Thoughts on the new iPad as a student!

I’m so incredibly lucky to have been gifted the new iPad and accessories from my partner for our anniversary!! After owning it for a couple months, I have some thoughts that I think might be useful for those that have been considering buying it.

⭐️ Pro: Compact, light weight, and portable. This is definitely one of my favorite aspects of the m4 iPad. I take this thing everywhere with me with no issues. Without the magic keyboard, it weights about the same as my phone and it’s super thin. I don’t need to put it in a book bag if I need to take it somewhere, I usually just put in in my purse and call it a day. I have the 11 inch version which I love because it’s nice and small and I’ve never had any issues wishing I had a bigger screen or anything. I love that with this size, I can take it where ever without any hassle.

❌ Con: It’s not comparable to a laptop. Sadly, if you’re looking to replace your laptop with an iPad, I would reconsider. Thankfully I have a PC so if I can’t do something on my iPad, I’ll just hop on my computer, but if you don’t have a computer or laptop, I would highly recommend getting a laptop before an iPad. I realize this point is a bit unfair, considering an iPad is just a tablet, not meant to be like a laptop, but I don’t want anyone getting the wrong impression, and I’ve seen too many people recommend the iPad for college on TikTok without adding this caveat. For example, you can’t code on an iPad and i’ve been unable to take certain exams on it bc the lockdown program was not supported on iPad. This is not to say the m4 iPad isn’t powerful, I won’t get into too many specifics here but trust me as a computer science major, the m4 chip is absolutely nothing to sneeze at.

⭐️ Pro: Easy and convenient note taking. This is by far one of the biggest reasons people get an iPad for school and I can definitely see why. The iPad completely changed my note taking game. No more having to drag heavy notebooks to class and worry about pens getting lost or used up. Before the iPad I was going through about one giant notebook per semester because i’m big on writing everything down. I personally prefer to write notes as opposed to type them, and it was taking up so much room. In addition to that, it was getting hard to keep track of where specific notes were and being able to refer back to old notebooks from old classes when I needed it. With Goodnotes everything is easily organized and I love that everything is in one place.

❌ Con: The magic keyboard does not flip all the way over. I was very shocked when I learned this and this is honestly my biggest gripe with the magic keyboard. If you want to use just the iPad as a tablet, you’re gonna have to take it out of the magic keyboard case completely, and while you’re using it, you’re gonna have to use the bare iPad with no protection on it whatsoever (because I have yet to find a reasonably priced case that is compatible with the magic keyboard), and then you’re gonna have to put it back on to the keyboard for it to be protected in a case. This is very frustrating and has kept me from writing handwritten notes on the iPad during class because I don’t want to risk dropping it and denting it after i’ve taken it out of its magic keyboard case. I know I could just come to class with the iPad already in a separate case so it’s not bare, but then i’d have to deal with taking it out of THAT case and putting it on the magic keyboard case if I want to type anything. Incredibly frustrating. Worse yet? I’m sure there’s other generic brand keywords that work just fine and are cheaper!

⭐️ Pro: Math equations automatically solved. So ios18 has completely changed the game for how fast math homework will be done for me. It’s basically a scientific calculator built into your very own notes. No more having to retype things into your calculator and double checking to make sure you’ve typed it right. Now its all just built into one and I’m so excited for how much time this will save. From what i’ve used so far, it seems like once you write an equal sign, it’ll solve the equation for you in a font similar to your own handwriting. Personally I’ve never used the notes app for note taking but I’m willing to try it out as my primary note taking application for my math class this next semester since it’s so convenient. I’m honestly so excited for my math class next semester so I can give this function a full review.

⭐️ Pro: Great for artists. This whole section is basically going to be about how much I love the apple pencil. It’s so comfortable and sleek, and I personally love writing with it. I have to admit, it was a bit of a learning curve at first but now it just feels so buttery smooth to write with, I prefer it to some of my other ink pens. Getting your handwriting right is a bit tricky at first but after about a week I saw a big improvement. Onto the art aspect, I can’t speak as a professional or anything, and I’ve never drawn digitally before this, but I can say Procreate was super beginner friendly. I haven’t drawn in years but this sparked a newfound interest for me. As much as I love traditional art, it can get pricy at times trying to repurchase materials.

📝 Final thoughts: Overall I love my iPad and I use it daily. It’s incredibly useful to me especially as a student. Although personally, if I had the option, I would not purchase the magic keyboard, nothing about it stands out to me as a keyboard, especially at the price point. The apple pencil, however, is great. I would argue that if you’re going to get an iPad, the apple pencil is almost needed in order to get your money’s worth. Ultimately you should consider your own personal circumstances when deciding if an iPad worth it. You don’t necessarily need the newest iPad either, especially if you already have a working one. You should also consider buying refurbished, they’re cheaper and certified by apple!

#college #studentlife #techfinds #techreview