iPad Ipad 12.9 or mini +MBA with sidecar for school?s

[brainhaz]

So I already have a iPad mini 6, and will start school this next year. Im considering purchasing a 12.9 iPad pro for the larger screen to take notes, have my books, studying, (really trying to go paperless) with either the magic keyboard or (more likely) the folio. With the announcement of the new MacBook airs, Ive considered just using the mini for note taking, and sidecar to pair the two together. What do you think the pros/cons of each would be?
For reference, I have an iMac at home in case I needed to really sit down and work with a desktop

 

[ericwn]

It really comes down to your specific requirements - do you need anything else in the first place? A mini could be an awesome note taking machine and you already have a Mac at home. I’m taking notes on a 12.9 iPad daily but it’s just bigger, not necessarily better - and it’s bulkier too. I’d try to wing it with the setup you already have and worry about additional requirements as the need arises. Getting a new device from Apple is quickly done. I’d also strongly recommend to only get stuff when school has already started - then try the devices during the return period and see for yourself if this stuff works for you.

 

[cupcakes2000]

It also depends on whether the apps you need are available and/or are any good on the iPad compared to a traditional computer. I would say go for the better iPad and use your iMac - but it could become a thorn in your side if you need to rely on something the iPad doesn’t offer or do well.

 

[Ludatyk]

So, the question you are asking... which device is better with sidecar? an iPad Pro 12.9 or Mini?

My vote is the 12.9 iPP simply for the bigger screen, but if you were to ask me about portability... then yeah, go with the Mini. But strictly for sidecar purposes... go with the 12.9 iPP. You get a bigger screen which will help with notes and viewing content.

However, since you have a Mini 6... as @ericwin suggested use the MBA and Mini 6 combination then go from there. At least you have given that a chance before opting in on a bigger iPad.

 

[brainhaz]

So, the question you are asking... which device is better with sidecar? an iPad Pro 12.9 or Mini?

My vote is the 12.9 iPP simply for the bigger screen, but if you were to ask me about portability... then yeah, go with the Mini. But strictly for sidecar purposes... go with the 12.9 iPP. You get a bigger screen which will help with notes and viewing content.

However, since you have a Mini 6... as @ericwin suggested use the MBA and Mini 6 combination then go from there. At least you have given that a chance before opting in on a bigger iPad.

More trying to decide between getting a laptop vs the bigger iPad for screen size plus note taking capability. Since I have the mini, the thought occurred to me I could use that for notes, and sidecar it with a laptop. I currently don’t have a laptop at all, just the older iMac at home. It’ll be a graduate nursing program, and it seems like lots of other students have used an iPad. Wondering if the mini and sidecar would be the best of both or if a single big screen for all of it would work better

 

[brainhaz]

It really comes down to your specific requirements - do you need anything else in the first place? A mini could be an awesome note taking machine and you already have a Mac at home. I’m taking notes on a 12.9 iPad daily but it’s just bigger, not necessarily better - and it’s bulkier too. I’d try to wing it with the setup you already have and worry about additional requirements as the need arises. Getting a new device from Apple is quickly done. I’d also strongly recommend to only get stuff when school has already started - then try the devices during the return period and see for yourself if this stuff works for you.

This is good advice. I like my mini, but for multi-tasking and presentations and things I think I’d like the bigger real estate. I think I’ll (need may be too strong a word) want? A new device since my iMac is too old for sidecar… but it still does sync with notability… hmmm you’ve given me some things to think about

 

[Ludatyk]

More trying to decide between getting a laptop vs the bigger iPad for screen size plus note taking capability. Since I have the mini, the thought occurred to me I could use that for notes, and sidecar it with a laptop. I currently don’t have a laptop at all, just the older iMac at home. It’ll be a graduate nursing program, and it seems like lots of other students have used an iPad. Wondering if the mini and sidecar would be the best of both or if a single big screen for all of it would work better

Well, if you have a Mini… then yeah, get a MBA. It would be totally different if you didn’t have an iPad at all… then making the decision to get the 12.9 iPad Pro would be justifiable. But you have a Mini… adding a MBA would be the logical choice to use with sidecar.

This is good advice. I like my mini, but for multi-tasking and presentations and things I think I’d like the bigger real estate. I think I’ll (need may be too strong a word) want? A new device since my iMac is too old for sidecar… but it still does sync with notability… hmmm you’ve given me some things to think about

I agree… the 12.9 iPad Pro is great for multitasking. I have one and it’s my favorite device… it’s practically invaluable, but I don’t have any other iPads. And I’m looking at your situation from the standpoint of… you already have an iPad, but you don’t have a laptop.

Now if you rather replace your Mini and go with an iPad Pro only… that’s understandable given you have a iMac. But then this whole topic was centered around you using sidecar.

 

[Alias3800]

The MacBook would be the safer bet if you needed to get work done at school, and want to make sure that you have an OS that is fully compatible with whatever they throw at you.

The other thing is to use the iPad mini with universal control if you’re going to be using it as a second screen. Although Sidecar sounds nice, in theory, the usable resolution ends up being pretty low in my experience. Universal control works so much better unless you specifically need a desktop version of an app to be open on the Sidecar screen.

 

[culo77]

Like Robert said, sidecar was acceptable until they came out with universal control, it’s way more useful.
I would say since you already have the mini, get the MacBook Air and you will have the best of both worlds and can easily use either tool to fit which ever specific need you come across.
I have the M1 MacBook Air and a mini 6, now that I am back in the office I rarely use my MacBook and use the iPad mini now. But I am thankful I have both that I can switch back and forth depending on the work flow.

 

[JustAnExpat]

I do not believe an iPad is able to replace a Mac for university students. If you have an iPad only for your daily machine, you will be losing access to a lot of great software programs that will make your life much easier:

- Scrivener for writing papers
- Zotero as a reference manager (it allows easy exporting to APA/ MLA/ Chicago)
- Abbyy Finereader for Mac (to convert scanned .PDF of academic journals to OCR readable journals)
- Potentially specialized software programs, especially if you're doing anything statistical related (CrystalBall is one I used before). Some textbooks or classes require specialized software too
- Specialized Windows software. Don't forget a MacBook Air *CAN* run the Windows 11 Arm Version in Parallels, and it is fast!

For note taking: What type of classes are you going to take? I recommend the mini if you'll just take notes, or maybe a plain iPad. Don't forget a Matte/ Paperlike Screen Protector too.

 

[geta]

The iPad Mini could be perfect note machine, and since you already having it, instead of getting iPP 12.9”, get the MBA as your mobile device for real work, thats a great combo to cover all your needs.

 

[rui no onna]

As long as you have a separate computer you can use running a traditional desktop OS and the course doesn’t have specific tech requirements, I’d go with 10-12.9” iPad. The bigger display is much easier for letter/A4-sized PDF textbooks.

 

[UltimateSyn]

What's your major going to be?

Personally I loved always having a 10-12.9" iPad throughout college because the note-taking experience on it was excellent. I don't think a mini has enough screen real estate to have the same effect, though I suppose it could be manageable. Conversely, I also loved having a Mac throughout college and there were many an instance where I found the multi-tasking capabilities and program execution ability of the Mac to be far superior to my iPad. iPadOS has certainly come a ways since I was in college, but I still feel like my school workflow could be achieved faster, easier and cleaner on macOS.

So here's my recommendation for you to get the perfect college setup with the best of both worlds:

1. sell the iPad mini
2. buy a MBA (maybe even the M1 instead of M2 to save some $$), using your education discount
3. buy a $309 base model iPad, using the $150 gift card from the MBA purchase to halve the cost

This way you'll have both a Mac for multitasking and maximum productivity + an iPad with a larger screen for note-taking. If you have the extra money you could go for the iPad Air instead of the base model, to have the more expansive feature set and compatibility with the second-gen Pencil, but I don't think you need to go all the way up to the 12.9" Pro to get an effective note-taking device.