Can an iPad replace a paper notebook?

[Dexterama]

I have been using my 9.7 pro for all of my notetaking in school. The only time I need to use paper, like you mentioned, is when my professor requires us to hand in an assignment on paper. I don’t have a paper notebook, so I steal some sheets from my nieces when I need it.

Back to the iPad, I use Notability and OneNote. Each does some things better than the other. Notability cleans up my penmanship, and it is easier to draw a straight line in it than OneNote, very useful for Calculus and other math courses. Drawing a straight line in OneNote only works around 10% of the time for me, and it requires like 3-4 steps just to draw a straight line. Even with this flaw, I use OneNote more often because I prefer Microsoft’s folder layout (notebooks, sections, pages). It looks more organized to me and I can pinpoint my notes quicker.

This is an example of how I organize my notes in OneNote for the Calculus course I took this Summer. OneNote shines in this area.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

I have been using my 9.7 pro for all of my notetaking in school. The only time I need to use paper, like you mentioned, is when my professor requires us to hand in an assignment on paper. I don’t have a paper notebook, so I steal some sheets from my nieces when I need it.

Back to the iPad, I use Notability and OneNote. Each does some things better than the other. Notability cleans up my penmanship, and it is easier to draw a straight line in it than OneNote, very useful for Calculus and other math courses. Drawing a straight line in OneNote only works around 10% of the time for me, and it requires like 3-4 steps just to draw a straight line. Even with this flaw, I use OneNote more often because I prefer Microsoft’s folder layout (notebooks, sections, pages). It looks more organized to me and I can pinpoint my notes quicker.

This is an example of how I organize my notes in OneNote for the Calculus course I took this Summer. OneNote shines in this area.

Thanks for posting such a great picture. I have OneNote with my iPad too but I have a problem. Once you draw something with one color, how do you go back and change it to a different color? There doesn’t seem to be a way to do this. I tried the lasso tool but there is no option to change the color. The only way to do it is to erase everything and redraw all over again with a different color.

 

[BigMcGuire]

I have had no legal pads or spiral notebooks in my office for the last 2 years because I've used my iPad Pro for all note taking. I use OneNote for work notes and to access shared notebooks from my manager and Notability for personal notes. If I ever need to sign a document or fill out a form by hand, I do that on my iPad as well. Much better and faster than printing it out, filling it out with a pen, scanning it, and sending it back. Even if I do need to give someone a physical copy of the form, I still fill it out on my iPad first and then print it.

In my mind, it's always made sense that the iPad would be used this way at some point. It's shaped like a notebook, so it should be able to act like one too.

Hah, cool. Same here. OneNote for work notes and Notability for personal notes. I find writing on Notability to be far more pleasant and I like the look / feel much more than Apple Notes or OneNote (including Good Notes). Notability gets my handwriting much more accurate too, feels closer to paper. But OneNote is a must because I can see it on my Windows Work PC instantly.

 

[Dexterama]

Thanks for posting such a great picture. I have OneNote with my iPad too but I have a problem. Once you draw something with one color, how do you go back and change it to a different color? There doesn’t seem to be a way to do this. I tried the lasso tool but there is no option to change the color. The only way to do it is to erase everything and redraw everything with a different color.

I tried doing the same things that you did, and likewise, I have to erase and redraw. Notability allows you to change it by using the scissor/select tool, but I don’t think there is a way to change it in OneNote for iPad base on my failed attempts.

 

[Sodium Chloride]

I tried doing the same things that you did, and likewise, I have to erase and redraw. Notability allows you to change it by using the scissor/select tool, but I don’t think there is a way to change it in OneNote for iPad base on my failed attempts.

Such limitation is why I prefer to use Notability than OneNote. But OneNote does have one neat feature that Notability doesn’t have. It’s the insert space. With insert space, you can insert blank space anywhere in your note. Just mark where you want to begin the blank space and drag it down. Every text below it will be pushed down. If you want to do that with Notability, you have to use the cutting tool which is impractical if you want to insert blank space in the middle of a very long note such as page 50 out of 100.

I wish Notability has insert space.

 

[sracer]

My 2018 iPad + Pencil has replaced all of my paper notepads and journals... including the RocketBook. Because of its size, I couldn't do that with the 12.9 iPad Pro. It is working out wonderfully. I use GoodNotes primarily because it is easy to import custom notebooks that I've created with hyperlinks to subjects. I also use the RocketBook template for some things and the RocketBook app on my smartphone to automatically send notes to different destinations based on the icon I mark on the bottom of the page.

I used to use OneNote but the constant syncing on the iPad was a source of battery drain. I would get into the habit of putting the iPad into airplane mode for meetings to cut down on the continuous syncing. But that was a hassle.

I use a matte screen protector to cut down on glare and fingerprint smudges as well as give a very slight resistance that improves the feel of using the Pencil.

 

[kipwheeler]

For me, the 10.5 inch iPad and Apple Pencil have completely replaced notebooks. I'm a college professor, and I prep lectures on it, take notes on books as I read on it, and jot down info during faculty meetings on it.

It's also completely replaced printed paper for student essays, as I have all my students send me their essays as PDF files, then mark them up with the apple pencil, and return them electronically. My office has become much, much cleaner as a result of this.

 

[charlituna]

with the exception of physical papers that your teacher or your boss want you to turn in, do you think an iPad can replace a paper notebook entirely?

I am interested in your opinions especially from those of you who use their iPad extensively in colleges or in company meetings.

for me yes it did. may have helped that my professors would distribute pdfs of their powerpoint slides before class. because they didn't want us spending the whole lecture writing down everything they said. some professors even embraced the whole iTunes U thing and posted their lectures so we could review later, along with the slides. plus many of our texts were in ebooks
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but there is still something that physical book has, that makes people still buy them. Although, less and less.

books smell. i can understand the appeal when reading for pleasure, which is why i still buy or hit the library for those titles. for work/study i don't care as much about being smelly. plus I generally want to write on them etc
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Never got used to writing on the glass surface. I know others who took to it with no problems but not me.

i admit that that has taken some getting used to. I rather wish Apple would create or allow someone to create some alt tips for the Pencil. softer, wider etc

 

[Arcade]

I don’t go to school but my iPad has replaced my notepads thanks to the Apple Pencil.

 

[AlliFlowers]

What's a notebook? Seriously. I teach, as well as handle a number of administrative tasks. I use Notes Plus, and have a number of binders for topics, and binders within each topic. Makes going to meetings much easier, and you never lose your notes that way.

 

[ArthurWellsley]

Presently I write in notebooks a great deal. This is principally because I can still write much faster than I can type. I am about to purchase a 12" ipad pro. I am a trial lawyer and more and more the old fashioned bundles of files for trials are coming as PDFs, so this will be the primary use for the ipad.

But I was thinking of getting the new pencil to go with the ipad. But this rather depends on how well it recognises my not neat handwriting, and also how well it can convert my handwriting to typed up text. My present solution is to take handwritten notes in notebooks using pen and paper, and then later dicate what I need into an email on my iphone and email it to myself.

So my questions to the forum are;
(a) Which app would you recommend to someone with not particularly neat hard writing?

(b) Which app would you recommend if I wanted to convert my handwritten notes into typed up text? (ie which app has the best handwriting recognition)

 

[sracer]

Presently I write in notebooks a great deal. This is principally because I can still write much faster than I can type. I am about to purchase a 12" ipad pro. I am a trial lawyer and more and more the old fashioned bundles of files for trials are coming as PDFs, so this will be the primary use for the ipad.

But I was thinking of getting the new pencil to go with the ipad. But this rather depends on how well it recognises my not neat handwriting, and also how well it can convert my handwriting to typed up text. My present solution is to take handwritten notes in notebooks using pen and paper, and then later dicate what I need into an email on my iphone and email it to myself.

So my questions to the forum are;
(a) Which app would you recommend to someone with not particularly neat hard writing?

(b) Which app would you recommend if I wanted to convert my handwritten notes into typed up text? (ie which app has the best handwriting recognition)

I recommend watching some videos by YouTuber "Tom Solid" (who is also a member here on MacRumors) He has some great insights and does extensive reviews of iOS-based note taking apps. I could give my recommendations but you may find something that works even better for you by watching these videos.

Here's one:

 

[AlliFlowers]

Presently I write in notebooks a great deal. This is principally because I can still write much faster than I can type. I am about to purchase a 12" ipad pro. I am a trial lawyer and more and more the old fashioned bundles of files for trials are coming as PDFs, so this will be the primary use for the ipad.

But I was thinking of getting the new pencil to go with the ipad. But this rather depends on how well it recognises my not neat handwriting, and also how well it can convert my handwriting to typed up text. My present solution is to take handwritten notes in notebooks using pen and paper, and then later dicate what I need into an email on my iphone and email it to myself.

So my questions to the forum are;
(a) Which app would you recommend to someone with not particularly neat hard writing?

(b) Which app would you recommend if I wanted to convert my handwritten notes into typed up text? (ie which app has the best handwriting recognition)

I'm a teacher. I attend a lot of administrative meetings. I use Notes Plus extensively. Some of my notebooks go back a few years now.

I don't use its text recognition often, but when I do it's adequate.

My recommendation would be to try it. You will most certainly find one that works well for you.

 

[LiveWireless]

This thread has inspired me to spend more time trying to use my iPads for general note taking. I tried it a few times in the past with different apps ans always found them frustrating. I do keep notes typed with the keyboard though for small things.

With the pencil able to be nicely attached to the new models this might help.

 

[AlliFlowers]

This thread has inspired me to spend more time trying to use my iPads for general note taking. I tried it a few times in the past with different apps ans always found them frustrating. I do keep notes typed with the keyboard though for small things.

With the pencil able to be nicely attached to the new models this might help.

I'm hoping so. Too many times I take out my pencil only to discover it's at 4%.

 

[sracer]

This thread has inspired me to spend more time trying to use my iPads for general note taking. I tried it a few times in the past with different apps ans always found them frustrating. I do keep notes typed with the keyboard though for small things.

With the pencil able to be nicely attached to the new models this might help.

Be warned... the transition can be a bit challenging, so stick with it. One of the biggest hurdles (transporting the Pencil) is resolved with the new 2018 iPad Pros, but I found that I didn't use my Pencil regularly until I found a reliable way to transport it. The MoKo Pencil sling works great with the 1st gen 12.9 Pro and 2018 iPad. Since then, the Pencil is always with me and I'm constantly taking notes... both typed and handwritten.

I suggest starting out with a note apps that have some level of cross-platform support. Taking notes on the iPad that are only accessible on the iPad itself can feel a bit unsettling.

 

[ArthurWellsley]

I recommend watching some videos by YouTuber "Tom Solid" (who is also a member here on MacRumors) He has some great insights and does extensive reviews of iOS-based note taking apps. I could give my recommendations but you may find something that works even better for you by watching these videos.

Here's one:

Thanks for the link. I enjoyed the video.