My note taking was doing my head in, all those binders, markers etc. etc. taking way too much place in my tiny studio. It is getting problematic, this is what one of my shelves full of notebooks and study books look like. Making it a treasure hunt finding a a specific note.

What also didn’t help is, I am anal retentive when it comes to note taking, I have written about that extensively here. So studying outside the house was not particularly easy as I was carrying my binders, gazillions of markers and my study books.

I have been toying with the idea of buying a tablet for quite some time, here I am discussing my notes being a problem with my real mom S.

I actually was looking at the Remarkble and the likes. But the load times and lack of color and it’s loading time and refresh rate put me off from buying e-ink based tablets. So I stared to look at other options, Samsung got a big NO from me, I hate Andriod it is sluggish just like Windows.

So I was looking at Apple, and the iPad 2020 would have been perfect but the way the Apple Pencil first generation needs to be charged was off putting.

So I went for the iPad Air 4, for the sole reason that I like the way the Apple Pencil second generation charges.

The price difference between the iPad 2020 and iPad Air 4 is huge and not really justifiable for me, since the iPad 2020 is in my budget and the iPad Air 4 is 278 euros out of my budget. Take a look:

Right now that price difference hurt like a mother fucker, since I am broke as fuck. But the way the Apple Pencil first generations needs to be charged would a) annoy the fuck out off me b) make it very easy for me to destroy the pencil.

One off the main reasons I chose for Apple is that you can work with some Apple apps in the iCloud without being logged on to an Apple device. Here is me logging in on the iCloud on my Linux Laptop, through my browser:

I can now, do stuff in my web browser in any of these apps and it will show on my iPad, which for me is a godsend since I am a touch typist. I have a feeling not many people know this, I often see people at work adding appointments in their calendar on their iPhone while sitting in front of a computer…..

The iPad will be mainly used for “handwritten” notes which is actually going pretty well in GoodNotes I must say. (I also really like how the iPad Air has basically the same size as my preferred paper size namely A5):

The others uses will be the calendar, to do list, notes (not for study material), address book, editing pictures and videos, reading study books. All these things will be done with the “original’ Apple applications that came pre-installed. So far I have downloaded 2 not original Apple apps on my iPad. GoodNotes 5 (which is the best 9 euros ever spent!) and the AdGuard addblocker, and as far as I am concerned I have every intention off keeping it that way.

First of all, I only have 64 GB , secondly I am the kind of person that looks for “native solutions” before downloading an app. Native solutions being, can an original preinstalled Apple app do the ting I want? If so, I’ll do that. I hate devices with gazillions of apps on them.

The iPad will not be my main device, that will be my Linux laptop (a Dell E2750), the iPad is an addition to the laptop for studying. While I am very happy with the iPad, the price off 800 euros for a glorified notebook hurts. I do tell myself, I will save the money in the long run because, I will not buy pencils, phyisical notebook, post-its, markers etc. etc.anymore.

For now I have to live very sober for a couple off months…..