Mac or iPad? Back-to-college decisions are taking place as computers are now among the most important classroom tools. Many eyes are on Apple as the company’s privacy-focussed ecosystem of products can power students through some of the most important years of their lives. Whether creating apps, taking notes, designing presentations or editing video projects, college students can turn to the Mac or the iPad for portability and reliability. There’s something for everyone

Take the example of Anuj Pachhel. To handle the intensive demands of his medical school curriculum at Government Medical College, Nagpur, he chose MacBook Pro. “One aspect I loved was the battery life on the device,” said Pachhel, who will continue his postgraduate studies this fall. “I had e-books for studies loaded on my Mac and used it extensively, and I was in awe of the speed.”

Throughout his undergraduate years, Pachhel documented his academic adventures with iPhone and Mac, earning more than a million followers as he discussed what it was like studying for exams, attending college during the pandemic lockdowns, and what he did with his free time along the way.

“The Mac is so powerful at handling challenging tasks,” he said. “I particularly love DaVinci Resolve Studio, as it uses many artificial intelligence features that tap the fast Neural Engine of my MacBook Pro, improving my editing speed.”

The iPad Air (with M2) can handle any task students throw at it

Versatility of Apple Intelligence

The college season always comes at an interesting time. In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple to reclaim his position as CEO (though at first as interim) and with the company’s then-design lead, Jony Ive, he gave direction to what remains one of the most important Mac designs ever — the bulbous and fun iMac G3 computer that shipped on August 15, 1998. Bondi blue was the colour that remains most memorable and it was an instant hit. The machine was translucent and showed off the electronics underneath. Youngsters fell in love with it.

Over the years, the Mac lineup kept improving and today students have a wide range to choose from. In 2010, came the first iPad, which today is very speedy and has every productive task at your fingertips.

If you are a student, it’s natural to be confused about what you should buy — iPad or a MacBook. Ask yourself whether you’ll be able to do more and better work with a laptop or an iPad. And under iPad and MacBook are several models.

“My MacBook Air goes with me everywhere I go and excels at all the work I demand from it, whether running AutoCAD to design a new machine, taking notes for organic chemistry, or building my next app in Xcode — MacBook Air unlocks completely new possibilities for me,” said Brayden Gogis, a junior at Taylor University in Indiana and a three-time Swift Student Challenge winner who is studying mechanical engineering and biochemistry.

Research shows that students’ course of study plays a major role in choosing their primary device. In fact, 65 per cent said this was an important factor, according to data from Futuresource Consulting. Making your choice for the year special is the rollout of Apple Intelligence — the personal intelligence system that puts generative models at the core of Mac, iPad, and iPhone without compromising privacy — this fall.

You can now do almost every laptop-y thing with an iPad, be it organising files, extreme video editing and plugging in external drives.

Anuj Pachhel, a student of Government Medical College, Nagpur

For a generation that’s always on the quest for productive tools as well as entertainment, iPadOS helps. If you’re considering taking an iPad to college, go for it without hesitation.

iPads can do many creative things easily. With the swipe of an Apple Pencil, you can draw or write. Of course, if you need to do computing tasks that need the precision of a touchpad or if you enjoy the traditional form factor, then MacBook can be the device of your choice.

Yoora Jung is in her second year of medical school at Touro University California in the San Francisco Bay Area and she exemplifies a situation where both devices can live side by side. She relies on iPad Air for her studies and her MacBook Pro for creating content for social media, where she’s earned a sizeable following with her inside look at what it’s really like being a medical school student.

“I use iPad Air and Apple Pencil to take handwritten notes using Notability, and to organise lecture materials for effective study sessions,” Jung says.

Affordability is an important factor for students. Apple has a limited-time college student offer in Apple Store locations and online at the Apple Education Store. The offer includes AirPods with Mac and Apple Pencil with iPad, including the new MacBook Air and the all-new iPad Air. Further, college and graduate students, their parents, and all teachers are eligible to receive discounted education pricing year-round and 20 per cent off AppleCare+ during this limited-time offer. They can trade in an old device to earn credit toward a new one and take advantage of zero per cent interest financing over 24 months.