Ella Reeves
An iPad Pro and a MacBook Pro have many similarities and differences. What makes one better than the other is what someone wants to accomplish.
High school is becoming more and more competitive as the years progress. Students constantly question – What is the best way for me to get ahead? In the recent past, the answer has been laptops. The access to the digital aid helped students write papers faster and study more effectively, and so much more was previously unavailable. However, as time progresses and technology gets better, the tablet has become a popular alternative. A new question has arisen: What is better for school, a tablet or a laptop?
I have had both, and I have strong opinions on both. The answer is that it depends on your needs. Unfortunately, that is a very vague answer. A number of variables go into the expensive choice. So, let’s break it down.
A laptop is the classic choice. Due to it being around for much longer than the tablet, there are many more options as far as brands to customize to your liking. I prefer a ThinkPad or a Macbook Pro. I have used both, and I believe both work effectively. One of the major benefits of a laptop is the keyboard. The built-in keyboard allows for easy typing ability and makes any student’s life easier by being able to take their work home. Anything worked on in school can be easily brought home and worked on somewhere else. This portable ability makes the laptop a viable candidate for anyone working on large papers or editing.
The laptop is not perfect, however. Depending on the style you chose, it can be quite heavy. A MacBook Pro does not have the light, airy feel of the MacBook Air or even the ThinkPad. However, if your goal is to complete any heavy-duty editing, a heavier laptop with a fan is a must. In this situation, you simply have to weigh the pros and cons of each laptop you look into and decide based on that.
The other option for students could be a tablet. My personal favorite, and what I use on a daily basis, is the iPad Pro. This tablet allows you to type papers and do light editing. Additionally, it is very light and portable. Due to its compact size, I can take my iPad practically anywhere. One of my favorite features, however, which is not found on a laptop, is my note-taking ability. I bought an Apple pencil and an app called Goodnotes. Besides the pencil, this app allows me to write notes on my tablet as if I were writing on paper. This saves space in my backpack, making the workload I have to carry around much smaller.
Unfortunately, the iPad is not flawless. Due to its compact size, it lacks many of the features of a laptop. However, you can gain these features back, such as typing on a keyboard, by buying the keyboard case, but they all come at a price. Personally, I take a lot of handwritten notes and write a lot of papers, so the investment was worth it to buy the magic keyboard and additional Apple pencil.
Based on the pros and cons listed, it is simple to realize that all that is needed to decide whether to get a tablet or laptop is your daily needs.