<p>My D is asking for a tablet. She is entering her 3rd year of college. She presently uses a 3 or 4 year old MacBook laptop. She says with her classes now she needs to bring her computer and it is heavy and hurts her back while biking. She wants something for taking notes and readings. I don’t know how easy it would be to take notes on a tablet.
Another option would be to get a newer lighter laptop.
Thoughts ?</p>
<p>Is she planning to stop using the laptop all together, or just not carry it around as much? I would be hesitant to completely replace a laptop with a tablet at this point. Tablets are becoming more capable, but they are still limited. For example, almost all of them lack open file storage with a file explorer (i.e., being able to just store files in folders and access them on the device). The one exception is the Surface. If your daughter is open to switching from Apple to Microsoft, that could be a nice compromise option. It can function like a “normal” computer but also has the functionality and form factor of a tablet.</p>
<p>I only use my tablet (an iPad Mini) to take notes in classes where I am writing/labeling directly on powerpoints. (For this I use the Notability app, which is a really nice app and by far the best I have found for note taking.) The on-screen keyboard is not nice for typing much more than Facebook posts, and the stylus for these types of tablets (with capacitive screens) is too imprecise to make taking lots of handwritten notes very useful. If she wants to do handwritten notes on a tablet, I’d recommend a tablet with a digitizer (the tablets that come with the pointy styli). For reading, however, I use my Mini a lot for scientific papers. I prefer that to having to waste a bunch of paper, and reading on the high resolution screen is much nicer on the eyes than reading on a lower pixel density screen.</p>
<p>The other option, as you mention, would be a new lighter laptop. If your daughter is otherwise happy with her MacBook, I would look at the MacBook Airs. They are very light and quite capable for everyday users.</p>
<p>^^^ Agree. Also the new MacBook Pros (retina display) are very light, particularly the 13" model. </p>
<p>I think she would continue to use her present laptop for home use.
If it makes any difference her phone is an IPhone. If she went the tablet route would it make any sense to get the Surface? Also would an Ipad with WiFi only capability be enough.
I still need to talk with her to figure out what she really needs versus what she thinks she “wants”.</p>
<p>If she has an iPhone and a Mac already and plans to keep using the laptop, I would go with an iPad over a Surface. The Surface’s big advantage is being a laptop replacement tablet. Also, if you’re totally in the “Apple ecosystem,” things tend to play nicely with each other.</p>
<p>A tablet with wi-fi only would definitely be capable enough. She’ll probably be using it mostly in wi-fi enabled areas (campus or home), and if she really needs internet away from that she has her phone.</p>
<p>A full-sized iPad gives more screen real estate than an iPad Mini, but it’s also much more expensive and heavier. (I pick up a full size iPad now and am surprised by how much it weighs.) Another alternative for less $$ than the iPads would be the Nexus tablets. You get more bang for your buck with them, but they don’t have the shiny Apple appeal. Tablets by some other manufacturers (like Samsung and especially Amazon), have a special version of Android which limits the apps you can get. I wouldn’t go with the really cheap, really off brand tablets out there. They don’t have the durability or the specs you’ll get from Apple or Google.</p>
<p>I got an tablet in my third year of college and was very grateful that I did. I ended up going pretty much entirely paperless in school, and it was a lot more convenient for me but it’s not for everyone. I got it mostly so that I could write on powerpoint slides and switch between typing and writing mostly, not because of the weight of my laptop although a lot of people always seem to be fixated on that. I also had a keyboard and a stylus to go with it so I would type or write or switch between them–whatever was easiest. It’s also nice to be able to carry around a lot of papers, assignments, and notes on it, so you can highlight and write on them as you read but don’t have to print them all out and carry them around. My tablet is also wi-fi only, which should be plenty. If she’s really using this mainly for school, then she’ll likely be using it in places where she has access to wi-fi (lecture halls, library, at home, etc). It can be extremely convenient and I use it all the time (in undergrad and grad school), but I think it’s a good idea to differentiate between what she actually needs and what she just wants.</p>
<p>And I think the big difference between my situation and hers is that I bought my tablet and accessories myself. It’s a lot different when you’re the one footing the bill.</p>
<p>I have an iPad Air. It weighs nothing.</p>
<p>I have an IPad with Logitech keyboard; use it for CC & work.</p>
<p>Me, too. Except my keyboard is a Zagg, and it provides full protection around the ipad. I had a logitech, but my ipad wasn’t well protected, and the screen broke. DARN it! I had to buy a new ipad air!<br>
Most folks who see my setup think it is a mini-laptop and always seemed surprised that it is an ipad air.</p>
<p>If you’re pretty set on Apple than the IPad is really the only way to go. However I’ve always had a problem with note taking with a stylus on the IPad. If that’s something you’re interested in you can look at the Surfaces (though they can be quite expensive) or the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition. I’ve tried out an older version of the Surface Pro and the New Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 and both are amazing for stylus note taking, pdf/textbook reading, media consumption…really anything you could want. They are heavier than the IPad but lighter than your standard laptop -except maybe the Macbook Air, I haven’t personally compared the weights. I’m actually debating between those two for myself for my freshmen year. </p>
<p>If the choice is between an iPad mini and a full sized older iPad, I’d go with the mini. But the iPad Air is just that much lighter and the size is better for most keyboard accessories. It also lasts somewhat longer because the battery is bigger. </p>
<p>If this is to be used on campus, I’d expect lots of wifi availability and thus no need for a cell radio, especially given how easy it is to tether one to a phone for short usage (like downloading email or syncing a document). </p>
<p>IF you choose to buy an iPad mini, Logitech makes a cool keyboard cover that is light and thin, which basically turns the tablet into a netbook. Am typing on the keyboard now and find it better than the Belkin I previously owned. </p>
<p>Nawwww… the zagg keyboard is better. I’ve had both!</p>
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<p>Unless she has a physical disability of some kind or has developed a back problem, I don’t see how a 3-4 year old macbook is heavy enough to present such issues when being carried. </p>
<p>The 15" macbook pros from 2006 were around 5 pounds with power brick and were considered quite light for their time. Certainly lighter than the 8-11 pound notebooks I carried around in college and my early working years. </p>
<p>The ones from 3-4 years ago are lighter still. When I carried one in my backpack once, it felt like I was carrying an empty bag as it didn’t register with me. </p>
<p>Why am I getting the impression your D may be using the weight factor to angle for a tablet on your dime. </p>
<p>Inspector Cobrat. LOL.</p>
<p>“Unless she has a physical disability of some kind or has developed a back problem, I don’t see how a 3-4 year old macbook is heavy enough to present such issues when being carried.”</p>
<p>It really does not take much for some ladies, cobrat. Even a tiny shoulder purse can be a problem. Be glad that you are not carrying a purse! ;)</p>
<p>I appreciate all the advice.
I am not rushing to buy her anything. I am going to wait and see if this is a need or a passing request. Her class this summer session has all the reading online and the professor likes you to have it accessible in class. That means having some sort of computer or printing it all out. If she finds that she really needs one I think we will explore the mini with a keyboard. I think we might even find a family member with an Ipad they are not using for her to try it out.
Cobrat- has obviously not carried a purse. I don’t doubt her back and shoulders are hurting. She bikes and her campus is quite large.
The truth is probably she doesn’t absolutely need a tablet since she has a computer but it would be easier and nice to have. She has already said a WI Fi only model will work since her campus has WiFi everywhere.</p>
<p>Yes, our kids both had their heavy laptops break on them and they got full refunds under warranty and traded them in for Netbooks plus extra monitors for their home use. Worked well for both of them and was very light and transportable. Personally, love my iPad mini + a nice keyboard. It works well for me and is currently what I am accessing and typing with. It’s wifi only–cheaper and meets my needs.</p>
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<p>I may not have carried a purse, but I have carried 8-11 pound notebooks with power bricks in single-strapped laptop bags daily to-from work as everyone else…including women did in that office. I DON’T recommend that due to unbalanced weight distribution. </p>
<p>Backpacks are best for this situation. </p>