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iPad 2 for College
- Thread starter stefc93
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I am a student, and I have both a laptop and an iPad. I couldn't go without my laptop, but it is my main computer and as you mentioned, you have a main computer at home. So if you are set on getting an iPad, here are my suggestions:
- get a zaggmate or similar case that already has a keyboard built in and voila, you have a laptop/netbook ish set up that will be easier to take notes with.
- Generally, Pages does not properly convert to Word docs in regards to formatting. Some professors are very particular with formatting so I would suggest getting a copy of Word. Check with Microsoft and your University's IT Department, you can usually get it at a discounted rate.
- Apps:
-Evernote
-Notetaker HD
- Flashcards
-QuickOffice (for word docs, excel, etc)
-Pages and Keynote if that's your preference
- Read It Later
There are countless others like outlining and mind mapping tools that you might want to check into as well. I am a law student so I have a lot of apps that are specific to those interests. You may want to google "iPad Apps for Civil Engineers" or "iPad Apps for Engineering Students" to find apps that may be better tailored to your interests.
Good Luck!
I'm also considering purchasing an iPad 2 to use for college. I had a 2010 13" MBP which saw an unfortunate rumble with a glass of water. It would be cheaper (though only slightly, but I have an apartment to begin furnishing and everything adds up) to get an iPad as opposed to repairing the MBP. I'm a PoliSci major, though I may switch to Nutrition Science. My school work is generally just writing papers and studying. I plan to purchase the external keyboard. I'm also a fan of etextbooks, and I know the iPad would excel in that department.
I will be living with a friend next year who owns an MBP, and I know if I just choose to manually manage my iPad, I can hook my external hard drive (rescued from water damaged MBP) and use her computer when I feel necessary. I think I should be fine, but I'd be interested to hear some opinions as well.
I will be living with a friend next year who owns an MBP, and I know if I just choose to manually manage my iPad, I can hook my external hard drive (rescued from water damaged MBP) and use her computer when I feel necessary. I think I should be fine, but I'd be interested to hear some opinions as well.
nah if ipad is the only think u r taking i would say the 11 inch air would suit u much better b/c of taking notes which requires alot of work processing
mdlooker
macrumors 65816
I'm a business major (which is writing intensive) and never used the iPad for anything dealing with writing. Your mind is made up so go for it. Your iPad will, as others have mentioned, be a great tool for an easy reference tool.
I have PDF Expert, GoodReader, iAnnotate, Pentultimate, Pages, iFax Pro, Dropbox, and a couple of calculator Apps of each will serve some unique and redundant purposes.
As others have said, you'll more than likely find the iPad to be a pleasant addition to your collection, but may find yourself a little disappointed if it's intention is a hard-line alternative.
Good luck to you.
I have PDF Expert, GoodReader, iAnnotate, Pentultimate, Pages, iFax Pro, Dropbox, and a couple of calculator Apps of each will serve some unique and redundant purposes.
As others have said, you'll more than likely find the iPad to be a pleasant addition to your collection, but may find yourself a little disappointed if it's intention is a hard-line alternative.
Good luck to you.
Im also planning on using an Ipad for most of college, i feel times have changed and i think ill be able to do it mostly by ipad with some minor exceptions, my ipad comes tmrw hopefully cant wait 🙂
Night Spring
macrumors P6
Those of you considering using an iPad as your main or only computer for college should keep in mind that the writing apps for the iPad aren't as full-featured as desktop versions. Pages for iPad, for instance, doesn't have a footnote/endnote function. I haven't kept up with the other word processing apps, but you should ckeck your course requirements, figure out what functions you need on your computer to meet those requirements, then make sure there are iPad apps that adequately perform those functions before committing to the iPad as an only/main computer.
The iPad is a wonderful device, and I wish it had been available while I was going to school, it would have made life easier in so many different ways. But it would have been a supplemental device, and I wouldn't have dared to get through college without a full-featured desktop. (Well, actually, when I went to college, PCs were still too expensive, for most people to own, and we got by with typing on typewriters or the university mainframes. We had to type each footnote/endnote by hand, and if we changed the order of our notes, we had to renumber everthing by hand. I finally got my own PC when I was in grad school, discovered wordprocessors, and never looked back. I suggest you don't, either. 😉)
The iPad is a wonderful device, and I wish it had been available while I was going to school, it would have made life easier in so many different ways. But it would have been a supplemental device, and I wouldn't have dared to get through college without a full-featured desktop. (Well, actually, when I went to college, PCs were still too expensive, for most people to own, and we got by with typing on typewriters or the university mainframes. We had to type each footnote/endnote by hand, and if we changed the order of our notes, we had to renumber everthing by hand. I finally got my own PC when I was in grad school, discovered wordprocessors, and never looked back. I suggest you don't, either. 😉)
I'm graduating in a week and can definitely say that I could NOT have managed undergrad on my iPad alone. Seems like you have your mind made up. Good luck.
OP has iMac 27". Similar to my set up. I will address a some items not mentioned by others who have covered a number of excellent apps (e.g. Penultimate, GoodReader).
On my iMac I have Scrivener for drafting research papers coupled with Sente for bibliography and citations. Plus, DevonThink Pro Office for
scanning and storing all sorts of info, documents, etc. I use Word for final versions of papers. (Never got around to using Pages and am comfortable with Word.) Plus OmniOutliner and OmniFocus.
On my iPad 2, I use Index Card and iA Writer to do work I later import into Scrivener. Both were developed with Scrivener in mind. I use Sente for iPad for annotating PDFs and sync with Sente. I have Devonthink To Go to sync w/DT Pro Office. I also have OmniFocus for iPad to keep me on task each day and sync each evening and can hardly wait (along with so many others) for the iPad version of OmniOutliner. [The iPad version of OmniFocus is superior in its UI to the Mac version, and I expect the same to be true for OO.]
On my iMac I have Scrivener for drafting research papers coupled with Sente for bibliography and citations. Plus, DevonThink Pro Office for
scanning and storing all sorts of info, documents, etc. I use Word for final versions of papers. (Never got around to using Pages and am comfortable with Word.) Plus OmniOutliner and OmniFocus.
On my iPad 2, I use Index Card and iA Writer to do work I later import into Scrivener. Both were developed with Scrivener in mind. I use Sente for iPad for annotating PDFs and sync with Sente. I have Devonthink To Go to sync w/DT Pro Office. I also have OmniFocus for iPad to keep me on task each day and sync each evening and can hardly wait (along with so many others) for the iPad version of OmniOutliner. [The iPad version of OmniFocus is superior in its UI to the Mac version, and I expect the same to be true for OO.]
I am currently a junior in college and have used my MBP for everything so far. However, I am starting to lean toward selling the MBP and going with an iMac + iPad 2 combo. An iPad can do everything in the classroom that the MBP does while being even more portable, and the iMac can easily handle the heavy duty work.
I'd say the OP would be just fine with an iPad, and he obviously doesn't want an MBA, so stop pushing that on him. Laptops are starting to feel outdated IMO, especially when you get used to the functionality of iOS. Tablets are the future of computing, but it will be sometime before they are autonomous.
I'd say the OP would be just fine with an iPad, and he obviously doesn't want an MBA, so stop pushing that on him. Laptops are starting to feel outdated IMO, especially when you get used to the functionality of iOS. Tablets are the future of computing, but it will be sometime before they are autonomous.
I hope u guys taking laptops and tablets to class are getting 4.0 averages. Seriously, I graduated three years ago and nothing is more portable than a pen and paper. He doesn't need an iPad for class. It's not going to make things easier or him a better student.