Last month, Apple introduced the first generation of M1 Macbook Air which radically changed the laptop industry. The laptop is capable of running power hungry applications and performing intensive tasks without the need of a fan. Yes, the new MacBook Air is a fanless machine which is much more powerful than the previous generation Intel MacBook Air which used a fan.
On the other hand, Apple has also been pushing the iPad as a laptop replacement for quite sometime now. However, the efforts did not take the center stage until this year. The company released the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro and the iPad Air which packs in a trackpad along with the keyboard.
![iPad Pro shown in the image instead of iPad Air[Image for representational purpose]](https://www.ilounge.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/MacBook-Air-vs-iPad-Air-Magic-Keyboard.jpg)
Desktop class apps on iPad?
The iPad is now capable of running a desktop class web browser which means websites are fully loaded unlike the mobile version which would load previously. The iPad also uses an USB-C for charging, data transfer, and all other tasks. It’s starting to be very much like a desktop/laptop machine, especially with the optional trackpad and keyboard that can be added.
Apple introduced the updated iPad Air this year which uses a design language similar to that of the iPad Pro. It starts at $200 less than the iPad Pro while only ditching the FaceID in favour of TouchID on the home button, high refresh rate display, and better speakers. The iPad Air starts at $599 whereas the iPad Pro starts at $799.
When the Magic Keyboard is added to the iPad Air, the price comes down to $898 ($599+$299). On the other hand, the MacBook Air starts at $999, however it packs a larger battery, ability to run all desktop class applications, and a larger keyboard+trackpad combo. The MacBook Air is the better option but you can opt for the iPad Air with Magic Keyboard if you really need touch input and iPad apps do all you need to do.
