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How well would iPad Air 2 work for class?

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BallparkDreamer

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 8, 2015
146
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I've been thinking about upgrading my laptop, since it's so heavy and getting older. All of these iPad Air 2 sales have made me reconsider though. I can get a 64 GB Air 2 and a keyboard case for under $600 at Best Buy, and that's super hard to pass up! Use it mainly for notes, light excel work, various browsing, magazines, and some other light media consumption.

iPad Air 3 sounds like it's around the corner, but I don't really need the ~latest and greatest~.
 
BallparkDreamer said:
Use it mainly for notes, light excel work, various browsing, magazines, and some other light media consumption.
Click to expand...

Assuming note taking can be fully handled by word processing, then the iPad is perfect for the above tasks.
I was a Science student. With all the equation writing and sketching, there was no way I could take notes with a keyboard.
 
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BallparkDreamer said:
I've been thinking about upgrading my laptop, since it's so heavy and getting older. All of these iPad Air 2 sales have made me reconsider though. I can get a 64 GB Air 2 and a keyboard case for under $600 at Best Buy, and that's super hard to pass up! Use it mainly for notes, light excel work, various browsing, magazines, and some other light media consumption.

iPad Air 3 sounds like it's around the corner, but I don't really need the ~latest and greatest~.
Click to expand...

Perfect. I use my iPad Air 2 all the time in class. It is my go-to on those mornings when I am too lazy to pack up my MBP. Pages, keynote, and numbers all work just as well as the desktop versions and will allow you to get all of your school work and note-taking done perfectly. The iPad Air 2 is the real iPad "pro" ;)
 
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vinylretina said:
Perfect. I use my iPad Air 2 all the time in class. It is my go-to on those mornings when I am too lazy to pack up my MBP. Pages, keynote, and numbers all work just as well as the desktop versions and will allow you to get all of your school work and note-taking done perfectly. The iPad Air 2 is the real iPad "pro" ;)
Click to expand...

That's really encouraging! Just bought it, and it'll be here Wednesday! Now I don't have to lug my nearly 5 lb laptop around campus! :D
 
BallparkDreamer said:
That's really encouraging! Just bought it, and it'll be here Wednesday! Now I don't have to lug my nearly 5 lb laptop around campus! :D
Click to expand...
I do all my university teaching with the iPad Air (so I don't have to lug around my rMacBook Pro and many of my students use one.

There are a ton of note taking apps but my favorite is Notability. You can type, draw (just use a cheap stylus) or record notes and you can import photos and caption them, etc.

With iCloud and DropBox all of my documents are accessible, plus I can use Blackboard, our course management system and our student information systems.
 
I would buy an Air 2 only if with a strong discount... It's a nice device, but I'm expecting an update in a couple months.
 
short and simple. Before my iPad pro, my iPad Air 2 was my laptop replacement for the past year! Loved it
 
Typing this from my brand new space grey iPad Air 2, and I absolutely love it! Anyone have any basic tips that I should be aware of?
 
Ghost31 said:
Make sure you have iCloud backup enabled
Click to expand...

Get that taken care of! I know this is a luxury item, but dang...I've been using this how I'd use my laptop and it's so nice. Really I can only see myself using my laptop for heavier school related activities. Reading alone on iPad makes it worth it.
 
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BallparkDreamer said:
Typing this from my brand new space grey iPad Air 2, and I absolutely love it! Anyone have any basic tips that I should be aware of?
Click to expand...

Get a keyboard - Logitech Keyboard is a good one and also any stylus of your choice. I like Wacom Stylus very much. Enjoy your new toy!

I forgot to add I hope you bought an AppleCare+ and make sure you get Smart Cover/Case if you decided not want Logitech Keyboard.
 
Badrottie said:
Get a keyboard - Logitech Keyboard is a good one and also any stylus of your choice. I like Wacom Stylus very much. Enjoy your new toy!

I forgot to add I hope you bought an AppleCare+ and make sure you get Smart Cover/Case if you decided not want Logitech Keyboard.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I got the Logitech Type+ keyboard and I love it. Definitely gonna look at styluses, so I'll remember Wacom!
 
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BallparkDreamer said:
Thanks! I got the Logitech Type+ keyboard and I love it. Definitely gonna look at styluses, so I'll remember Wacom!
Click to expand...

My fiancé got me the Pencil by Fiftythree a couple days ago for Christmas and I love it. It stays charged forever, it always connects right away, and it feels just like drawing on paper using any app. Adobe PS Sketch, Procreate, etc. all work perfectly. I would seriously recommend it.
 
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artfossil said:
I do all my university teaching with the iPad Air (so I don't have to lug around my rMacBook Pro and many of my students use one.

There are a ton of note taking apps but my favorite is Notability. You can type, draw (just use a cheap stylus) or record notes and you can import photos and caption them, etc.

With iCloud and DropBox all of my documents are accessible, plus I can use Blackboard, our course management system and our student information systems.
Click to expand...

Curious to know if you are able to grade your student's work with your iPad and the apps you use. I would love to be able to annotate my student's uploaded papers (pdfs/docs files) with a stylus/pencil. I know blackboard has a facility for grading online, but I find it slow and cumbersome. I tried out the iPad pro and the apple pencil in the apple store the other day, but based on my brief experience, it seemed apple designed the pencil and the apps with artists in mind, or people taking quick notes rather than for those of us who might want to use it chiefly for annotation.
 
i only use my Air 2 as a second screen with the script on it while i type o the macbook next to it. i could never write a thesis on the iPad.

taking notes was also nearly inpossible for me. by the time i wrote a sentence the teacher is 3 paragraphes ahead of me lol

oh and good luck trying to upload a document on a website :eek: you simply cant do it. iOS ... gotta love but sometimes really hate it
 
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