iPad or 4G iPod Touch for grad student?

[liaamikiir]

Hello!

I'm moving out of state and away from my family and friends for graduate school. Since I'll be trying to stay in contact with them, I was thinking of upgrading from my 2G iPod Touch to either an iPad or an iPod Touch 4G.

The question I'm having trouble with is, which one?

The iPad would be nicer for reading PDFs (which I do a decent amount of), but the size and cost could be awkward. I'm not sure how easy it would be to snap a picture with an iPad without risking dropping it, and that's part of the reason I want the upgrade: I need a quick way to share pictures and silly things with my family. However, I'll be commuting to school, and it would be great not to haul my heavy laptop when all I need to do is read PDFs and web surf.

The iPod Touch is great (I love mine), but the screen is really small for using PDFs and most light web browsing which I've tried. It's also a little small for the calendar function - I use it as a day planner on a very regular basis. On the plus side, it fits in my pocket, which would make it more easily accessible for quick picture moments. I already use it to play music and fall asleep with, which might be weird with the iPad.

Comments and advice would be greatly appreciated! I can't afford both, so it's got to be one or the other.

[aaronw1986]

I would say iPad. I am in grad school as well. I am going with an iPad 2. I have a 1st gen iPod Touch. While it would be nice to have a newer iPod, the iPad will be significantly better for productivity purposes.

[3N16MA]

Try listing the top 10 (or 5) most important things you plan on using the device for. Then for each use put down which product (iPad 2 or iPod Touch) performs that task better. Could be somthing like this:

Taking and sending photos/videos.
Viewing PDF's.
Playing games.
Surfing the web.
Taking notes.

[Justin Luck]

I own an iPod Touch 4 but not an iPad.

From what you described, I would say:

• iPad for reading PDFs.
  
• iPod Touch 4 for everything else.

I upgraded last year from the iPod Touch 2nd Gen to the 4th Gen. Like you, I use the Touch to listen to music, fall asleep at night, use reference apps, etc, etc. But of course reading anything at length on the Touch 2nd Gen got tiring. Let me tell you though, the retina display makes all the difference in the world. I could suddenly browse the web and read ebooks with no eye fatigue. I can easily read things like this forum, even in portrait mode. The text can go as small as your eyes can read. You are definitely not limited by the pixels and there is no screen door effect to bother your eyes. Like you mentioned, the Touch is extremely portable and also very light to hold, even above your head while reading or watching videos in bed. The nice thing about the Touch with the retina resolution is that you can bring the screen as close to your face as you like to make screen appear larger and it will still look very sharp.

Now, PDFs are usable, but I'm sure you know that every additional pixel is welcome when you must read large blocks of text that are stuck in a fixed layout (no word wrap).

The camera is pretty bad unfortunately on both. So I would still use a compact digital camera for most of your photo taking.

[Aamir]

Hmm, I have the iPad, and I'm soon going to be upgrading to the 2nd-Gen, and I also have the iPod Touch 4th-Gen. I'd recommend the iPad, unless you can wait 'till spetember, which is when the new iPods come out, because you'd be buying it mid-cycle. I'd also recommend the iPad because you can get 3G internet anywhere, which is a big plus for a uni student, especially if there's a lack of Wi-Fi.
So, all in all, I'd go for the iPad. It's also more fun
AND! You could use iPod apps on the iPad, but not the other way around, and I know that there are tons of productivity apps for the iPad

-AT

[HasanDaddy]

Honestly, while I wanna say you should get an iPad, it really sounds like you should get the new iPod Touch

I take pics all the time with my iPhone 4 (I'm a filmmaker) and I love the quality - especially the ability to tap for aperture and focus (and third party programs like DSLR+ only make it better)

Also - yes, the iPad is awesome, but definitely weird when using it as a bigass MP3 player --- with all that said, get the iPod Touch 4

[Aamir]

Originally Posted by HasanDaddy

I take pics all the time with my iPhone 4 (I'm a filmmaker) and I love the quality - especially the ability to tap for aperture and focus (and third party programs like DSLR+ only make it better)
4

The iPod's camera pales in comparison to the iPhone's. It's like comparing a Ford and a Mercedes.

[leenak]

Buy a Canon camera and an iPad

[liaamikiir]

It sounds like it would be best for me to get the Touch, then. Thank you!

To the people who say to get a Cannon: I'm going to be commuting. My current cell phone has no camera. I do want the ability to take quick cell phone-style pictures. To carry another thing is a real hassle, which I know because I tried to carry my small Kodak with me.