What is the best iPad to take to college | I'm from Mac

My daughter began her career at the Faculty of Philology two years ago. And it coincided precisely with the launch in September 2020 of the fourth generation of the iPad Air. I gave her one, and tried to convince her to forget about the classic notebooks to take notes, and to try doing it with the iPad and the Apple Pencil 2.

Currently, already in the second year, he only uses his iPad to take notes in college, and his iMac to do homework. In the year and a half that he has been at the university, he has not spent a single page. And that the race is of letters!. I am going to explain why the current iPad Air is the most recommended model for university students of the entire range of Apple iPads.

Paula, my daughter, goes to college every day to study. She is in the second year of philology at the University of Barcelona. The heavy folders and notebooks with notes that we carried around in our student days are now history. Now, in her bag, she only carries the sandwich... and her iPad.

When she started her degree last year, she was the only one carrying an iPad to take notes in class. The rest of the classmates used a MacBook or a portable PC. Some of them looked at her out of the corner of their eyes. Especially those who were not very fast typing the teacher's explanations on the keyboard. This course, there are already several who have switched to the iPad... and to the Apple Pencil, of course.

The current range of Apple tablets is very wide, with many different models, screen sizes, features and prices. So, a priori, it seems very difficult to choose which iPad model to buy to use it in college. If you are already an iPad user, from your experience you will surely already have it quite clear. Let's see which iPad we recommend, and why.

The iPad is undoubtedly one of Apple's flagship devices. And of the current tablet market, it is the undisputed leader. Both in features and in applications for iPadOS. And Apple has a very extensive range of iPads, for all types of users: iPad mini, iPad, iPad Air and iPad Pro.

Apple offers you five different iPads so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Index

iPad mini and iPad, ruled out

If we start from the assumption that we basically need our future iPad to take notes in class, the first two are already ruled out. The iPad mini for its small size. With an 8.3-inch screen, it is not the most recommended option to use as a notepad.

And the iPad is also discouraged. If you have a very tight budget, the truth is that it can help you, but the drawback that I see is that it is only compatible with the first version of Apple Pencil. The truth is that the difference in use and features of the Apple Pencil 2 compared to the first generation makes the combination of iPad plus Apple Pencil 1 not the most appropriate for taking notes.

iPad Air and iPad Pro

So we only have the iPad Air and the iPad Pro left. The easiest thing in these cases is to recommend the most expensive model, with the highest performance. It is a sure bet on a winning horse. But to be honest, you probably don't need to spend $1,000 on an iPad Pro to take notes in class.

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If money isn't an issue, go for an iPad Pro. When Apple names a device "Pro," it's meant for heavy-duty use at a professional level. It is a work tool with the maximum possible benefits. Available in two screen sizes, 11 and 12.9 inches, it is undoubtedly the best iPad you can buy, and you will use it until you finish your degree, even if you repeat several courses.

But honestly, the most balanced model in relation to performance/price and that perfectly meets the needs of a university student, is undoubtedly the current fourth-generation iPad Air. With a good screen size, 10.9 inches, and an exterior design very similar to the iPad Pro, it is the most recommended option.

Especially because of its compatibility with the Apple Pencil 2. The truth is that it is a delight to use the second generation of Apple's digital pencil. Turn iPad into a real notepad, drawing pad, design pad, painting canvas, and anything else you can think of to do with a pencil, pen, marker, or brush.

Apart from the screen and the compatibility of the Apple Pencil 2, the iPad Air Air stands out for its good autonomy (you can spend seven hours straight taking notes), fingerprint reader on the side power button, decent front and rear cameras, USB-C port, Wi-Fi 6 and the LTE data connection option.

You have five different iPad Air colors.

Storage, connectivity

Let's say you've decided to buy the iPad Air. You enter the Apple Store to place the order, choose the color, and get to the storage options. And here we find a blunder on the part of the company. Without a doubt, the ideal storage would be 128 GB, but Apple does not give us that option. You have to choose between 64 GB, which seems pretty fair to me, or 256 GB, with which you will have more than enough.

It's Apple's way of recouping profits. It launches a good device with an adjusted base price to attract attention, but "almost" forces you to spend 170 Euros more on storage that you will hardly ever fill.

If you're basically going to use it to take notes and little else, with 64 GB and using iCloud you can have more than enough. (It's the one my daughter has and she has never filled it all the way.) But if you also want to put some downloaded series or movies to be able to watch them without using a connection, for example, you are forced to choose the 256 GB option.

Once you have decided on the storage, you have to choose another option: Wi-Fi only, or Wi-Fi+cellular. Here the decision is clear, and you must take the second option. You are going to buy a device to use it for a long time outside the home, in the different classes of the faculty, in the library, and in the neighboring cafeterias. Many different locations without knowing if you will have a good Wi-Fi connection in all of them. So the data connection, even if it is only at specific moments where you do not have Wi-Fi, is essential.

Apple Pencil 2 and keyboard

iPad, keyboard, and Apple Pencil. The perfect combination for the student.

You already have all the options clear, but before finishing your order, do not forget to attach an Apple Pencil 2 at least. An external keyboard is a separate case, but the stylus is a must. There's no point in buying an iPad to take notes in college if you don't use it with an Apple Pencil.

You might be tempted by the first generation Apple Pencil, since it's cheaper. Forget. Due to the little difference in price, the Apple Pencil 2 beats the 1 forty times. For ease of use and ease of loading, and for the performance of the drawing.

And finally, the external keyboard option. If you look in the Apple Store, you can have a heart attack. You have the Magic Keyboard, for 339 Euros, and the Smart Keyboard for 199 Euros. Luckily, you have many compatible third-party keyboards with a case on Amazon from 40 Euros, which work very well.

The truth is that if you have another computer at home, Apple or not, you won't need the keyboard. I tell you this by watching my daughter work. He uses his iPad Air only with Apple Pencil 2, to take notes in class (Good Notes is the ideal application for this). Then, for the rest of the jobs that you need to use a keyboard, like typing papers or emails, you do them on your iMac at home. Obviously, if you only have the iPad, the purchase of the keyboard and a mouse is mandatory.

And this is it. It is clear that in the end the iPad Air comes out for you at a peak. Between 649 Euros for the most basic model, and 959 Euros for the most expensive, plus 135 Euros for the Apple Pencil 2. But it is undoubtedly the most advisable tool for taking notes in college, better than a laptop, without a doubt. The experience of being able to take them with the Apple Pencil 2 on an iPad is worth its weight in gold. And if you have any doubts, go to a physical Apple Store and try writing in one of them. You will come out with a white bag with the little silver apple hanging from your hand...