iPad as a laptop replacement

[nanananana]

Good afternoon, everyone.

After the Apple event yesterday I have a lot of doubts about buying a new iPad, and I would appreciate your help.

I'm going "back to school" next week, after 10 years since I finished university. The master's policy is "paper-free" so every week I will receive more than 200 PDF sheets of content to prepare for the classes. After discarding the option of buying a printer and taking everything on paper to class, I am considering buying an iPad for this use mainly. I need an iPad that can withstand about 10 hours of classes, allowing me to quickly underline and annotate any comments made by the teacher. It will also serve me at home for 2-3 hours each day to prepare the material (again underlining, annotating, drawing pictures, calculating on an excel sheet, or making a short powerpoint presentation). I think the Apple Pencil is perhaps the best accessory I could need.

My first choice was the cheaper iPad: iPad 9th gen (new 349€). Honestly, the design of the screen is not very much to my liking (it looks like my old iPad that I sold years ago due to lack of use), but it is perhaps the best option for me. Informed of the Apple Pencil 2's functionality, I also looked at the iPad 10th gen (new 525€). I was held back by the need to buy an adapter and cable for using the Apple Pencil 2 on this iPad. Then I was considering the Apple iPad Air 4th gen (refurbished 529€) and it didn't seem like a bad option, as I can use the Apple Pencil 2 directly, but then I realised that the iPad Air 5th gen has a discount right now for people who study (new 699€ + 100€ apple gift card). In short my options right now would be:

- iPad 9th gen + apple pencil 1 for 444€
- iPad 10th gen + apple pencil 2 (with adapter) for 631€
- iPad air 4th gen refurbished + apple pencil 2 for 664€
- iPad air 5th gen + apple pencil 2 for €735

What would be your recommendation?
Sorry for the long text, I think I'll publish it soon to have to read it on kindle...

 

[sracer]

For the past year and a half I have been heavily using the 64GB 9th gen iPad as a digital notebook, planner, journal... along with the Apple Pencil 1 and a cheap knock-off pencil from Amazon ($20USD, palm rejection). I prefer the 3rd party pencil because it doesn't require pairing and it doesn't experience the type of battery drain that the Apple Pencil does.

Before that I was using a 12.9" iPad Pro, but found it to be too big to use in some scenarios.

Your use cases sound like a lighter version of what I've been doing so the 9th gen should easily serve your purposes. But, I would suggest getting the 256GB storage model.

 

[JD2015]

I would recommend Ipad Air 5th Gen. It has the M1 chip which brings additional functionality not available on the other Ipads listed. For example, you can always hook it up to a monitor with a keyboard and mouse and or use stage manager. Also, you don't need apple pencil for just marking up, though is nice to have. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives to the apple pencil.

 

[JD2015]

And it has defied Godwin’s law all this time?! That should be an accomplishment at its own…

This thread will be 9 years old next month. What is being accomplished is beyond me...

Still somewhere to go to beat these threads:

laptop as a desktop replacement

typewriter as a pen and paper replacement

pen and paper as chalk and blackboard replacement

 

[sparksd]

Still somewhere to go to beat these threads:

laptop as a desktop replacement

typewriter as a pen and paper replacement

pen and paper as chalk and blackboard replacement

chalk and blackboard as petroglyph replacement

 

[BenGoren]

I’ve been using the last A-series 12.9” iPad Pro for pretty darned close to what you describe.

With the keyboard (the one from Apple with the trackpad), it’s about the size of a letter-sized notepad (though, of course, a bit heavier).

My typical workflow is to load a lecture’s PDF into Notability and take all my lecture notes there — either scribbling in the margins of the PDF (with the Apple Pencil) or inserting additional pages at an appropriate spot.

Depending on your coursework, it could well serve as the only computer you need. It’s certainly more than plenty for typical tasks — email, word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, browsing, all that sort of thing. If you need some specific software for a specific OS, you might be in trouble. It’s also not exactly a coding / development platform — though it works great as a remote client terminal.

Personally, I’d be unhappy with anything smaller. I really, really like seeing an entire letter-sized page full-sized all at once. If I had to live with something smaller, I’m sure I’d manage … but …

If money is a consideration, I would unhesitatingly recommend buying a full-sized iPad used over a newer-but-smaller model. Yes, the newest ones are better … but the old ones are still superlative, and, for note-taking, a big screen is going to be more important than anything else. (For me, at least!)

b&

 

[nanananana]

Good afternoon, everyone.

After the Apple event yesterday I have a lot of doubts about buying a new iPad, and I would appreciate your help.

I'm going "back to school" next week, after 10 years since I finished university. The master's policy is "paper-free" so every week I will receive more than 200 PDF sheets of content to prepare for the classes. After discarding the option of buying a printer and taking everything on paper to class, I am considering buying an iPad for this use mainly. I need an iPad that can withstand about 10 hours of classes, allowing me to quickly underline and annotate any comments made by the teacher. It will also serve me at home for 2-3 hours each day to prepare the material (again underlining, annotating, drawing pictures, calculating on an excel sheet, or making a short powerpoint presentation). I think the Apple Pencil is perhaps the best accessory I could need.

My first choice was the cheaper iPad: iPad 9th gen (new 349€). Honestly, the design of the screen is not very much to my liking (it looks like my old iPad that I sold years ago due to lack of use), but it is perhaps the best option for me. Informed of the Apple Pencil 2's functionality, I also looked at the iPad 10th gen (new 525€). I was held back by the need to buy an adapter and cable for using the Apple Pencil 2 on this iPad. Then I was considering the Apple iPad Air 4th gen (refurbished 529€) and it didn't seem like a bad option, as I can use the Apple Pencil 2 directly, but then I realised that the iPad Air 5th gen has a discount right now for people who study (new 699€ + 100€ apple gift card). In short my options right now would be:

- iPad 9th gen + apple pencil 1 for 444€
- iPad 10th gen + apple pencil 2 (with adapter) for 631€
- iPad air 4th gen refurbished + apple pencil 2 for 664€
- iPad air 5th gen + apple pencil 2 for €735

What would be your recommendation?
Sorry for the long text, I think I'll publish it soon to have to read it on kindle...

I forgot to say I already have a MacBook Pro 2019 (not allowed during classes, but I can use it at home). So the use of Excel, PowerPoint, etc on iPad would be just as support material during classes.

 

[Mark Stone]

Good afternoon, everyone.

After the Apple event yesterday I have a lot of doubts about buying a new iPad, and I would appreciate your help.

I'm going "back to school" next week, after 10 years since I finished university. The master's policy is "paper-free" so every week I will receive more than 200 PDF sheets of content to prepare for the classes. After discarding the option of buying a printer and taking everything on paper to class, I am considering buying an iPad for this use mainly. I need an iPad that can withstand about 10 hours of classes, allowing me to quickly underline and annotate any comments made by the teacher. It will also serve me at home for 2-3 hours each day to prepare the material (again underlining, annotating, drawing pictures, calculating on an excel sheet, or making a short powerpoint presentation). I think the Apple Pencil is perhaps the best accessory I could need.

My first choice was the cheaper iPad: iPad 9th gen (new 349€). Honestly, the design of the screen is not very much to my liking (it looks like my old iPad that I sold years ago due to lack of use), but it is perhaps the best option for me. Informed of the Apple Pencil 2's functionality, I also looked at the iPad 10th gen (new 525€). I was held back by the need to buy an adapter and cable for using the Apple Pencil 2 on this iPad. Then I was considering the Apple iPad Air 4th gen (refurbished 529€) and it didn't seem like a bad option, as I can use the Apple Pencil 2 directly, but then I realised that the iPad Air 5th gen has a discount right now for people who study (new 699€ + 100€ apple gift card). In short my options right now would be:

- iPad 9th gen + apple pencil 1 for 444€
- iPad 10th gen + apple pencil 2 (with adapter) for 631€
- iPad air 4th gen refurbished + apple pencil 2 for 664€
- iPad air 5th gen + apple pencil 2 for €735

What would be your recommendation?
Sorry for the long text, I think I'll publish it soon to have to read it on kindle...

Hi nanananana,

I would go with the iPad Air 5th gen (2022), but in addition to the pencil add a Magic Keyboard. This has been my setup for about 18 months for a number of similar projects, including sheet music, sermon notes at church, etc. etc. One side note: I use Google Drive (Docs & Sheets) instead of Apple native apps - I think it works better, but YMMV.

 

[Boil]

My first choice was the cheaper iPad: iPad 9th gen (new 349€). Honestly, the design of the screen is not very much to my liking (it looks like my old iPad that I sold years ago due to lack of use), but it is perhaps the best option for me. Informed of the Apple Pencil 2's functionality, I also looked at the iPad 10th gen (new 525€). I was held back by the need to buy an adapter and cable for using the Apple Pencil 2 on this iPad. Then I was considering the Apple iPad Air 4th gen (refurbished 529€) and it didn't seem like a bad option, as I can use the Apple Pencil 2 directly, but then I realised that the iPad Air 5th gen has a discount right now for people who study (new 699€ + 100€ apple gift card). In short my options right now would be:

- iPad 9th gen + apple pencil 1 for 444€
- iPad 10th gen + apple pencil 2 (with adapter) for 631€
- iPad air 4th gen refurbished + apple pencil 2 for 664€
- iPad air 5th gen + apple pencil 2 for €735

Apple Pencil 2 does not work with iPad Gen10; you need the Apple Pencil 1 & adapter for iPad Gen10...

 

[Abazigal]

Just wondering if anyone is actually using Final Cut Pro on the iPad in any professional capacity. I ask because I recently did a search on YouTube, and all the iPad FCP videos I can find are from months ago when the app first debuted. Since then, fanfare over it seems to have died down, and it seems to run counter to the narrative that the iPad was lacking "pro" apps.

 

[Corefile]

The iPad is a consumption device. Use the correct tool for the the job so if you want to create stuff efficiently then use a real computer. Otherwise you're wasting your time.

 

[Slartibart]

The iPad is a consumption device. Use the correct tool for the the job so if you want to create stuff efficiently then use a real computer. Otherwise you're wasting your time.

You brought a knife to a gun fight… 🤣😂

 

[Corefile]

You brought a knife to a gun fight… 🤣😂

It's not about that. People are taken in by this misinformation around iPads and their abilities. It's totally false advertising to the masses when they should be buying actual computers and it gets worse the more it is regurgitated over the years. Very few will benefit from iPads as a productivity device.

 

[Ludatyk]

Just wondering if anyone is actually using Final Cut Pro on the iPad in any professional capacity. I ask because I recently did a search on YouTube, and all the iPad FCP videos I can find are from months ago when the app first debuted. Since then, fanfare over it seems to have died down, and it seems to run counter to the narrative that the iPad was lacking "pro" apps.

Umm.. I downloaded it the first month it debuted. Tried to create a video… it crashed a couple times, decided against pursing the subscription.

I have LumaFusion installed for when I need to do to video project on the iPad and FCP on my MBP, so… it wasn’t really necessary to have FCP on the iPad. But tbf, if I didn’t have any crashing… I probably would have purchased the annually subscription.

I think having the Apple Pencil support for FCP on the iPad is dope... I’ll probably circle down that road when Apple puts more versions out on the app (especially plug-in support).

 

[sparksd]

The iPad is a consumption device. Use the correct tool for the the job so if you want to create stuff efficiently then use a real computer. Otherwise you're wasting your time.

You're wrong. I use the M1 12.9 for 4K video processing and RAW image processing. It works great for those production tasks.

 

[Digitalguy]

It's not about that. People are taken in by this misinformation around iPads and their abilities. It's totally false advertising to the masses when they should be buying actual computers and it gets worse the more it is regurgitated over the years. Very few will benefit from iPads as a productivity device.

I don't see any false advertising from Apple. The "what's a computer" ad is not selling the iPad as a laptop replacement for the masses but more as a more versatile device for some use cases / people.
While I am all in for giving iPad dual boot capabilities, I find it really annoying when some people say that you should not buy a $1000 if you cannot work with it and should buy laptops instead (which many of those buying iPad pros probably already have). There is nothing wrong with spending $2000 or even more just as a premium consumption device. And you don't need to be rich to do it. Many middle class people spend that kind of money on TV sets, audio gear or other stuff that are purely for entertainment purposes.

 

[MarkNewton2023]

As much as I love iPad, I cannot see it replacing my Mac for using Microsoft Excel and other desktop/laptop based applications for work and lifestyle due its limitations which cause Excel and other desktop/laptop based application I use cannot function as their design. For some people, NOT all, IPad can be their laptop/desktop replacement for their work and lifestyle. So, it is up to individual work requirement and life style.

 

[Samtb]

Can an iPad Pro replace a MacBook Air? Is it good enough to now?

 

[Basic75]

In general, no.

 

[kupkakez]

There is a thread here 200+ pages discussing this. For some of us yes it can for others no. My work supplies a Mac and I use that for work. For home usage Im fine with just an iPad.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Depends on your needs and the apps involved.

 

[sparksd]

As other have said - depends on your use and needs. So the answer is a broad maybe.

 

[Samtb]

for home use so I don’t use it for anything fancy. Mainly just browsing, emails, light photo editing (nothing fancy), listening to music, watching movies etc.

 

[bondr006]

Can an iPad Pro replace a MacBook Air? Is it good enough to now?

In my case, yes. My M1 iPad Pro 11 actually replaced my 2019 MBP in November 2021 and I've never looked back. The iPad Pro has got to be imo, Apple's most versatile and flexible device.

Probably my favorite Apple YouTuber...

 

[darngooddesign]

for home use so I don’t use it for anything fancy. Mainly just browsing, emails, light photo editing (nothing fancy), listening to music, watching movies etc.

iPad could def do those things.