So, my wife’s after a replacement for an aging and ailing netbook and was almost decided on an iPad, but now wonders whether a laptop would be better.

She wants it for the following:

– general internet use (including blogging, email etc)
– “light” photo editing
– publishing (she designs knitwear)
– streaming media
– portability

She likes the netbook for its size, and that it has a proper keyboard and is worried she might miss it. Would the lack of “proper” DTP software on iOS, Android etc make a tablet a bad idea?

The budget’s £400, so what does the STW hive mind recommend? We have a NAS, so long term storage of music, photos and things isn’t a problem.

People’s real world experiences would be appreciated.

🙂

I’d say laptop. iPads are pretty much consume only, even copying links between webpages can be a pain on them compared to a laptop.

The only thing I use my iPad for is reading in bed (be it email, a book or STW).

iPads are pretty much consume only

So wrong I don’t know where to start.

But returning to the OP, laptop. Basically for the publishing part.

You can get apps for linking into Adobe CS but there are no dedicated DTP apps, which is what I think she’ll miss.

Asus Transformer?

slainte ❓ rob

Colournoise – Thought that, but it doesn’t solve the DTP problem.

I have both a macbook and ipad and for your needs I’d get a laptop 100%, only downside is they don’t come with the 3G that the ipad does.

Apple, Samsung, Lenovo all make some nice laptops.

Sounds like a proper keyboard and mouse win there. Along with software choice and comfort for longer term use .

I’d go laptop myself, but Ireckon you’d be able to do all of that on the iPad no bother. Not tried publishing stuff from it (I assume you mean web pages / cms updates?) but that could be where it’d fall down – getting images on to it for example.

A pertinent point is do you have another computer to sync with? If not get a laptop.

Might also be worth holding fire for the possible mini iPad to run in conjunction with a cheap notebook, but I reckon that’ll blow a £400 budget.

A cheap laptop and a cheap tablet?

One of those convertable tablet/laptops?

Like:

Asus Transformer?

Just no. Android tablets nowhere near “there” yet compared to iOS, it’s a software thing mostly.

(I have a work transformer, and personal iPad)

Android tablets nowhere near “there” yet compared to iOS, it’s a software thing mostly.

Jelly Bean is supposed to be pretty much on a par with iOS.

We have lap top and I pad in our house. I pad is for internet whilst having a dump as well as games for the kids and the odd occasionally used app. Brilliant thing but does not replace a laptop for anything remotely serious.

Jelly Bean is supposed to be pretty much on a par with iOS.

I meant software as in apps. Nowhere near the number/quality of apps. I’m not talking from a position of ignorance either, I blog about mobile (but not recently) and develop android apps as part of my job.

People make the mistake of thinking “there are lots of good android phone apps, as good as iOS, therefore it must be the same on tablets”.

does not replace a laptop for anything remotely serious.

But it can – I use mine to make and give presentations, read and annotate drafts, etc etc.

Brassneck – it’s for a DTP package like Publisher or Quark (I have no idea of that still exists but I heard of it once…). There is another laptop in the house, but it’s not “hers”.

Looks like it’s the laptop option. We did look at a refurb Inspiron Duo, but she’s seen a nice enough 11 1/2″ Acer that’d do the job.

Might have a look at a more budget-minded tablet at some point though.