iPad for Work/Study. Worth The Investment?

xkcd12345 on 19/04/2020 - 10:59
Last edited 23/04/2020 - 03:48 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I was thinking of buying a 12.9" iPad which is currently on sale, but is $1.4k without the stylus. Just wondering what your opinions are with regards to getting one. My main use cases for it are (in order of importance):

  1. To read and annotate academic papers. I end up printing (and eventually losing) papers that I intend on reading. I like the idea of being able to organise them nicely, and more importantly being able to write on the papers (with an apple pencil +$200).
  2. Use as an additional monitor. There are a few stands on eBay that I can get which can hold it vertical. And I currently have a mac from work which apparently syncs with iPads for monitors.
  3. I used to create youtube videos which involved writing equations, so would be nice to use the iPad + stylus as a trackpad and record my videos.

So the question really is, if you've used an iPad in the past for similar things is it worth it. I can buy the s6 tablet (which comes with the pen but is 10.5") for $1k and still have money left over for a monitor. So if I was to summarise the questions:

  1. Is there a significant boost in productivity by getting an iPad/ being in one mac OS eco system?
  2. Are there other alternatives to the Samsung which have a stylus?
  3. Any other thoughts?

UPDATE
- I bought the 11" ipad pro. Figured it was going to be a while before I'd see a 15%off sale on ipad air's. 128Gb model for $1129 + $30 delivery. So I guess it's more like 12% off.

Education & Work Apple Tablet

Comments

  • antler on 19/04/2020 - 11:10
    +6

    Why do you need a Pro? For me, the Air is the sweet-spot. My set-up: iPad Air (2019) + Apple Pencil + Paperlike screen protector. The screen protector actually makes writing on the glass feel natural and real. I wouldn't use the pencil without it!

    I found that I was carrying too much printed stuff for reading/revision around, and I have found the set-up to be amazing. The ability to search for text is the icing on the cake. I use Notability for annotating PDFs.

    The reason to go for the iPad:
    - since you already have a Mac, you can screenshare using Sidecart. If your Mac doesn't support it, there's a project on Github which enables it.
    - consistent updates
    - the pencil support in apps is great!

    I wouldn't spend the extra money on the Pro unless I was doing something really compute-intensive (on the iPad). The larger screen-size is attractive though, but I can't justify the extra cost.

    • whooah1979 on 19/04/2020 - 12:59
      +1

      We have the Air 2, Gen 6th, Pro 10.5" and 11". Our user experience got better for each upgrade. We wouldn't go back to a non-Pro unless something major happens to our budget.

    • xkcd12345 on 19/04/2020 - 13:06

      Can I ask how much it all cost, and if you got them on discounted rates? Is it worth getting a different brand of stylus? Lastly any opinion on switching to say Samsung, or is the eco system worth it, that it's worth the extra money? Sorry for the extra questions and really appreciate your input.

      • antler on 19/04/2020 - 14:15
        +2

        No worries!

        I bought the iPad Air and Pencil from Costco for $856.98. The PaperLike protector was EUR29 (but seriously worth it). Notability $18 (perpetual license, non of that subscription crap). Bought the case, which also included the pencil holder, from Amazon for $20 (I think it was named 'ProCase'). Personally, I haven't looked in to any of the other stylii because a lot of the iPad apps seem to be optimised for Apple Pencil. In terms of third-party gear for it, the only thing I'd go non-Apple is the optional keyboard case. Logitech offers way better options for the money.

        I used to have the original iPad Air. I sold it because it was just an overpriced toy that I could only use for watching YouTube and casual browsing. The pencil and the new iPad OS have really given it new meaning. The capacitive stylii back in the day were damn awful. Couldn't do anything useful. Things have improved a lot in 5 years.

        I haven't looked in to Samsung's offerings, but my previous experience with Android tablets put me off the ecosystem for tablets. A lot of apps aren't optimised for tablet mode. Not everything seems polished. Even Google gave up on their tablet ambitions with Android (but they're apparently still supporting their partner's tablets). If it's purely for the consumption; minor editing and annotations of documents, I'd go with Apple. If I wanted more, I'd look at the Surface. The Surface offers a whole lot more, but the 'tablet' experience leaves a lot to be desired. Again, the problem is the lack of apps with proper tablet support. The redeeming feature is that you can do practically anything on it. In saying that, your wishlist may grow and the Surface configuration that you want may end up costing you more than a mid-range iPad.

        Hope that helps.

        • nakahanap on 19/04/2020 - 14:30

          I’m on my 3rd mini. Current one is a 4. Size was a big factor in my decision and my workplace will not allow android devices on the network.

          Airplay is a nice feature although there are some software options to allow you to cast onto other OS devices.

          Notability is a fantastic app. I’ve been using it for years.

          I quite like Adonit styluses - I have a dash 3 which has excellent battery life and I’m very happy with it. The bonus is it works on non-apple devices too.

        • xkcd12345 on 19/04/2020 - 16:12
          +1

          Don't think I'll be able to find iPad+pencil for less than $1000 by the looks of it. Unless I wait a while for the iPad air to be discounted. Thanks for all the info.

          • antler on 19/04/2020 - 19:28

            @xkcd12345: Happy to help. Costco often have good pricing, but it's hard to get others to match it.

  • MS Paint on 19/04/2020 - 11:31
    +2

    I was thinking of buying a 12.9" iPad

    Have you physically seen one of these? They are pretty big. Nice to look at but not so nice to hold.

    11" is the sweet spot*

    *wife agrees

    • c64 on 19/04/2020 - 12:18
      +1

      can we have a paint diagram of that please?

  • godofpizza on 19/04/2020 - 12:41
    +1

    i noticed the gen 7th ipads are a little bigger than last 9.7" vs 10.2", did you really need 12"?

    • xkcd12345 on 19/04/2020 - 12:57

      Yeah I'm starting to doubt it now. Not sure if that extra two inches makes a difference (huehuehue). Will keep everyone updated with my decision.

  • etns on 19/04/2020 - 13:25
    +1

    I have a similar use case for the ipad pro 10.5 + apple pencil (academic use). It's fantastic for organising and annotating papers and it all syncs up across to my macbook. It's hard to quantify how much it contributes to my productivity but I'm always looking out for things that make my work easier and it definitely helps make the literature reviewing stage of my work feel more seamless.

    I'd probably echo the recommendations to consider the 11" more than the 12.9 though - that thing is a monster.

    I do occasionally use the ipad as an additional monitor but it's not perfect and I find I use it more often as a separate device while I'm writing on my main computer (e.g. papers on the ipad, manuscript on main computer).

  • [Deactivated] on 19/04/2020 - 13:33
    +2

    If you're using to annotate and write notes and stuff then yes it's definitely worth it. I studied science at university and it was great for annotating notes and doing math. Saves paper and it's more organised.

    If you have a mac and it's important for you to have that ios experience then get the ipad. The only other competition imo is the Surface Pro, I wouldn't even consider anything else. It's basically a full fledged PC so you can use external monitors and stuff. The pen is great and one of the advantages is OneNote. I had a friend who used a macbook and said onenote was difficult to use on it.

    However the ipad pro is a lot more user friendly, the screen is amazing and I think it's better for video editing.

  • randomusername2017 on 19/04/2020 - 20:48
    +2

    Worth The Investment?

    Yield should be on par with rental properties at the moment..

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