what do you use now??? If you are taking lots of notes in classes and drawing diagrams, nothing beats the iPad setup. I am one who did try going iPad only.... I am a graphic designer - at the time (3-4 years ago), iPad OS was really new. So external HDD access was not as good. I could do it easily now.... With the nice keyboards and even adding a mouse - you have the best of both worlds....
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iPad Pro Ipad or Macbook air as only device
- Thread starter ZafferZebra
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While a MacBook Air is a great device, I don’t think anything can beat an iPad + Pencil setup for note-taking and diagrams - paired with Notability or GoodNotes. A Magic Keyboard will also be perfectly fine for word processing. YouTube has lots of videos from medical students who use an iPad / Pencil / Keyboard setup - and if you haven’t looked already, then I suggest you look them up. They will give you the most relevant feedback.
I have used both a conventional laptop and an iPad Pro/Pencil/Magic Keyboard setup for study, but the latter is far superior. It doesn’t mean a MacBook Air is a bad choice or anything, but personally the iPad setup was more productive for what I needed.
I’m currently an only iPad pro 2020 user for 3 months. Without an iPhone and without a mac or other Apple’s products.
In my oppinions, mac is a PC and iPad is still an iPhone interface with a bigger screen with more attachments and just a slightly powerful than an iPhone. But It’s never gonna replace a mac, at all. Even you has your own workflow, your budget to buy many apps, but you have to suit with others too.
iPad is still a secondary device in a most powerfull and compactness design.
iPad is like the three wheels car/motorcycle, looks like a car, but It’s still a motorcycle, never gonna take you explore the world.
In my oppinions, mac is a PC and iPad is still an iPhone interface with a bigger screen with more attachments and just a slightly powerful than an iPhone. But It’s never gonna replace a mac, at all. Even you has your own workflow, your budget to buy many apps, but you have to suit with others too.
iPad is still a secondary device in a most powerfull and compactness design.
iPad is like the three wheels car/motorcycle, looks like a car, but It’s still a motorcycle, never gonna take you explore the world.
Need pencil?
Need to use away from a desk type settings?
Need Touch Screen?
Need accelerometer?
Need portrait mode?
Need better than a 720 camera that only faces the user?
need to shoot video?
MacBook supports legacy tech and none of the above, but a MacBook has more software support.
Need to use away from a desk type settings?
Need Touch Screen?
Need accelerometer?
Need portrait mode?
Need better than a 720 camera that only faces the user?
need to shoot video?
MacBook supports legacy tech and none of the above, but a MacBook has more software support.
Unless you want to use your device primarily for note taking and watching YouTube videos, I would highly recommend the Macbook Air. I am confident it will prove to be a more competent machine for more uses.
Should also keep in mind, some of those needs can be filled (sometimes better) by a phone in conjunction with a MacBook, especially if it’s an iPhone which has handy Continuity features.
Yes--this is something I usually neglect to mention in a lot of my rantings. I have a 12 Pro Max and I have been reflecting a lot lately on its place in my daily life. The fact is, whether I'm currently using a MacBook or an iPad Pro as my "daily driver", whether I have a cellular Apple Watch or not, the iPhone is what holds everything together. I get SO MUCH accomplished every day with my iPhone. Yes, I'm on a Mac all day for work, but I'm talking just more of the "going about your day" kind of tasks. The iPhone is basically still my central hub, and is probably my most important computer. In fact, it's more like a personal assistant than anything else.
So, seeing as how the iPhone is still the most important computer I use every day, having a big giant 12 Pro Max is actually yet another thing I consider a strike against owning an iPad. There's something pretty great about the supercomputer I mindlessly throw in my pocket every morning also being my go-to device for almost everything I need unless I'm sitting at my Mac. Between my M1 MBA and my 12 Pro Max, the iPad Pro has been squeezed to the margins in my daily routine.
I agree with your assessment regarding the iPhone and iPad. I agree that large iPhone renders the iPad as largely redundant. For me though, I feel that my MBP is at least equal, if not more important, because I need it for work.
Get the MacBook Air and the new 9th gen iPad that’s coming out next month.
The answer is a Macbook for work, and a pencil and notebook for diagrams you can't do easily on the Macbook. The iPad is not going to be good enough for all of the school micromanaging stuff outside of note-taking in class, and it doesn't really do anything special involving actually taking notes.
If these new iPad mini rumors are true, I may just get one. To this day, I still prefer taking handwritten notes rather than typing my notes. An iPad mini with the iPad Pro/Air design language may just have the "bigger enough" screen to justify a new iPad purchase. But every time I think that, I remember that I already have an iPad mini sitting on my desk every day and I rarely touch it.
I’d never go back to wasting real paper. The pencil for digital note taking is so much nicer in everyday writing that I could easily ban legacy paper products from my desk.
We use OneNote a lot for work, and I use a couple different personal notetaking apps on iPhone/iPad. My son also uses Procreate a lot for drawing. You just can't beat the iPad for those things. a) You have endless "paper" at your disposal without having physical stacks of paper or old beat up legal pads on your desk everywhere, and b) You have a cloud backup for all your notes and art.
That's not even to mention the fact that the Apple Pencil hardware is an amazing piece of tech in and of itself. I'm actually ok with saying it's the best digital stylus on the market.
I'd go for the iPad. I did my Master's Degree about 6 years ago and used my iPad (series 2 I think!!) a lot but it had it's down sides. Now with the MKB and pencil I think it would have been perfect. I did have a MBA at the time too.
My literature review alone would have made the iPad worthwhile. I read well over 100 books/papers, 80% were online, iPad far nicer to read on, plus, being able to mark up pdf's with a pen would have been amazing. As for note taking, iPad wins hands down.
In fact, thinking about it now, if you can be disciplined and make all notes/drawings/reviews/mark ups searchable that would make writing the dissertation so much easier. The amount of times I had an idea but could not remember where it was - ?! Was it in a hand written note.. was it in a physical book or online pdf.. did I dream it?!?!?
My literature review alone would have made the iPad worthwhile. I read well over 100 books/papers, 80% were online, iPad far nicer to read on, plus, being able to mark up pdf's with a pen would have been amazing. As for note taking, iPad wins hands down.
In fact, thinking about it now, if you can be disciplined and make all notes/drawings/reviews/mark ups searchable that would make writing the dissertation so much easier. The amount of times I had an idea but could not remember where it was - ?! Was it in a hand written note.. was it in a physical book or online pdf.. did I dream it?!?!?
Both have their pros and cons. I would say if you're in a degree that uses graphics, photography or design in some aspect the choice is iPad. If it's document heavy and writing heavy with possibly some statistics thrown in, the choice is Mac. iPad struggles with document writing IMO as it requires too many workarounds. Wheras the Mac is flawless as a document writer to me and is limited with design due to non-integration with an Apple Pencil.
I have used Affinity Photo and Designer on both iPad and Mac, and I agree. There's something about editing and designing with the Apple Pencil that makes it so much more fun on iPad, especially when you're working with vector art or doing really involved image selection.
After a few weeks, I’ve decided that my iPad could never be my sole device. I do require Mac OS (and Parallels) along with a proper dual monitor setup for productivity purposes. But in a bind, my iPad Pro can definitely be my go-to device when I am not at home (vs. carrying a laptop). As well, my iPad is a great after-hours device.
My oldest daughter was a BioChem major and is now studying for some certifications. She is using 11" iPP with Pencil & Keyboard as her only device. She is not in a formal education setting so she is not having to the papers et al. But she loves the set-up and wishes she had it in college. Since most of her work were labs, notes, diagrams, I think it would have been a good option for her. (IMO, much easier to write a note on the iPad or a pad of paper vs MBA). Other daughter was EE. For her MBP all the way.
That's what the iPad is good at, and why I bought one for myself. But I think the problem isn't the note-taking or the drawing, it's all of the school stuff outside of note-taking, like researching and having many things open for that, as well as features like true secondary monitor support (really refreshing when on a small laptop screen all day.) I can't really see that being very manageable on an iPad
Maybe in an ideal world, the OP could do class stuff on their iPad, and have a cheap Mac Mini or something like that set up to sync notes over the cloud, and then do all of their serious work on that. But if they are limited to one machine for everything, I think my vote still goes to the Macbook
Same. I feel like this is a great time to jump back over to Mac full time for anything I can’t do on my smaller devices. I love that the Mac is no longer hamstrung by Intel or the bad keyboards.
The butterfly keyboard alone was keeping me away from buying a new macbook. The good performance without fan-noise is a very welcome addition and makes me even happier for having waited this long without upgrading (7 years).
I would go with a MacBook Air and if you can stretch an entry level iPad with an Apple Pencil. There will be software you need for your course that you can’t get on the iPad. Also you’ll probably need to do reports with graphs and other things in them that you will just find difficult/ maybe not possible to do on an iPad.
5G connectivity makes the iPad Pro the obvious choice for me.
When the MacBooks are truly mobile devices (i.e. not reliant on WiFi or tethering) then I’ll change my mind.
When the MacBooks are truly mobile devices (i.e. not reliant on WiFi or tethering) then I’ll change my mind.
If I had to pick one it would be a Mac. To me its a more versatile machine, especially if you don't have a use for the pencil. Honestly though OP, I think either way you decide you will be happy with what you get.
I would try to get both - a Mac and an iPad, not necessarily top of the range, just something to cover your actual needs. Even the second-hand/refurbished ones will be better, IMO, than trying to get by with one type of device without any functional sacrifices. iPad as it is is held back by iPadOS limitations and if you need to print on old printers, perform some complex tasks or use random software pieces, it is hard to beat macOS. ?