Cheap tablets

[french frank]

quite simply because I use my Mac. Who needs a tablet ? What am I missing ?

I don't have a tablet. I've decided to replace my MacBook Pro with a MacBook - as being a lot lighter and easily portable. It's about the smallest I'd think of for working seriously on.

[Dave2002]

I don't have a tablet. I've decided to replace my MacBook Pro with a MacBook - as being a lot lighter and easily portable. It's about the smallest I'd think of for working seriously on.

I think currently - in the "new" range - the MacBook is the smallest machine . The 11 inch Air - which is great for travel - has now been discontinued, but I hear that the so called 12 inch MacBook is very similar, both in size and weight.

A lot depends on what people want to do with all this kit.

Large tablets, such as the iPad Pro are great for reading large documents.
Small tablets such as the Kindle Fire HD are good for keeping in touch when on holiday and are an order of magnitude cheaper.
Proper computers with a full size display are best for serious work if one isn't mobile.
Laptop computers, such as the MacBook Pro (I have a 13 inch model) are good for creating text and other things while in mobile mode, and have a reasonably good keyboard. Trying to get text into a tablet can be painful without a keyboard.

I find that I need to have most sizes and kinds of these verious types of devices because they fulfil different functions. The one thing I've drawn the line at is an iPhone - I really don't need one.

[french frank]

I find that I need to have most sizes and kinds of these verious types of devices because they fulfil different functions. The one thing I've drawn the line at is an iPhone - I really don't need one.

(Yes to the iPhone, though. Or smartphone)

I looked up the various weights. I thought the MacBook Air was the lightest but the MacBook 12" is 0.92kg, MacBook Air 13" 1.35kg, and MacBook Pro 13" 1.58kg. That's enough difference for me for a 'notebook' that I don't even bother to back up. The last time I carried my MBP up to London in my overnight rucksack (special padded compartment ) it felt … as if a lighter load would be welcome. Now I can stick things in my BTCloud so easily a portable work computer doesn't need to be a packhorse. But as you say, it depends how one wants to use it.

[Zucchini]

The last time I carried my MBP up to London in my overnight rucksack (special padded compartment ) it felt … as if a lighter load would be welcome.

Why blame your MacBook?

It's far outweighed by your crampons, ice axe, coils of rope & bobble hat ...

[Dave2002]

(Yes to the iPhone, though. Or smartphone)

I looked up the various weights. I thought the MacBook Air was the lightest but the MacBook 12" is 0.92kg, MacBook Air 13" 1.35kg, and MacBook Pro 13" 1.58kg. That's enough difference for me for a 'notebook' that I don't even bother to back up. The last time I carried my MBP up to London in my overnight rucksack (special padded compartment ) it felt … as if a lighter load would be welcome. Now I can stick things in my BTCloud so easily a portable work computer doesn't need to be a packhorse. But as you say, it depends how one wants to use it.

You seem bog eyed at my equipment list. Perhaps I shouldn't make it clear why I need all of them, but I thought I'd hinted at the reasons before.

iPad Pros - brilliant for reading large/lengthy documents. Much better than a laptop. Pretty useless for typing though.
Smaller tablets - some are good for fitting in handbags or even pockets. The iPad (mini) variety are relatively expensive, hence my mention of Kindle Fire.
If one goes on holiday and they get stolen not a big outlay, so worth it for that.

Re the Air - the 11 inch model NLA was around 1kg if I remember correcty - comparable with the latest MacBooks.

I do also have a cheap smartphone, but it's a bit of a pain. It needs charging regularly - more or less every day, and it does most things more or less badly. Actually that's perhaps a bit unfair - I have watched a film on it, and there is some music. Mostly I use my 810i if I want a mobile phone - though apparently these are now not available, but sell for high amounts as convicted criminals like to buy them to have in jail, and they can be smuggled in - allegedly.

[Anastasius]

.....but sell for high amounts as convicted criminals like to buy them to have in jail, and they can be smuggled in - allegedly.

Is that because of the shape ?

[french frank]

Why blame your MacBook?

It's far outweighed by your crampons, ice axe, coils of rope & bobble hat ...

It still accounts for about half the weight of the rucksack contents (ropes are round waist, bobble hat on head, silly).

You seem bog eyed at my equipment list …

I realise you're a real Pro! But it's the very reason why I have as few as I do - either they would be taking over my life, always using one or the other; or hanging around being a waste of money. I do like Real Books. But I download 600-page free ebooks as pdfs and find them easy on the laptop. But I am only reading them, or copying short extracts.

Re the Air - the 11 inch model NLA was around 1kg if I remember correcty - comparable with the latest MacBooks.

The current MacBook Air is a 13" screen at 1.35kg, whereas the 12" MacBook is 0.92kg. But I think after all, I may go for the Air. It's c £300 cheaper and the main loss seems to be for storage - which I don't particularly want. There did seem to me to be an appreciable difference between 12" and 13" screens.

[Dave2002]

It still accounts for about half the weight of the rucksack contents (ropes are round waist, bobble hat on head, silly).

I realise you're a real Pro! But it's the very reason why I have as few as I do - either they would be taking over my life, always using one or the other; or hanging around being a waste of money. I do like Real Books. But I download 600-page free ebooks as pdfs and find them easy on the laptop. But I am only reading them, or copying short extracts.

The current MacBook Air is a 13" screen at 1.35kg, whereas the 12" MacBook is 0.92kg. But I think after all, I may go for the Air. It's c £300 cheaper and the main loss seems to be for storage - which I don't particularly want. There did seem to me to be an appreciable difference between 12" and 13" screens.

If you do second hand, you might pick up a 11 inch Air in good condition ***. I haven't actually checked myself, but a comment in a conversation a few days ago was that the current MacBook 12 inch was more or less the same size as the earlier 11 inch Air - at least as regards screen size.

You are right, I think about the 13 inch screen models having bigger displays - but against that there's the weight aspect. If you really want compact and light then I think the now NLA Air 11 inch would suit you, or perhaps the Macbook. We've been there - done that. I remember lugging an early Powerbook (still got it ...) around - and I think that was over 2 kg. OK for 100 yds, but walk half a mile or more and it get's painful. Perhaps easier with a backpack - I was using a laptop bag.

The Air isn't actually mine - but Mrs D said it was great for work, and for portability, and it's been round quite a bit of the world. OTOH the iPads do/did win out for battery life - which was also a consideration, so sometimes she took an iPad and a laptop - which does rather defeat the weight issue. I gather there were frequent contests for who could get to the power points at meetings, as many people had laptops which would only last 3-4 hours, and then needed to be plugged in. Perhaps you don't have that kind of life.

I have used an iPad with a separate Bluetooth keyboard, which makes typing bearable, but it's still a bit of a faff compared with a proper computer with inbuilt keyboard, and the use of Bluetooth will run the iPad battery down faster.

*** for examples - https://www.ecompare.co.uk/search?q=...FfcK0wode38GsA

There might even still be some recent 11s available new - for example see https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-li...&condition=new

You'd have to look around and maybe some stores would still have old stock, or there might be trustworthy internet outlets.

[french frank]

Perhaps easier with a backpack - I was using a laptop bag.

I certainly wouldn't consider 2 kgs as 'portable'!. But the backpack is for a laptop - padded compartment and pockets for cables &c. (and CD pockets which I didn't use when I had a built-in CD drive). Big enough to add a toothbrush and stuff.

Battery life at upwards of 10 hours on a new machine is impressive enough.

[Bryn]

I saw an Amazon Fire HD tablet in Tescos today for around £60. At home I don't need one, but could that be a good thing to have for going away for a while, and staying in hotels etc. Taking expensive gadgets out might not make sense, as if any damage or loss arose on a trip replacements would possibly not be covered by insurance, but tablets under £100 could probably be written off.

Are there any other reasonable cheap tablets? Reviews nearly always come out and say that the high end models are better, and best - but sometimes one just wants something which does not cost s fortune, and enables modest functionality for a short period of time. My guess is that the Fire HD might just do that - basic Internet - with WiFi for hotels and hotspots, and email and the ability to play films and music.

Comments?

On an impulse I picked up an Amazon Fire 7" (5th Generation) in Tesco yesterday. The price was £69, and it came replete with case/stand, USB power supply and cable, and 32GB micro SDHC card. Seems quite a handy little toy. I have yet to give it a thorough run through though.