a bit. I don't replace iPads very often and expect this to last at least 5 years, and more like 7.
I wanted the M3 cuz the price has dropped but since the M4 is approximately about less than a 100usd more (in my country) than the M3 and has 12GB of ram, it's a no brainer. I plan to keep it for years sooooo might as spend a bit and go for the latest
The m4 has more ram than the m3.
i buy m4 air, use it for 2h, pack it and waiting for refund… reason? No lights on keybord, you cannot see anything on it, No face ID, every time you need to type your password, like wtf its 2026 model, iphone have that last 5 yrs. So it can have M36 chip still stupid thing like this will send me away. For 1k tablet + setup, magic keybord 350€ and dont have lights to se where you type…its minimum that needs to be there
This video just helped me on taking a decision! Thank you so much!
still using gen6 , dont want to upgrade without 120hz
Most websites are viewable on IPad not sure if its due to iOS limitations or what but even in 2026 iPad can view or open websites 😮💨
Great vid and perspectives.
I'm really glad I got an iPad Air M3 last year on sale for $499.00, and paired it with an affordable aftermarket keyboard.
It does everything I need for less than the price of a Macbook Neo, and gives me the duality of almost a low-end Macbook experience, and the full iPad experience.
Sure, there are some compromises, but it works really well for my needs, and I'm surprised how often I use it instead of a larger Windows laptop.
I love the integration with my iPhone, it's so seamless.
still think 256gb storage should've been the base storage
The thing is though is that the software on this is not that far off of iPhone software. For some, this is kind of a dealbreaker.
yes the ipad air is way better then the macbook neo and it has more power for the same price and the ipad air is the better buy.
Watching this on a new M4 iPad Air 13”. Finally upgraded from my 2017 iPad Pro, but I gotta say I miss the 120hz refresh rate. Crazy to upgrade my device almost a decade later and the refresh rate is actually a downgrade…
lol are you smoking? The iPad Air isn’t no where near the neo. Its biggest limitation is iPad OS. If they would allow macOS to be installed Ild be forced to agree. But the neo is the better device.
Yeah but the OS on iPad is so baaaaaad
I’ve got an M1 MacBook Air, and I’ve ordered an M4 iPad Air; a MacBook to do MacBook things and an iPad to do iPad things.
Does the M4 iPad Air get noticeably warm, especially in the center of the screen, when using the Pencil Pro for note-taking or drawing? I experience this issue with my M2 iPad Air and am considering upgrading due to it.
Until Apple sells a keyboard case with the iPad Air for the same price as the Neo, I will pick the Neo.
I still have my M1 iPad, and Apple's policy of giving you extreme power means that even today, five years later, it remains a beast. Yet, go back five years to Android tablets, and they are showing their age. Not sure I will upgrade until something like the M10 or when my iPad finally kicks the bucket.
Apple? Yuck! Pass.
128gb not enough, I suppose.
The comparison between the Macbook Neo and iPad Air is strained at best! They are not really targeted at the same demographic, not in price and definitely not in function. Neo is a budget laptop for low demand use cases but a full desktop OS, the iPad Air is a midrange tablet with a Laptop chip and doesn't come with a keyboard and a mobile OS.
If the computing device was not a factor but a widescreen with similar functionality was needed, people would not cross-shop between the Neo and iPad Air, they would choose between the plain iPad with its magic Keyboard Folio and the Neo. That way you get a widescreen (compared to iPhone) device with a full keyboard.
The iPad Air has as you said "a better screen, performance, more memory…" and of course a touch screen but if you were to add it's keyboard, it's closer to the Macbook Air with the same chip than to the Macbook Neo. Oh, AND IT STARTS AT 128GB STORAGE!!!
The real distinction is the smaller screen and lack of physical keyboards which impacts its role as a work station. And people just generally use tablets different than how they use laptops.
I had an iPad Air 4 and iPad Air 5. I finally got an iPad Pro M5 , M4 briefly few weeks before M5 IPad Pro came out . 12 GB of Ram . M4 had only 8 GB of RAM. Both start at 256 GB of storage. 120 refresh rate thunderbolt and fast charging and quad speakers.