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MacBook Pro 13 + Ipad Pro 10.5 for University

M

MikeArtworks

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 1, 2015
106
6
Hey, I'm searching for some advice.

I currently have a MacBook Pro 13.3 inch with touch bar
- Max i7 3.3 ghz
- 256 GB ssd
- 16 GB ram

I've been doing tons of graphic design & other work on this, even without using an external monitor it works great and I almost never have problems with it.

I'm going to University in September, and I'll be studying Computer Science. I need to bring my Macbook with me for coding and browsing google etc.

Now I'm also intrigued of buying the iPad Pro for University, but I'm not yet convinced that it's worth to get one, as I'm not sure what impact the iPad Pro wil make on my school-(experience?) when I also have the really portable 13 inch tb-MBP.

So basically, could you give me reasons that might convince me about what does the iPad Pro add that my Macbook currently will not do.

Is it worth having both, and using them for school, or will one be neglected due to doing the same things.

Thanks!

- Mike
 
Nothing really. I have a maxed out MBPr15 w/ TouchBar and an iPad 10.5. I use the MBPr for development and the 10.5 as a supplementary screen and testing. The rest of the time the iPad is used for consumption and the MBPr is for creation.

Seeing that you have the 13.3 MBPrTb you are even more portable than the extremely portable 15" version. So unless you are using the iPad specifically for development or just want a dedicated content consumption device, then you should be good to go.
 
I bought an iPad Pro 10.5" to supplement a 12" MacBook for my second year at university. As I'm not doing a computer related course (Paramedic Practice) I don't need the MacBook for any heavy lifting as such but what still want it for typing up assignments.

The plan for the iPad is for note taking with Apple Pencil (doing this now going through reading material), reading e-textbooks, reading and annotating PDFs, reading a couple of magazine subscriptions and general media consumption and browsing. On all honesty I don't necessarily need the iPad but after selling my Air 2 last year I missed having one and decided I'd like to try and "go digital" for the most part at least. I also considered making it a laptop replacement and will experiment with this when I go back but at the moment my thinking is I own both, they both have their uses, why not have both?
 
When I was in Uni, I brought my tablet to class and used my MBP for research, papers and such. I'd also remote on to my Mac via my iPad if need be.
 
If you're not sure what uses you'll have for an iPad, I wouldn't purchase one. If you find yourself wanting it, either for media consumption, digital notes, or something classwork related, you can pick it up then. Nearly everyone studying computer science when I was in college just used a laptop for everything, and many of then would have purchased external keyboards and monitors before a tablet device. That is, unless the tablet device was for fun, not work.
 
Wait until you start university and ask around - your first year mentor will be able to give you better advice on what you actually need.
You could also buy one off a student who is changing degrees, upgrading, or dropping out (morbid, but effective).
Additionally, your campus might have a store where you receive student discount (bonus! - I attended a large campus and was given a 15% discount).
If finance isn't an issue, ask your lecturers what they use and start at the top; it'll look great when you do your work experience.
Having said that, I don't think that iPad Pro will give you any advantage over your MacBook.
 
I did not find the IPP to work for my workflow or contribute enough to my needs to offset it running a phone OS (although it seems like iOS 11 may change that.) I went for a Surface Pro 3 and really like it - the ability to run Access and Visio on the host OS is also very desirable for me. I think it is the perfect compliment to my MacBook Pros. When I want to use OS X on it, I just remote into my workstation. I'll probably upgrade my SP3 to the current version when the LTE model is released unless Apple were to unexpectedly put OS X on the IPP.
 
Alright, thanks guys! I'll back off from the idea for now, and see how school will go!
 
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