It’s Probably Not Gonna Come as a Huge Shock to You That Two of the Most Popular Tablet Choices for University Students Are the Apple iPad and the Microsoft Surface Pro.
However, what is surprising is how different these two tablets really are. The iPad is a tablet that has gotten more laptop-like over time, and the Surface Pro is a laptop that has gotten more tablet-like over time.
In this article, I’ll go over several of the different considerations you should keep in mind when choosing between a Surface Pro and an iPad as an engineering student so that those of you who are undecided make the right choice.
Let’s get started.
Operating System
The first consideration is the operating system that is used on both devices, which would be iPadOS on the iPad and Windows on the Surface Pro.
For starters, iPadOS is basically a slightly altered version of the operating system that Apple has built for its iPhones, but now it’s got some unique capabilities specifically built for the iPad, like multitasking. Although, with this comes some limitations, like the restricted functionality imposed on some of the mobile versions of apps.
There has been a lot of discussion in the past on how the mobile versions of the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint apps work on the iPad. But I feel pretty confident in saying that as an engineering student, the types of assignments and projects you’re going to be creating in the big scheme of things are pretty simple and aren’t going to need a specific function that’s only available on the desktop version of these apps.
Although, something I do want to mention here is that you can’t split-screen two different windows of the OneNote app. So if you were thinking about using OneNote to take notes on the iPad, when you want to go back and look at your older notes, you will have to switch back and forth between pages because you can’t have them open side-by-side.
On the other hand, the Surface Pro, because it acts like a normal laptop, allows you to have as many windows open as you’d like and position them wherever you’d like on the screen. This is actually pretty useful because it’s likely that you will run into a case where you’ll want to have open more than just two windows, and on the Surface Pro, you’ll have this option.
Another common scenario that happens as a student is when you’re watching a live or recorded lecture, you might want to switch to another app while the video is playing to check something you’ve done in a previous assignment or just quickly Google something.
When you do this on an iPad, you’ll have to leave the app you’re watching the video on, and it’s very likely that the video will stop playing, which is really annoying. While on the Surface, you can just have this window off to the side and in view, and it will continue to play while you navigate around to other windows on your computer.
I wish to point out that this doesn’t happen with every app on the iPad, but it is something to be aware of. This isn’t a big issue when you’re watching a recorded video, but when you’re watching a live video, it can be pretty annoying because you might miss out on things being said while you’re jumping around to other windows.
Compatibility with engineering programs
The second consideration I have for you is how compatible both devices are with engineering programs.
As an engineering student, you get access to a bunch of different programs that you’re able to download onto your personal computer through a special student license. Because the Surface Pro runs on the Windows operating system, you shouldn’t run into an instance where you can’t get a program on your computer. On the other hand, because the iPad runs on the iPadOS operating system, it’s very unlikely that you’ll be able to get some of these programs on your device.
In some areas of engineering, particularly those that use a lot of coding programs, you may be able to scrape by with just an iPad, but I think it’s very unlikely. For me, having access to these programs whenever I needed them without having to go to a computer lab or library is something I would definitely prioritize now. You never know when the world might shut down again, and you won’t have access to a computer lab or library, leaving you stuck without these programs.
Although Surface Pros aren’t well known for their computing power, I found that for all the design programs I used on the Surface Pro during university, it performed perfectly fine for relatively small projects. A few of the programs I used on my Surface were AutoCAD, SpaceGas, Strand 7, and Plaxis 2D. In the iPad’s defense, if you could get the program you needed for university on it, I’m sure it wouldn’t have any trouble running it, especially now that the newer iPads house M4 chips.
Note-taking experience
Generally speaking, the iPad offers more flexibility because there are many different note-taking apps you can download from the App Store. On the Surface Pro, you’re probably just going to have to go with OneNote, as from my experience, it functions the best and there aren’t many competitive alternatives.
In terms of how it feels to take notes on both of these devices, in my opinion, the iPad provides a smoother experience. It’s quicker, more responsive, and rarely has issues with lag.
But then there’s the consideration of how the pen works with each device. The Surface Pro Pen has two buttons, one on the end and one on the side. The Apple Pencil doesn’t have any buttons, but it does have a tapping sensor near the tip on the side.
On the Surface Pro Pen, the button on the side acts like a left mouse button, which is especially useful inside note-taking apps. By pressing and holding this button, you’re able to lasso your notes and easily move them around. You don’t realize how useful this button is until it’s gone.
With the Apple Pencil, when you want to lasso something, you’ve got to go up to the menu bar, click lasso, circle the thing you want to move, move it, then go up and click pen, and then you can start writing again. I found this extra step of having to go up and click different buttons in the menu bar really annoying, and it’s something I definitely prefer about the Surface Pro range.
Also, with the Surface Pro Pen, I want to mention that the end of it acts as an eraser inside note-taking apps. Again, you can quickly access a function without having to go up to the menu bar and manually select it. I know on an Apple Pencil, you can double tap the side to quickly access the eraser, but I personally feel that turning the pen around and using the end of it as an eraser is more natural and less exhausting than constantly double-tapping the side to switch between the pen and the eraser.
The other thing I can’t go without mentioning is the kickstand on the back of the Surface Pro.
When you’re taking notes, this thing is so useful. It’s really sturdy and doesn’t move unless you put a lot of pressure on the screen. It’s also super handy at moving those annoying classroom ceiling lights off your screen from reflecting into your eyes, and it helps you find a comfortable position for your hand to write on the screen.
Now, the iPad obviously doesn’t have a kickstand on the back, but there are cases you can buy that are very similar to the kickstand on the back of Surface Pros. One example is the Combo Touch by Logitech.
Work device versus consumption device
This consideration is about the feeling both devices give you and the effect this has on what you’re trying to use them for. Today, we’re talking about a device that’s gonna be used for university work, so you want something that gets you into the headspace of "it’s time to do some work."
I definitely think that both the iPad and the Surface Pro are capable of giving you this feeling, but it depends on whether you’re disciplined enough to mostly use the device for university work. Going further, I think that the Surface Pro, with its more laptop-like feel, would be better at putting me in the headspace of "it’s time to do some work."
On the other hand, when you’re in that phone-like environment on an iPad, it feels more casual, like you’re only there to do manual tasks. I think this is because, similar to a phone, it’s very easy to download non-uni apps on an iPad and be encouraged to use the device for other things like gaming, social media, and streaming services. However, if you can be strategic about staying off these apps and turning off notifications while doing university work, it would be easier in your mind to make the distinction between work mode and relax mode when using an iPad.
Finally, I want to finish this article by making it a bit more personal and posing some questions for you to ask yourself.
The first one is, is this going to be your only device, or do you have another computer that you use at home? If you just want to use this device purely for note-taking, then an iPad might be the way to go. If you already have a computer or laptop at home that runs Windows and can handle all the extra design programs you can’t get on an iPad, then an iPad could be a great accompanying device.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for an all-in-one device that does the laptop stuff great and the tablet stuff good, then a Surface Pro might be the way to go.
Another question to ask yourself is, what device do you currently have, and what functions on that device do you use a lot? For example, if you’re in the Apple ecosystem and use things like AirDrop to transfer your files and iCloud to back everything up, do you still want to be able to use these things moving forward, or are you happy to let them go and move to Windows? This isn’t to say that you can’t access iCloud files on a Windows computer, but it isn’t as nicely integrated as it is on an Apple device. The alternative on a Windows computer would be something like OneDrive.
And the last question is, what do you really want?
The last thing you want is to be unhappy with your choice. Often, when choosing between two good options, I’ve found that if I just choose the one I simply like more, I won’t be too worried about making the wrong decision. Even if some particular task would have been easier with the other device, at least if I have to jump through extra hoops, I get to do it on the device I like more.
There you have it.
That was my take on some of the thoughts and considerations you should make as an engineering student when choosing between an iPad and a Surface Pro.