iPad Air 2 vs Macbook air

[BankonTrouble]

Hello all. I'm new to sdn. Happy Turkey Hangover Day

Looking for information/recommendations on iPad Air 2 vs Macbook Air.
I've had a Macbook air for 3 years now and am very pleased with it. I've used it for school to do just the basics: web, word processing, presentations, some note taking. I know I'm quite behind in the use of technology for school work.

Yesterday I picked up an iPad Air 2 on sale but have yet to even open it. Since I have only ever used iPads to play games and view pictures I am completely ignorant as to their uses for university students.

What are the advantages of 1 vs the other?
Are there any apps I should look into for the iPad?
Note taking on a Macbook vs iPad?
I'm mostly a pen a paper note taker. Any thoughts on the transition from p/p to digital note taking?
Your thoughts on eBooks vs textbooks?
Do eBooks come with any extra resources/study aids that textbooks don't?
iPad Air 2 vs iPad Pro for students?

Going into the next semester I am really looking for ways to enhance my note taking and ESPECIALLY my study methods. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

PS - I did see that there were some threads on this or similar issues but since they were all over a year old and technology/apps/eBooks and constantly evolving I started a new thread in order to get the most uptodate information possible.

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[aldol16]

What are the advantages of 1 vs the other?

This is really impossible to answer because it's very individual-specific. They are very different from one another so it depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what your tastes are. It's like asking if you want General Tso's Chicken or linguine. The answer depends on what you're in the mood for.

If you're trying to get a laptop, get the laptop. If you're trying to get a tablet, get the tablet. Don't use a tablet in place of a laptop unless that tablet happens to be something like the Surface Book.

Note taking on a Macbook vs iPad?

Macbooks don't have touchscreens, so note-taking will be on Word or some notepad software. Note-taking on the iPad will be pen-and-paper style, although you can buy an accessory keyboard. It's tiny though.

I'm mostly a pen a paper note taker. Any thoughts on the transition from p/p to digital note taking?

Pen-and-paper has always been my style and I hate digital note-taking in that style. Mostly because I tend to drag my hand across the screen as I write and the tablet always gets confused and makes marks in weird places. So I always stick with actual pen and paper. But depending on how you write, you might not have this problem. Test it out in a store.

Your thoughts on eBooks vs textbooks?

I like how you don't have to carry about five textbooks if you have eBooks but at the same time, eBooks can be inconvenient because page-turning can be slower and if you know exactly what you're looking for in the textbook, you'll find it faster in a real textbook. You can also rent e-textbooks from Amazon. You can do that with real books too, but I never like used books because many people lie or over-exaggerate about the condition and I hate highlighting/markings.

Do eBooks come with any extra resources/study aids that textbooks don't?

Sometimes, you might be able to get e-textbooks that have hyperlinks to videos or something that explains concepts. When I had them, it was still relatively primitive so they didn't have that many resources but I'm sure it's changed a lot since then.

 

[787593]

MacBook Air. No question.

 

[darkjedi]

We were given ipads at my med school, but I actually didn't use it all that much. I preferred having a normal keyboard for typing. iOS is simply not flexible or powerful enough to use as a laptop replacement.

 

[eteshoe]

I have both. I usually carry an iPad for classes/seminars and use the app 'Notability' for note taking - very smooth and totally worth the money. I only carry my laptop if I need portability and focus for the day.

 

[Allergic to Toradol]

Personally, I don't take my Macbook Pro to class and simply use my iPad Pro 12.9 with the Apple Pencil and Logitech Keyboard case and do just fine. I absolutely love my iPad as I have all of my books in PDF form and can annotate them at my own choosing. I also make some pretty cool and useful notes on Notability since I can copy and paste certain figures/graphs from my books and then can make study guides, practice exams, etc. It truly is up to you and your own preferences (as well as funds), but I certainly plan to continue using my iPad a great deal in med school since I'm more of a digital guy rather than the dude who prints off reams of Powerpoint lectures.

 

[summergirl]

I thought you can't use the Apple Pencil with iPad Air?? Anyways, if you are considering the MacBook Air, you might as well get the small MacBook for approximately the same price. The MacBook is lighter, have better screen, and looks so much more gorge.

 

[AggieDoc45]

The IPad Pro has been a godsend for me so far in med school. All my textbooks/notes/syllabi in a consolidated place, and the pencil is fantastic IMO. Like half our class has gotten one since the semester started, and everyone really likes them.

 

[summergirl]

The IPad Pro has been a godsend for me so far in med school. All my textbooks/notes/syllabi in a consolidated place, and the pencil is fantastic IMO. Like half our class has gotten one since the semester started, and everyone really likes them.

Did you use a screen protector for your iPad Pro? I feel like I may be the only one who doesn't like the Apple Pencil since I have to write through the screen protector

 

[AggieDoc45]

Did you use a screen protector for your iPad Pro? I feel like I may be the only one who doesn't like the Apple Pencil since I have to write through the screen protector

I just use an otter box, I had to take my original screen protector off because it made writing and typing so difficult. I'd take it off and find a good case you like, it makes a world of difference when you can write just like normal and don't have to press down.

 

[Allergic to Toradol]

I thought you can't use the Apple Pencil with iPad Air?? Anyways, if you are considering the MacBook Air, you might as well get the small MacBook for approximately the same price. The MacBook is lighter, have better screen, and looks so much more gorge.

I don't have the iPad Air... I have the iPad Pro. There are now two sizes for the iPad Pro (12.9 and the standard iPad size). And no I don't use a screen protector. The screen is absolutely gorgeous and I don't want to impede the quality. Plus screen protectors make it so much harder to write on. I have it in a case at all times so I'm not worried about it

 

[aldol16]

I thought you can't use the Apple Pencil with iPad Air?? Anyways, if you are considering the MacBook Air, you might as well get the small MacBook for approximately the same price. The MacBook is lighter, have better screen, and looks so much more gorge.

Not a good idea. Don't sacrifice function for aesthetics. The Macbooks have Core M processors which, for lack of a better term, suck. Multitasking definitely takes a hit with the Core M. The Core M is a tablet-oriented processor that was jammed into a "laptop" and it honestly isn't very good for any productive purpose.

 

[Lucca]

Not a good idea. Don't sacrifice function for aesthetics. The Macbooks have Core M processors which, for lack of a better term, suck. Multitasking definitely takes a hit with the Core M. The Core M is a tablet-oriented processor that was jammed into a "laptop" and it honestly isn't very good for any productive purpose.

concur with aldol, I'm not sure there is a single rational reason to purchase a Macbook. Air or Pro are the only real choices and both carry the awesome retina display these days

 

[redferrari]

You're better off spending the extra money and getting an iPad Pro. The pencil on notability has been quite possibly the best thing I have discovered in school so far.

 

[wysdoc]

iPad lets you buy apps which may be great for studying, such as essential anatomy. Downside is, unless things have changed, iPad does not have a word processor.

 

[escanoke]

Did you use a screen protector for your iPad Pro? I feel like I may be the only one who doesn't like the Apple Pencil since I have to write through the screen protector

It's not bad, but I purposely bought a matted screen protector to give it a little grip. I started off with now screen protector and the first few days with it on I had to adjust to the new screen feel with the pencil. But I'm totally glad I got a screen protector because I've noticed that my pencil makes "light" scratch marks. I don't know if they are superficial or not but noticed half my screen has little lines from me always split screening my iPad Pro into one side notability the other half my textbook.

It just takes time to get acclimated to writing on the protector, just like it took time to get used to writing on glass.


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[escanoke]

Just make sure you check your program to see if they use anything that involves flash or exams on a program. You most likely won't be able to do those things from your iPad but everything else you should be able to do


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[Psai]

Was given an ipad, use it approximately never

 

[yellowbottlesippin]

If you are ready to spend money and are not all in on Apple, I would also consider the Surface Pro 4. It really is a hybrid laptop and you can get an i5 processor for about $750 with a deal. It is something that can really be useful. I would choose the Surface Pro over the iPad pro, but that is just me.