IPad Pro for professors/academics instead of PC or Laptop

[RickTaylor]

Thank You very much!
So,
I have these option to choose one:
1) IPad Pro (I will have all these amazing apps You mentioned, but I won't have full versions of Ms Office, Stata, SPSS, there will be some problems with efficiency You said)
2) MacBook Pro 13 or 15 (I won't have touch and full MS Office version, but it will sync with my iPhone 7 plus and Apple Watch, which sometimes may be useful - will I have Mendeley and other useful apps, that You mentioned as "must have" for iPad - goodnotes, devonthink...etc.?)
3) Windows laptop or 2 in 1 device with touch panel (Thinkpad t470s or x1 carbon or Surface Book, or Panasonic RZ6, or Vaio s11) - I will have LTE inside, full Windows programs of Adobe and MS Office, but I won't have Mendeley or other useful apps, that I can download on iPad. Am I right?
What option can You suggest me, dear Professors?

My own preference would be to go with both (1) and (2). I wouldn't want to go without my virtual whiteboard and have to use chalk and markers again. Nor would I want to go without the variety and depth of programs available for a desktop machine and a mouse.

If I were forced to pick just one of those options, I might go with (3). I did try out some windows 2 in 1 devices. My personal opinion was they weren't as good at being a laptop as a MacBook, and they definitely weren't as good at being a virtual whiteboard as a 12.9" iPad Pro. But at least they did both!
[doublepost=1493703398][/doublepost]One thing to consider is if you can convince your college to supply you with an iPad pro? My college recently got a bunch of 9.7" iPad pros for classroom use.

 

[Kostas3000]

I bought a surface pro 3 because I liked the idea of a "real" 2 in 1. Trust me it is the worst case, it is not a good tablet experience.

What I would do is buy a top ipad model and possibly keep that old pc or mac for the 2% of activities that still need to be done on a pc/mac platform.

It is hard to believe that you don't already have some kind of pc or mac. If you don't have consider buying a used one

 

[alecgold]

I don't buy the panning argument when a 13" MacBook Pro can fit the horizontal space of two iPad 9.7s side by side and vertical space as well.

Signing/annotating PDFs is one thing I will give you is better on an iPad.

But let's be realistic. This is about replacing the laptop. I won't argue it's a great supplement. I love using my iPad every day. But if I had $1000 and I had to buy one device I don't see how you could reasonably argue that being able to annotate directly on the screen is worth the sacrifice in pretty much every other productive capacity. That's one thing out of the hundreds of things an academic needs to use a computer for.

I'm not here to **** on what works for you. If you've found a workflow you like then great! But I don't think we should mislead the OP by saying the iPad is perfect for everything an academic does. Especially not when you admit to still needing a PC regardless of how much you can use your iPad.

It's also about the distance you hold the screen. The iPad can be hold much closer, confortably. But it is the 12.9" that really makes life so much better when doing research, reading books, browsing trough multi colum documents or (badly) scanned documents from 1912. All in portrait.
Serious, it made my life so much easier.
Reading 600 pages in a few days about VAT with a programm like "liquid text" quick cutting excerpts that form a new document with the most important parts, but still being able to find the original text via a quick easy link and being able to collect all the excerpts in a pdf makes my life much easier.

Same goes with Nebo. When doing interviews I can still write a lot, not have a barrier between me and the interviewee, it makes the interviewee less suspicious because they can read what I write (or so they thing, my handwriting is horrible, the translation into ASCI by Nebo is tiny, so it's not that much they can read, if any at all, but it feels much more open, friendly).

What I do miss in all these discussions is that a 13" can't do all I need. I still need a large screen at times for big excel files.
So instead in the past I used an expensive MacBook Pro 13" and a 27" Thunderbolt Display. These days I use a Mac Mini and a Dell 27" combined with my iPad Pro 12.9". The latter one is brilliant on the go and for all (my) purposes the same or better as a laptop.
When there is the rare occasion that I need a desktop function there is Jump Desktop, so I can login to my Mac Mini and do stuff.
When at home I mostly use the iPad Pro, even when there is a Mac Mini around.

 

[RickTaylor]

Looking over the choices, and trying to bring down the price of (1)+(2), as an academic a MacBook Air would be sufficient. Yes, I have a MacBook Pro, but I can't say I really need that (though it certainly is nice). Also with the MacBook, I don't feel I need a keyboard for the iPad pro (though of course the pencil is essential to use it as a whiteboard).

 

[alecgold]

Looking over the choices, and trying to bring down the price of (1)+(2), as an academic a MacBook Air would be sufficient. Yes, I have a MacBook Pro, but I can't say I really need that (though it certainly is nice). Also with the MacBook, I don't feel I need a keyboard for the iPad pro (though of course the pencil is essential to use it as a whiteboard).

+1 Pencil is IMHO absolutely needed to fully enjoy the benefits of an iPad Pro. Indeed whiteboard, marking, annotating or just navigating. Apple Smart Keyboard is nice and sometimes needed, but could also be replaced with a Bluetooth keyboard.

 

[viktit88]

My own preference would be to go with both (1) and (2). I wouldn't want to go without my virtual whiteboard and have to use chalk and markers again. Nor would I want to go without the variety and depth of programs available for a desktop machine and a mouse.

If I were forced to pick just one of those options, I might go with (3). I did try out some windows 2 in 1 devices. My personal opinion was they weren't as good at being a laptop as a MacBook, and they definitely weren't as good at being a virtual whiteboard as a 12.9" iPad Pro. But at least they did both!
[doublepost=1493703398][/doublepost]One thing to consider is if you can convince your college to supply you with an iPad pro? My college recently got a bunch of 9.7" iPad pros for classroom use.

Thanks! And what are pros for Mac OS laptops against Windows?
I know, that the Mac OS version of MS Office is not as full as on Windows. Win version has more addings like Power Pivot and Power Map.
How about new MS Surface Laptop book, that Microsoft announced today?

 

[mi7chy]

Find out your software requirements and let that drive your device selection. For example, here are a list of software you might come across in the area of economics. The most widely supported platform is Windows followed by Linux and MacOS. Don't even waste your time with iOS. To start I'd look at something like the Surface Laptop with touch screen and pen input and the bonus is Microsoft offers a 10% edu discount.

• For Statistical Analysis: Stata, EViews (BTW, used by FED), Statistica (former Statsoft, currently Dell), Statgraphics; + Free: R (R Studio as IDE), GNU Gretl for free-riders
  …Oh, SAS/Stat and IBM SPSS, and plenty of Oracle stuff for completeness.
  + Excel add-ins, like XLStat.
  
• Algebraic packages: Matlab backed by Simulink vs Mathematica backed by SystemModeler (less so for Economics). Some people indeed use Maple. + Free aforementioned Octave.
  
• Must-to-know-the-basics: Excel VBA and a whole lot of Excel add-ins (like NodeXL for networks - may be not that much used but nice).
  BTW, for networks see also Ucinet.
  
• Some general purpose languages: Python, including packages like Pandas, Scipy, Numpy, IPython, Theano etc. (imho, better to use in bundles like Anaconda etc.)
  May be, C++ or Java as object-oriented languages (just to mention).
• Databases: relational MySQL and recently coming modern NoSQL solutions like MongoDB (nice with Python).
  
• BigData: Hadoop + Haskell as a functional programming language (actively used in finances).
  
• Dynamic modelling: Vensim and a whole lot of dynamic modelling software.

 

[viktit88]

Find out your software requirements and let that drive your device selection. For example, here are a list of software you might come across in the area of economics. The most widely supported platform is Windows followed by Linux and MacOS. Don't even waste your time with iOS. To start I'd look at something like the Surface Laptop with touch screen and pen input and the bonus is Microsoft offers a 10% edu discount.

• For Statistical Analysis: Stata, EViews (BTW, used by FED), Statistica (former Statsoft, currently Dell), Statgraphics; + Free: R (R Studio as IDE), GNU Gretl for free-riders
  …Oh, SAS/Stat and IBM SPSS, and plenty of Oracle stuff for completeness.
  + Excel add-ins, like XLStat.
  
• Algebraic packages: Matlab backed by Simulink vs Mathematica backed by SystemModeler (less so for Economics). Some people indeed use Maple. + Free aforementioned Octave.
  
• Must-to-know-the-basics: Excel VBA and a whole lot of Excel add-ins (like NodeXL for networks - may be not that much used but nice).
  BTW, for networks see also Ucinet.
  
• Some general purpose languages: Python, including packages like Pandas, Scipy, Numpy, IPython, Theano etc. (imho, better to use in bundles like Anaconda etc.)
  May be, C++ or Java as object-oriented languages (just to mention).
• Databases: relational MySQL and recently coming modern NoSQL solutions like MongoDB (nice with Python).
  
• BigData: Hadoop + Haskell as a functional programming language (actively used in finances).
  
• Dynamic modelling: Vensim and a whole lot of dynamic modelling software.

Thank You very much! Are You academic, professor in the economy sphere? It seems, that You are really professional.

Now I am using iPhone 7 plus (calls, mails, some small work with docs) and very old windows corporate laptop (very sluggish). Just bought Blackberry Keyone (don't know why I need it, but want to try and compare with iPhone).

For my work I have used the MS Office with Power Pivot and Map, SPSS, Stata, PDF. I am the starter in scientific life (only 33 publications), but, of course, in future I will use more useful and effective programs.

As I truly understand, all of them are going on Windows, not on Mac OS? Yes?
I shouldn't waste time for iOS and MacOS, because it is easy to make all the stuff on Windows?

MS Surface Laptop is really fantastic, especially in burgundy color. But how can I use pen? Can I open it on 360 degrees? Is the pen experience on Surface worser, than on iPad Pro?

Tbak You very much!

 

[960design]

Thanks! And what are pros for Mac OS laptops against Windows

While there are many pros and cons for each scenario. We truly cannot guess your use case. If you need Windows Only software, then Windows machine will serve you best. I have not used any office products in years. Apple's free versions of Pages, Keynote, Numbers ( and their online twins ) have served me perfectly well. There will always be script kiddies rightly touting the features of Excel and to be honest Excel is certainly the best for what it does. For me, instead of macros, I just build a web applications. Using the proper tools is key.

The thing that switched me fully from Windows to Mac ( I still have two windows10 laptops and a windows10 preview tower in my office for application testing ) was that I always seemed to be waiting on windows to update something. I really do not have the time for my OS to be interrupting my workflow. Windows requires maintenance, macs just sort of work.

Macs are more for computer dumb people that like to not be interrupted and just work, windows is for people with ADHD that need to twiddle with stuff. [ <--- this is the unintentional flame statement, just trying to make a completely inaccurate and punny jest] Windows has seriously improved since 7, so pick the one that has what you need.

For completeness: I also have a Solaris workstation and several Ubuntu servers running behind me as well. I like to twiddle, but not that much.

 

[Kostas3000]

different fields of academics have different software and hardware requirements.

For example if you absolutely need to work on multiple screens, you need a laptop/desktop. If you need to input with a stylus then iPad is by far the best option.

Another example, if you need software such as those suggested by mi7chy then you also need to go for a laptop/desktop. If your main activity is to read literature, then ipad (the 12.9 or the rumored 10.5) is again by far the best reading platform.

The main common thing between all academics fields is:
- collecting and organizing literature: devonthink, endnote and especially browzine have made my life so much easier to achieve that win combination with my ipad
- reading literature: iPad apps like pdf expert, liquid text, marginote are wonderful
- brainstorming- note taking: iPad notability is the best
- presentations: keynote is the best
- writing articles: iPad word is the best
- work in different environments such as office, home, classroom, during commute, in conferences, when traveling in different places for conferences etc: a lightweight, portable, platform with LTE connectivity and long battery life is the best option i.e. the iPad

For all the above uses, the iPad 12.9 is the best platform that exists and I say that because I OWN MacBook 12 in retina, surface pro 3, iPad 9.7, iPad 7.9.

What might be even better is the rumored 10.5 in iPad. I will definitely buy it once it is available.

 

[JoJoCal19]

I bought a surface pro 3 because I liked the idea of a "real" 2 in 1. Trust me it is the worst case, it is not a good tablet experience.

What I would do is buy a top ipad model and possibly keep that old pc or mac for the 2% of activities that still need to be done on a pc/mac platform.

It is hard to believe that you don't already have some kind of pc or mac. If you don't have consider buying a used one

You picked the wrong model. The SP3 had its quirks. The SP4 was a marked improvement. I have the SP4 and it is flawless. Operates great as a laptop and a tablet. I still love my MBP, and iPad Air, but the SP4 is amazing.

 

[Kostas3000]

You picked the wrong model. The SP3 had its quirks. The SP4 was a marked improvement. I have the SP4 and it is flawless. Operates great as a laptop and a tablet. I still love my MBP, and iPad Air, but the SP4 is amazing.

The main reasons I did not like it:
- the stylus did not feel as good as the pencil
- windows software: omg i had forgotten how much better macOS and iOS are. The forced updates of windows, the complexity of the interface, the vulnerability to viruses, the tiny icons of the screen which made hard to accuarately tap on them
- crappy track board and keyboard
- poor battery life
- the fan
- the screen (nowhere as good as iPad's)

None of these (except probably the screen and the track board) have really improved on sp4, based on my short interaction with the sp4 at the best buy.

My recommendation is:

invest on a good iPad (get a pro!)
buy a mac to supplement it for the 2% of things (that percentage is an average, it varies from 0% for a casual pc user to 100% for professionals who rely on specialized software or need multiple, big screens) that you can only do on a macOS. You don't really need a high end model, a used mac mini come very cheap and can do the job (you don't need the laptop portability for that use)

 

[RickTaylor]

Thanks! And what are pros for Mac OS laptops against Windows?
I know, that the Mac OS version of MS Office is not as full as on Windows. Win version has more addings like Power Pivot and Power Map.
How about new MS Surface Laptop book, that Microsoft announced today?

I've used both windows and Mac laptops and while I prefer Mac laptops, in my opinion, the difference between them is not that great. Mostly I find Mac Laptops to be more aesthetically pleasing; the trackpads are nicer, instant on works better, and so on. I find a greater difference between writing with the iPad Pro versus a two in one laptop. Students told me my handwriting looked better on the former. iPad Pro has Goodnotes which is excellent for use with an overhead. The process of writing on the iPad Pro with the pencil feels very nice.
[doublepost=1493828344][/doublepost]As for the new Surface Laptop book, I know very little about it, but does it work with the pen? For me, the main attraction of the Surface Book was the pen, allowing it to fulfill the roles of both a laptop and whiteboard.

Also, I understand it doesn't run full Windows, so I don't know if it would run the software I use on my laptop.

Edit: It seems it does work with the surface pen.

Second Edit: It appears the screen on the surface laptop cannot be rotated all the way back or detached. I think that would make it impractical to use as a white board.

 

[Works4Me]

I like my iPad Pro 9.7, and it's great for some academic work, but I do wish I'd purchased the larger iPad. That said, the iPad and iOS is just nowhere near as versatile as a desktop or laptop. Even editing text is more cumbersome on iOS. Even a simple thing like cutting pasting text is quicker and easier in macOS. The thing about an iPad is you're kinda stuck with whatever screen size you're using. Sure, there's Airplay, but that's really the same as the ability to plug-in another display. And on an iPad, I can't even view 2 word docs side by side. So for some tasks, an iPad is great (like marking with the Pencil, in my case). But for others, not so much. I know that's just me though. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Kostas3000]

I like my iPad Pro 9.7, and it's great for some academic work, but I do wish I'd purchased the larger iPad. That said, the iPad and iOS is just nowhere near as versatile as a desktop or laptop. Even editing text is more cumbersome on iOS. Even a simple thing like cutting pasting text is quicker and easier in macOS. The thing about an iPad is you're kinda stuck with whatever screen size you're using. Sure, there's Airplay, but that's really the same as the ability to plug-in another display. And on an iPad, I can't even view 2 word docs side by side. So for some tasks, an iPad is great (like marking with the Pencil, in my case). But for others, not so much. I know that's just me though. Your mileage may vary.

there are lightning to cdmi connectors, so you can plug in your road to a scree

 

[case2001]

I've used both windows and Mac laptops and while I prefer Mac laptops, in my opinion, the difference between them is not that great. Mostly I find Mac Laptops to be more aesthetically pleasing; the trackpads are nicer, instant on works better, and so on. I find a greater difference between writing with the iPad Pro versus a two in one laptop. Students told me my handwriting looked better on the former. iPad Pro has Goodnotes which is excellent for use with an overhead. The process of writing on the iPad Pro with the pencil feels very nice.
[doublepost=1493828344][/doublepost]As for the new Surface Laptop book, I know very little about it, but does it work with the pen? For me, the main attraction of the Surface Book was the pen, allowing it to fulfill the roles of both a laptop and whiteboard.

Also, I understand it doesn't run full Windows, so I don't know if it would run the software I use on my laptop.

Edit: It seems it does work with the surface pen.

Second Edit: It appears the screen on the surface laptop cannot be rotated all the way back or detached. I think that would make it impractical to use as a white board.

Look at the Thinkpad Yoga machines. Most have active stylus and screen folds all the way back to write on. Windows 10 is nice, but it is not as clean as Mac OS X.

You can find them in Best Buy For around 900.00 USD.

 

[jeremiah256]

The keyboard is not the problem in my opinion. The problem is that iOS version of Word and Pages (both iOS and macOS) does not work with Mendeley reference manager (RM) or any other RM as far as I know. You cannot write an article without a proper RM without going crazy. Fortunately, Pages for iOS now support superscript and subscript (last update) which is essential for scientific writing. I saw also that Pages support Latex formulas - great.

I am an associate professor and a PhD in molecular biology. The reason I focus on Pages/Word/RM limitation is that at professor level, your tasks are typically editing manuscripts that PhD students/post docs have prepared, writing applications for grants, teaching , supervision and answering the flood of e-mails. That is, nothing special compute wise until you need to use an RM.

I am happy with two devices (Mac/iPad) as they are strong in different use scenarios. I think that if you must chose one device, the Mac/PC is the only choice at the moment.

Looks like Scrivener and Mendeley work together now. Seems there are posts out there of others doing dissertations and full novels on their iPads.

 

[Ixidor]

I'm a Phd student in metallurgy and moving on to a post doc position soon. I use a 12" MacBook and a 9.7" iPad Pro. I've used the Endnote + Word to write papers. The automatic bibliography function can only be done on the Mac but it only takes 2 sec as someone brought up earlier.

I usually type on the iPad or the MacBook depending on the situation. I love this combination because the combined battery life is (realistically) around 17 hours. The MacBook can be connected to a nice large monitor and the iPad becomes the 3rd monitor using Duet Display. Both are light enough to carry around and can be charged with a portable power bank or the same charger. I pay for iCloud storage so my documents are seamlessly accessible across any device (including my iPhone, which I actually found to be very helpful). The MacBook allows me to do some technical stuff, the iPad is ideal for teaching tutorials and reading articles, and the iPhone allows me to do impromptu work. iCloud is the glue that ties everything seamlessly together. This alone is the reason why I don't use Windows or Android anymore. I'm not saying that this seamless ecosystem cannot be replicated with Windows or Android, but it requires some amount of effort from the user.

I previously had a Surface Pro 4 and though the tablet experience was bad, that wasn't the deal breaker. It wasn't also as comfortable as a pure laptop but it was a good enough all-in-one device that could do everything I needed... except that the battery life was so bad (5 hours at best) that I ended up bringing the charger around. The charging brick was big and heavy... to the extent that I might as well carry a MacBook and an iPad (9.7), and get the best tablet and laptop experience that each could offer rather than a compromised laptop/tablet experience from the SP4. I also got the cellular iPad so I can work from anywhere (I hate fiddling with the iPhone's hotspot). But I guess if you are mostly working in your office, the battery life issue of the SP4 isn't a concern.

 

[Freyqq]

You picked the wrong model. The SP3 had its quirks. The SP4 was a marked improvement. I have the SP4 and it is flawless. Operates great as a laptop and a tablet. I still love my MBP, and iPad Air, but the SP4 is amazing.

I also have a Surface Pro 4 (i5/256/8gb). My personal mini-review:
It's a great laptop. Keyboard and trackpad are as good as you'd hope for in a form factor of this size. It's great that full programs run on it. As a tablet, it's good as long as you temper expectations. It has basically no apps - instead you rely on regular windows programs. So you're using Chrome, Word, etc and relying on whatever touch support has been added on. It's great in that sense to read a long PDF/Word doc and use Chrome to read the news. But, if you rely on any older programs, you'll run back to attach the keyboard again. I guess my summary is that it's a great laptop for the size and an OK tablet. For my needs, it's great because that's what I was looking for - a laptop in a tablet form factor that can be a full tablet when I need it sometimes. You probably won't miss the app support, because it's all there as a website or program. You will miss the fact that these websites and programs may not be touch friendly, creating a fractured experience for some workloads where there's no way to use the software properly unless you connect the keyboard.

 

[neutrino23]

This is perhaps the worst argument for using the iPad I've read, and I fully understand the desire to use nothing but the iPad. Not only do you still need a Mac for that process but, it seems you're better off just using the Mac for everything in that case. I'm not sure what the iPad is for except creating extra steps and wasting time in that workflow even if the transfer is, as you say, only a few seconds. I just wonder why bother at that point.

I'm a student and I love my iPad. It's decent for basic writing and all my consumption needs but after a point I realized how much time I was wasting because I wanted to figure out how to use the iPad in place of a laptop and frankly that's a damning statement for the device.

And I hate to be that guy who comes in and says the iPad isn't capable of 'real' work but every day I spend with my iPad Pro the more disappointed I am that the software is completely held back. I simply haven't found a single thing where the iPad is more efficient in a professional capacity. It works very well as a supplemental device. I use it as a second monitor on my desk all the time and it's basically on me at all times which makes it great for notes and ideas. I've tried an exhausting amount to make it my main machine. It's just not there yet.

But boy is it a cool toy.

Agreed. The iPad Pro does a look great things. In addition to readin PDF documents and web sites and handling mail I use it for presentations, to sketch out ideas and to take notes in the lab while acquiring data. It is a great complement to and amplifier of my MacBook Pro, but I would never think of it as a replacement.

 

[viktit88]

Dear friends, thank You for Your suggestions and comments.
After summarizing what You said, I am going to choose between 2 options:
1) MacBook Pro 13 or 15 (but I think 15 will be better)
2) Surface Laptop or Book, or something on Windows like Thinkpad X1 carbon or t470

I realize, that without full MS Office and special apps like SPSS, Stata and others, that were mentioned by Mi7chy, my working life will be not so effective.
Many of the Apps are only for Windows, that is why, when buying the MBP I have to install Windows too on it. But there is no touch on it. Will Windows be good on MBP?
Well, Surface Book or Laptop - fantastic devices and they have touch, Thinkpad X1 carbon or t470s are good too, but they have matte screen (maybe it is good, I don't know).
I am typing for about 10 hours a day, that is why I need very good and productive keyboard. I don't know which device has the best one.

Maybe You can help to make the final choice.
Thank You!

 

[Brammy]

Ms Word App does not support the creation of a bibliographic list (reference list). Is the same problem when writing in Pages?

So, there are a few questions on how to this on an iPad, but I'm pulling yours out. Here's what I do:

I use EasyBib.com. I create a new project for each paper I'm working on. I create the citations in the web version. There is an iPad version of the app, but the web version is fine. When I need to cite something, I put the quote or paraphrase manually, "So and so said something relevant," (Citedwork p25).

When I'm done, EasyBib lets you copy the bibliography and paste it into Pages or Word. You can then format it as you like.

It's not as automatic as using Endnotes Cite While You Write, but it's not cumbersome at all. The only thing you need to do is spot check at the end that you don't have extra citations if you ended up not using that reference. Which you should be doing anyway -- even with an automated tool.

The big limitations I run into with Word and Pages for academic writing is I need to use the desktop version to set up the styles for how each Professor wants the papers formatted. I like to use paragraph styles, so if you're ok just using the paragraph spacing within the app you're golden.

 

[iPhonetherefore]

I am starting teacher training this year for secondary (high school) geography. I am planning on exclusively using an iPad Pro 12.9 for all lessons, marking and lesson planning-everything. I have been finding and learning many apps for this purpose such as goodnotes, educreations, PDF expert and extensive use of Dropbox. iOS has a lot to offer and the apps on iPad are growing in complexity and productivity.

My feeling is that iOS is moving much faster than macOS and will continue to do so and improve. I have been using iOS since inception and know everything about it. The shortcomings of the iPad will mainly disapppear over time and I'm willing to work around them until then.

I have a MacBook Pro 15" retina from 2012 that will be traded in towards the iPad Pro, pencil and keyboard case. I don't dislike macOS (far from it) but I just feel that it isnt as flexible and portable for a teacher moving around a classroom and using multimedia presentations and will not improve much in the coming years.

This blog sums up a lot of my feelings on mouse based computers quite nicely -
http://mattgemmell.com/lifting-the-mouse/
Of course ymmv but I'm happy enough to leave macOS in the past and go all in on iPad.

 

[viktit88]

I am starting teacher training this year for secondary (high school) geography. I am planning on exclusively using an iPad Pro 12.9 for all lessons, marking and lesson planning-everything. I have been finding and learning many apps for this purpose such as goodnotes, educreations, PDF expert and extensive use of Dropbox. iOS has a lot to offer and the apps on iPad are growing in complexity and productivity.

My feeling is that iOS is moving much faster than macOS and will continue to do so and improve. I have been using iOS since inception and know everything about it. The shortcomings of the iPad will mainly disapppear over time and I'm willing to work around them until then.

I have a MacBook Pro 15" retina from 2012 that will be traded in towards the iPad Pro, pencil and keyboard case. I don't dislike macOS (far from it) but I just feel that it isnt as flexible and portable for a teacher moving around a classroom and using multimedia presentations and will not improve much in the coming years.

This blog sums up a lot of my feelings on mouse based computers quite nicely -
http://mattgemmell.com/lifting-the-mouse/
Of course ymmv but I'm happy enough to leave macOS in the past and go all in on iPad.

Thank You! I think, that You are absolutely right. But the main problem for me is writing difficult papers/manuscripts in Economics field on iPad, which is not very effective and fast, as on Windows or Mac OS.
Are You waiting for the new iPad Pro 2?

 

[iPhonetherefore]

Thank You! I think, that You are absolutely right. But the main problem for me is writing difficult papers/manuscripts in Economics field on iPad, which is not very effective and fast, as on Windows or Mac OS.
Are You waiting for the new iPad Pro 2?

Yes I am waiting for iPad Pro 2. Nothing wrong with original iPad Pro but want to get newest and keep it for a long time. Using my air 2 for the moment. Will be keeping that one for personal use and he big one for professional.