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All iPads iPad Mini or iPad 4 Medical Student Need Advice

R

renosausage

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 22, 2012
158
0
Hey everyone,

I am currently a student and need some help deciding between an iPad Mini or iPad 4.

My current set up is a Macbook Pro and Notebook.

I use not macbook 99% of the time for Notes, Internet, Assignments, email, typing documents, reading books etc...

I rarely use pen and paper for anything

Here is my dilemma, I have seen a lot of research apps that would be very useful for me on the iPad.

Even though my notebook has the ability to research anything i need, its not as portable and easy to just pull out of my pocket.

So far I am leaning on the iPad Mini, just because of its size.

Here are my Questions:

Does the difference in processors really make the iPad Mini extremely inferior in speed and performance? (I will be running Anatomy applications that will require a lot of processing power)

Does the size of the iPad Mini make it too small for typing emails, text, etc... (I am not talking about essays or reports)

Is the portability of the Mini a lot more noticeable than the iPad 4? (Can you fit it in your pocket? Is it sometimes too small?)

Do you ever have to squint or look closely to read information?
 
I like my iPad Mini, and I don't have any issues doing everything on it. I run Cubasis on it, which is a music authoring app that is one of the, if not the, best music authoring software you can get.

However, if I was going to look at medical related textbooks and research, I'd go for the iPad 4. The Mini is much more suited for casual reading. Remember that there is a lot of charts and photography in those anatomy books/apps/etc. The books look better when they're true to size on a regular sized iPad.
 
I had the mini and just traded it for an iPad 4.

I never needed to squint to read anything, the iPad mini could fit in one of my jean pockets somehow, but not practical :p. Not sure how big of a pocket you have, but I doubt it's pocket sized for anyone.

iPad mini is a lot lighter and thinner, iPad 4 is very heavy.

iPad mini was perfect for typing, very easy to type one handed fast. If you need to type while walking or standing I'd say the mini would be easier and less straining on your hand.

The iPad 4 is a lot faster, noticeably faster. But there wasn't an app I couldn't open on the iPad mini.

If you need a stylus then get the iPad 4.
 
As a medical student in Denmark, the choice was easy:
The mini fits in my coat, so theres that. Also i would never use it for reading (even if i had a 4), however flashcards and other medical apps works great on the mini.
 
If you're really keen on bring able to pull it out of your pocket at any time and use it, go for the mini. If you're more concerned about performance and the quality of the screen for reading get the iPad 4. Personally I'd wait till September/October before buying, the iPad 5 will likely be much thinner lighter and more portable than the 4, and the new mini will likely be much more powerful and potentially have a screen quality improvement. This would make both devices even more capable than what you're choosing between now. If you can, hold on till October time and use any extra cash you get between now and then on a higher capacity model or 4G :)
 
It really depends how far along you are in medical school. If you're studying in the US, the iPad 4 is best for the first two years since you'll mostly be in lecture before Step 1. Once you start your clinical years, the iPad Mini or a Nexus 7 will be best since they will fit in your lab coat. I bought an iPad 4 for medical school and will switch to a 7-8" tablet once I start my third year.
 
Ophthalmologist here..

Much happier with my mini than my full-size ipad.
 
Try adding a keyboard to the mini - that will solve the typing issue.

Best of luck with your studies!
 
ihakim said:
It really depends how far along you are in medical school. If you're studying in the US, the iPad 4 is best for the first two years since you'll mostly be in lecture before Step 1. Once you start your clinical years, the iPad Mini or a Nexus 7 will be best since they will fit in your lab coat. I bought an iPad 4 for medical school and will switch to a 7-8" tablet once I start my third year.
Click to expand...

This.

I had the 2 and then 3 versions during first and second year. I have the mini now for wards/rotations and LOVE it. Size is perfect.
 
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