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iPad Pro vs Surface Pro for Note taking and video recording

F

Frisco

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 24, 2002
2,475
69
Utopia
Here's my situation. I have a job where I need to take a lot of notes and stay organized.

The people training are so quick I can't keep up with notes most of the time so I was thinking of video recording the person demonstrating what how to do something on a Tablet.

So what would be better for:
a) Video recording someone demonstrating how to do something on a computer screen? I realize the SP3 had a horrible camera. Is the SP4 good for video/audio recording? Or is the iPad Pro better?

b) Which is better for note taking with a stylus.

These are the things I will use it for most. I just really need the best device to video/audio record other's computer screen so I can learn quicker.

Thanks!
 
Frisco said:
Here's my situation. I have a job where I need to take a lot of notes and stay organized.

The people training are so quick I can't keep up with notes most of the time so I was thinking of video recording the person demonstrating what how to do something on a Tablet.

So what would be better for:
a) Video recording someone demonstrating how to do something on a computer screen? I realize the SP3 had a horrible camera. Is the SP4 good for video/audio recording? Or is the iPad Pro better?

b) Which is better for note taking with a stylus.

These are the things I will use it for most. I just really need the best device to video/audio record other's computer screen so I can learn quicker.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I've been using the Surface Pro for my work for a couple of years now, and have the new 9.7" iPad Pro as my 5th iPad. For your described use, I would say the iPad no question. The cameras on the Surface are terrible. I realize they are better on the SP4, but this is a matter of degree. The Surface is also much bigger and more awkward to hold up for framing pictures, etc, and the software is not nearly so polished. Lastly, the stylus on the Surface is OK, but the Pencil is simply much, much better. I've been waiting for years for a device that feels like a legitimate digital notebook in a compact form. The new iPP is the first that delivers. The stylus works reliably enough that it's truly a good paper replacement, even for jotting down quick notes. The cameras are first-class - finally - as I'm also one of those people who has long needed good cameras on a tablet - not for taking snapshots - but for documenting things in my workflow without involving a second device.

My experience is that on the Surface, Windows often gets too much in the way of getting something simple done. For many things, the forced simplicity of the iPad reigns.
 
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Frisco said:
Here's my situation. I have a job where I need to take a lot of notes and stay organized.

The people training are so quick I can't keep up with notes most of the time so I was thinking of video recording the person demonstrating what how to do something on a Tablet.

So what would be better for:
a) Video recording someone demonstrating how to do something on a computer screen? I realize the SP3 had a horrible camera. Is the SP4 good for video/audio recording? Or is the iPad Pro better?

b) Which is better for note taking with a stylus.

These are the things I will use it for most. I just really need the best device to video/audio record other's computer screen so I can learn quicker.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

a. For video recording, I would go with the Surface Pro 4 because it's easier to adjust the angle. With the iPad Pro, unless you get a case that isn't OEM, the back camera faces the table so you have to prop it up in order to record face forward. I don't know about quality but convenience is against the iPad Pro on this one. And at least on the Surface Pro you can have it record in the background.

b. Well, I don't know how to answer this one. I personally enjoy the Apple Pencil over the Surface Pen. I find it writes better personally. The one downside though, is the eraser function is app-based on the iPad Pro (i.e. you don't erase something by using a designated eraser at the other end of the pencil). The Surface Pen has an eraser at its tip.

Then you have to find a proper app for note taking on the iPad Pro. I use Notability because it records at the same time and, using iCloud, it syncs with Notability on my Mac. Although OneNote for iOS is supposed to be much better now, who knows.

On a side note: I think I like Microsoft's version of the future rather than Apple and the iPad as being the future computer. Hm...
 
Are you the only person having problems keeping up with the training programme? I wonder if you are better served voicing your concerns to the respective personal and see if they can provide you with hard copies of the training resources or even slowing down.
 
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off_piste said:
Will the camera continue to record while taking notes in another program? I have things as simple as gps pause sometimes if it's not displayed on the screen.
Click to expand...
I don't think it will. Every time I FaceTime and go to another app the picture goes dark
 
I doubt you can record from the native camera app while using another notes app, but apps like Noteledge can record video while taking notes.
 
Actually come to think of it you could probably split screen and it would work
 
Abazigal said:
Are you the only person having problems keeping up with the training programme? I wonder if you are better served voicing your concerns to the respective personal and see if they can provide you with hard copies of the training resources or even slowing down.
Click to expand...

Yes but this is a very fast paced company and deadlines cause everyone training to go extremely fast. I tried just recording the audio conversation in OneNote, which typically would be fine in say a college lecture. But my situation is different. He/she has like 4 Excel workbooks open at once with at least 20 tabs in each flipping back and forth between tabs in the spreadsheets and workbooks like crazy, so audio alone is no good.

After the training my notes look a mess--there is no way anyone could keep. That's why I had the idea to actually video record what they are doing.

Thanks for all the replies!
 
Frisco said:
Yes but this is a very fast paced company and deadlines cause everyone training to go extremely fast. I tried just recording the audio conversation in OneNote, which typically would be fine in say a college lecture. But my situation is different. He/she has like 4 Excel workbooks open at once with at least 20 tabs in each flipping back and forth between tabs in the spreadsheets and workbooks like crazy, so audio alone is no good.

After the training my notes look a mess--there is no way anyone could keep. That's why I had the idea to actually video record what they are doing.

Thanks for all the replies!
Click to expand...
I guess that as a teacher, I subscribe to "more haste, less speed". Sometimes, as we rush through the lessons so quickly in a bid to cover the syllabus and meet the scheme of work (SOW), the students end up not understanding anything, and it becomes counterproductive when we then have to revisit the lesson or even hold them back after school for extra lessons.

And it looks like your trainer is conducting the training lesson for the sake of conducting a training lesson as well.

It would be good if your bosses could see the irony of this situation. Spend a bit more time training the staff, and everyone is better off in the long run because the staff are better trained, which means they should be able to carry out their duties better in the future, thereby actually making the company more productive and saving time.

I know it's not exactly the answer you are looking for, and I do applaud you for taking the initiative to catch up with the training lessons in your own time. I just wonder if the problem is more endemic and systemic than what can be solved with an iPad and faster note-taking skills.
 
Abazigal said:
I guess that as a teacher, I subscribe to "more haste, less speed". Sometimes, as we rush through the lessons so quickly in a bid to cover the syllabus and meet the scheme of work (SOW), the students end up not understanding anything, and it becomes counterproductive when we then have to revisit the lesson or even hold them back after school for extra lessons.

And it looks like your trainer is conducting the training lesson for the sake of conducting a training lesson as well.

It would be good if your bosses could see the irony of this situation. Spend a bit more time training the staff, and everyone is better off in the long run because the staff are better trained, which means they should be able to carry out their duties better in the future, thereby actually making the company more productive and saving time.

I know it's not exactly the answer you are looking for, and I do applaud you for taking the initiative to catch up with the training lessons in your own time. I just wonder if the problem is more endemic and systemic than what can be solved with an iPad and faster note-taking skills.
Click to expand...
Wow! You are reading my mind. For what's it's worth I am a Data Analyst and just started a new job a month ago. I have many years of Analytic experience with various organizations.

The problem is endemic to the whole company. I wasn't just talking about one person training light speed, everybody does the same thing. I feel like I am so overwhelmed that I can't learn one thing, because they keep adding additional (just as complicated) tasks that I don't get a chance to focus on just one thing.

And all the analytics that they are doing should be done in databases and other analytic tools. That's the way I have always worked before. Of course they have been doing this type of work in Excel for such a long time, that a paradigm shift alone wouldn't be enough. They don't have the resources or time to change over to SQL Analysis & Reporting Services or similar tools. At the very least things would be a lot better if this work was done in Access, which I know very well, but I am only Analyst who knows Access and no way I can do it alone.

So it looks like they are stuck with Excel (which I know very well). But I can't remember the tedious processes they do because they don't give me enough time to digest one thing, before throwing another equally convoluted report in my face.

As soon as I start to learn one thing something new comes along and by the end of the day it's all jumbled up in my mind.

Sorry for the rant, but Abazigal you are spot on! Thank you.
 
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I just made a video of an hour long training and wound up with a 5GB file stuck in the iCloud. I had to turn iCloud off and back on to get it out of it. I'm still pondering how to get it off the iPad onto a more useful format. Maybe OneDrive, maybe roll it out via iTunes? It's kind of a pain dealing with larger files in iPad land although I might have been helped if I'd played around with the video settings before pushing record.

Anyways, I don't know anything about the surface (although if it has USB +1 for it) but I'm in roughly the same place. I've been sitting in classes but I've almost given up on getting anything out of it other than osmosis. It's very unstructured and there's just never any, "step 1 is, step 2 is, step 3 is, now let's do it on your system" and with some other problems, the notes just aren't happening.

I think the pencil would be helpful but I don't think this is an optimal video device like you want to use it especially when recording pretty much takes the device out of your hands. If you can record and type on a surface that might be an edge there too. I'm actually leaning towards getting the little feller (rMB) and selling the iPad because it's more versatile, although the convenience of touch is nice and I'd like to try a pencil with note taking.
 
Frisco said:
Here's my situation. I have a job where I need to take a lot of notes and stay organized.

The people training are so quick I can't keep up with notes most of the time so I was thinking of video recording the person demonstrating what how to do something on a Tablet.

So what would be better for:
a) Video recording someone demonstrating how to do something on a computer screen? I realize the SP3 had a horrible camera. Is the SP4 good for video/audio recording? Or is the iPad Pro better?

b) Which is better for note taking with a stylus.

These are the things I will use it for most. I just really need the best device to video/audio record other's computer screen so I can learn quicker.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I believe SP4 is better because it can do video recording and note taking at same time using split view. iPad might not. I could be wrong.
 
Frisco said:
Here's my situation. I have a job where I need to take a lot of notes and stay organized.

The people training are so quick I can't keep up with notes most of the time so I was thinking of video recording the person demonstrating what how to do something on a Tablet.

So what would be better for:
a) Video recording someone demonstrating how to do something on a computer screen? I realize the SP3 had a horrible camera. Is the SP4 good for video/audio recording? Or is the iPad Pro better?

b) Which is better for note taking with a stylus.

These are the things I will use it for most. I just really need the best device to video/audio record other's computer screen so I can learn quicker.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

What I did in collage is- because i was listening to the professor and didn't have time to copy the blackboard at the same time i ask permission to the pictures of it with my iPhone
[doublepost=1466702213][/doublepost]
max2 said:
I decided to get my mom a iPad Pro.
Click to expand...

An ipade
 
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