Laptop (MacBook) vs. Latest iPad?

[TigerLily223]

Hello! I just got accepted into an MD school and will be attending in the Fall 2022! I’ve been contemplating getting either a Macbook or an iPad with the whole keyboard and pen. Just wanted to know what you guys use and what you find more useful!!

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[JP2740]

It’s personal preference. I never liked the iPad pen thing. Youre going to need a decent laptop eventually for research, stuff like that if you do any clinical stuff anyway. If you don’t have a good laptop now I would get a MacBook.

 

[ciestar]

I had both. Took all my notes on the ipad with the pen.

 

[cal75]

MacBook Air + cheapest iPad with the pencil. Great combo and still somewhat cheap compared to getting the pro variants of each

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

I will use PC because I hope to do some machine learning research

 

[ChymeofPassion]

iPad with pen is massive, I pretty much only use my laptop to take exams haha (for school).

 

[Gambino.]

Base ipad is one of the few products that feel reasonably priced from apple. Base macbook air/pro (whatever you prefer) and a base model ipad with pen is more than sufficient. If you can find a cheaper 2018/2019 macbook and don't care about not having the M1 chip, that could also bring your costs down.

Alternatively, if you already have an okay windows laptop and don't mind using OneNote or another cross compatible app than you can get away with just the ipad. I preferred notability over onenote but I wouldn't say it's a must have if you don't already own an apple product.

 

[Dr. Anonymouss]

Very personal. I see some students with the whole ipad and mac thing and I don't get it. I never felt like I needed anything more than my mac, but I guess it depends on if you plan on attending lectures and if you plan on taking notes from those lectures. I am sure at first you think you will because let's face it, we all think we will, but give it a few weeks into the school year and you will be like the rest of us just using sketchy, boards & beyond, and pathoma.

 

[aldol16]

Get the Macbook. You need a workhorse computer and the iPad isn't a computer. If you already have a perfectly functional computer then maybe think iPad but not for the intention of using it like a computer.

 

[Dr Meow]

PC

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

Check with your school/current students before buying anything!! they may have specific requirements about what kind of tech you need to run exam software, etc. I had a few classmates who initially used only tablets have to buy a whole new laptop when the school changed its testing software.

 

[voxveritatisetlucis]

Check with your school/current students before buying anything!! they may have specific requirements about what kind of tech you need to run exam software, etc. I had a few classmates who initially used only tablets have to buy a whole new laptop when the school changed its testing software.

Ya, I just checked after my post due to this thread and I will need a MacBook

 

[International_student]

I fell for this lie of « needing an iPad in med school ». You don’t!! You need a laptop. An iPad will never perform like a laptop, at least not at my school where some of the programs we use for virtual anatomy just couldn’t run on the iPad. If you want 1 device that can do both, I recommend a surface pro. I have both and I use the surface as a full laptop. The iPad is just a cool notebook

 

[TragicalDrFaust]

I bought a new Macbook Pro for medical school. Was a PC person before that but wanted the reliability. It depends on your learning style but for me taking any kind of written notes is a waste of time, which is the sole advantage of an iPad (?). Biased since I don't have one but I don't see the value in a having only an iPad for medical school. A laptop is more powerful and more customizable. Have you thought about getting a Surface or equivalent competitor to combine the power of a computer with the touch screen of an iPad?

 

[KirksvilleKrunk]

Was a PC person before med school too. My ipad is basically just a second screen for me. Never ended up using the pen or note functions as much as I thought. But the m1 macbook has been the best investment ever. It's the biggest leap in performance I've ever seen in a laptop. I used my last macbook from 2013-2022 with no issues. I expect this to last me until end of residency too.

 

[reaction mechanisms]

I tried using just a MacBook for the first 6 months and it just wasn’t cutting it. Got an iPad with a pen and now it’s all I use. Get Notability and you’re set.

 

[zorcandpals]

If you dont have a mac or pc you will probably need one as your 'main' computer. If you're looking to supplement a main computer for something portable on the go, it depends on if you prefer typing things or will use a touch screen.

I will use PC because I hope to do some machine learning research

Macs might actually be preferred if you're doing ML stuff on a cluster or whatever since youll probably be running things through command line and the mac unix will probably have better support. I wouldn't get a PC for this reason alone

 

[homunculusus]

Get a macbook air M1 for $750 with the student sales going around. Also get AT LEAST an 11" iPad Pro. The cheap ipad uses the older pencil which is not as nice (annoying to charge, not as good writing). I personally got the 12.9" ( got a display model for half price) and the extra real estate is nice. I can always sell it for $400 4 years from now

Even if you get a brand new 12.9" for $1k, its so powerfull itll last you 6-7 years easily, and still retain $300 when you sell it, so $100/yr in cost - which is ridiculously cheap for something that can transform your $400k education

Some exams at my school do not display properly with an iPad and it's always nice to have two devices