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iPad mini iPad mini for college note taking and math?

boomboom316

boomboom316

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 5, 2010
11
1
Washington, DC
love the form factor of the mini and already did a two week trial with apple just to see how it would be for taking notes at the office. Im about to start grad school in summer and wanted to know what's everyone else's experience using the iPad mini 5th gen has been when it comes to taking notes, and/or even doing some math calculations on it.

when I returned the mini at the apple store, the sales rep gave me the I told you so speech as she had warned me that a larger iPad form factor is better for my note taking requirements.
 
For highlighting PDF documents I like my 10.5” Pro. My sister finds that too small and wants to get the 12.9” Pro, which she would use in portrait mode to show a whole page. I use my 10.5” in landscape mode and expand the PDF to the width, so I only see part of the page at a time.

Both of us think the mini is too ridiculously small for this purpose.
 
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I used my iPad mini extensively when I was studying for my nursing degree. It was the first gen and didn’t support the pencil. It worked really well for me. However my first degree was in molecular biology and genetics and I don’t think a tablet as small as a mini would have sufficed.
 
I use a 10.5 Pro for my math class. I have to use it in landscape mode as Portrait is too tiny. I find it small to use. I couldn't imagine using the mini with a pencil. The guy that sits behind me has a massive Surface Pro with a pen (he detaches it from the keyboard to use it as a tablet) - that thing is nice.

My wife is in grad school (UCLA) (biology). She has the same iPad and uses it a LOT (Good Notes). I prefer Notability mainly because there is a Mac OS app and because it feels better writing with the Apple Pencil.

That said... I think the mini would make a better reading tablet. The Pro can get a bit heavy holding for hours on end. I've gotta prop it up with 2-3 pillows for any reading > 1 hour. :p
 
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BigMcGuire said:
That said... I think the mini would make a better reading tablet. The Pro can get a bit heavy holding for hours on end. I've gotta prop it up with 2-3 pillows for any reading > 1 hour. :p
Click to expand...
You can buy pillow stands for the iPad.

07D86AE9-3846-4B2A-9144-76FF1943B733.jpeg


I bought a few for about $3 each from the dollar store.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
My wife is in grad school (UCLA) (biology). She has the same iPad and uses it a LOT (Good Notes). I prefer Notability mainly because there is a Mac OS app and because it feels better writing with the Apple Pencil.
Click to expand...

Goodnotes also has a mac os app. I use goodnotes a lot.
 
I wouldn’t want to use the Mini as my primary note taking device.

I work in education and recently went to a meeting with three Apple reps. When talking about the Apple Pencil, one mentioned that it would be handy for quick notes with the Mini. The way he put it was that the mini is almost like a notepad in that sense.

Not big enough for me.
 
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I am actually using an iPad Pro 12.9” exclusively in school right now. It’s great being able to have the video lesson, I’m online courses, open with PiP and notes for, well, notes. I have done the whole class this way with an e-text. I was considering a new laptop but this has served me well and even traveled better too. I was just in the airport recently waiting for my plane and was able to get through three lessons be boarding. I cringe at trying to find a place for a laptop and notepad for this on the go. My pro made easy work of it.
 
boomboom316 said:
Thanks everyone. With the iPad being on sale for $249 my decision making just got more complicated.
Click to expand...

Its a sign, you should get the full size iPad. Don’t kid yourself, you can’t live with a mini as a full time note taking device. No student would choose to use pocket size note books for their lectures. You wouldn’t want a half size iPad for heavy duty note taking and studying.
 
The mini 5 is cute, fast and portable, but I think that for notes as a college student you need to get a bigger iPad. It will be too small for note taking, yes it will be the lightest and most portable, but for usability in and out of class, I’d go for a larger screen. Go for the 2018 iPad unless you can afford to go for the Air 3.
 
boomboom316 said:
love the form factor of the mini and already did a two week trial with apple just to see how it would be for taking notes at the office. Im about to start grad school in summer and wanted to know what's everyone else's experience using the iPad mini 5th gen has been when it comes to taking notes, and/or even doing some math calculations on it.

when I returned the mini at the apple store, the sales rep gave me the I told you so speech as she had warned me that a larger iPad form factor is better for my note taking requirements.
Click to expand...
But please, buy something else two weeks...
 
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