Tech experts tend to agree in Apple's campaign to define its future laptops and that the 12-inch MacBook is the winner of the iPad Pro vs. MacBook battle.
According to data published by market research firm TrendForce, Apple's notebook shipments, including the MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and 12-inch MacBook models have reached an estimated 3.3 million in June this year. In the March quarter, Apple's estimated notebook shipments reached 2.3 million.
From the total number of Apple notebook shipments, the market research firm attributes around 30.3 percent sequential increase to the release in April of the new 12-inch MacBook models. According to MacRumors, Apple's ultra-thin notebooks were updated with an additional hour of battery life, up to 25 percent faster Intel HD 515 graphics processors, faster Skylake processors, faster 1866 MHz memory and faster PCIe-based flash storage.
In recent months, Apple has been trying to redefine the laptop. According to The Independent, Apple CEO Tim Cook said last year that, other than an iPhone, he was traveling with just an iPad Pro. According to Seeking Alpha, these days Cook never misses any opportunity to mention that in his opinion the iPad Pro is the ultimate replacement for a PC laptop. On top of these statements, Apple's latest ad for the iPad Pro raises the question "what's a computer?"
According to Forbes, despites the company's marketing campaign, the iPad Pro isn't the ultimate laptop replacement. A much practical option might be Apple's 12-inch MacBook Pro.
There are specific limitations for Apple's iOS and macOS and these limitations can be frustrating. For instance, most image editing apps are designed for macOS trackpad/mouse-pointer. The same limitations apply to most of the productivity software suites.
Taking into consideration efficiency rules, the 2-pound, tablet-like 12-inch MacBook represents the future of Apple laptop, at least for now. People who need to use a laptop for productivity work would certainly hit a productivity barrier with the finger-as-pointer paradigm shift.
Most of them agree that they can work more efficient on the MacBook than on an iPad Pro, even while using the smart Keyboard accessory. The pointing device offers more precision than a finger used as a pointer and this kind of precision is still important for so many applications.
