Back to school shopping when your one desktop isn’t enough for so many of your home and family are working or learning from home.

The pros and cons of using an iPad for school

https://www.businessinsider.com/ipad-school-work-setup-guide

• • “The unique challenges presented by the coronavirus pandemic have led to a record amount of students participating in digital learning.
  • While laptops have been a back-to-school must-have for years, tablets, like Apple’s iPad and Microsoft’s Surface, are better equipped than ever to handle work in the classroom.
  • Below, we’ve put together some tips on how to turn your iPad into a workstation for school or whatever work task you might need to accomplish.
• For more tablet recommendations, check out our guides to the best tablets and the best iPads. As the coronavirus pandemic forces America’s schools to embrace the digital classroom, students and teachers alike are looking for new ways to incorporate their personal tech into their workflow.

Laptops have long been a must-have back-to-school item for college students leaving home for the first time, but tablets, like Apple’s iPad or Microsoft’s Surface, can also serve as an essential classroom tool.

With expanded support for mouse and keyboard devices, the iPad has become increasingly effective as a portable workstation, and the gap is closing between apps built for macOS and what’s available in the App Store.

Laptops and netbooks are still superior in terms of multitasking and the overall utility they provide as work tools, but the iPad offers unique flexibility with its top-notch display, easy to use software, two quality webcams, and access to Apple’s highly touted app ecosystem.Apple’s cheapest MacBook starts at $999, while the cheapest iPad is $329. Using your iPad for class offers a more affordable way to work within Apple’s app ecosystem, a benefit that Android tablets can’t match at the moment.

Android tablets include features for setting up a workstation, but it’s probably better to opt for a Chromebook than an Android tablet for school. Chromebooks are compatible with many of the same Android apps and offer more consistent working value than a tablet, with prices starting below $200.

Whether you’re looking to give your iPad to a child for school, or just don’t want to buy and manage another device alongside your tablet, it doesn’t take much to turn your iPad into a quality workstation.

Pros:

• More portable and accessible than a netbook, laptop, or Chromebook
• Long battery life
• 4G LTE option for mobile internet connection
• Easy to install apps can streamline your workflow and work is easily shared with macOS computers

Cons:

• Incompatible with some common USB devices
• Multitasking with different apps is more difficult than using a computer
• Support for external displays is less than ideal
• Cost for extra internal storage space drives price higher than a laptop and can’t be increased after purchase

The standard iPad is best for school and education

Personally, I wouldn’t recommend buying a new iPad in place of a laptop, netbook, or Chromebook for school, simply based on the price of Apple’s tablets compared to a basic computer

The iPad Pro’s USB-C connector and Magic Keyboard support are appealing features for a work setup, but once you start spending on peripherals the final cost is nearly the same as Apple’s 13-inch MacBook Pro ($1,299) despite the iPad being significantly less powerful.”