New MacBook Pro or iPad for college use

[ultra7k]

If iPads had existed during my undergrad, I would have used that + keyboard to take notes and have it sync to my laptop or desktop, instead of my unwieldy Dell laptop which *only* weighed 8 lbs. lol. And even then, some profs wouldn't allow you to use a laptop in their class....sigh...

I think Evernote serves as a great note taking tool and it syncs very seamlessly. I use it for almost anything that is worth keeping track of.

One Note might be good for iPad, but I haven't tried it, though that was the program I used mainly during my undergrad to keep track of all my notes. It was better than multiple word documents, that's for sure.

 

[Ahmahzahn]

Evernote

+1 for evernote, great integration between your computer and phone, plus you can take pictures of anything you have to handwrite (equations, long proofs...) and upload them to your notebook on evernote. Plus tagging individual notes for each different class is great for easy organization.

 

[Krazy Bill]

My graduation gift from my grandparents is either a new laptop, or an iPad. I do not need either one,

Then take neither. Ask them to pitch in for your 1st semester books instead - something you really need.

As for the apps I just wanted to know if there were any really good note taking options. I have only ever used Pages/Word in High School. Just curious as to other options.

MS Office student edition, specifically MS Word. It produces *real* doc/docx files. Also, the notebook layout of Word might prove useful.

If not that, even TextEdit is basically a full-fleged word processor. (And it's free).

 

[Augustine864]

Personally I think using an iPad for notes in class would be a nightmare, but that's just me.

I still prefer paper and pencil because it helps me remember the material better, though I do sometimes use a laptop and keyboard.

An iPad just doesn't strike me as ideal for fast-paced note taking, the kind I did a lot of in college. Certainly not using the on-screen keyboard anyway. Perhaps with a physical keyboard, but I still feel like you'll end up feeling hampered using iPad for this particular function.

If its one or the other, I would strongly and definitely say a new laptop. Could always flip your old one for cash too.

 

[parkm13]

Personally I think using an iPad for notes in class would be a nightmare, but that's just me.

I still prefer paper and pencil because it helps me remember the material better, though I do sometimes use a laptop and keyboard.

An iPad just doesn't strike me as ideal for fast-paced note taking, the kind I did a lot of in college. Certainly not using the on-screen keyboard anyway. Perhaps with a physical keyboard, but I still feel like you'll end up feeling hampered using iPad for this particular function.

If its one or the other, I would strongly and definitely say a new laptop. Could always flip your old one for cash too.

Yeah I was planning on selling my old one to get about $800, that would put a nice dent in the laptop price.

As for using the money for something "I really need" all my books and everything else are already paid for. (Thank you scholarships)

 

[TC400]

Go with option 1.

 

[saberahul]

Depends on program you go for IMO. Engineering will require you to use software such as matlab, etc. for which you will need a computer. Some software is windows only so no option will help you in this case but your school will have a computer lab.

The iPad will be extremely helpful with PDF's and note taking. You could use a stylus and an app like notability and PDF expert though Notability will suffice.

Bottom line: if you can - get both with a nice stylus for the iPad

 

[HardBall]

Depends on program you go for IMO. Engineering will require you to use software such as matlab, etc. for which you will need a computer. Some software is windows only so no option will help you in this case but your school will have a computer lab.

The iPad will be extremely helpful with PDF's and note taking. You could use a stylus and an app like notability and PDF expert though Notability will suffice.

Bottom line: if you can - get both with a nice stylus for the iPad

I'm a grad student in computer engineering. I can say that if you are not paying, a retina MBP is by far and away the better choice; that will serve you well into your college career.

Many math focused apps would run fine under OS X; such as Matlab, runs fine on any version of OS X, with xquartz installed. Macs are prevalent in math departments in most universities, and preferred probably by a majority of math majors. You can also run Windows in VM for the few engineering apps that are not OS X compatible yet.

Taking note on a tablet is awful, not worth wasting your time. Writing on a normal capacitive touch screen is an exercise in frustration, if you want accurate hand writing and not fatiguing your wrist/forearm for extended use. I have tried a variety of tablets, including a couple of version of the ipad for note taking, most of them are invariably bad, since the styli lack the variable friction that you expect from writing on paper, and most tablets have no pressure sensitivity built into the digitizer. And palm rejection is not terribly reliable on any capacitive touch screen these days.

Accurate writing on a screen usually requires a wacom digitizer built into the screen, which exists on very few tablets. The only tablet that I have found tolerable for note-taking is the Entourage edge: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218
And they don't make them any more; I used this out of necessity for my mathematical graph theory classes (as I frequently had to produce digital copies of my notes, and most of the notes have to be hand drawn).

For most engineering classes, a rMBP will be great for note-taking. Use Daum Equation Editor or similar apps to compose complex formulae (you will get used to them pretty quickly, and it helps to give you some quick intro to Latex, which is a requirement in later engineering classes/research). The only concern would be battery life through a day, if you don't have a place to recharge in the middle of the day. Maybe an external battery pack would be a good investment if you have to go >6 hr on the go.

 

[canucksfan88]

just keep your current laptop and forgo buying the iPad.

iPad is terrible to write notes on...and your laptop will last you. if it starts dying...buy a new one when you need to.

save your money - textbooks, tuition, etc will already be expensive as it is.

edit: sometimes good ol pad and paper works even better - depending on what type of class

 

[parkm13]

I'm a grad student in computer engineering. I can say that if you are not paying, a retina MBP is by far and away the better choice; that will serve you well into your college career.

Many math focused apps would run fine under OS X; such as Matlab, runs fine on any version of OS X, with xquartz installed. Macs are prevalent in math departments in most universities, and preferred probably by a majority of math majors. You can also run Windows in VM for the few engineering apps that are not OS X compatible yet.

Taking note on a tablet is awful, not worth wasting your time. Writing on a normal capacitive touch screen is an exercise in frustration, if you want accurate hand writing and not fatiguing your wrist/forearm for extended use. I have tried a variety of tablets, including a couple of version of the ipad for note taking, most of them are invariably bad, since the styli lack the variable friction that you expect from writing on paper, and most tablets have no pressure sensitivity built into the digitizer. And palm rejection is not terribly reliable on any capacitive touch screen these days.

Accurate writing on a screen usually requires a wacom digitizer built into the screen, which exists on very few tablets. The only tablet that I have found tolerable for note-taking is the Entourage edge: http://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=218
And they don't make them any more; I used this out of necessity for my mathematical graph theory classes (as I frequently had to produce digital copies of my notes, and most of the notes have to be hand drawn).

For most engineering classes, a rMBP will be great for note-taking. Use Daum Equation Editor or similar apps to compose complex formulae (you will get used to them pretty quickly, and it helps to give you some quick intro to Latex, which is a requirement in later engineering classes/research). The only concern would be battery life through a day, if you don't have a place to recharge in the middle of the day. Maybe an external battery pack would be a good investment if you have to go >6 hr on the go.

You made some very good points. Always good to hear the insite of others. I also have a copy of Windows 7/8 I can put on via bootcamp (or any other VM software) if I need to. As for the battery life, after looking into the next generation of rMBP should have an at least decent jump in battery life. Plus I will be able to go back to my dorm and plug it in if need be, so I don't see that as an issue.

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just keep your current laptop and forgo buying the iPad.

iPad is terrible to write notes on...and your laptop will last you. if it starts dying...buy a new one when you need to.

save your money - textbooks, tuition, etc will already be expensive as it is.

edit: sometimes good ol pad and paper works even better - depending on what type of class

As I have said earlier, my costs are taken care of through some very nice scholarships and an engineering company I am interning for.

I think I am going to take your advice and just go with a new laptop. They just seem to have more options than an iPad.

 

[Vulcan]

If I were you I'd go for the iPad. I am a biology and Spanish major. My iPad was invaluable for my bio and chem classes, as the profs would give us Powerpoints, and just leave out certain words or elaborate during the lectures. I would use Notability and a stylus to take great notes. This saves a lot of time on printing them out, and if you use eBooks, lets you have all your materials on the same device.

As for my Spanish and core classes, I used a paper and pen in almost all of them. There is too much information to take down too quickly for the iPad to be much of a use in those classes.

I do have a rMBP, but I rarely take that to class.

 

[yaymath]

I would get a new rMBP when it comes out this summer and sell your current MacBook. If you feel like you need an iPad, you can always buy it using the money you make from selling your current MacBook.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

The solid state drive in the rMBP will definitely last longer than your current hard drive. I would be concerned about hard drive space though. I'm a history major, and I know my papers take up a lot of space in my 160 gb drive. I've heard that upper level engineering reports can be very long and therefore take up a lot of hard drive space. If you do get an rMBP, you'll definitely want external drives for backups and storing files you don't need very often.

 

[TallManNY]

Your 2011 macbook is too new to get replaced. also you will be better able to make up your mind once you get to school and learn what the set up is.
finally, you don't buy any of the current macs since you have time to wait for the haswel upgrade this summer. but personnaly I would keep your fine 2011 and get the ipad. but id wait for ipad 5 which should be out by the time class starts.

 

[Jodles]

Thats what made me lean to the iPad at first. I am able to write on it like paper for things like equations.

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Okay, thanks for input!

I don't know.. I've done math and physics in uni, and tried both laptop (everything from textedit to typesetting straight in LaTeX(!)), to iPad to notes... There's usually so many equations flying about an iPad just didn't cut it for me (although I really wanted to make it work). I had a stylus thingie for it, but it was still pretty crude and you can only fit so much on one "page". What worked best for me in the end was normal A4 paper with thin lines or grid and a good pen. Can't really beat it.

Just my $0.02

 

[GermanyChris]

I would buy the cheapest POS I could find that way when bad stuff happens as it usually does in the dorms you can pop the drive out an throw it away.

 

[parkm13]

I don't know.. I've done math and physics in uni, and tried both laptop (everything from textedit to typesetting straight in LaTeX(!)), to iPad to notes... There's usually so many equations flying about an iPad just didn't cut it for me (although I really wanted to make it work). I had a stylus thingie for it, but it was still pretty crude and you can only fit so much on one "page". What worked best for me in the end was normal A4 paper with thin lines or grid and a good pen. Can't really beat it.

Just my $0.02

I think paper is the most tried and true method of notes. Just thinking I would try to use something a little more high tech first. Maybe I should just buy a rMBP for in my dorm and take notes the old fashion way.

 

[Hildegerd]

If iPads had existed during my undergrad, I would have used that + keyboard to take notes and have it sync to my laptop or desktop, instead of my unwieldy Dell laptop which *only* weighed 8 lbs. lol. And even then, some profs wouldn't allow you to use a laptop in their class....sigh...

I think Evernote serves as a great note taking tool and it syncs very seamlessly. I use it for almost anything that is worth keeping track of.

One Note might be good for iPad, but I haven't tried it, though that was the program I used mainly during my undergrad to keep track of all my notes. It was better than multiple word documents, that's for sure.

Yes, an iPad at school (with Evernote, Daedalus Touch and Dropbox) and an iMac at home. I would have kept the laptop though.

 

[Haiku214]

Yes, an iPad at school (with Evernote, Daedalus Touch and Dropbox) and an iMac at home. I would have kept the laptop though.

During my engineering undergrad, we were all using laptops (absolutely not iPads). All of the programs we used (Matlab, C, java, AutoCAD, EWB, networking software, etc.) needs a PC.

I don't know what kind of engineering program you are going into but really there's no way an iPad can replace a laptop for technical school.

Edit: Sorry wrong quote

 

[Hildegerd]

During my engineering undergrad, we were all using laptops (absolutely not iPads). All of the programs we used (Matlab, C, java, AutoCAD, EWB, networking software, etc.) needs a PC.

I don't know what kind of engineering program you are going into but really there's no way an iPad can replace a laptop for technical school.

Edit: Sorry wrong quote

I am no enginer at all. I am a sociologist.

 

[A Hebrew]

My graduation gift from my grandparents is either a new laptop, or an iPad. I do not need either one, I'm sure my current macbook would work throughout school. A new one though would just work better. Originally I really just wanted to hear from college students what would be better to use in class/for class, a new macbook, or an iPad.

As for the apps I just wanted to know if there were any really good note taking options. I have only ever used Pages/Word in High School. Just curious as to other options.

If your grandparents are getting it, get the iPad simply because it is much cheaper. If it is YOUR money I would get the rMBP.

 

[kjb0419]

Hello, I am going to be starting college this fall and just would like to know what you all would recommend getting.

I could:

1. Keep my 2011 base 13 inch macbook pro and get an iPad. My idea with this would be use the iPad every day in class to take notes with a keyboard, then maybe spend $100 and put a new, faster HDD in my laptop and use that for my papers or more intense things than notes.

2. Buy a new Macbook Pro. Not get any iPad. This would mean I could get a new rMBP to use for everything in college for the next few years.

What I think it comes down to in the end is what would be better for using in class, an iPad, or a new rMBP. Or if you have any other suggestions for what is best for an engineering student I would love to hear them. Thanks in advance!

100% get a macbook pro and not an iPad. I've used both for school and an ipad just doesn't really get the job done, especially if you want to use it for taking notes and things like that. You'll get frustrated trying to type and just end up playing games half the time, haha. Also I'm a civil engineer major and some of my classes use auto cad, which will run a lot better on a newer macbook.

I've owned 3 different ipads and 4 different MacBooks. Each time I got an iPad I've gotten rid of it within a few months because I didn't use it enough.

 

[parkm13]

If your grandparents are getting it, get the iPad simply because it is much cheaper. If it is YOUR money I would get the rMBP.

My grandparents would much rather me get what is best, not what is cheapest. Plus if I get the new MacBook I will sell the one I have now so it will cut down on the cost a lot.

 

[MaxxTraxx]

Personally I would just save the money. Neither one is needed honestly at this point.

 

[thecurryman]

get a new macbook and sell your old one.
im in college and i can tell you that you want a laptop that will work all 4 years (or however many you plan on taking) the one you have right now might work now but what about in a year if it fails? then what? best not to take any chance,