iPad Pro iPad Pro For School

[ccigas]

Hey everyone, looking to get a tablet as a portable laptop replacement and the 12.9" Pro is one of my options, and a Surface Pro. I played around with it yesterday and just wanted to ask everyone about the keyboard and longterm use. If anyone is ok with it or if it's not good for writing 5+ page papers. I probably won't be doing that much on the iPad since I have a full keyboard and PC for that but just curious since I could. The 10" iPad keyboard was too small for me but the 12.9" felt ok for short use, standing up trying to type on it at the store probably didnt help me that much though.

Really the only thing I will be running is Microsoft Office apps, and maybe using an app called Canvas to access my school or just Safari or Chrome. The reason why I ask is that I want something super light, and an iPad is lighter and cheaper than a Surface Pro which is amazing for light use like this and a better keyboard.

Currently I have an XPS 15 9550 which is a quad-core i7 and 16gm of RAM that I thought I would need for school but since everything is done in the browser, or light downloads like Notepad ++, it was way overkill.

Hope someone could shed some light on the bigger iPad Pro keyboard for me so I can make a choice.

Thank you

 

[JimWPVB]

Hey everyone, looking to get a tablet as a portable laptop replacement and the 12.9" Pro is one of my options, and a Surface Pro. I played around with it yesterday and just wanted to ask everyone about the keyboard and longterm use. If anyone is ok with it or if it's not good for writing 5+ page papers. I probably won't be doing that much on the iPad since I have a full keyboard and PC for that but just curious since I could. The 10" iPad keyboard was too small for me but the 12.9" felt ok for short use, standing up trying to type on it at the store probably didnt help me that much though.

Really the only thing I will be running is Microsoft Office apps, and maybe using an app called Canvas to access my school or just Safari or Chrome. The reason why I ask is that I want something super light, and an iPad is lighter and cheaper than a Surface Pro which is amazing for light use like this and a better keyboard.

Currently I have an XPS 15 9550 which is a quad-core i7 and 16gm of RAM that I thought I would need for school but since everything is done in the browser, or light downloads like Notepad ++, it was way overkill.

Hope someone could shed some light on the bigger iPad Pro keyboard for me so I can make a choice.

Thank you

[doublepost=1525807676][/doublepost]The 12.9”iPad Pro with a Logitech Slim Combo keyboard ($150 on Amazon) is great and handles papers, email correspondence and the like very well.

I have been testing the combination for the lastseverql weeks and am impressed. We will delpoy that combination within our company for those that travel and aren't heavy spreadsheet users.

 

[ccigas]

[doublepost=1525807676][/doublepost]The 12.9”iPad Pro with a Logitech Slim Combo keyboard ($150 on Amazon) is great and handles papers, email correspondence and the like very well.

I have been testing the combination for the lastseverql weeks and am impressed. We will delpoy that combination within our company for those that travel and aren't heavy spreadsheet users.

How do you like the Logitech case? Seems like it would make the iPad even bigger.

 

[appleofmyibook]

Thought I’d jump in here. Definitely the iPad Pro for school... it’s one of the best devices you can have for study for various reasons. Mostly you have a great selection of note taking apps including Notability, GoodNotes & OneNote. It also has pretty much all the apps you need for get by as well. I would definitely, definitely choose the Smart Keyboard over the LG any day of the week. Tried both and the Smart Keyboard has an awesome feel and is much thinner/lighter. The 2017 iPad Pro 12.9 is most definitely my favourite Apple device ever. So practical, especially for study.

 

[mk313]

While I like my iPad (I don't have a 12.9"), I don't find the office apps to be that great. They are pretty good & I use them, but when I was in school, I spent a lot of time on my computer doing things in Word that I couldn't do on the iPad (things like Tables of contents, etc). If your primary use for the portable computer is office/ word, I'd recommend the surface

 

[ccigas]

Thought I’d jump in here. Definitely the iPad Pro for school... it’s one of the best devices you can have for study for various reasons. Mostly you have a great selection of note taking apps including Notability, GoodNotes & OneNote. It also has pretty much all the apps you need for get by as well. I would definitely, definitely choose the Smart Keyboard over the LG any day of the week. Tried both and the Smart Keyboard has an awesome feel and is much thinner/lighter. The 2017 iPad Pro 12.9 is most definitely my favourite Apple device ever. So practical, especially for study.

See I like the idea of the Apple Smart Keyboard, its smaller, and lighter and it really is not a case, and the smart keyboard did feel okayish when I was using it. Doesn't hurt to get both and return the one I do not like though, especially since the logitech one seems more normal.

While I like my iPad (I don't have a 12.9"), I don't find the office apps to be that great. They are pretty good & I use them, but when I was in school, I spent a lot of time on my computer doing things in Word that I couldn't do on the iPad (things like Tables of contents, etc). If your primary use for the portable computer is office/ word, I'd recommend the surface

I honestly don't think I will be adding any table of contents or anything crazy, but like I said, I do have a normal full desktop I can write long papers on and do those types of things anyway. Currently I am on that PC, over my laptop since it is just overall a better experience with multiple monitors too. But at least I know the Office apps don't have a few things the Surface will. I would love the Surface honestly, but everything did seem a little small on the screen, even though the screen did looked beautiful.

 

[rui no onna]

Hey everyone, looking to get a tablet as a portable laptop replacement and the 12.9" Pro is one of my options, and a Surface Pro. I played around with it yesterday and just wanted to ask everyone about the keyboard and longterm use. If anyone is ok with it or if it's not good for writing 5+ page papers. I probably won't be doing that much on the iPad since I have a full keyboard and PC for that but just curious since I could. The 10" iPad keyboard was too small for me but the 12.9" felt ok for short use, standing up trying to type on it at the store probably didnt help me that much though.

Really the only thing I will be running is Microsoft Office apps, and maybe using an app called Canvas to access my school or just Safari or Chrome. The reason why I ask is that I want something super light, and an iPad is lighter and cheaper than a Surface Pro which is amazing for light use like this and a better keyboard.

Currently I have an XPS 15 9550 which is a quad-core i7 and 16gm of RAM that I thought I would need for school but since everything is done in the browser, or light downloads like Notepad ++, it was way overkill.

Hope someone could shed some light on the bigger iPad Pro keyboard for me so I can make a choice.

Thank you

If you didn't have a PC, I would've voted Surface but since you do, the iPad is just a much nicer experience.

 

[ccigas]

If you didn't have a PC, I would've voted Surface but since you do, the iPad is just a much nicer experience.

Thank you, that is kind of the reason why I even gave the iPad Pro a chance here, plus its cheaper even though by a little.

 

[Altis]

The Surface makes it much easier to have multiple applications/windows going at the same time. There's pretty much nothing it can't do: mouse/trackpad support, USB devices (including thumb drives, printers, etc), desktop web pages (including flash), and so on.

I pretty much never see iPads on campus. I don't see many Surfaces either, but certainly more. I have a friend who had one but couldn't do an assignment on WileyPlus because the browser wouldn't load the content. I tried to use one for school briefly but even having to reference something while working on a document became a pain in the rear (far worse with Safari reloads taking you way back on the school library page!).

Would you be selling the XPS? I'd just use that if it were me instead of taking the losses on it and buying a new device.

 

[CrystalQuest76]

Hopefully the Apple engineers put in the ability to insert a "Table of Contents" in the next update. They have it in the Mac version.

 

[ccigas]

The Surface makes it much easier to have multiple applications/windows going at the same time. There's pretty much nothing it can't do: mouse/trackpad support, USB devices (including thumb drives, printers, etc), desktop web pages (including flash), and so on.

I pretty much never see iPads on campus. I don't see many Surfaces either, but certainly more. I have a friend who had one but couldn't do an assignment on WileyPlus because the browser wouldn't load the content. I tried to use one for school briefly but even having to reference something while working on a document became a pain in the rear (far worse with Safari reloads taking you way back on the school library page!).

Would you be selling the XPS? I'd just use that if it were me instead of taking the losses on it and buying a new device.

I wouldn't mind selling the XPS at all, just not yet, want to make sure I can get a definite replacement. Im guessing WileyPlus is your schools version of just an online blackboard, or like my school's Canvas, which has a mobile app and works well from what I tested on the iPad in store. I guess it just depends on what school has what. The drawback for me in Canvas or online is the track pad / mouse pad like you said. I have labs that take place in browser, which I can access, but at least for my first lab for one of my classes, it will be loading a Windows machine in browser that I will probably need a mouse pad on now that I think of it. I can test that though using the touch on my XPS so I am not stuck if I do happen to get the iPad. But thanks for pointing that out, did not even think of that, since the labs are the only thing Ill need a mouse for on that.

 

[Altis]

I wouldn't mind selling the XPS at all, just not yet, want to make sure I can get a definite replacement. Im guessing WileyPlus is your schools version of just an online blackboard, or like my school's Canvas, which has a mobile app and works well from what I tested on the iPad in store. I guess it just depends on what school has what. The drawback for me in Canvas or online is the track pad / mouse pad like you said. I have labs that take place in browser, which I can access, but at least for my first lab for one of my classes, it will be loading a Windows machine in browser that I will probably need a mouse pad on now that I think of it. I can test that though using the touch on my XPS so I am not stuck if I do happen to get the iPad. But thanks for pointing that out, did not even think of that, since the labs are the only thing Ill need a mouse for on that.

Wiley is the textbook publisher. WileyPlus is extra content/assignments and stuff they have.

It would help to know what you're studying. In engineering, using a Mac is difficult enough, but an iPad is utterly useless to us.

Personally I rather go with a tool that I know will be up for anything that can be tossed at it, without having to do a song and dance to get things to work. School is challenging enough to not need to make it even more complicated. This is especially important as time is often of the essence. The number of times that I've had to make last-minute changes to submissions means that I don't have time to fudge around with iOS's extremely narrow scope of use.

 

[akash.nu]

Hopefully the Apple engineers put in the ability to insert a "Table of Contents" in the next update. They have it in the Mac version.

This is to do with Microsoft, not Apple.

 

[ccigas]

Wiley is the textbook publisher. WileyPlus is extra content/assignments and stuff they have.

It would help to know what you're studying. In engineering, using a Mac is difficult enough, but an iPad is utterly useless to us.

Personally I rather go with a tool that I know will be up for anything that can be tossed at it, without having to do a song and dance to get things to work. School is challenging enough to not need to make it even more complicated. This is especially important as time is often of the essence. The number of times that I've had to make last-minute changes to submissions means that I don't have time to fudge around with iOS's extremely narrow scope of use.

That's a good point honestly, I am an online student only for Network and Communications Management going for Networking Engineer. Currently, everything I do is done in browser minus a few labs that I had to use command prompt on my desktop. I take 2 classes every 8 weeks and even though I am good right now if I bought an iPad I won't know exactly what I will need in a laptop for my next classes until a week before they start.

 

[fatalogic]

It really depends on how you plan to use each device. If you leave your XPS at home you could probably survive with just IPP for class. So you could take your notes,record lectures, ect on the IPP and then write papers and stuff on your XPS when you're home. My Gf has a surface and it is far more of a laptop than a tablet. It's a nice device but I wouldn't get a surface if I already have a powerful laptop.

 

[CrystalQuest76]

This is to do with Microsoft, not Apple.

Sorry, I meant to include that my comment was towards apple's Pages on iOS app. While Pages on Mac has an ability to insert a Table of Contents, it does not seem to be available currently in the iOS version of Pages.

 

[Brammy]

I spent a lot of time on my computer doing things in Word that I couldn't do on the iPad (things like Tables of contents, etc)

Word can at least update an existing ToC. One thing that I never thought of is keeping a template/blank with a ToC on my iPad/Cloud storage and copying that element into a document and updating the ToC. Someone on Twitter pointed that out to me.

To the OP:
I have found the iPP a mixed bag in grad school. Near the end of this thread, I have a bit of a running diary on using the IPP and school. For writing standard MLA-style research papers, the iPad and Word are fine. For citation management I use EasyBIB anyway, and it is easy to copy and paste from there.

 

[ccigas]

It really depends on how you plan to use each device. If you leave your XPS at home you could probably survive with just IPP for class. So you could take your notes,record lectures, ect on the IPP and then write papers and stuff on your XPS when you're home. My Gf has a surface and it is far more of a laptop than a tablet. It's a nice device but I wouldn't get a surface if I already have a powerful laptop.

Makes sense, but I am an online student only, because of work, but I see your point. I do the heavy things on my desktop already, but when I do travel, carrying around that 4+ pound laptop isn't great. Surface or the iPad would help me out in that regard.

Word can at least update an existing ToC. One thing that I never thought of is keeping a template/blank with a ToC on my iPad/Cloud storage and copying that element into a document and updating the ToC. Someone on Twitter pointed that out to me.

To the OP:
I have found the iPP a mixed bag in grad school. Near the end of this thread, I have a bit of a running diary on using the IPP and school. For writing standard MLA-style research papers, the iPad and Word are fine. For citation management I use EasyBIB anyway, and it is easy to copy and paste from there.

Thank you for the link, Ill take a look at it. How do you like the keyboard, that is definitely the main reason why I am hesitant about this.

EDIT: Just read your post, seems like you like the keyboard which makes me happy. I too would love to see OneDrive in the files app since I get that 1TB from Office 365. Luckily I use Canvas too, like you, and seems like that is ok to use. I haven't used it with Dropbox yet so hopefully I can figure out what to do if I get the iPad Pro in order to upload to Canvas using Dropbox.

I am going on a trip soon with my girlfriend and her family, plane ride, away from home for over a week and I wanted to buy the Surface or iPad before hand and use that while away, thinking it would be the perfect test. If somehow I can't during that time away, I do have a W10 Server that I can remote into, to at least have that as a backup.

 

[Brammy]

I too would love to see OneDrive in the files app since I get that 1TB from Office 365.

OneDrive is updated for the Files app now. I do really like the Smart Keyboard.

 

[ccigas]

OneDrive is updated for the Files app now. I do really like the Smart Keyboard.

Awesome, still would need to use the Dropbox part to upload to Canvas though right? Or will it access the files app to upload anything to submit an assignment?

 

[Brammy]

Awesome, still would need to use the Dropbox part to upload to Canvas though right? Or will it access the files app to upload anything to submit an assignment?

Good question. I use the website on my ipad more than the actual app. I am pretty sure I was able to navigate to the files app via the Safari "upload assignment" button.

 

[Centris 650]

My son is currently a junior in high school but taking all college classes. He uses a 2017 9.7 iPad with a keyboard case as his main work machine. He hasn’t had an issue yet. His only problem he says is that he’s like the 12.9 IPP but money was a factor.

I think you’ll be happy with your choice.