16 or 32 gb ipad third generation for college student?

[justme0729]

I want to buy the new third generation ipad for college in fall 2012 but I do not know which model to buy- the 16 or the 32. I have a 15 inch macbook pro which I will use for many of my tasks such as writing papers and serious things. I want an ipad to do the following things:

*Take notes for lectures with a notetaking app- preferably with a stylus if it works well or maybe with an extra keyboard if i need to. I plan on this becoming my notebook for all of my classes if I end up liking how it works.
*Download any textbooks that are available- I don't care if I only get one textbook...at least thats one book that I do not have to carry around.
*Put a minimal amount of movies on it- only when I am in the mood...probably only 5 tops movies on it at a time.
*I do not plan on putting any of my music on it.
* I plan on having a few apps but not too many. I only have 10 apps besides the ones that came with it on my iphone.
*Even if it does not become the ideal college tool, I will still like using it for web browsing or having at least one textbook on.

I am planning on getting just the wifi version as my phone can act as a hotspot if I need to and the campus will have wifi.
I really do not want to spend the extra money for the 32 if I really do not have to...should I get the 16 or the 32 third gen ipad?

Also any suggestions for notetaking apps? I think I like Notes Plus but am open to other suggestions.Thanks!!

 

[darrinaltman]

For notes checkout Note Taker HD.

If you can afford it get 32g. Text books with videos can take up a lot of memory.

 

[sunking]

My normal respnse to a question like this is to get the largest capacity that you can afford. Given what you want to use the device for 16GB is probably enough.

Regarding taking notes, Microsofts free offering of OneNote has worked really well for me. I use my current iPad1 as my main means of taking and keeping notes at work.

 

[jhood2323]

Go with the 16 gig many notes can be stored in a cloud service like iCloud ,BOX(free 50 gigs),etc. Movies and music is what really kills most people's memory as they feel like they must carry their library with 0_o. My playlist can eliminate unnecessary songs. Hope this helps

 

[Zergslayer69]

Easily 32 here. You always want some wiggle room in case you do happen to need more space down the road for movies or whatever. Never ever get JUST enough unless you plan on replacing the device every year.

 

[Airtent]

I too suggest the 32 if you can afford it. I like notability app as you can use it for txt, handwriting, photos, and record audio (good with lectures). Onenote is nice too as you can sync to Microsoft's skydrive and sync notes to onenote on a desktop. Evernote also tends to be popular.

 

[justme0729]

I know that if I want to do more than I said then I should definitely get the 32. However, just thinking hypothetically, do you all think that I could do what I mentioned with the 16? I I think that what I mentioned is basically all I will use it for and since this is my first ipad and I am not a hugeee app user then I should go with the smaller version as it is sort of like my test run...so do you think that i could do everything I wanted with the 16 but just not more?

And I like notability but the reason I was thinking notes plus is because you can write anywhere on the page. Does anyone have bad/good experiences with the wrist protectors which some note taking apps use?

And Thanks for all of the responses. It has definitely helped.

 

[MikesTooLz]

it should be enough for what you want on 16GB.

also if you really want to get your music later on without loading it on the iPad and using space there are a few options.

For fee you can load all your music into Google music and then play them on the iPad over the internet.
With iTunes Match from apple (not free, $25 per year) you can have all your music in iCloud and play it on the iPad via the internet.

 

[Airtent]

They do update notability and you can write or type text anywhere on the page. There is also a wrist guard and a function to write in big letters but it shrinks it down to size and then be placed anywhere. Also it has the auto continue where you write to the end of the screen, it will auto move ahead so you can keep writing fast without slowing down. Wrist guard can be toggled and works well. They improved the ink engine as well.

I highly suggest to get a stylus as you can write faster with it, plus better accuracy. My current favorite is the jot mini from adonit, but it may be a little bit noisy compared to others as it has a plastic end and you have to raise it up to move and set it down again to write which is where it makes a noise. Very accurate and you can see what you are writing is the tradeoff on it. Better for drawing. I have a clear skinomi screen protector and don't suggest a rubber tip for a stylus as its a bit tougher to write that way. Fingers glide very well with this screen protector, so i suggest a felt like tip to use it with. There are several types: rubber, foam, metal fibers (can scratch the protector), metallic cloth, metal/plastic rings, and cloth fibers. Out of those first four types, i liked metallic cloth the bet for a smooth glide.

With first using the ipad, i too didn't think i'd use many apps, but after going through 300ish, i'm glad i got the extra space!

 

[Airtent]

Also of note:
Notability $.99
Note taker hd $4.99
Notes plus $7.99
Writepad $9.99 this one converts handwriting into font text and lets you use shorthand.

 

[vfontjr]

If they have a lot of music, go for the 64.

 

[justme0729]

While I know that 32 would be the best, I think i will get the 16 as it can hold what I want it to do and then I don't have to pay 100 extra. Also, it seems like most of you say that I do not definately need 32, it would just be easier. I can always sell it and get another one if it becomes a terrible problem. Still open to suggestions as I probably wont order it until early summer/ late spring. Thanks!

 

[DarrenUK]

While I know that 32 would be the best, I think i will get the 16 as it can hold what I want it to do and then I don't have to pay 100 extra. Also, it seems like most of you say that I do not definately need 32, it would just be easier. I can always sell it and get another one if it becomes a terrible problem. Still open to suggestions as I probably wont order it until early summer/ late spring. Thanks!

If you are not ordering until summer it would be wise to save up the extra $100 and get the 32gb.

 

[AQ_OC]

Honestly, I'd get the 64GB wifi if I were you. You can't expand the memory, so go for more than you need so you can have room. You can save text books, PDF papers, assignments, notes for all of your courses (I have PDF lectures and videos of my courses made available), magazines, etc, and you can refer back to them later on in other courses (too many students assume they don't need to review prior material, but that is a mistake). Sure, you can get by with 16GB if you train yourself to, but why do that? Memory is cheap and having reference tools at hand is a great benefit. Make the device your tool for study throughout your college career. Also get a blue-tooth keyboard & stylus and be sure to get free cloud storage accounts, via dropbox, sugarsync, skydrive, etc. There are some useful apps out there too and you should take advantage of them rather than just sticking to a "I don't use many apps rule", anything that can enhance your learning is a plus and a benefit of having the device. Frankly, when you consider the cost of your education and how important this is to your future, the extra $200 is chump change. Getting maximum use from your iPad will only be a plus. It's not really about what you need as it is about maximizing its potential benefit. This is not a silly expense for gaming..its a tool to help you be succesful. And yes, there will be time when you will want to play games and/or watch movies for stress relief and a needed distraction. The high-res screen should be a boon for student use. Best to you.

 

[dhevans_6]

From someone who bought a 16gb wifi model last year and has run out of room, definitely go for a 32gb, at least.

I don't have movies nor video on mine, and run at about 5gb free (but half a photography shoot and that's filled with raw files).

I honestly didn't know how my usage would turn out but I use mine in my other day job (it pm) for note-taking. I use thinkbook, coupled with the apple keyboard and it's brilliant. For general phone messages and scribbles I have just got into penultimate (as it was on sale) with a box wave stylus. Personally for long meetings I think it would struggle. Thinkbook and the keyboard have been fine all day.

I also heavily use evernote, and despite having it on my android and my iPad, it's used much more on my iPad. It even does handwriting recognition on the scribbles I send it from penultimate! Genius!

Best of luck in your studies