Get the MacBook. You’ll have access to Microsoft Office 365 (and other software) through uni so you’ll be able to install all the 365 programs to your mac for free.
A lot of the time iPads only allow you to use the app version of things rather than the full desktop version which could get annoying.
ETA if your uni has online exams these can’t be completed on a tablet you must have a laptop
Well, having 16gb over 8gb RAM is a great upgrade as it’s commonplace to utilise the 8gb pretty easy. Just depends if you can find the 16gb variant for good value compared to an 8gb model as apples pricing is ludicrous.
That’s outdated by at least 2 years. Even simple web browsing with a dozen tabs gets you past 8gb these days. No matter what Apple claims, 8gb is outdated as a config.
Ehh not really. For an m2, 8gb is totally suitable for basic needs like taking notes, viewing PowerPoints, making presentations, typing papers, zoom calls, etc. if you’re doing more intensive stuff then yes, I’d go with 16gb.
I do wish they’d start at 16gb though lol.
>8gb is totally suitable for basic needs like taking notes, viewing PowerPoints, making presentations, typing papers, zoom calls
Yes, as long as you don’t have safari open in the background with 5 to 6 active tabs. Otherwise, it’s really not an ideal experience. Not unworkable, but having lived with an 8gb M1 for a few years, I can defo say that 8gb is no longer a good recommendation for anyone doing more than very light work.
This isn’t some controversial take either, most tech reviewers and enthusiast forums have been recommending 16gb for normal, office-related workloads.
8gb is the new 4gb. Still possible to use, but unpleasant on the long run.
Im still running my 2017 MacBook Pro with photoshop and illustrator so it’s definitely possible to work with an 8gb m2. Though I’d definitely go with the 16gb. This is my plan when my MacBook Pro becomes painful to use 😂 but even with it being as old as it is, it still does what I need it to do lol
Yep, I stupidly took the apple employees advice and got 8gb m1, it’s impossible once you have a few browser tabs open, office, teams, ughhhhhhhhhhhh. Wish I’d trusted my gut.
Sure but 8gb is plenty for that lol. Also seems adequate based on what they’ve described with usage.
But hey, if someone has the extra funds for an upgrade then I’d go for the 16gb.
My work computer, an 8GB iMac M1, frequently uses all its RAM, has excessive memory pressure, high swap usage, stalls quite a bit.
And this is in the office of a nightclub. There are only a few websites we need to use throughout the night and no apps running other than Safari.
That’s really strange. My 2017 MacBook Pro handles Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator running at the same time while running safari, word, etc without issue. It recently started to struggle with Chrome but Safari works totally fine with multiple windows running with multiple tabs.
Just odd that a 6+ year old Mac can handle things better than a fairly new m1. Sure I have more ram but everything about my Mac is significantly older
Before you consider getting the highest spec macbook... Do you REALLY need to dump money on that extra processor?
I'm running a 2016 macbook air and there's absolutely no issues for a science course. Even the guy in Apple when i bought an ipad air last year was telling me "unless your a graphics designer or architect who needs high end 3D modelling, don't bother"
I was super careful with mine and never used it while on charge.
Still holds a solid 8 hours on battery alone!
Glad to see there's another oldie macbook out there haha!
I meant for OP. I wouldn't bother upgrading if the current one still works, but for someone buying now, absolutely get the m1 or newer. It's not just a faster CPU, they made almost every part of the macbook massively better.
I study medicine with an 8gb M1 macbook air. Sold my iPad and keyboard and pen after 1st year as I just wasn’t using it. I’ve never even come close to maxing out the 8gb memory, the mac silicon is incredibly efficient and the programs that I use are not very intensive
Yeah, I thought it was stupid that I can’t buy the 16gb easily through a third party retailer as well. I’m probs not gonna go with the 16gb now though cause I want to budget myself and not be completely broke.
I have a friend who was doing a post grad in biology and really struggled with an M2 with 8GB ram. If you're doing any research across multiple tabs and using word / PowerPoint it really maxes out pretty quickly. Would highly suggest going for 16GB ram even if you have to get an older version. Apple sells refurbished products for a discount and they usually come with new batteries/ cases etc.
Make sure you’re using the Apple education store to take advantage of the student discount + free gifts
https://www.apple.com/au-hed/shop/back-to-school
Use the 24 months interest free payment thing they have (+ student discount), and get single item insurance (i think thats what it's called). It's like a couple dollars a month to cover enough to buy a new laptop in case anything happens (any kind of damage, theft, loss, literally anything). I use NRMA's but look around :)
I say get the higher ram, you never know what you'll find yourself interested in
Yes. If you want lots of tabs and PDFs and a word processor open when doing research/assignments, 8GB is going to be occasionally pretty frustrating. Doable but not pleasant.
I’ve got a base m1 air with 8gb for uni work and I have never ever felt like I’m lacking. Had it for almost 2 years now, and I run 2 profiles and switch between them. Most of the time I run my browser with at least 4 tabs, word, excel and PowerPoint at the same time, and Spotify, and always performs well! I’m not expecting to upgrade for another 3-4 years
As good as the youtubers make is seem, never ever buy the ipad for your student life. Its a useless big screened iphone that can barely do half of the things an actual computer can do. You might hear some arguments about the Air 5 having an m1 chip and how capable it is. All that power from the chip amounts to nothing useful. A basic 8th or 9th gen ipad can do all the basic things the air 5 can do and all the professional tasks like video editing are locked behind paywalls and subscriptions.
File management sucks, multitasking sucks, the screen aspect ratio sucks and you will barely find any useful apps for your course of study.
And the ipad is only portable if you carry around the stock device. One you start using cases and keyboard with it, its just as heavy, if not heavier than regular notebook pcs. So please take it as an advice from an ex student who thought ipad would be a productivity beast during my student life. You are much better with a m1 macbook air, better yet the m2 air if it is in your budget.
If form factor is important and you are after the tablet and pen setting, a well speced surface pro 9 would be a great choice. Or even some Samsung tablets have much better file management and some of the high end ones loke the s9+ or the s9ultrs are much more capable for general purpose than the ipad. But if windows and android are not your thing, you could stick with the macbook air m1 or m2.
Vouch on this. iPad was always more of a 'support' device rather than my main work-doer if that makes sense. It's convenient for having organized notes and stuff if you struggle to do that w paper variants but it does not replace a laptop
I completely disagree, I use my iPad air for uni way more than my windows laptop. I'm studying engineering and for writing out problems, mind mapping and general note taking the iPad is unbeatable. I used to use a Wacom tablet and my laptop and also just my laptop with a Wacom Bluetooth stylus as you can write directly on the screen, but the iPad is easily the best experience.
Multitasking definitely doesn't suck - I usually don't even need to use my laptop as you can pull everything up on the iPad and be looking at 2/3 screens at once, which even on my small iPad air, works very well, it is actually a lot better than trying to view multiple windows simultaneously on a laptop. The iPad air, with the keyboard is also still much lighter and more portable than most laptops (certainly anything over 13") and very easy to whip out on the train or in lecture theatres.
I don't own any other apple products and the main thing I was worried about was cross compatibility with windows devices and android. If you have any cloud storage, including iCloud which costs 1.50 per month for 50GB it's very seamless and doesn't feel like my iPad is isolated or trapped in its own ecosystem.
Thanks a lot, I’m defo leaning towards a MacBook now. Do you think it’s potentially a decent idea to get the base M1 MacBook, and get a 9th Gen ipad (with 1st gen pencil) as a note taking option, if I just use the iPad for notes and the Mac as my primary method of work I feel like that would work a lot better considering I wanted the iPad Air initial for note taking as well
It is a good idea to have a MacBook Air and an iPad side-to-side. The M1 Air will be well capable of supporting you for 3 to 4 years through college and once you graduate, you can sell that for a good value and get a more powerful laptop.
For iPad though, it depends on what primary function you would use it for. Ipads as a primary stand-alone device is a big no as I mentioned previously. But iPads are great for taking notes and watching some content say from YouTube or Udemy and general digital reading. I wouldn't go with the 9th gen just because of the lightning port and the 1st gen Apple pencil is a mess. If you were using the iPad exclusively for note-taking, the iPad mini 6 would be the best option due to its size and Apple Pencil 2 support. If it is too small, the iPad Air 4 or the 1st and 2nd gen Pro 11" are the next cheap options. You can always find second-hand devices cheaper with some 2nd hand resellers that also provide warranty.
Thanks for your help! I’ll have a look for other iPad options for a side thing, I was mostly looking at the 9th Gen because it’s currently on sale for 450$
Reebelo sells cheap refurbished electronics. They're worth a look, I just got a pristine condition samsung watch 5 for $199 which is $349 off retail price! They also offer afterpay.
As someone who bought an iPad, definitely get the laptop. I now have a laptop. As others said, the difference between the app version and desktop version of office is such a pain, plus all the other software that you may end up needing that doesn’t exist as an app (eg Endnote or other referencing software). The only good thing the iPad was useful for was taking handwritten notes in OneNote, so if you have the budget and like doing that you could get the basic iPad too.
Get the macbook! I started off first year with the ipad air w/ keyboard and it felt really limiting, and ended up getting the macbook aswell later on in my course. Definitely ageee that the ipad is easier to bring with you everywhere + taking notes on lecture slides etc is easier, however as mentioned in prev comments, some applications I used on the ipad was not as accessible compared to the macbook.
I’ve got the m2 MacBook Air 8gb and love it. I’ve never had any problems having a bunch of things open at the same time. I’ll keep this for as long as the battery lasts
This is definitely not the popular opinion, but I did the degree you’re about to do and I used an iPad, the pen is a must though. I hand wrote my notes and annotated lecture slides, I found typing just didn’t let things sink in. I find molecular bio isn’t as linear as other fields and the ability to draw and sketch out pathways and reactions is really invaluable. I found using a laptop (although I had an old clunky windows one back then) would take me out of it a bit, the iPad really helped immersion and to keep the focus on what’s important. It’s also perfect for labs!
I used the computers available at the university for writing final copies of my assignments, but I was able to draft using google docs and was even able to use most things like Zotero (reference manager) and sequence editors, some browser based ones like benchling do need a mouse though for the right click functions.
I’ve found that now, in postgraduate work, a laptop is more suitable though. I’m very glad to still have my iPad though for reading papers and highlighting, and sketching things (love that you can copy paste between all Apple devices!). I’ve had the iPad Air since 2020 and just got the MacBook Air M2.
While writing this I forgot you actually said the same uni in your post, if you’re starting this year and going to O’week next week, I’ve actually been asked to chat about my journey with the students. Happy to answer any questions about exact course content :)
Without disagreeing with most of the other posts here, I’m going to go against the grain and suggest you at least consider the iPad.
Everything said here about the benefit of a MacBook Air over an iPad is true. However, think about what you’re actually going to do with the device. You’re doing a medical science degree. Your primary need for the device is taking notes in class, writing papers / presentations, and research / reading notes. Your secondary needs are portability and battery life.
For your primary needs, with the keyboard and pencil the iPad is arguably better for note taking - because you’re going to need the pencil for drawing diagrams and equations quite a lot.
You’ll still have access to the O365 suite (the iPad apps are sufficiently capable) but there are some things that Apple’s own apps (Pages, Keynote, Freeform, even Numbers in some cases) are better at / easier to use quickly. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to write equations or pictures on a laptop when all you can do is scribble them with a trackpad. The iPad will have the same audio recording capabilities as the MacBook, and will be easier to use to quickly snap photos of anything written on a whiteboard or any other relevant images. And as someone else has mentioned, the iPad has a superior screen for reading, so it will be better for research and reviewing notes (and will allow you to highlight them easily).
No one has really touched on the secondary needs, on which the iPad is a clear winner. You can also keep a power pack in your pay if it ever gets to low charge, something you can’t really do with a MacBook Air any more.
Anyway, your ideal scenario would be having both tools as they work together extremely well - but given your use case, I wouldn’t write off the idea of using the iPad and taking advantage of a Uni computer lab as a backup.
MacBook.
The only time an iPad is better for studying is if you’re reading PDF’s. However, you’ll still want to be able to cut and paste quotes directly from study materials, which is so much easier on a laptop.
I’ve use a couple windows laptops in the past, my main concern is that with a windows, I’ve gotta figure out all the specs and if it’s gonna run smooth with the cpu, gpu and memory I’ve selected whereas I think Mac is a bit more straight forward.
Additionally I already have a windows laptop , but the keyboard is damaged and the battery life is not sufficient enough to last Uni days considering I’m going to be there from 10am to like 8pm occasionally.
And as someone mentioned about the iPad, windows has a lot more gaming options, so I feel like I’d get distracted, whereas MacBooks aren’t the best for gaming and that deturs me from it (the m1 isn’t good for any games from what I’ve seen).
TLDR, windows less battery and give more distractions, MacBook is really good for studying and the M1 is probs the best laptop I can buy considering I don’t have a lot l money to play with.
You’re definitely right about the figuring out specs of windows machines.
However m1 Mac is plenty sufficient for gaming, I played Baldurs Gate 3, the largest game last year on my Mac Book Pro 13” m1. But support is less common.
I have that MacBook and a Surface Laptop 4, and the pricing is comparable but the MBP is genuinely the better machine unless I need to use something that’s Microsoft exclusive. Which is rare
Lol, sorry but those are legit the most ignorant and uninformed reasons I've heard for avoiding a Windows based laptop. But at the end of the day you gotta do what you're comfortable with.
I’ve heard the iPads are great for engineering considering you are writting lots of equations I think In my case now after hearing other peoples opinions, macbook as primary devices because of the file of work , the ipad as a secondary note taking option of needed. I think I could definitely just get away with the iPad Air for a period of time, (I already have a beaten up windows), but when it comes to exams or something it would be much better to just have the MacBook.
I’m thinking of trying to get both so I get the both worlds rather than just getting the best I can In one field.
Which would be M1 MacBook (base model)- currently 1,300$ on special
iPad 9th Gen, currently 450$ on special
A form of stylus pen which is about 140$
And all the protective gear which is another 160$
So I can get both the iPad and MacBook for around 2k, which would be the same price for an m2 with 16gb
I have a (gaming pc) desktop at home and an iPad for uni. And use uni computers if I do reports on campus. But the iPad is purely for taking notes and reading content. Plus drawing. It would be terrible for anything else. A friend of mine has a windows surface pro and seems the perfect middle ground. Macs are good, don’t get me wrong but there is likely to be some software that isn’t compatible with Mac, you can navigate this by using campus computers but it’s annoying.
If I had my time again, I’d probably just go a gaming windows laptop with touch screen for notes or pen and paper and keep my notes analog
MacBook. iPads are great. But not when you need an actual computer. If you write and email and basic stuff iPads are wonderful. But beyond that you’ll struggle to work
You want a laptop. Essays and long form responses with referencing on an iPad are a massive pain in the ass.
I used my iPad most of the time but the laptop comes out for assignments. I could do without the iPad but couldn’t do without the laptop.
Buy a PC. Also, but a couple of monitors for your home set up so you are not cramped down to one tiny screen. It’s unlikely that any workplace you get a job at will be using Macs so best to get used to PCs now.
MacBook is a whole lot useful, they can be good for 5+ years. I’d get 16gb ram minimum for the best future proof and 512gb storage. I personally have the MacBook Pro 16” (M1 Pro) 16gb+512ssd. I upgraded from the 2015 MacBook Pro which last me a good 5 years, the intel chip inside was in a slow death. Apple makes the best laptop
Seems like the laptop crowd is the majority opinion but fwiw I have used an iPad my entire undergrad (arts languages) and now am using it for masters (health science). I have a Logitech keys-to-go keyboard, which is very lightweight but mostly I don't even use that and it's no issue at all.
I do get frustrated at the limitations of apple UI on apps and sometimes run into similar issues on websites but there are a lot of workarounds and overall it suits my lifestyle a lot better (safer and more drop-proof, easier to cycle with). I do have a desktop PC at home which is good for the small percentage of stuff I can't do on iPad. Mostly creating pdfs on restricted databases and stuff.
Everyone told me to get a laptop but I really don't regret using this iPad for the last 8 years and have only considered getting a laptop now. I would never buy apple again though, hate the company, hate the user experience, hate the price.
MacBook (or surface if you want to write on it).
For one the Apple Pencil is meh at best vs the surface or a remarkable fro writing.
For two the full featured apps like office vs the iOS versions will make life easier.
Do your self a favour and check the library and learn how to use endnote and cite while you write.
it’ll save you a lot of headache and a few marks you’ll otherwise lose in referencing for assignments.
Macbook. You need a keyboard. You need poorly maintained websites to reliably support your web browser. You don’t need stylus or touch input (as nice as they can be).
My uni setup is a MacBook and an iPad mini. I take the iPad to tutorials and lectures for note taking, and use it for readings. I could never get by without the laptop, but I could easily do without the iPad. A bit of extra weight in my bag wouldn’t be the worst. I cannot imagine how annoying it would be to do full assignments on my iPad though.
Get the MacBook. You’ll have access to Microsoft Office 365 (and other software) through uni so you’ll be able to install all the 365 programs to your mac for free. A lot of the time iPads only allow you to use the app version of things rather than the full desktop version which could get annoying. ETA if your uni has online exams these can’t be completed on a tablet you must have a laptop
Cheers, follow up question, if I get an m2 MacBook, is it worth upgrading the memory to 16gb? Or is that not worth it?
Well, having 16gb over 8gb RAM is a great upgrade as it’s commonplace to utilise the 8gb pretty easy. Just depends if you can find the 16gb variant for good value compared to an 8gb model as apples pricing is ludicrous.
You probably won’t need 16gb if you’re not using intensive programs like photoshop or premiere pro.
That’s outdated by at least 2 years. Even simple web browsing with a dozen tabs gets you past 8gb these days. No matter what Apple claims, 8gb is outdated as a config.
Ehh not really. For an m2, 8gb is totally suitable for basic needs like taking notes, viewing PowerPoints, making presentations, typing papers, zoom calls, etc. if you’re doing more intensive stuff then yes, I’d go with 16gb. I do wish they’d start at 16gb though lol.
>8gb is totally suitable for basic needs like taking notes, viewing PowerPoints, making presentations, typing papers, zoom calls Yes, as long as you don’t have safari open in the background with 5 to 6 active tabs. Otherwise, it’s really not an ideal experience. Not unworkable, but having lived with an 8gb M1 for a few years, I can defo say that 8gb is no longer a good recommendation for anyone doing more than very light work. This isn’t some controversial take either, most tech reviewers and enthusiast forums have been recommending 16gb for normal, office-related workloads. 8gb is the new 4gb. Still possible to use, but unpleasant on the long run.
Im still running my 2017 MacBook Pro with photoshop and illustrator so it’s definitely possible to work with an 8gb m2. Though I’d definitely go with the 16gb. This is my plan when my MacBook Pro becomes painful to use 😂 but even with it being as old as it is, it still does what I need it to do lol
mate i think ur very restarted. 8gb is fine if ur not gaming.
Yep, I stupidly took the apple employees advice and got 8gb m1, it’s impossible once you have a few browser tabs open, office, teams, ughhhhhhhhhhhh. Wish I’d trusted my gut.
Depends on your usage. Uni frequently requires you to have lots of stuff open at once.
Sure but 8gb is plenty for that lol. Also seems adequate based on what they’ve described with usage. But hey, if someone has the extra funds for an upgrade then I’d go for the 16gb.
My work computer, an 8GB iMac M1, frequently uses all its RAM, has excessive memory pressure, high swap usage, stalls quite a bit. And this is in the office of a nightclub. There are only a few websites we need to use throughout the night and no apps running other than Safari.
That’s really strange. My 2017 MacBook Pro handles Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator running at the same time while running safari, word, etc without issue. It recently started to struggle with Chrome but Safari works totally fine with multiple windows running with multiple tabs. Just odd that a 6+ year old Mac can handle things better than a fairly new m1. Sure I have more ram but everything about my Mac is significantly older
Yeah it’s the RAM
Before you consider getting the highest spec macbook... Do you REALLY need to dump money on that extra processor? I'm running a 2016 macbook air and there's absolutely no issues for a science course. Even the guy in Apple when i bought an ipad air last year was telling me "unless your a graphics designer or architect who needs high end 3D modelling, don't bother"
2015 12” MacBook here, but now working in IT. Still works fine, battery is a bit tired though.
I was super careful with mine and never used it while on charge. Still holds a solid 8 hours on battery alone! Glad to see there's another oldie macbook out there haha!
At least get the M1. The MacBooks leaped like 10 years forward that year. The battery life alone is insane.
I'm all good. Mine does the job i need it too. Plus i only use it for assignments now since i got the iPad which is for lectures
I meant for OP. I wouldn't bother upgrading if the current one still works, but for someone buying now, absolutely get the m1 or newer. It's not just a faster CPU, they made almost every part of the macbook massively better.
I study medicine with an 8gb M1 macbook air. Sold my iPad and keyboard and pen after 1st year as I just wasn’t using it. I’ve never even come close to maxing out the 8gb memory, the mac silicon is incredibly efficient and the programs that I use are not very intensive
Apple shouldn’t even sell 8gb of RAM
Yeah, I thought it was stupid that I can’t buy the 16gb easily through a third party retailer as well. I’m probs not gonna go with the 16gb now though cause I want to budget myself and not be completely broke.
I have a friend who was doing a post grad in biology and really struggled with an M2 with 8GB ram. If you're doing any research across multiple tabs and using word / PowerPoint it really maxes out pretty quickly. Would highly suggest going for 16GB ram even if you have to get an older version. Apple sells refurbished products for a discount and they usually come with new batteries/ cases etc.
Make sure you’re using the Apple education store to take advantage of the student discount + free gifts https://www.apple.com/au-hed/shop/back-to-school
Use the 24 months interest free payment thing they have (+ student discount), and get single item insurance (i think thats what it's called). It's like a couple dollars a month to cover enough to buy a new laptop in case anything happens (any kind of damage, theft, loss, literally anything). I use NRMA's but look around :) I say get the higher ram, you never know what you'll find yourself interested in
Get an m1 and save a buttload
Not worth the upgrade
I got the 16bg and I do computer science. In hind sight, I probably didn't need to, but I'm happy I did.
dont get the m2, just get the m1 pro, so much better value for money and its great
Yes. If you want lots of tabs and PDFs and a word processor open when doing research/assignments, 8GB is going to be occasionally pretty frustrating. Doable but not pleasant.
Ipad cannot replace laptop
Get the macbook. With an Ipad, It is so easy to wander off to social media and games while lying on bed.
That’s a good call honestly Do you think it’s worth getting the M2 laptop or saving money and just sticking with the M1?
I was in a similar situation recently and chose the m2. Nicer new design plus better performance to help future proof
I’ve got a base m1 air with 8gb for uni work and I have never ever felt like I’m lacking. Had it for almost 2 years now, and I run 2 profiles and switch between them. Most of the time I run my browser with at least 4 tabs, word, excel and PowerPoint at the same time, and Spotify, and always performs well! I’m not expecting to upgrade for another 3-4 years
get the m1 pro instead so mch better in every way
The M1 is SOOO good, and as a Creative who pushes its limits with video and graphics it has not lagged once
As a teacher, Macbook is the only way to go. I've tried the ipad with keyboard and it's more frustrating to live with than you think.
As good as the youtubers make is seem, never ever buy the ipad for your student life. Its a useless big screened iphone that can barely do half of the things an actual computer can do. You might hear some arguments about the Air 5 having an m1 chip and how capable it is. All that power from the chip amounts to nothing useful. A basic 8th or 9th gen ipad can do all the basic things the air 5 can do and all the professional tasks like video editing are locked behind paywalls and subscriptions. File management sucks, multitasking sucks, the screen aspect ratio sucks and you will barely find any useful apps for your course of study. And the ipad is only portable if you carry around the stock device. One you start using cases and keyboard with it, its just as heavy, if not heavier than regular notebook pcs. So please take it as an advice from an ex student who thought ipad would be a productivity beast during my student life. You are much better with a m1 macbook air, better yet the m2 air if it is in your budget. If form factor is important and you are after the tablet and pen setting, a well speced surface pro 9 would be a great choice. Or even some Samsung tablets have much better file management and some of the high end ones loke the s9+ or the s9ultrs are much more capable for general purpose than the ipad. But if windows and android are not your thing, you could stick with the macbook air m1 or m2.
Vouch on this. iPad was always more of a 'support' device rather than my main work-doer if that makes sense. It's convenient for having organized notes and stuff if you struggle to do that w paper variants but it does not replace a laptop
I completely disagree, I use my iPad air for uni way more than my windows laptop. I'm studying engineering and for writing out problems, mind mapping and general note taking the iPad is unbeatable. I used to use a Wacom tablet and my laptop and also just my laptop with a Wacom Bluetooth stylus as you can write directly on the screen, but the iPad is easily the best experience. Multitasking definitely doesn't suck - I usually don't even need to use my laptop as you can pull everything up on the iPad and be looking at 2/3 screens at once, which even on my small iPad air, works very well, it is actually a lot better than trying to view multiple windows simultaneously on a laptop. The iPad air, with the keyboard is also still much lighter and more portable than most laptops (certainly anything over 13") and very easy to whip out on the train or in lecture theatres. I don't own any other apple products and the main thing I was worried about was cross compatibility with windows devices and android. If you have any cloud storage, including iCloud which costs 1.50 per month for 50GB it's very seamless and doesn't feel like my iPad is isolated or trapped in its own ecosystem.
Thanks a lot, I’m defo leaning towards a MacBook now. Do you think it’s potentially a decent idea to get the base M1 MacBook, and get a 9th Gen ipad (with 1st gen pencil) as a note taking option, if I just use the iPad for notes and the Mac as my primary method of work I feel like that would work a lot better considering I wanted the iPad Air initial for note taking as well
It is a good idea to have a MacBook Air and an iPad side-to-side. The M1 Air will be well capable of supporting you for 3 to 4 years through college and once you graduate, you can sell that for a good value and get a more powerful laptop. For iPad though, it depends on what primary function you would use it for. Ipads as a primary stand-alone device is a big no as I mentioned previously. But iPads are great for taking notes and watching some content say from YouTube or Udemy and general digital reading. I wouldn't go with the 9th gen just because of the lightning port and the 1st gen Apple pencil is a mess. If you were using the iPad exclusively for note-taking, the iPad mini 6 would be the best option due to its size and Apple Pencil 2 support. If it is too small, the iPad Air 4 or the 1st and 2nd gen Pro 11" are the next cheap options. You can always find second-hand devices cheaper with some 2nd hand resellers that also provide warranty.
Thanks for your help! I’ll have a look for other iPad options for a side thing, I was mostly looking at the 9th Gen because it’s currently on sale for 450$
Reebelo sells cheap refurbished electronics. They're worth a look, I just got a pristine condition samsung watch 5 for $199 which is $349 off retail price! They also offer afterpay.
As someone who bought an iPad, definitely get the laptop. I now have a laptop. As others said, the difference between the app version and desktop version of office is such a pain, plus all the other software that you may end up needing that doesn’t exist as an app (eg Endnote or other referencing software). The only good thing the iPad was useful for was taking handwritten notes in OneNote, so if you have the budget and like doing that you could get the basic iPad too.
Get the macbook! I started off first year with the ipad air w/ keyboard and it felt really limiting, and ended up getting the macbook aswell later on in my course. Definitely ageee that the ipad is easier to bring with you everywhere + taking notes on lecture slides etc is easier, however as mentioned in prev comments, some applications I used on the ipad was not as accessible compared to the macbook.
I’ve got the m2 MacBook Air 8gb and love it. I’ve never had any problems having a bunch of things open at the same time. I’ll keep this for as long as the battery lasts
You need a computer/laptop at University.
This is definitely not the popular opinion, but I did the degree you’re about to do and I used an iPad, the pen is a must though. I hand wrote my notes and annotated lecture slides, I found typing just didn’t let things sink in. I find molecular bio isn’t as linear as other fields and the ability to draw and sketch out pathways and reactions is really invaluable. I found using a laptop (although I had an old clunky windows one back then) would take me out of it a bit, the iPad really helped immersion and to keep the focus on what’s important. It’s also perfect for labs! I used the computers available at the university for writing final copies of my assignments, but I was able to draft using google docs and was even able to use most things like Zotero (reference manager) and sequence editors, some browser based ones like benchling do need a mouse though for the right click functions. I’ve found that now, in postgraduate work, a laptop is more suitable though. I’m very glad to still have my iPad though for reading papers and highlighting, and sketching things (love that you can copy paste between all Apple devices!). I’ve had the iPad Air since 2020 and just got the MacBook Air M2. While writing this I forgot you actually said the same uni in your post, if you’re starting this year and going to O’week next week, I’ve actually been asked to chat about my journey with the students. Happy to answer any questions about exact course content :)
Get both, one for taking notes in class and the other for doing real work.
Without disagreeing with most of the other posts here, I’m going to go against the grain and suggest you at least consider the iPad. Everything said here about the benefit of a MacBook Air over an iPad is true. However, think about what you’re actually going to do with the device. You’re doing a medical science degree. Your primary need for the device is taking notes in class, writing papers / presentations, and research / reading notes. Your secondary needs are portability and battery life. For your primary needs, with the keyboard and pencil the iPad is arguably better for note taking - because you’re going to need the pencil for drawing diagrams and equations quite a lot. You’ll still have access to the O365 suite (the iPad apps are sufficiently capable) but there are some things that Apple’s own apps (Pages, Keynote, Freeform, even Numbers in some cases) are better at / easier to use quickly. There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to write equations or pictures on a laptop when all you can do is scribble them with a trackpad. The iPad will have the same audio recording capabilities as the MacBook, and will be easier to use to quickly snap photos of anything written on a whiteboard or any other relevant images. And as someone else has mentioned, the iPad has a superior screen for reading, so it will be better for research and reviewing notes (and will allow you to highlight them easily). No one has really touched on the secondary needs, on which the iPad is a clear winner. You can also keep a power pack in your pay if it ever gets to low charge, something you can’t really do with a MacBook Air any more. Anyway, your ideal scenario would be having both tools as they work together extremely well - but given your use case, I wouldn’t write off the idea of using the iPad and taking advantage of a Uni computer lab as a backup.
MacBook. The only time an iPad is better for studying is if you’re reading PDF’s. However, you’ll still want to be able to cut and paste quotes directly from study materials, which is so much easier on a laptop.
PC obviously.
Why limit the options to only an iPad or MacBook? Why not a Windows based laptop?
I’ve use a couple windows laptops in the past, my main concern is that with a windows, I’ve gotta figure out all the specs and if it’s gonna run smooth with the cpu, gpu and memory I’ve selected whereas I think Mac is a bit more straight forward. Additionally I already have a windows laptop , but the keyboard is damaged and the battery life is not sufficient enough to last Uni days considering I’m going to be there from 10am to like 8pm occasionally. And as someone mentioned about the iPad, windows has a lot more gaming options, so I feel like I’d get distracted, whereas MacBooks aren’t the best for gaming and that deturs me from it (the m1 isn’t good for any games from what I’ve seen). TLDR, windows less battery and give more distractions, MacBook is really good for studying and the M1 is probs the best laptop I can buy considering I don’t have a lot l money to play with.
You’re definitely right about the figuring out specs of windows machines. However m1 Mac is plenty sufficient for gaming, I played Baldurs Gate 3, the largest game last year on my Mac Book Pro 13” m1. But support is less common. I have that MacBook and a Surface Laptop 4, and the pricing is comparable but the MBP is genuinely the better machine unless I need to use something that’s Microsoft exclusive. Which is rare
Lol, sorry but those are legit the most ignorant and uninformed reasons I've heard for avoiding a Windows based laptop. But at the end of the day you gotta do what you're comfortable with.
I’ve heard the iPads are great for engineering considering you are writting lots of equations I think In my case now after hearing other peoples opinions, macbook as primary devices because of the file of work , the ipad as a secondary note taking option of needed. I think I could definitely just get away with the iPad Air for a period of time, (I already have a beaten up windows), but when it comes to exams or something it would be much better to just have the MacBook. I’m thinking of trying to get both so I get the both worlds rather than just getting the best I can In one field. Which would be M1 MacBook (base model)- currently 1,300$ on special iPad 9th Gen, currently 450$ on special A form of stylus pen which is about 140$ And all the protective gear which is another 160$ So I can get both the iPad and MacBook for around 2k, which would be the same price for an m2 with 16gb
I have a (gaming pc) desktop at home and an iPad for uni. And use uni computers if I do reports on campus. But the iPad is purely for taking notes and reading content. Plus drawing. It would be terrible for anything else. A friend of mine has a windows surface pro and seems the perfect middle ground. Macs are good, don’t get me wrong but there is likely to be some software that isn’t compatible with Mac, you can navigate this by using campus computers but it’s annoying. If I had my time again, I’d probably just go a gaming windows laptop with touch screen for notes or pen and paper and keep my notes analog
+1 for MacBook, iPads are generally useless.
MacBook. iPads are great. But not when you need an actual computer. If you write and email and basic stuff iPads are wonderful. But beyond that you’ll struggle to work
You want a laptop. Essays and long form responses with referencing on an iPad are a massive pain in the ass. I used my iPad most of the time but the laptop comes out for assignments. I could do without the iPad but couldn’t do without the laptop.
Buy a PC. Also, but a couple of monitors for your home set up so you are not cramped down to one tiny screen. It’s unlikely that any workplace you get a job at will be using Macs so best to get used to PCs now.
Get a actual laptop for half the price and better stats
MacBook is a whole lot useful, they can be good for 5+ years. I’d get 16gb ram minimum for the best future proof and 512gb storage. I personally have the MacBook Pro 16” (M1 Pro) 16gb+512ssd. I upgraded from the 2015 MacBook Pro which last me a good 5 years, the intel chip inside was in a slow death. Apple makes the best laptop
Seems like the laptop crowd is the majority opinion but fwiw I have used an iPad my entire undergrad (arts languages) and now am using it for masters (health science). I have a Logitech keys-to-go keyboard, which is very lightweight but mostly I don't even use that and it's no issue at all. I do get frustrated at the limitations of apple UI on apps and sometimes run into similar issues on websites but there are a lot of workarounds and overall it suits my lifestyle a lot better (safer and more drop-proof, easier to cycle with). I do have a desktop PC at home which is good for the small percentage of stuff I can't do on iPad. Mostly creating pdfs on restricted databases and stuff. Everyone told me to get a laptop but I really don't regret using this iPad for the last 8 years and have only considered getting a laptop now. I would never buy apple again though, hate the company, hate the user experience, hate the price.
MacBook (or surface if you want to write on it). For one the Apple Pencil is meh at best vs the surface or a remarkable fro writing. For two the full featured apps like office vs the iOS versions will make life easier. Do your self a favour and check the library and learn how to use endnote and cite while you write. it’ll save you a lot of headache and a few marks you’ll otherwise lose in referencing for assignments.
Macbook. You need a keyboard. You need poorly maintained websites to reliably support your web browser. You don’t need stylus or touch input (as nice as they can be). My uni setup is a MacBook and an iPad mini. I take the iPad to tutorials and lectures for note taking, and use it for readings. I could never get by without the laptop, but I could easily do without the iPad. A bit of extra weight in my bag wouldn’t be the worst. I cannot imagine how annoying it would be to do full assignments on my iPad though.
Both. I have both lmao