iPad or Mac - Which is best FOR YOU in 2025?

In this video I’m going to tell you how to choose between an iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro or iPad Air and MacBook Air, and why so many people - even at Apple! - get this one so very wrong, so very often
And it all boils down to this: if you need maximum productivity, get a Mac. If you need maximum interactivity, get an iPad... Mostly*
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🚨 ETHICS & DISCLAIMER
I work at KZbin which is owned by Google but this is my personal channel and all opinions here are my own
This channel does not produce sponsored or paid reviews. Companies occasionally provide briefings or loan sample products to facilitate reviews but provide no payment and get no editorial input, content approval, or advanced previews. They see them for the first time when you do
Links may contain referrals for affiliate programs that provide this channel with a tiny commission should you make a purchase. They likewise receive zero editorial input or consideration
📝 CREDITS
📷 Some video and images via by Getty Images and/or AP Archives
🎸 Some music via by Epidemic

[@nyanko2077]

He's actually back, isn't he?

[@ReneRitchie]

Tell a friend! ❤

[@RomeoJulietGulf]

Let’s see if he posts regularly first.

[@LouisLuzuka]

We back baby🎉

[@floatingbonesjournal]

@@ReneRitchie What the heck. "Tell a friend. Tell an enemy. Tell everyone!"

[@AJ-wg7fj]

I hope so because he was completely wasted in that new role he had. I hope he’s back. He’s great

[@GarryKnight]

Who else has reached out to tap the screen of their MacBook to get something done?

[@banned_from_eating_cookies]

0:35 This is so true. I have given up on most Apple tech reviewers for slamming iPads for not being Macs. It completely misunderstands the main purchasers of iPads. While I think the touch Mac should and could exist, it should not take the place of the iPad.

[@franklinmartinezm]

Rene Ritchie's comeback videos feeling like Michael Jordan's press release in the 90s coming back to basketball after retirement. Bunch of words just to say: "I'm back". Glad to see you here Rene, you're great.

[@samflocis]

Finally you’re back!! I missed your videos so much. Thank you!

[@JAB64266]

So glad to see you back.

[@snowfox7739]

Welcome back! Missed your videos like this!!

[@ReneRitchie]

Thanks so much, what would you like to see next?

[@Kit2Canada]

⁠@@ReneRitchie Thoughts on Mac Mini please - I replaced my 2018 Intel MacBook Pro with MacMini M4 Pro. Needless to say, I’m overwhelmed with superlatives.

[@elck3]

@@ReneRitchie I’d like to see you cover non Apple tech news, like the whole NVDIA and Deepseek breaking news

[@thaliyil]

Hi @@ReneRitchie, Please help explain/clarify the “Siri Eavesdropping” lawsuit concerning Apple privacy claims. Thanks!

[@snowfox7739]

@@ReneRitchie would definitely love to see more technical deep dives!

[@jmantaiwan]

Can't tell you how happy I am to have you back on KZbin! You bring the balance that tech KZbinrs so often lack!

[@DennySantos23]

super glad that you are back making these kinds of videos.

[@bryceschieving7865]

Again, THANK YOU for returning to showing us your entirely unique way of talking tech!

[@briantmorin]

As an individual with a major physical disability, I have tried the keyboard on the MacBook Air and the MacBook Pro and I find a touch pad of the M4 iPad Pro much easier for me to use because I could get the iPad closer to me then I can the MacBook so I am now a iPad only user Welcome Back Rene I missed your insight

[@juangoyeneche7304]

Well said. Mac is Mac. iPad is iPad. People complaining doesn’t understand the difference. They’re complementary. Same as the watch is the iPhone. I always find it ridiculous when people complain about the iPad not running macOS.

[@jasonp.edouard2307]

Welcome back! Great video 👍🏾

[@fupm4531]

You’re one of a kind Rene, loved the video

[@craigfuchs5464]

I love my iPad Pro and my Mac. They are for different levels of use however there is a lot of cross over and I love that too.

[@_Digitalguy]

I have to say, most of the time I have disagreed with René's opinions, but there is no doubt that he is a great storyteller

[@ReneRitchie]

Please disagree with me, it's the best way for me to test my opinions and learn!

[@_Digitalguy]

@@ReneRitchie I have done in the past, sometimes I have received generic copy and paste replies, sometimes no replies, but I know it's not easy to reply to many comments, especially when you were defending Apple in some controversial matters/decisions. However the fact that I have remained a subscriber proves that it was still worth it for me (I have unsubscribed from some other Apple-centric channels where my comments sometimes simply "disappeared" when I was criticizing something, like the fact that the youtuber maintained that 8GB of unified RAM was equivalent to 16GB of regular RAM etc...)

[@alexa.4342]

So glad to see you back making videos.

[@BrentCooper8]

So glad you’re back!

[@RJN82]

Glad you're back!

[@ReneRitchie]

So glad to be back, what would you like to see next?

[@andrus54]

Great to see you back

[@neonquixote5278]

The iPad is Apple’s version of a Chromebook - a sealed system, highly secure, easy to use, but an appliance and not an traditional computer. It is the end result of Raskin’s original vision. Complaining that it doesn’t work like a Mac is no different from complaining that a fish can’t fly.

[@ReneRitchie]

Love it, and absolutely! The world needs iPads and Chromebooks. We nerds have everything else, let the non-nerds have those 2!

[@parkofile1173]

I am delighted you are back to KZbin and Instagram! Welcome Back

[@dlopes06]

Wow so glad to have your Apple takes again! You were my go to for Apple news for years

[@MartinRigbyRGB]

Welcome back!! Yeah, yeah, they are for different audiences, fair enough. Many workflows can live without plugins or direct access to the metal, but reasonalbe file management is core to everything. And, there is no reason they couldn't make it work for pros and non-pros. None, zip. zero. It's actively user-hostile that they don't. I could write a doctoral thesis on why that is the case.

[@pianoplayeh]

Or get a third party touch screen display for your Mac?

[@JCU84]

Once I got my 2018 iPad Pro in 2019 it became my only computer I used. I have a refurbed 2013 retina MacBook Pro but barely use it. ONLY reason I use it is to do my taxes and back up my iPhone. I do wanna upgrade my rMBP to a Mac mini. Now that I have the M4 iPad Pro 11” it will continue to be my main used computing device. All I need  to do is make a time capsule app so I can back up my iPad to an external hard drive.

[@DonnieBosede]

Welcome back Rene.

[@stevenrhodes]

💯 agree! The iPad Pro M4 is the best computing device I have ever owned. I have been iPad only since 2015…IPadOS and suits my needs perfectly and I’m totally of the mindset I don’t need a Mac, I don’t need a filing system and all the complexity. It really does my head in when I see people endlessly complain about the iPad and iPadOS…just get a Mac!

[@Dk-qf8dd]

My MBP is the ONLY device I have that is not a touchscreen. I have both.

[@karllake1506]

Rene fell off.. just kidding but don’t agree on this one, there’s a compromise to be had, iPad Pros should be able to dual boot, if consumers want a simple product they have the other iPads. When we buy the hardware we should be entitled to run the OS we want.

[@jaarevalor]

Welcome back Rene. Missed your videos.

[@atldeadhead]

Nobody writes better video scripts! Love it!

[@Humanityinthe6]

Great summary! As a creative professional I could never give up my iPad. Now 100% iPad mini! For the minimalist, frequent traveller, creator it’s almost perfect for my needs! Waiting for a mini pro to complete me! 😊

[@PawelRZECZKOWSKI]

Love this energy!!

[@shengyi1701]

You sound just like Kirk in that old Starfleet Academy game on that bicycle analogy. Same goes for Starships. A Brand-new starship might be better or superior but will need all the bugs ironed out. An old starship might not be so capable and would shake like a rattle but all the bugs are gone! A most important thing would be the crew and in this case or context, it would be the end users of the Apple product. Typing this on old iPad Pro 2020 with the A12Z chip and that old Magic Keyboard.

[@FrancoB-f7o]

However much i love my iPad Pro , it is still not a solid replacement for my MacBook....i wish it was .....and have little hope that this will be the case in the future

[@dongauthier6761]

Missed ya Rene. I love your writing and speaking.

[@01bigtrev]

Been using iPads mainly since they came out and had old windows laptops as a back up. Bought 16 inch MacBook Pro m4 at Christmas and first ever Mac and loving it with my iPad Pro m1 12.9 as a second screen. Still using my iPad and find using both pretty consistently

[@rjasonw74]

I actually forgot this channel existed. It’s been well over a year since it showed up in my feed or even has a recommendation in my watch list.

[@MIN_Tech]

The legend is finally back !!! 🔥🔥

[@frenchpressfinance]

Rene Rants™ are back baby, yeah!!

[@zaryl2k]

I’m more of an iPad guy. Have use iPad Pro M1 12.9 5G ever since it’s first release on 2021. Had replaced its battery last year, well actually, Apple gave me a new refurbished unit instead. Couldn’t be much happier. Will use it until it won’t be able to catch up with future iPadOS updates. I already have a mac Mini M2 Pro base model at home. The iPad Pro M1 is strictly a companion device, and 80% usage when I am away from my Mac Mini at home.

[@TheNetflixNook]

I feel like with the lineup of products apple produces there has to be a combination that works for just about anyone. Personally, I went M2 Mac Mini Pro with an Ipad Pro M2

[@jeffgeneo]

Well said ❤

[@ReneRitchie]

Thank you, what video would you like to see next?

[@samgod]

First, welcome back. Second, please stop calling power users, content creators, or anyone above average computer needs "nerds." Third, no, just as the vast majority of Windows users rarely use their touch screens, the Mac does not need one. Those who need to draw with a stylus can either use iPads or Wacom tablets, and they represent

[@adnanmansour8757]

Rene, brilliant. You are absolutely correct I own them all (ie most of the Apple products useful to me) , I could justify their unique usefulness to myself , but thanks to you I can now explain it to others with confidence!

[@trevordennis]

Anyone count the adjectives he used in this video?

[@AbeMartinez]

Yes! Love this

[@dnote321]

Why did apple come out with the very Mac like keyboard case? Seems to have blurred the lines for many folks.

[@dnote321]

Also, great to have you back!

[@jaclupo]

La più bella, chiara, profonda spiegazione (non-nerd) mia fatta su Mac vs iPad.

[@avice10535]

Welcome back!!!

[@johnmac341]

Rene, glad your back may I ask an unrelated question. If you had to pick just one phone period, Pixel or Iphone?

[@ReneRitchie]

I'm like the worst person to ask this to because what I love most is variety so I'd be that nerd buying each one when it came out then re-selling and buying the next when it launched

[@kcuzz99]

Missed you dude! Welcome back.

[@DJSnub]

Missed your videos. Welcome back.

[@tech4now_]

Maximum “entertainment”-activity, get iPad.

[@gregjankowski2115]

Wish they would just make a touch screen MacBook, my use case maybe a one off but our son is in college with a disability. I both bought a iPad air and MacBook air to mirror his high school learning setup. His learning assisting software needs touch screen only real option is an iPad which he transfers to the MacBook to do his work. Nice Video Rene glad to see new content been a fan since TWIT days.

[@rondonski101]

You're back!

[@shadokahn]

I quite literally have an iPad Pro (model right before the M1) sitting on my night stand acting as a very fancy and expenseive video watching machine, The first thing I noticed right off that hindered me was the lack ol true multi-tasking. I know, my fault, I should have returned it right then, but I made the mistake of listening to some bad advice telling me it was coming. Still waiting, lol. BTW, I should clarify, I mean multitasking for media, such as having video or audio playing in one app, or even browser tab, and then switch to another without having the first stop. MacOS just doesn't care. You wanna listen to 8 audio streams once Mr. Data, why not? I do see it's potentional, no doubt, but Pro, sadly, meant something different. Also, so glad to be seeing more of you Mr. Ritchie. ;). I have been listening to you since the first time on MacBreak Weekly. Here is why you are so important and very much needed. This is absolutely not a slam on younger Apple content creators, but I think there is certainly a difference in how we approach technology and especially computers. Like you mentioned with touch screen Macs. I am an old Gen Xer so when I see a new computing device, the ways I think of implementing that tech in my life is most likely going to be very different than a 20 year olds. Also, it is so weird and a little sad to now realize I am the one on the other side of the hill, lol.

[@DavidJackTumusiime]

I have missed your videos, Rene! Welcome back, sir.

[@helly9015]

ipad: a tablet thats a laptops wannabe. macbook: an actual laptop.

[@andrus54]

one thing that I feel does not get enough attention is how bad the ipad battery life is. I do regular computer work - MS Teams, Notes, Keynote and so on. Ipad is great and I used it for years as the main computer. But the battery when screen is on at high brightness then 3 hours of teams conference calls and you are searching for a charger. That limits the portability so much. Hopefully the new battery technology will change it. But I wish new ipad pro would have been same size as the old and all that extra room would have been battery.

[@Dwilsonmusic145]

The ability to have cell connectivity is huge for my wife. She gets everything done well on her iPad and doesn’t look back. If you were someone coming from a Chromebook you will most likely love the iPad as a computer. If you need that little more horsepower and a more traditional computer setup you’re gonna love the Mac.

[@kaiwind]

It’s about time someone else said it! 💯😎

[@elck3]

I missed Rene’s slam poetry esque tech videos

[@Larutus]

I think the iPad makes most sense if you have a iMac or Mac Mini set up and a regular sized iPhone. Once you are using a MacBook and a Promax sized device, I think the iPad gets lost.

[@richieos9541]

I disagree, the iPad sizes goes from 8.3 to 13 inches. Even the current Pro Max size is way behind in size terms if you compare it to an iPad Mini for example. Not to mention the fact that the iPhone would be even more limited than the iPad because of the OS a.k.a. lack of multitasking. I see it this way: The iPhone is the device you carry on your pocket and is the most useful tool when you’re outdoors. The iPad is a great device when you’re indoors while you just want to read, play some games, do some basic editing of documents or check and reply emails, etc. And finally, the Mac is where you get the most important work done.

[@dkursada]

😂 When you explain it like this, it's hard to fathom how people could ever go wrong with a decision like this but people just don't know what they want to do or what to expect from a new device. I'm glad I went with a macbook but then the question of "which ipad would be the best companion" popped up. I've struggled to come to a decision between the Air and the Mini for 3 months, Rene 😂 Sometimes the "nerd" can fail to come up with the best judgment, too. And sometimes it's ok to go with a decision already. If the decision is so hard, both choices could be satisfactory in different ways Welcome back, btw. Long time no see

[@cyclehavenbanks9851]

Mini trust me 😊

[@ryanduffy5887]

Missed your videos rene. The voice of common sense

[@3wheelmannc860]

Man...that's a lot of info to unpack... very well done.

[@axllebeer]

Welcome back Rene. Are you hosting any podcasts these days at all? I still to this day listen to old episodes of "Review" even though I think they are not able to stream anymore, I have them backed up on my home server. Just curious because I really enjoyed those. Last episode was #47 Rouge one, so yeah been a while. Just curious if something like that would ever come down the pipeline again.

[@ReneRitchie]

Thinking about starting a new podcast with @georgiadow, what do you think?

[@axllebeer]

@@ReneRitchie I would absolutely listen! Thanks for the reply.

[@Chytin]

The GOAT is back!

[@sovak75]

I agree with pretty much everything that you said, except the touch screen Mac. Seeing how Microsoft completely destroyed the UI of Windows making it touch friendly, I don’t want MacOS anywhere near a touch screen. Even in the Windows world, people think they need and want a touch screen, but once they get it, few actually use it once the novelty wears off.

[@nickfelstead7559]

so does this mean ur back doing this full time?

[@tortysoft]

Can you do prose pieces to order? :-)

[@ReneRitchie]

Maaaaaybe?

[@jaysgood10]

Why I switched to cereal not oatmeal in 2025.

[@taidee]

I fully agree with you Rene

[@tjadejoh]

He’s back

[@malcolmhightower9407]

I agree. I never understood why some tech influencers pushed the idea of having Mac OS on the iPad. Does not make sense in so many ways.

[@medounelo4417]

No joke he really back… everytime I felt like I had too many subscriptions and felt like batch unsubscribing channels I don’t follow this is probably THE ONLY channel I just look at and prefer holding on to the hope of hearing that confident voice again… All the way from west Africa… welcome back

[@nickfelstead7559]

i rarely use my ipad anymore... just so limited, love my 15 inch MBA tho

[@cyclehavenbanks9851]

iPad mini is most underrated. Won’t bother updating my phone now unless it dies.

[@mustafatunkara5963]

We truly miss you

[@joewiseman4631]

Great perspective! We definitely could have us3 this last May😢

[@LouisLuzuka]

Is there room for both❤

[@Hyper-M]

I’m not on board. I want Samsung Dex but reimagined by Apple. And on my phone. My phone is super powerful, why do I need a Mac?

[@miketko]

Not having a touch screen Mac by now is a huge miss

[@luciustodd1317]

Apple needs to stop playing and hire you to do these type of videos. You are the best .

I mean Apple always touts how iPad can replace your iPhone, but then they make some feature always Mac exclusive. Like iPhone mirroring for example.

[@WallaceKunin]

The most poetic tech reviewer

[@MicSolace]

When I ditched Windows/Android I kinda went crazy and bought all the Apple things cause I convinced myself I'd use them for whatever reasons I told myself. This year I decided to only keep the things I use without trying and that meant getting rid of my iPad Pro and keeping my M1 Pro Macbook 💻

[@KrishnaSingh-rg4qk]

I would choose both

[@Travisharger]

2 Rene videos in a row?!!

[@thomasquigley7040]

then fade to black. Hahahaha. Love it.

[@donyoung333]

Must be the only person here would loves the iPad - what I want right now is for developers to put full complete versions of their software on the iPad

[@c.daubz.5386]

5:55 ‼️real problem is value, we all know ipad pro m4 is beautiful & powerful but apple is using software to limit capabilities, if Apple would have allowed mac apps when connected to Magic Keyboard & option for side loading software unavailable on app store people wouldn’t have an issue because they would have full access and capabilities of device they are paying a premium for but without that the device is neutered

[@simpletraveltech]

Where have you been man ? We missed you!

[@dandonovan1]

Rene has been working full-time at KZbin.

[@taylorsimpson8897]

30 seconds in and he said the answer lol 😂

[@K2HWY]

Missed your videos

[@artemhnilov]

MacBook Pro.

[@ReneRitchie]

What kind of work are you doing?

[@artemhnilov]

@ ML/Software-engineer/researcher

[@davemeise2192]

My partner made the mistake of getting an iPad instead of replacing her laptop. She will never buy an iPad again when she replaces hers. After a few months, and after watching her use her iPad, I replaced my 12" laptop pro with a MacBook Air. I'm still not used to not having a CD drive. Maybe a pro next time for me too.

[@riccia888]

Correction here Mac is way better for drafting table than an ipad. Ipad is just 13inch.