MacBook or iPad ?!

Hi.

I'm a newbie to Macs and this forum.

If I was looking to get get a Mac, what should I get.
MacBook or and iPad?

I appreciate some differences but don't know what I cannot do with an iPad, that you can do, on a MacBook?

So, your opinions/advice would be appreciated.

Macbook all the way. Nice as the iPad is, it's not a computer in any real sense.

So, I assume that you cannot load programmes like Fusion 4 to be able to run Windows programmes?
There's not DVD Drive on an iPad, so, I assume that you cannot do all the things that you can, with a MacBook?

How do you load various Mac programmes like Office for Mac, or can you not?

That's the sorts of questions I have.

Basically the iPad will let you do basic (and by that I mean it has limits when it comes to some things) browsing of the web, and run iPod style apps.
Now, granted the apps are fantastic, and useful, and no doubt that there are equivalents apps for those programs you mention, that will do a very good job, but you really can't do probably a quarter of the things that you could with a Macbook.
I would consider the iPad to be a luxury item, that you would buy as a secondary item after buying a main Mac computer.
One thing to consider, unless you are going to purchase all of your music via download to the iPad, you will need a main Mac/Pc to sync to and load things from.

Thanks Kevriano.

You've been a great help.

My self i would have to go for the MacBook to me a lot more versatile than a ipad, but thats just me

Any advice is helpful.

From what I gather, the iPad is a Luxury item (as the Mac Forum members have told me) and if you want to do anything serious, the it's the MacBook.

From what I can see, it's surprising that things like SD Card and USB Ports are missing.

Surely this would add tremendous power to the iPad.

Or is it me that doesn't understand the Mac world?!

The iPad is kinda a content consumption device. Watching movies, browsing the web, checking email, playing with Apps. It's perfect for people like my parents, who had a laptop for each of them to check email, watch films on flights, and play games. The iPad does it all for a little lower cost, a lot less weight to carry, and the 3G connectivity is nice to have.

The MacBook is going to be for all of the above things but more. The ability to create content (detailed multi page papers, web pages, etc) with a MacBook is going to be it's selling point.

I have one of each. MacBook Air for work, iPad for play. Both are great devices.