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All iPads How do YOU productively make use of your iPad?

K

ki2594

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Apr 12, 2008
802
5
Carmel, IN.
Hello all,

It's been a while since I've posted on here, but my curiosity has been sparked. I'm a college student and I am fortunate enough to own a first gen iPad mini, and until recently, I concluded I wasn't using it to it's full potential to help me as a student. I would read documents on it for most of my classes (Goodreader), but thats about it.

Recently I began taking notes in smaller lecture classes via Evernote, bought a little bluetooth keyboard for starting/finishing/editing papers on the go with Pages or when convenient (bus rides that have long stops, etc.), got a little stylus to help highlight and take notes on certain readings I have to do, making flashcards (rarely because physical writing still has its memory advantages I believe) and on the side sketch out ideas I get on the spot (I'm a recording artist and am fairly visual, so I like to jot things and pictures down whenever I think of them since my memory isn't the hottest)

The App Store contains a LOT of awesome resources for productivity, at least as a student, and the seamless syncing within a lot of these apps across iOS/OS X makes it very clutch at times.

SO- I would like to know what you guys use your iPad's for when it comes to productivity, whether you're a student, employer/employee, or freelancer!
 
im not a student anymore so i dont know if my usage can be related to your question.

The point is Ipad is more of an entertaining device than whatever you use for work or study. I think a surface pro would fit your needs more.

Just last night i realize i wont be spending any money on games on the device anymore. They just not worthed. A freemium will cost you much iap and even 8.99 games still not even close to what you get from true handheld gaming device. Ipad will just be may web surfing, video watching for now on. Probably wont buy another one if this broke down.

Ipad just getting more and more expensive, people are just beginning to realize how useless it is.
 
atlatnesiti said:
iPads are indispensable part of music recording studio. I have three at the moment.
Click to expand...

What's your setup like?


(I make music myself, hence the curiosity)

----------
racoonboy said:
im not a student anymore so i dont know if my usage can be related to your question.
Click to expand...

My personal story wasn't a part of the question. I'm curious how people use it outside of student work as well.

racoonboy said:
Ipad just getting more and more expensive, people are just beginning to realize how useless it is.
Click to expand...

I think if this were true, this thread or anything I said wouldn't be possible. My father did just get a Surface Pro 2 however through his business, he loves it for that.
 
I use Notability & PC-fax.com app to create and fax my daily activity reports. I also create letterheads and agendas for our monthly lodge meetings. Next year I hope to make better use of side by side app to conduct masonic education lectures.
 
We use our iPad 4 as a media streamer in the bedroom, and for general web browsing email etc.

It's largely been turned over to my Fiancee but we have a large media library on our 5.1 MP Hex and it acts as the bridge to the ATV's.
 
I use Numbers, FileMaker go and omnigraffle for my karate. The iPad allows me to practice my techniques (I use Numbers to list them in random order).

I have my techniques, forms and definitions in a FileMaker Pro database. I use the the iPad app from FileMaker to view and review the information and finally Omnigraffle to document the history of my specific karate lineage.

I also use my iPad for reading, playing some light games and listening to music.

The iPad is an extremely useful tool for me as I work on my martial arts training.
 
How do YOU productively make use of your iPad?

I use iMovie to make my video reviews to post on Amazon on my iPad Air. Vey useful. I can narrate my voice into the video with pictures and videos.
I also use ProCam 2 XL to take 720p video and a compressor app to make it below 100mb to upload to amazon for a video review.
 
Last edited:
atlatnesiti said:
iPads are indispensable part of music recording studio. I have three at the moment.
Click to expand...

+1

I sounddesign a lot on my iPad and transfer the sounds I make to my desktop/laptop for use in other software. I also use my iPad as a midi controller and make full music compositions on it with apps like TouchOSC, MidiTouch, Lemur, Cubasis, Auria, Nave, iSem, iMPC (see avatar), and a few dozen more other music apps.
I connect my iPad to my computer using a Audio/Midi interface called iConnectMidi that sends digital audio and midi data over USB through 1 cable hooked up to the lightning or 30 pin connector on the iPad.

My iPad holds ALL of my usefull PDF files from the manuals of music gear I use to books on Coding, Electronics, Retro Magazines, etc.. I do all my reading on it.

You can do almost anything you can imagine with the help of the right App.
As a iPad owner since the 1st gen, I pretty much have all the Usefull apps I need and know a crapp app when I see it.
 
I use mine so I don't have to print everything out anymore. I download documents into GoodNotes and then during meetings am able to reference and take notes on them without wasting paper. I also find it is much easier to stay organized rather than having documents scattered all over the place.
 
master-ceo said:
+1

I sounddesign a lot on my iPad and transfer the sounds I make to my desktop/laptop for use in other software. I also use my iPad as a midi controller and make full music compositions on it with apps like TouchOSC, MidiTouch, Lemur, Cubasis, Auria, Nave, iSem, iMPC (see avatar), and a few dozen more other music apps.
I connect my iPad to my computer using a Audio/Midi interface called iConnectMidi that sends digital audio and midi data over USB through 1 cable hooked up to the lightning or 30 pin connector on the iPad.

My iPad holds ALL of my usefull PDF files from the manuals of music gear I use to books on Coding, Electronics, Retro Magazines, etc.. I do all my reading on it.

You can do almost anything you can imagine with the help of the right App.
As a iPad owner since the 1st gen, I pretty much have all the Usefull apps I need and know a crapp app when I see it.
Click to expand...

Sounds Awesome! Do you have a link to where some of your music files could be sampled or purchased?
 
racoonboy said:
im not a student anymore so i dont know if my usage can be related to your question.

The point is Ipad is more of an entertaining device than whatever you use for work or study. I think a surface pro would fit your needs more.

Just last night i realize i wont be spending any money on games on the device anymore. They just not worthed. A freemium will cost you much iap and even 8.99 games still not even close to what you get from true handheld gaming device. Ipad will just be may web surfing, video watching for now on. Probably wont buy another one if this broke down.

Ipad just getting more and more expensive, people are just beginning to realize how useless it is.
Click to expand...

My iPad serves as both a work/study device and an entertainment.

I go to school online so I can check in with my class using Safari. I have also written papers on Pages using a BT keyboard.

For work, I use a remote desktop app to access my work PC if I need to check on or update something while I am away from my office.

I also use it for general browsing and entertainment.

It is expensive, but having tried out the Surface, I will stick with the iPad. To classify an iPad as "useless" seems a little far off to me.
 
I'm a computer science major and I use my ipad as much as possible to avoid carrying my laptop.

First off, if you practice typing on the ipad screen, you can become extremely fast and accurate at it. I have an apple bluetooth keyboard that I stopped using because typing on the ipad was nearly as fast.

I use Evernote to take notes in class. I have pages and pages of notes in Evernote.

I use iCal with google calendar to keep track of all my events and due dates.

Wunderlist works for keeping track of simple lists of tasks for classes or other things.

I am a huge fan of iWork for ios. I actually switched to iWork on my mac to take advantage of the syncing features for documents.

I've written 20 page reports on my ipad using pages and it has all the features I need. Margins, page numbers, headers, footers, etc.

I actually just created an entire presentation for calculus 2 using keynote. I used the ipad for the entire presentation with my iPhone acting as a remote. Keynote seems to be as fully featured as the mac version.

I use numbers to create functions for program verification for programs I write. It's not as fully featured as excel, but works well for what I need to do.

Desmos and Quickgraph are fantastic for graphing on the ipad.

I used Mathpad to create images of formulas for use in presentations, I've been very impressed with that app.

Wolphram alpha has been a lifesaver this semester. The mobile versions get unlimited computation time without a monthly subscription.

PDFExpert is great for holding PDFs. I use it to annotate all my class handouts. It's highlighting functionality is great with a stylus too.


Server Auditor allows for access of external servers. I use it to submit and write programs for several classes. Prompt is a great app for this too, but hasn't been updated for ios 7.

Photoshop touch works for all of my photo editing needs. It's pretty powerful.

I can't recommend Dropbox enough. It's probably. My single most used app. I use it to sink between my computer, phone, and ipad. It's also fantastic for sharing files with friends or groups for projects.
 
I used mine last week to import a lease agreement from my renters via dropbox into docusign, we both signed it, emailed it to both for our records. Very easy and efficient, and most importantly, done on the spot!

I use it to attend work meetings via webex while away from my computer.

I no longer get paper magazines, I subscribe via the iPad. Lots of reading, and the usual surfing/email stuff.

I could live without it, but it has been seriously useful, not to mention fun!
 
I use pages for essays, notebooks for ipad for my college notes/research things, notability for pdf marking and handwritten notes. Kindle for reading college books, loads of things. I don't need nor do I have a laptop.
 
Kindle for textbooks
Bamboo Paper for sketching with the Intuos Creative Stylus
Photoshop Touch for editing photos
Sketchbook Ink for illustrations
My HTML Pro for writing HTML with a Belkin keyboard I took apart from its case
Noteshelf for publishing type stuff where I have to use pictures and text
Evernote for scans of my notes and some notes
Firetask for organizing projects + deadlines
Verto Studio for 3D modeling
Day One for casual thoughts
Cubasis for putting together music
TI-Nspire CAS for math things
Graph Paper for graphing
 
Although I'm working much less on my iPad than I used to since I got an 11 inch MacBook Air, I still use it for keeping and reviewing my notes I keep on my various Hapkido techniques.

I also use it for professional development by using Evernote. When I find relevant articles or websites on instructional design I can add them to Evernote on my iMac or Air, and read them on my iPad. I can read them on my computers, but I find reading on my iPad to be more enjoyable.

I have also created many illustrations for various projects using iDraw - a great tool.

I am, however iPad-less for a few weeks. I sold my 3rd gen and I'm looking forward to using my iPad Air when it arrives... :)
 
I typically do a lot of research per week, so for me Evernote, and iBooks is really handy for epubs and PDFs.

That being said, is there a better app for PDFs, where I can highlight, and make notes and such directly on to the document from my iPad?

If I really have an issue with formatting in Evernote, I just switch to pages. On that note, I should probably switch to iWorks on my MBP instead of using Office 2011 for better syncing.

For taking notes on Evernote, I don't use a BT keyboard, I think I touch type just as fast, and have since discovered that I can move the keyboard around to the middle of the screen so it is more comfortable to hold while typing in landscape. If I had to do longer sessions of notes (>45 minutes) I might look into getting one of those Logitech BT keyboard cases.

Currently playing with the idea of transferring my notes into iBooks Author on my MBP so I can have it handy while giving talks.

Otherwise, everything is pretty great.
 
ultra7k said:
That being said, is there a better app for PDFs, where I can highlight, and make notes and such directly on to the document from my iPad?
Click to expand...

GoodReader can do that, and it's $4.99 for the iPad. A new iOS 7 version should be here in a couple of weeks. PDF Expert 5 just came out, and it's $9.99.
 
School... Job #1, Job #2, Life... I love my iPad!

For School I use pages to write papers, Flashcards for well, flash cards. I've tried a bunch of flash card apps and this one is by far the easiest and best. I also use it to watch movies on when I'm doing design stuff on the iMac...
For Job #1 and Life I use it for the basics calendar, email, web
For Job #2 (which is direct sales) I use a checkout app and Square to take CC's from people I don't know :)

It is with me 99% of time.
 
There are some great posts on this thread with lots of good ideas about how to use an iPad for productivity. Here is my list:

Email
Messaging
Calendar
Contacts
Reminders
Notes
PDF Review and annotation (e.g Good reader)
Cloud files and document management (e.g. Dropbox)
Simple document creation and editing (Pages, Numbers, and Keynote)
Financial Tracking and e-banking (e.g. Mint)
Access work related databases (e.g. LogMeIn)
Light photo editing and management (e.g. iPhoto, Flickr)
Simple slideshow and movie creation (e.g. iMovie)

From time to time, someone will make blanket statements that the iPad is just a toy and that you can't get real work done with a tablet. This is none sense. While I would agree that the iPad is not ideal for large scale content creation, there is a great deal of productive work that can be accomplished on an iPad. Many people do not need to do large scale content creation whist away from their office or desk, and for these folks, the iPad is an ideal portable device to stay connected and be productive.
 
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