iPad Pro (Poll) Macbook Air or iPad Pro 12.9 for a student

[slplss]

The only Windows applications I use is Chrome, Zoom, Teams, Office, Onedrive, iCloud. For entertainment, Netflix, Youtube, Twitch. Hearthstone is my guilty pleasure and only game I would play outside of PC.

IMO it's insane MB Air and iPad Pro 12.9 cost almost the same, but you are getting much better picture, quad speakers and slightly more power with the iPad. I can imagine Apple is losing some profit on iPad Pro. With Air, you get a better keyboard than Magic (for iPad) or Logitech one, longer screen time and more storage. But you are less likely to work with larger files on iPad and you can always get the desktop Magic keyboard for best typing experience. Air is less clumsy productivity device overall, but I'm looking for a balance, and I think iPad has found it.

Macbook Pro refresh might get the XDR display too, but it would too much to justifice the price for me.
Snap a Logitech Combo Touch keyboard and I have the better MB Air, and cheaper MB Pro future refresh.

Also not an artist, but pen support could be another plus for note making.

Is it too obvious?

 

[oooopossum]

Engineering Student here. For taking notes digitally nothing quite compares to an iPad with an Apple Pencil. Being able to take notes and send them to friends or submit homework all from my iPad Pro (2018) rocks. I have an older model but the screen is amazing, so I imagine the newer model will be even better! I also use the Apple Folio keyboard which is a lot better to type something like an essay on than the digital keyboard.
So yeah, iPad pro all the way

 

[slplss]

Engineering Student here. For taking notes digitally nothing quite compares to an iPad with an Apple Pencil. Being able to take notes and send them to friends or submit homework all from my iPad Pro (2018) rocks. I have an older model but the screen is amazing, so I imagine the newer model will be even better! I also use the Apple Folio keyboard which is a lot better to type something like an essay on than the digital keyboard.
So yeah, iPad pro all the way

Thanks for your reply. I'm a psychology student with a terrible handwriting, are there some good apps that convert handwriting on the fly to something readable?

Edit: I also found in OneNote you can transform handwriting to text. Doesn't seem to do it on the fly though.

 

[oooopossum]

Thanks for your reply. I'm a psychology student with a terrible handwriting, are there some good apps that convert handwriting on the fly to something readable?

The Scribble feature will let you handwrite with the Apple Pencil convert it to text into any text field. It’s pretty accurate but my handwriting is fairly neat so I suppose your mileage may vary. There are plenty note taking apps that will convert your handwriting and math into text after the fact. I prefer Notability. The Apple Notes app works great too.

 

[AutomaticApple]

The Scribble feature will let you handwrite with the Apple Pencil convert it to text into any text field. It’s pretty accurate but my handwriting is fairly neat so I suppose your mileage may vary. There are plenty note taking apps that will convert your handwriting and math into text after the fact. I prefer Notability. The Apple Notes app works great too.

So, it purely depends on how good your handwriting already is?

 

[rui no onna]

Do you have another computer you can use should the need arise? I haven't been to college in a long while but was recently getting a copy of transcripts online for a job application and the college website didn't play nice with the iPad.

However, I've got Windows desktops and laptops available so between MacBook and iPad, I'd rather have the iPad.

 

[secretk]

It depends on what you study. You need to check what kind of software you will need for your studies. For example in my case I had to use specific CAD software, also specific IDE tools as I was in computer science. Granted this was 2005 but I still do not think that iPad would have worked out as it does not have those apps and maybe it is not supposed to have them.

It would have been great as a companion device for note taking though.

 

[MrEcted]

I love my iPad Pro but if I had to only pick one for school then it would be a MacBook Air/Pro, no brainer. The MBA/MBP uses actual big boy software and I prefer taking notes with a keyboard, personally.

 

[slplss]

Do you have another computer you can use should the need arise? I haven't been to college in a long while but was recently getting a copy of transcripts online for a job application and the college website didn't play nice with the iPad.

However, I've got Windows desktops and laptops available so between MacBook and iPad, I'd rather have the iPad.

Yeah I have a pretty powerful PC for my gaming needs. I also have Asus ultrabook with low powered M3 processor, but the screeen starts flickering from time to time. I have to disable the Intel graphics driver, but then it's incredibly choppy experience. It's a bad entertainment device overall.
Also have Galaxy Tab S5e with AMOLED display, a good entertainment device, but terrible productive one. Small screen, bad aspect ratio. Two years of usage filled mostly with frustration: AMOLED jello effect when scrolling vertically, dirty screen effect, still (like for a year) waiting for Android 11 update, super slow chipset. I think Android 11 will kill it. It's original value was already lost by half so it's hard to justify selling it.

Apple devices on the other hand age like a fine wine and regain their value. Even when I used my previous iPhone (6), the experience was mostly flawless. That's what I am looking for for my new device, stress free and long lasting.

 

[slplss]

I love my iPad Pro but if I had to only pick one for school then it would be a MacBook Air/Pro, no brainer. The MBA/MBP uses actual big boy software and I prefer taking notes with a keyboard, personally.

Thanks for your reply. I too used to take my notes with my Asus ultrabook, the typing experience was mostly flawless. But now I'm in need of a device both for school and entetainment, since I can't have both at once. iPad is much clumsier note taking device than macbook for sure, but it shines the 80% of time when I'm not in class. From what I learned the iPad OS apps I listed in my original post retain the same features as their big boy counterparts, so for a simple note taking with the logitech keyboard or pen it should be sufficient.

 

[slplss]

It depends on what you study. You need to check what kind of software you will need for your studies. For example in my case I had to use specific CAD software, also specific IDE tools as I was in computer science. Granted this was 2005 but I still do not think that iPad would have worked out as it does not have those apps and maybe it is not supposed to have them.

It would have been great as a companion device for note taking though.

Yeah we don't have anything like that, all the apps are internet based and work well on iPhone.

 

[secretk]

Yeah we don't have anything like that, all the apps are internet based and work well on iPhone.

Then you are covered . Plus you said that you have PC so even if you need to use an app that is not on iOS, you can use your PC.

 

[JavaJones]

MacBook Air/Pro or PC Laptop for college work, add in base iPad for note taking if you choose to go the digital notes route.

 

[slplss]

Then you are covered . Plus you said that you have PC so even if you need to use an app that is not on iOS, you can use your PC.

So nice you see it that way, after all, I came here for someone to help me to give myself an excuse to waste the 1.1k 😅.
Really, thanks everyone for their input, seems like the question of iPad/Mac is as polarizing as ever.

 

[slplss]

MacBook Air/Pro or PC Laptop for college work, add in base iPad for note taking if you choose to go the digital notes route.

That would be a good solution too. But I guess I'm too blinded by the screen I've never seen. If it's anything like they advertise, it will be the bestest portable screen on the planet (wel'll see about that, I'm not preordering).

 

[Precursor]

Thanks for your reply. I'm a psychology student with a terrible handwriting, are there some good apps that convert handwriting on the fly to something readable?

Edit: I also found in OneNote you can transform handwriting to text. Doesn't seem to do it on the fly though.

I'm also an engineer with terrible handwriting. But somehow GoodNotes can still find whatever I search through my hand written notes (I have 5 years of hand written notes on iPP).
There are also various apps that convert hand written notes to text.

edit: there are even apps that can convert your hand writing into a font which you can use as default on your iPad, Mac etc.

 

[secretk]

So nice you see it that way, after all, I came here for someone to help me to give myself an excuse to waste the 1.1k 😅.
Really, thanks everyone for their input, seems like the question of iPad/Mac is as polarizing as ever.

Yes, opinions can become polarizing when it comes to choose only one device that does 100 % of the work. This is to be expected of course because as it is, neither device is perfect and it is all in the matter of the details on what you are willing to compromise and what not.

In your case, the choice is different. You are asking if you can buy an iPad (which seems you do want) and find usage for it as being student. And man you can. I wish I had an iPad and pencil when I was a student. It would have been fun, but back then the iPad did not exist .

So buy the iPad and enjoy it .

 

[Isamilis]

iPad and MacBook combination works perfectly in my case (grad and phd student).