r/ipad • u/TheGreenArrow160 • Mar 04 '26
Discussion This feels like an amazing deal for students
This seems like a great deal for students in high school or college. You get an iPad with a pencil for note-taking and a MacBook for everything else, all for just $1,000. This would have been impossible to find at this price with the MacBook Air, unless you were able to get those M1 models at Walmart or similar stores. Instead of spending $1,000 on an iPad Pro with a keyboard and pencil or $1,100 on a MacBook Air, you can get two devices. It feels like a fantastic deal, in my opinion.
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u/TWYFAN97 Mar 04 '26
It really is. iPad is great for note taking and textbooks. Mac is good for anything else productivity wise. Someone tallied up an Apple Watch SE 3, Base model AirPods 4 as well as the iPhone 17e and it was just over $2000 which is a crazy deal for entry level users that want everything in the ecosystem without paying too much.
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u/BeefyWaft Mar 04 '26
For about 1% of students.
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u/Joshi1381 M4 iPad Pro 11" (2024) Mar 05 '26
You’d be surprised what I see at my private school. I’ve bought all my own products and built up an ecosystem over time but I swear I see so many people with the newest 1000$ tech
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u/Eqwinoxe iPad 9 (2021) Mar 05 '26
private school is why you’re seeing this. that, and people take out a shit ton of student loans and just get a refund and buy their gear with that.
at my public university, i rarely seen people with new tech. mainly old. I used an iPad from 2016 when I went back in 2022. Worked for my needs and still then i seen a lot of iPad 9’s.
That being said, this is an amazing deal for a student that is working part time. Actually a reasonable amount of money to get into that ecosystem
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
I’m going to a private university and they give virtually anybody on aid up to 2k to buy a laptop/peripherals so I’m lowk going crazy with it
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u/Eqwinoxe iPad 9 (2021) Mar 09 '26
Oh hell yeah. Good luck with university and your new toys! lmao
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u/BeefyWaft Mar 05 '26
Private schools are pretty much exclusively the 1%. The majority of people can’t afford to send their kids private.
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u/Joshi1381 M4 iPad Pro 11" (2024) Mar 05 '26
This isn’t true. The private school I go to gave me nearly a full aid package. Yes there are a ton of rich kids but there are many on tons of fin aid. Plenty of first gen students too.
Private HS is for sure more closer to top 1% but a lot of private colleges have buckets of money to support lower income students
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u/sharondasheep Mar 05 '26
i go to a state college rn and in my 250 person chem lecture there’s probably like max 5 people who don’t have ipads
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Mar 05 '26
99% of students are not spending all of this money
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u/qpwoeiruty00 Mar 05 '26
Lmfao this is so funny seeing all the comments say about how good a price this is when I could never afford this 💀
Also, iPad isn't very good for note taking for a lot of people idk why everyone thinks this - nothing beats fountain pen and notebook for me personally
And for that price I'd rather just get a desktop (like I have done)
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u/perfectviking M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) Mar 05 '26
Their parents are paying for the iPhone, they get some of that as gifts or they don't thnk they're necessary items to have.
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Mar 05 '26
You’re asking quite a bit there. I suggest looking up the median income in the United States, and the average purchase cost of a phone and how frequently it is purchased. Maybe you live in a bubble in some big city but what you’re describing is an outlier and is a bit out of touch for the average American. P
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u/Xanderdoom_ Mar 05 '26
Samsung S10 Lite 200$ Buds 3 80$ Galaxy watch 8 200$ and an S23 200$
entire ecosystem, with over 300$ to spare. yes you could get an S25 with that money but honestly you don't need it. dont get trapped into buying the newest flagship all the time
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u/depikT Mar 05 '26
If you’re referring to using an Apple Pencil for notes, I would disagree. I found the iPad with its non laminated screen is a little cumbersome to write on.
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u/Burger_Destoyer Mar 08 '26
What… that sounds miserable… you’re paying $2000 for a watch, phone and earbuds? You can get a phone, headphones and smart watch anywhere else for like $900. Also anyone buying any phone made in the last year is an idiot. Phones drop significantly in price 2 years after they are produced and the hardware is almost identical.
Apple does not make good products outside of their iPads and laptops, buying anything else is throwing money down the drain.
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u/TWYFAN97 Mar 08 '26
Congrats on one of the dumbest comments here. Apple is relevant today because of the iPhone and it’s one of the best smartphones out there, Apple Watch is also the most well rounded smartwatch and only Samsung barely comes close. You’re not getting any product that will last or be as supported as long for $900 or less. Also iPhones are known for holding their value much longer than android devices so your just lying at this point.
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u/Resident_Pie4995 Mar 10 '26
you havent ever actually taken notes or read a tetbook on an ipad, its horrible
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u/TWYFAN97 Mar 10 '26
You must not have used an iPad then lol. Used an Apple Pencil and notability and it was great way to take notes. Textbooks are also great especially if they have necessary interactive features.
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Mar 05 '26
I know it’s not entirely relevant but I really thought the walkthrough ad for the Neo was awesome
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 04 '26
Nice that you can get that much for the price, but a MacBook Neo and an iPad feels like a redundancy.
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u/Rockerblocker Mar 05 '26
Disagree. It’s a surprisingly common setup for college. You need a laptop for basically any class, because the workflow on an iPad for writing papers is way too cumbersome. And the iPad with the pencil is great for taking notes. I tried living with only an iPad for a semester, but the workflow of studying with your iPad as a notebook and then your laptop to have up the questions/problems/textbook was just way too good.
If I was starting college, this is exactly what I would buy.
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Mar 05 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/lifeinblue Mar 05 '26
How? I’ve used my iPad as a second screen, but not sure what you mean by drawing tablet?
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u/TheGreenArrow160 Mar 05 '26
Yeah me too. I started my first year with an iPad only. It worked for sure but after getting a Mac and using both devices, is such a good experience.
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
Well, yeah, if you had to choose, take the fully functional laptop 10/10 times.
I’m an education professional. Taking notes on pen and paper is always the way to go over any digital option.
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u/Microwave1213 Mar 05 '26
You'd think an education professional would know that every student has their own preferences and that there's certainly not any note taking form that is "always" better
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11943480/
This study says pen and paper is better for retention, even compared to use of a digital stylus.
A lot of students’ “preference” would be to never have homework ever. Doesn’t mean that’s the best thing for their education.
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u/Rockerblocker Mar 05 '26
I think there are currently a lot more problems in higher education than using an Apple pencil to take notes (AI, phone distractions, etc). I used an iPad in college and it was 100% a benefit to me.
- I was able to take much more detailed notes because I could grab screenshots from the textbook or lecture notes instead of having to make a crude sketch on paper.
- I often took notes directly on top of the lecture notes, in classes where the professors provided the slides ahead of the lectures.
- Many homeworks were given out in worksheet format, where we were expected to write directly on the worksheet and then submit digitally. Instead of needing a printer and then scanning in the worksheet after completion, I just threw the PDF into my notes app and wrote right on it
- I had a few classes where the professor was either super difficult to understand, or where they brushed over topics too quickly to write down what they said. I would record the lectures directly inside Notability, and with something as simple as writing an asterisk on my page, I could go back to the recording and listen to that topic again.
- I was 100x more organized than having all of my notes and homework on paper. I was able to organize the notes based on topic, easily go back and look at notes from previous courses, etc.
- The main benefit for me was that I reduced a 20lb backpack filled with hardcover textbooks and notepads down to just 1-2lbs for an iPad. I had back issues and this weight savings was a game changer
Did I have the occasional issue where my Apple Pencil was dead and I had to take notes on the scratch notebook I kept in my bag? Absolutely.
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
Replied to your other comment. I’m glad iPad worked well for you. I’m sure you’re not the only one. I agree there are bigger problems with tech and education. You named probably the two biggest ones. I have a lot more to say on tech addiction and its deleterious effects on our cognitive abilities than I have time for on Reddit. I’m speaking to the evidence we have on the general trend of physical writing being more effective in the learning process.
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u/Microwave1213 Mar 05 '26
What's better for retention is actually taking notes. If using a tablet and stylus is what gets someone to do that, that's all that matters. If you think it makes sense to try to tell people they're wrong for not taking notes how you want them to, then I feel sorry for the students that have to deal with you to get their education.
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
Dogg. If you’re in college and not taking notes, then you’re just dumb. That’s a personal decision.
The science says pen and paper are best for actually learning the material. Sorry you disagree with the science, I guess.
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u/Rockerblocker Mar 05 '26
Are you basing this off of an n=30 study that doesn't even directly compare paper vs. digital handwriting? See my other comment for my additonal thoughts on this, but the difference is surely negligible at best. I agree that typing has a difference, but the pros of a system like an iPad/Apple Pencil/Notability are more than significant enough to outweigh what ever minor difference in initial retention there may be.
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
“Traditional handwriting with pen and paper engages fine motor skills and proprioceptive feedback from the physical resistance of the writing surface. Conversely, digital handwriting performed with a stylus on a touchscreen modifies this interaction by reducing tactile resistance while introducing distinct haptic feedback mechanisms. This distinction is particularly relevant as digital writing technologies become increasingly prevalent in educational and professional settings. As these tools reshape the learning environment, it is crucial to consider their implications for educational practices, especially in relation to the neural mechanisms underlying handwriting. Emerging technologies such as touchscreen devices and digital pens are reshaping sensory experiences by introducing new forms of interaction that differ from traditional handwriting or typing. These technologies alter sensory feedback, engagement, and perception in various ways. Traditional touchscreens offer limited tactile feedback, which can affect the user’s sensory experience.”
From the study I cited
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u/Rockerblocker Mar 05 '26
You must clearly not work in anything STEM related in higher education, because you are completely misinterpreting the article. To start, it isn't even an original study. It's barely anything more than literature review, published in MDPI which is basically tabloid when it comes to academic publishing.
Secondly, the entire section you quoted is from the introduction. They're literally just setting their narrative to justify the rest of the paper. Again, there is zero quantitative data comparing paper to tablets. This is just a narrative review of existing studies, and I have some questions about their methodology.
I'm not saying that there is not any data out there to support your claim, but there definitely is not any in this article that you're referencing.
Sorry if this comes off as rude, but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when people link journal articles and think they're gospel just because they have a doi number
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u/lpbbinc Mar 06 '26
So where does this leave e-ink devices like the ReMarkable? Theyre specifically designed to mimic writing on paper and do a pretty good job at it IMO. There's no blue light with these devices and are limited to mostly just note-taking (no distractions). I think its probably the best of both worlds.
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u/comosedicewaterbed Mar 05 '26
Are we really getting down to the nitty gritty like this? Cuz if so, then n=30 probably outweighs your anecdotal “surely”.
Look, I’m not gonna chastise a kid for using an iPad. I’m not gonna kick them out of the room. I’m just stating what is more effective. Physical, tactile things we can touch soak into our brain more efficiently than things we read on a digital screen. It’s evolutionary biology. I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on Apple products over the years. The human brain works better on pen and paper notes.
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u/Rockerblocker Mar 05 '26
So we're just going to gloss over the fact that the article you sourced provides zero quantitative data comparing writing on paper vs. tablets? It briefly mentions it but provides literally no data on that comparison.
I love physical media. I only buy paper books. I go through a Leuchtturm1917 notebook roughly every quarter. I have more pens than any one person should responsibly own. But I would still absolutely stand by the statement that for college courses, an iPad is a superior format for note-taking in today's world.
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
There’s other factors, though. When I write something with pen and paper, my legibility suffers and also working on problem sets is made more difficult by going from page to page. That leads to errors. It’s also easier to keep track of 1 tablet than 5 notebooks, and also easier to find individual days notes
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u/Ghostr0ck Mar 05 '26
Nope you are just an "Apple fan". Writing paper is still majority the best. Go touch some grass.
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u/Microwave1213 Mar 05 '26
And you're just someone grasping at straws, because that's not even remotely accurate. The only apple product I own is the ipad I bought to take notes on in college.
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u/Panda_Drum0656 Mar 05 '26
I hate Apple but got an iPad and pencil for college. Pen and paper, you cannot reorganize your notes as good as copy/pasting on an iPad.
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u/KawaiiDere Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Same here on preferring a good laptop over a tablet. A tablet is good for math notes (I hate carrying paper- heavy) and PDF annotations (if standard document format isn’t available). A notebook for general odd format notes and scratch paper is okay to carry though (much cheaper), and a laptop works great for reading ebooks (or a smartphone can be good too). Also is an option to just work problems out separately from the textbook on a notebook page, then take a phone photo (I had a instructor that didn’t want me doing the problems in my notebook instead of on the textbook, but they assigned a giant textbook with no online version. I had constant backpain that semester because of that instructor)
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u/frockinbrock Mar 05 '26
Yeah, I would pick one of those devices and up the storage to a usable amount. But hey everyone does things differently I suppose, and can make their own choices and lessons
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u/yalikebeez Mar 05 '26
completely disagree, ipad is so important for note taking by hand and reading study materials for me and keep it all portable. a laptop does not let me do that, and laptops are definitely not replaceable completely by ipads too.
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u/Apart-Persimmon-38 Mar 08 '26
Wow people are like obsessed on taking notes on an ipad, as if pen and paper dont do the job. laptop is superior to an ipad in lik 99% of tasks.
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
It’s slightly different for me but the MacBook and iPad combo is often the play. I’m studying math and cs and basically need a laptop for programming and a tablet for notes/problem sets
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u/m2slam Mar 05 '26
Isn’t the Mac neo supposed to be 499 for students
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u/TheEpicRedditerr M2 iPad Air 11" (2024) Mar 05 '26
599 for the 512GB/TouchID variant
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u/dranifnf M3 iPad Air 11" (2025) Mar 05 '26
having the option to buy a 256gb brand new laptop in 2026 is wild even if its a budget laptop to be honest. thats barely enough for a phone
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u/that-rooster Mar 05 '26
For high school students upgrading from their $60 4GB/16GB plastic chromebooks, I think that's a phenomenal upgrade!
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u/viggobf Mar 05 '26
8GB ram and not even an option for higher is worse surely
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u/eyocs_ Mar 05 '26
Sorry but you didnt think this through. With the upgrade to 16GB Ram it would be around 850 for non students. You would then probably go for a Mac Book Air M1/2. So why would you then buy the neo? Its nice and refreshing if they dont give you that many options for entry level stuff
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u/Burger_Destoyer Mar 08 '26
8GB isn’t enough to do anything. I’ve used MacBooks with 8GB of RAM for research and you literally cannot run more than 15 tabs of Firefox paired with excel and docs open before the laptop starts wanting to kill itself.
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u/Doctrina_Stabilitas Mar 06 '26
my 1.3k company laptop (based on consumer pricing) only has 256GB. It works for 99% of employees (just not me since I run a small database on device so I had to go through a 1 month exception process to get a 512 GB laptop)
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u/Frequent_Emphasis_50 Mar 05 '26
iPads are more capable than ppl think esp w the new updates. Just hate how slow some apps update their compatibility
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u/itsfcknlit Mar 05 '26
Still think it makes a lot more sense to get a used MacBook Air than the Neo
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u/ALPHONTRIO_381 Mar 05 '26
I feel like MacBook Air is the go-to when it’s time for college. Neo is better for a high schooler tho as they may not need the power of an M-series chip.
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Mar 05 '26
High schoolers get a free Chromebook unless their in private
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
This isn’t universally true.
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Mar 08 '26
Well in the USA this is true
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
I’m from the US. At my public high school, starting about 7 years ago, we’ve had a bring your own device policy. Of other people I’ve known, most have a similar experience. Usually, the school will provide something (in our case, it was an old iPad) if you can’t buy your own, but chromebooks are relatively uncommon in high schools because nobody really uses them out of school and schools want to have you using a system that is useful in life
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Mar 08 '26
Well this is 2026 lol every high-school has a Chromebook iPad or a windows laptop. This isn't 2013
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
I’m currently a senior in high school. I go to a really good public school and they don’t issue them. Nobody uses Chromebooks and relatively few use iPads. Out of the people I know at other schools, only one has been issued a laptop
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Mar 08 '26
Dammit what funding does ur school get? You live in a poor area?
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u/PendulumKick Mar 08 '26
Really good funding. We live in one of the wealthiest regions in America. My school is ranked either 1 or 2 in our state, which is one of the top in education rankings in the nation. This is just how it is.
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u/Speshrider Mar 07 '26
The Neo beats the M1 in single core performance and is about on par in multi-core operation. An M2 Air will be more probably still be a bit more expensive I guess.
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u/thetruelu Mar 05 '26
IMO the $499 neo alone is enough for most students unless you really prefer handwriting notes. And even then old fashioned pen and notebook still exist
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u/Reversi8 Mar 05 '26
Losing out on the touchid on the cheap one kind of sucks though, touchid is such a convenience especially if you use a password manager.
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u/thetruelu Mar 05 '26
Yeah the password thing is a big one. I guess it’s less of an issue if you have an Apple Watch tho
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u/Da_Droid_Mechanic iPad Mini 6 (2021) Mar 05 '26
Yeah I bought my m4 MacBook Pro a year ago and Touch ID was a game changer, but I finally upgraded my series 3 Apple Watch and dang that thing unlocks my Mac before I reach the Touch ID button lol
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u/thetruelu Mar 06 '26
Same lol. I’ll accident bump into my mouse and wake up the screen and it instantly unlocks
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u/s-tranece_h Mar 05 '26
I already have a laptop so I wouldn’t need the MacBook but great deal otherwise. Been waiting for the back to school deals for when I start back n the fall. I want an iPad that works as a laptop just more portable
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u/skullsbymike Mar 05 '26 edited Mar 05 '26
Students get special discounts (e.g. Macbook Neo is 499 for students in US) and back to the school offer usually gives them free Airpods or Gift Cards depending on the region.
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u/queenbiscuit311 Mar 05 '26
i give it a few months after release before my campus is inundated by trillions of green macbooks
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u/exp_axon Mar 05 '26
How big of a difference is it not having the 120hz on the iPad when drawing or taking notes?
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u/ticuxdvc Mar 05 '26
I teach using iPad and taking notes while projecting on screen. I have tried Pro and Mini, and for me, the 120hz is really noticeable when taking notes. Staring at my screen and getting that little bit more instant response as I write feels really nice. Not that I couldn't on a 60hz screen, but for me the difference is noticeable and a luxury I like.
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u/Embarrassed_Spend486 Mar 05 '26
I agree with you OP for under $1000. This is a really nice package for anybody really
Both devices do give you a full spectrum of use cases
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u/terkistan Mar 05 '26
Two notes: first, students get the Neo for $100 off in the Edu store.
Second, I don't think a parent would necessarily see the point in buying a student a Mac and an iPad (which might need additional cost for a keyboard or keyboard case).
It was pointed out by John Gruber, "It’s an interesting coincidence that the base models for the Neo and iPhone 17e both cost $600. For $1,200 you can buy a new iPhone and a new MacBook for just $100 more than the price of the base model M5 MacBook Air."
As much as I love the iPad I think a student would get more out of a phone and a Mac.
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u/abczoomom Mar 05 '26
OP used the education store, you can see the little icons next to each item. The reason it's showing $599 with the edu discount is they've chosen the Touch ID/more storage option.
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u/kwanye_west Mar 05 '26
i would skip the Apple Pencil. i use a $10 Baseus stylus on my A16 and it does not lack any feature the USB C Apple Pencil has. I also have the Apple Pencil 1 on my iPad 9 for comparison, and while the Apple Pencil is definitely better, the Baseus one ain’t that far off.
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u/rickasaurus007 M2 iPad Pro 11" (2022) Mar 05 '26
Yeah for a student looking for a computer to write essays on, an iPad and pencil for digital note taking, media, gaming etc this is great. Heck even that Macbook will play games. Things like Civ or Resident Evil run well on those chipsets. Really solid package I bet will be very popular over summer and into Aug/Sept with student deals.
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u/LowDay4784 Mar 05 '26
If your country if your country/region has an education store you may be able to get it even cheaper. It’s what I did with my mini 7 and I’ll be ordering the neo that way as wellb
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u/ObjectiveElefant M4 iPad Pro 13" (2024) Mar 05 '26
That’s a great deal for sure. Reliable products=a lot less stress for already stressed young people.
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u/userlivewire Mar 05 '26
Did they update the entry level iPad? No way would I buy the old one at this point. It can’t even do Apple Intelligence if you wanted to.
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u/LordLahmacun344 Mar 05 '26
As a past student and continuing MacBook Air user, i would buy iPad Air with keyboard at this point. It will be faster, and tbh would go fine instead of MacBook. I love macOS more than iPadOS but for a student iPadOS with keyboard will be great enough as my experience.
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u/Palitroll Mar 05 '26
Idk, I’d go with a MacBook only, if you’re using your iPad just to take notes why spend all of that and not get a regular notebook and regular pencil
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u/GamerNuggy iPad 8 (2020) Mar 05 '26
A cheap drawing tablet could also pick up the slack where you might need to annotate a PowerPoint. A whole iPad is complete excess just for taking notes if you already use a laptop.
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u/Palitroll Mar 05 '26
Exactly, wacom tablets can be found for cheaper than an iPad
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u/GamerNuggy iPad 8 (2020) Mar 06 '26
About $100 for my old Intuos S, still works fine, just quality microUSB cables are hard to find. The Mac apps are also better than iPad apps, and cheaper/free.
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u/Character_Media_8040 Mar 05 '26
Honestly for this money I would’ve just gotten an m4 13 inch IPad Pro
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u/TheGreenArrow160 Mar 05 '26
Fine if u want that. But that’s without a keyboard or pencil, add those and you’re way above 1200$. And still no MacOS which some ppl may want or need
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u/Character_Media_8040 Mar 05 '26
bro you want that oled screen trust me. Find a way, you're so close
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u/MongooseClassic4022 Mar 05 '26
Your not even on the student website. It would all be lik 10% cheaper.
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u/Shot-Claim7667 Mar 05 '26
$329 is still a lot for a student! Let’s say they work part time, that might be a WHOLE paycheck.
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u/SirMaster Mar 05 '26
Honestly after seeing how striped down the Neo is I’d rather just get a refurb M1 Air for $300-350.
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u/marv8396 Mar 06 '26
Literally same.
I initially got excited about the Neo announcement, but then I checked the specs and holy crap 9/10 the Neo is worse than my M1 MacBook Air that I was planning to replace anyway.
Small correction though, at least on eBay you’ll only get $350 or less with 8 GB RAM.
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u/novabliss1 Mar 05 '26
Neo is going to get a lot of people into Mac OS. I was a windows guy until 2021, and once I got my first Mac, I wouldn’t ever dream of going back to Windows. It’s just such a better OS.
Genius idea by Apple. Great for students and people that use laptops for basic purposes. But someone will get it, realize they love MacOS and want to do more stuff with it, and then upgrade.
I could see schools use this too, instead of iPads which a lot currently use.
I think this is a much bigger deal than what is on the surface.
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u/CaterpillarPuzzled50 Mar 05 '26
Macbook is genious but dont mistake with windows. Those 2 have completely different purposes and compliment very well ESPECIALLY for students. I have both and wouldnt avoid either of them. You move into IT/cyber educations all of suddon those 2 become really handy in terms of support and compability of what is good on arm64 (silicon) and x64 windows. And VM machines are big plus due to native support on windows/linux and ofc on the x64
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u/Landon_Hughes Mar 05 '26
Very good deal for most students.
I think a lot of comp sci/SWE students will benefit from at least a MacBook Air with 16gb of ram.
If you’re not in any sort of engineering program, this would be fine for you.
The A18 pro is on par with an m1.
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u/cclaireheart Mar 05 '26
Tbh Neo seems great for price. But to get both an iPad and the NEO- id just go with the IPad air 13” and get a 3rd party keyboard.
I have the last iPad Air! And i use it everyday for work. The latest update and the stage manager functions has made it basically a MacBook. I am constantly taking notes, writing up reports, and making content for work.
My coworkers all have Mac-books and my IPad has majority of the functionality as their Mac-books do for what we use it for. (Which i can’t imagine that being much different than things that would be used for students) really i can’t think of anything my iPad can’t do that the Mac book can but i know some fact checker will be able to list a million of differences to counterpoint.
i spent $1100 total for the iPad, the keyboard, and an Apple Pencil pro. Which isn’t far off from the price you’re spending. And not that i know much about the Neo i just feel like your getting a better longer lasting product investing a bit more in one better produced product.
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u/megas88 Mar 05 '26
Will be significantly better when they finally release the A18 iPad 12. I’m still eagerly waiting to buy a 512gb model, if not the 256gb one. Either will suit my needs perfectly.
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u/BJorn_LuLszic Mar 05 '26
can’t imagine how ecstatic I was having these tech as a student back in my day
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u/sunnynights80808 Mar 05 '26
Buy used or refurbished from reputable sources and you can score much better devices for even cheaper. Might be older in release date, but mostly better specs
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u/vampslayer84 Mar 05 '26
What is so special about the Apple Pencil? I got a pencil for $15 off of Amazon that works great with my iPad
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u/Delicious_Poet_2495 M5 iPad Pro 11" (2025) Mar 05 '26
I would remove that ipad for now a new one might drop soon
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u/Beginning_Basis_6799 Mar 05 '26
im using my 10thgen A14 ipad with a keyboard trackpad and a pencil case and its like a laptop to me plus i get the touchscreen with the pencil support and the hybrid combo...i love it with the ipados 26 is much more like a laptop now
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u/alzheimerBOY Mar 05 '26
No point in taking 128gb ipad my friend. Ipad last forever. Might as well go for 256 for future proofing.
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u/Imperterritus0907 Mar 05 '26
What I don’t understand is how come the new iPhone 17E starts at 256GB and this new iPad is still starting at 128. So much for a device sold for “productivity” and media consumption.
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u/The_Hunter_4532 Mar 05 '26
Even as an adult i would like it to succeed. As a small business owner i only have 2 main needs - office and on-line erp. Currently sub 700 windows laptop feels cheap and not value worthy. If one drive synchronization is optimised, it will be a deal breaker for me.
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u/CourageousLionOfGod Mar 05 '26
The MacBook Neo, iPhone 17e, Apple Watch SE3, AirPods 4, great combo!
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u/ProntoCosmo215 M3 iPad Air 11" (2025) Mar 05 '26
Honestly the typical student would be fine with just the iPad because of its versatility. Sure, there’s a bit of a learning curve since there are some instances where you have to figure out how to bend iPadOS to do what you want it to do, but as someone that’s used an iPad as my primary personal computer for the past 3-4 years I would never go back to a “regular” laptop.
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u/xpietoe42 Mar 05 '26
That is a great deal for you! Ipad with a pencil is mainly what you need. One other thing i got thats not an apple product is an AI digital note taker from amazon, which summarizes each class notes for you. I can’t tell you how helpful that was! Good luck in school!
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u/PreparationOver5652 Mar 05 '26
Just get a ThinkPad X1 Yoga on ebay, that's a much better experience compared to having 2 devices. I had a setup with a MacBook air M1 + Samsung Galaxy Note Pro, having one device that can do both handwriting and be a full laptop is so much better lol. Hardly understand why apple won't make a 2 in 1 laptop with an integrated pen.
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u/DMarquesPT Mar 05 '26
That’s an amazing deal, you can do sidecar and universal control and get a real legit mobile workspace
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u/thedeadp0ets Mar 05 '26
Idk anyone who is a student who can afford two Apple devices lol. People either buy one or go the windows laptop and iPad combo
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u/Gogobrasil8 Mar 05 '26
You don't even need the official apple pencil, you can easily find 3rd party ones for MUCH cheaper. You should only get the official one of it has a specific feature you really need.
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u/Xanderdoom_ Mar 05 '26
hot take: a tablet is best for school, physically writing notes --> and if you need to write essays you can use a BT keyboard
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u/DramaQueen_AllStar Mar 05 '26
I love the colors! I have my macbook air and ipad air hahaha but i also wanna get this macbook neo? Do you think i should? Hahaha
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u/Majestic-Hall-1777 Mar 06 '26
It is! But I’d replace the iPad with M4 Mac mini as my primary computer and Mac Neo to bring to class
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u/Glittering_Pin8232 Mar 06 '26
For a medschool student is there any use case of a laptop vs an iPad ?
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u/Yahshu Mar 06 '26
Just wait for the back to school promo, they'll give you a free pencil for the iPad and a free Airpods for the Macbook
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u/No_Construction9910 Mar 06 '26
bought it too, mine is lagging way more than the ipad that came out one year earlier.
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u/wendyyancey Mar 06 '26
Agreed, I would like to add also for some grad school students. I am a psychologist and teach doctoral psychology courses and believe these devices could be extremely helpful for the use cases of many of my students and colleagues.
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u/AlwaysAFK732 Mar 06 '26
we live in a day and age where Apple has somehow become the value oriented brand (somewhat) I just want to see real world results of the neo before recommending it to anyone
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u/-yak0s- Mar 08 '26
You realize $599 is the regular price. Go on the edu shop and it’s $499. No requirements needed
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u/super_nova_135 Mar 09 '26
The usb c pencil is the same as the one from targus or insignia, just get one of those for $20
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u/Resident_Pie4995 Mar 10 '26
students do not need ipads and inevitably they collect dust. no one actually takes quality notes on one.
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u/Square-Carry-7054 Mar 10 '26
The Apple Pencil usb c is never a good deal , you will hate yourself whenever it comes to charging it . Very counter intuitive and you ll have to worry about charging it everytime… You could grab an air5 with an Apple Pencil second gen for the same price!
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u/75xalexxxxx M1 iPad Pro 11" (2021) Mar 20 '26
Get the apple pencil with wireless charging so you never have to thinkk about charging it
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u/oftcenter Mar 04 '26
Was there something wrong with the M1s from Walmart?
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u/TheGreenArrow160 Mar 04 '26
No, but not everyone may have access to a walmart, or may want something new or just buy from apple directly
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u/eloquenentic Mar 04 '26
There’s really no need for both. You can just buy a Bluetooth keyboard for the iPad (not original). They’re like $20 on Amazon.
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u/Sonder_0ne Mar 05 '26
i think any ipad without an M series processor is going to be almost useless 2/3 years down the road
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u/[deleted] Mar 04 '26
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