iPad Pro A college student's review of the iPad Pro.

[Brammy]

Can you please provide some examples of what an Ipad can do, that a laptop can't?

Staying within the Apple ecosystem for examples:
- Draw directly on the screen. This isn't just artists, but it's a great note-taking device.
- Have an on-board cellular connection
- In some instances, be more portable than a laptop, if space in front of you is constrained (planes, commuter rail, etc.). If I take the train into town, even my 11" MacBook a=Air feels uncomfortable to use at times.

 

[secretk]

Staying within the Apple ecosystem for examples:
- Draw directly on the screen. This isn't just artists, but it's a great note-taking device.
- Have an on-board cellular connection
- In some instances, be more portable than a laptop, if space in front of you is constrained (planes, commuter rail, etc.). If I take the train into town, even my 11" MacBook a=Air feels uncomfortable to use at times.

I would add to this the easiness to annotate PDFs and to highlight when reading books.

 

[daimos]

I own a 10.5 ipp, no windows except at work. Sites written in Java are a problem. Example , try playing chess in caissa dot com. It’s horrible.

 

[Abstract]

I'm not trying to argue, I'm genuinely interested. Can you please provide some examples of what an Ipad can do, that a laptop can't?

Thanks

On top of all the things already mentioned, I’d say taking skew-adjusted photos of a whoteboard/blackboard and incorporating it into a note is much easier using an iPad than it is using an iPhone (or any mobile phone) and then downloading/sending the photos to your laptop later.

There are also apps on iPad that would let you write or type notes AND record audio (your lecturer’s commentary) simultaneously so that you can replay your note-writing and and listen to the accompanying audio lecture later.

 

[JT2002TJ]

I think in the example of what an ipad can do that a laptop can’t, the examples provided are unique to specific brands. There are plenty of touch sensitive screen laptops out there. There also are cellular enabled laptops. There also are laptops that fold over like a tablet. If you limit yourself to apple platforms, then maybe there is some added benefits to an ipad over a laptop.

But I think in the instance of a college student, there is no valid reason to only limit yourself to a apple based laptop, especially for this discussion.

I haven’t spent a lot of time researching laptops since I’m not in the market, but here is the first one I found google searching cellular and touchscreen.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo...ive-verizon-iron-gray/6323660.p?skuId=6323660

 

[Hazmat401]

In conduction with my MacBook Pro 16... I would love and by the magic track pad and apple pencil if they can integrate everything together to mimic the iPad

 

[MandiMac]

I haven’t spent a lot of time researching laptops since I’m not in the market, but here is the first one I found google searching cellular and touchscreen.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo...ive-verizon-iron-gray/6323660.p?skuId=6323660

I agree with you that the Yoga is a very flexible device, but it isn't as powerful as a pure laptop and it isn't as useful as a pure tablet. Source: My friend owns one and I was the one setting it up.

 

[secretk]

I agree with you that the Yoga is a very flexible device, but it isn't as powerful as a pure laptop and it isn't as useful as a pure tablet. Source: My friend owns one and I was the one setting it up.

I have not used Yoga but I tend to agree with you. Or let's put it this way - your comment made me wanting to say something in this thread. Yes you can buy powerful laptop (if you spend more money) but usually this also means bigger device so that proper cooling is provided. In this sense I do think that iPads as devices have better cooling system and can have powerful chipset in a far smaller and more portable body.

The issue I have with iPads and iOS devices in general is the insufficient RAM. I like using laptops because my apps and tabs are not getting reloaded.

If we can get iPads with the usual powerful chipsets but with more RAM (say 8 GB) I would gladly spend money on iPad Pro. Currently I would not because I equate apps/tabs reloading with lagging. For me it is the same. It impacts in quite the negative way my end user experience and it is not something I am willing to tolerate for the price tag.

 

[MandiMac]

The issue I have with iPads and iOS devices in general is the insufficient RAM. I like using laptops because my apps and tabs are not getting reloaded. If we can get iPads with the usual powerful chipsets but with more RAM (say 8 GB) I would gladly spend money on iPad Pro.

Not too sure if more RAM would actually solve this what seems to be a software issue. Remember the multi-tasking debacle from a few weeks ago? It was entirely software-based and thinking of some notebooks with 4 GB RAM that are not re-loading the websites and apps as well: I'm thinking that iOS 14 will have some nice surprises in this regard, now that it's been brought to Apple's attention.

 

[secretk]

Not too sure if more RAM would actually solve this what seems to be a software issue. Remember the multi-tasking debacle from a few weeks ago? It was entirely software-based and thinking of some notebooks with 4 GB RAM that are not re-loading the websites and apps as well: I'm thinking that iOS 14 will have some nice surprises in this regard, now that it's been brought to Apple's attention.

I think that it is both. I do agree with you that adding additional RAM every time we face an issue is not a good practice. If we do this, Developers think that RAM capacity is unlimited and they don't need to think in terms of management usage optimization when they are doing their code.

However I also think that for an user like me (I am not sure that I am majority though) I would need more RAM anyway. I tend to load a lot of apps and a lot of tabs. I can tell you that the 2 GB that I have is definitely not enough. And I am not sure that 4 GB will be enough as well. Especially talking long term .

 

[JT2002TJ]

You guys brought up another good point. There are a lot of issues with using an iPad as a primary device, especially if you use web pages during class work or papers. Jumping between the web browser and MS Word will likely result in web page reloads. Now if you are using eBooks (that must be viewed via app or web pages), you will likely lose your place eventually.

I don't own a laptop, I have a dual monitor desktop and an original iPad Pro. When I was working on my masters, I would have hated to have only had a ipad, or even just a laptop (unless I had external monitors, mouse, keyboard). I wrote so many papers and had to do so much eBook research while writing...

Again, if one has the money for both, there is nothing better than both. But the point I'm trying to make is, if you have to choose 1 as a college student, a laptop is a MUCH better choice. Many schools will require that students use certain software products, if there is no app version, you will find yourself in a difficult situation.

I think convincing a college student to try to go ipad only, is only going to make things more difficult. There is enough to worry about in college, having to find work arounds should be one of them.

I think eventually iPad's OS will be robust enough, and app development will also be, but to me that time is just not here yet. It has gotten much better than when this thread started.

 

[rui no onna]

Not too sure if more RAM would actually solve this what seems to be a software issue. Remember the multi-tasking debacle from a few weeks ago? It was entirely software-based and thinking of some notebooks with 4 GB RAM that are not re-loading the websites and apps as well: I'm thinking that iOS 14 will have some nice surprises in this regard, now that it's been brought to Apple's attention.

Windows and Macs have pagefile/virtual memory stored on storage media which "extends" the RAM, though. Apparently, I use enough tabs that I've occasionally encountered "low on memory" messages on PCs with 8GB RAM and 1GB pagefile.

Now if you are using eBooks (that must be viewed via app or web pages), you will likely lose your place eventually.

Probably not on this one. I use GoodReader for technical books in PDF and don't lose my place. Most ebook reader apps store last read location to drive as well and even Safari for iOS seems to cache that information to flash storage now (I know older iOS versions never cached/stored that stuff). Any web-based page with form input, though, you'd probably lose.

Again, if one has the money for both, there is nothing better than both. But the point I'm trying to make is, if you have to choose 1 as a college student, a laptop is a MUCH better choice. Many schools will require that students use certain software products, if there is no app version, you will find yourself in a difficult situation.

Agreed. Going iPad only is probably going to be problematic unless one plans on staying overnight in the computer labs to run course-mandated software not available on iOS. I know my cousin even had Windows-specific testing software so I had to install Windows on his MacBook.

 

[AutomaticApple]

In conduction with my MacBook Pro 16... I would love and by the magic track pad and apple pencil if they can integrate everything together to mimic the iPad

Yeah, I wish...

 

[JT2002TJ]

Probably not on this one. I use GoodReader for technical books in PDF and don't lose my place. Most ebook reader apps store last read location to drive as well and even Safari for iOS seems to cache that information to flash storage now (I know older iOS versions never cached/stored that stuff). Any web-based page with form input, though, you'd probably lose.

Specifically when I did my masters (it has been 5 years), the book software they use was within the schools app. It sometimes would not only lose it's place, but if you were working in other apps it would time out, requiring you log in, and work your way back to the book (go to course, books, then find your way back to the page).

There are a lot of schools that have moved everything to webpages, so they don't have to maintain apps for different platforms. This would be a major problem for ipads, mainly for users trying to write papers.

This is not addressing you, it is the in general you:

We also had MS Word Add-Ons that would help us build our References, if you only worked on a mobile platform you would be on your own. Yes people for years never had access to reference builders, and did it manually. But would you want to be the person who had to build them while all your classmates with laptops used builders?

The reference builder would also catalog your references, so if you used them again, you didn't have to enter all that info again. This was a lifesaver as I reused many of the sources across all my classes.

 

[Brammy]

We also had MS Word Add-Ons that would help us build our References, if you only worked on a mobile platform you would be on your own. Yes people for years never had access to reference builders, and did it manually. But would you want to be the person who had to build them while all your classmates with laptops used builders?

I used a web-based one (EasyBib, I think). It didn't have the "cite while you write" but I never used that. It was easier to just type (Source, page) and not worry about it.

What did prove a challenge was citing Kindle references. I think I put both the loc and page number on the reference. What I found was the professor wouldn't go look at the source itself, but rather the quality of the source. In a funny moment, I used to do freelance writing about Apple. I had a published interview with a source I wanted to use, so I ended up citing my own article. That was kinda funny.

 

[Abstract]

I think in the example of what an ipad can do that a laptop can’t, the examples provided are unique to specific brands. There are plenty of touch sensitive screen laptops out there. There also are cellular enabled laptops. There also are laptops that fold over like a tablet. If you limit yourself to apple platforms, then maybe there is some added benefits to an ipad over a laptop.

But I think in the instance of a college student, there is no valid reason to only limit yourself to a apple based laptop, especially for this discussion.

I haven’t spent a lot of time researching laptops since I’m not in the market, but here is the first one I found google searching cellular and touchscreen.

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/lenovo...ive-verizon-iron-gray/6323660.p?skuId=6323660

I guess I didn’t realize we were comparing iPads to Windows tablets. I was only thinking of iPads versus laptops, since that’s what everyone else was talking about.

OK, let’s talk about Windows tablet-laptop hybrids. Firstly, I have a Surface Pro at home, another SP at work, access to 3 Lenovo tablets (no keyboard attached), and a bunch of Dell tablets with the attached keyboards (a Surface Pro rip-off). I used to be a Mac user, but switched to the Surface because I needed a Windows machine for work purposes.

Here’s what I think about all of them: The Lenovo is garbage, and I don’t think the Dell is much better. The Surface Pros are OK. They all have horrible battery life, and they’re entirely useless as tablets, but the pen works well. As devices, they don’t have any good or useful apps that take advantage of the fact that these machines have tablet functionality. The best PDF notation app on Windows (IMO, it’s Drawboard PDF) is fiddly. Sometimes, the connection between device and pen drops out, and it can take over 5 minutes to re-pair it. A huge pain when you’re at a meeting or lecture, and not listening because you’re pre-occupied with the pen.

I haven’t used the new Surface Pro 7, but it’s just a slight iteration of the SP6, and SP5, and SP4 before that. I doubt much has been improved.

I have only read impressions of the new Surface Pro X since it’s not released yet. Battery life is horrible for a device with an ARM processor — worse than an SP7.

 

[alecgold]

Just trying, but eehm;
- Built in 4G, (some laptops have, but it will cost you and you are limited to a few models)
- built in GPS (some laptops have, but it will cost you and you are limited to a few models)
- touch & pencil that actually work (windows with touch isn’t made for it and sometimes a horror to use),
- lightweight and small (yes, Chromebooks are also lightweight and small but neither a laptop despite their form nor better then an iPad)
- be used as a chipboard (glass will stand up much better to knives, glass might even dull your blade really fast ;-) )
- serious good battery, most laptops aren’t that good in real life use, certainly not in a $400 price category.

 

[Abazigal]

One thing I don't see covered much is not just that a laptop can do that an iPad can't (and vice versa), but also how well those tasks get done.

I can't quite explain it, but I find that iOS apps have a certain simplicity and elegance to it that I find lacking on desktop apps. For example, launch a drawing app on an iPad and it's literally all screen. It's just this giant canvas which allows you to just focus on drawing. Conversely, launch a drawing app on a PC (windows or Mac), and there are all these menus everywhere, and you are left with maybe ½ the screen left for actually drawing?

Same thing with word processing. I get that Office is a universal standard, but it comes chock full of features and settings that most people won't ever need. Till now, I don't understand why Microsoft hasn't done what Apple did with iworks and moved the menu settings to the side, rather than park all of them on the top (since on a 16:9 laptop, you typically have more horizontal screen space than vertical). I find I am so much more comfortable typing on my iPad + Smart Keyboard, where text editing apps are a dime a dozen (pages, notes, bear, drafts, just to name a few). And when I want a take a break, simply detach my iPad from the smart keyboard and lean back, walk around or go sit somewhere else, where the iPad remains a very capable tablet, unlike windows.

Other apps like mind mapping just feel so much nicer on an iPad. Notability is a cheap app that lets you manage and annotate on PDF files. Scanner pro for scanning documents. There's even an app if you want to quickly email a webpage to yourself. With the huge array of apps available for the iPad, chances are you are more likely to find that one specific app which lets you do something you want on iOS compared to a PC. There's also the shortcuts app, if you are willing to invest the time to automate a certain workflow.

The iPad just feels like the best package of battery life, portability and ease of use overall.

 

[MandiMac]

The iPad just feels like the best package of battery life, portability and ease of use overall.

And thatˋs Apple for you - maybe not the best devices in every single regard, but the best package overall.

 

[taxi_driver]

bumping this nearly a year later - I'm throwing around the idea of sidegrading my 2015 MacBook Pro which is running fine to a new iPad Air or Pro.

is anyone able to run zoom and also take notes natively or with a third party app? haven't been able to find out if multitasking/split screen is supported

 

[macdogpro]

bumping this nearly a year later - I'm throwing around the idea of sidegrading my 2015 MacBook Pro which is running fine to a new iPad Air or Pro.

is anyone able to run zoom and also take notes natively or with a third party app? haven't been able to find out if multitasking/split screen is supported

Zoom app on iPad supports split screen, but, the web cam cannot be activated when doing that.
My personal solution is to take notes (with Notes app) via slide over.

 

[capathy21]

bumping this nearly a year later - I'm throwing around the idea of sidegrading my 2015 MacBook Pro which is running fine to a new iPad Air or Pro.

is anyone able to run zoom and also take notes natively or with a third party app? haven't been able to find out if multitasking/split screen is supported

Not to discount the iPad, but I ended up going back to a MacBook and it is just better for multitasking. If you are itching to get a new machine, I would consider a newer MacBook instead.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

There are a lot of issues with using an iPad as a primary device, especially if you use web pages during class work or papers. Jumping between the web browser and MS Word will likely result in web page reloads.

That’s likely a RAM issue, never happens on my 2020 iPad Pro. I use it for class, and it works perfect for me. I haven’t turned on my computer in weeks.

 

[Marlon DLTH :)]

is anyone able to run zoom and also take notes natively or with a third party app? haven't been able to find out if multitasking/split screen is supported

I think that’s a Zoom issue because I can do it in Meet.

 

[JT2002TJ]

That’s likely a RAM issue, never happens on my 2020 iPad Pro. I use it for class, and it works perfect for me. I haven’t turned on my computer in weeks.

Every year iPads and iPadOS gets better. This tread was started years ago, and at the time, there were significant limitations. In addition to Apple's devices/OS' getting better, universities have significantly updated their technology. These have met in the middle, making for a better experience today.

For example, I completed my Masters Degree in 2015. It was online based, there was no way I could have completed it (at the time) using an iPad only. There was no split screen, the OS management of background apps sucked (not 100% fixed even today), and I had to write really large papers where I needed to quote sources, and have reading materials open at the same time (online library books, Google scholar searched materials, and classroom textbooks). There just was no way. I also had a desktop MS word macro that helped build the sources that I used throughout all my classes (it created a local database on my computer since sources are reused).

There also wasn't a good file management system like there is today with Files. It was almost impossible to share files between apps back then...