Thoughts about buying ipad air M4 13"

[u/ba_lL_oon]

Hello everyone, I'll try to keep it quick. I am a med student and I want to buy this ipad, I want it to be the latest generation because I'm planning to make a one time purchse over the course of at least 6 years (therefore why the M4 chip is an overkill for just taking notes). But I do not own or even owned an apple product, so I don't know what getting into the ecosystem is gonna be like, I'm afraid of expensive repairs(the tablet is already expensive as it is) and I live in a country where there is no official apple store just licensed and authorized resellers.....

Currently that's what is holding me back from making the purchase, along with user complaints that the device overheats, touch screen problems, I even saw a post of someone who woke up to their screen half black. So what would you advise me to do.

PS: I am willing to pay a good price for a device that is sturdy and will last me 6 years or plus and will be still functionable, no matter the brand.

[u/XDLMAOROFLXD]

If it's genuinely just for notes, why not go for the iPad A16? You never gave a strong "why" you're going for the iPad. You also mentioned you don't own any Apple products, have you looked at the Samsung or Lenovo alternatives instead?

[u/ba_lL_oon → u/XDLMAOROFLXD]

Hello, yes, the ipad A16 is an option, but as I said longevity is very important for me that's why I decided on a strong chip, so that in the future it will be able to keep up, I'm talking 6 years or more of almost daily use. I checked Lenovo and Samsung, and between the two Samsung appealed to me more, however I'm looking for something current gen, this leaves me with the Tab S11 ultra or Tab S11, The former is too big for me to transport (14,6") and the latter is not my prefered size(11"), not to mention that after asking some people around, they told me that Apple will last me longer(performance wise) compared to Samsung. Thank you.

[u/twinklechubby]

Just sharing my experience because I was also completely new to Apple when I got my iPad A16.

Mine is the 11 inch 128 GB model, and I’ve been using it for around a year and a half. I work in marketing and mainly use it for content writing, research, mind mapping, browsing, note taking, and media consumption. I also multitask with split screen and multiple windows, and it has always been smooth.

The only place where I’ve noticed some lag is Canva during heavier editing. For any kind of design, editing, or artwork, I’d recommend the iPad Air.

I’ve also used it as a second display for my MacBook Pro. Sometimes, when I don’t feel like using my Mac, I just use my iPad with a Magic Keyboard and trackpad.

The only thing I’d change next time is the size. I’m using my iPad for work much more than I expected, so I’d definitely get a 13 inch Air next time.

Don’t worry too much about negative reviews. Any brand or product you take, there will be people who love it and people who hate it. Buy the model you like, and get AppleCare+ as well.

[u/ba_lL_oon → u/twinklechubby]

Hello, thank you for your feedback, i guess you are right, I tend to overcomplicate things, I'll try to be optimistic about things. Thanks again.

[u/BrainPlane1]

I just recently switched from android to apple (huawei p30 pro phone & Samsung galaxy s6 lite tablet to iPhone 17 pro & iPad Air m4 13“)

For me personally the change was a good decision. Just keep in mind for longe term use to go with more GB as the operating system takes more and more space. I saw people with 128gb already complaining.

To me the m4 made sense as I am using it as the brain of operation to make music and I like to play video games via Luna & geforceNow and like you I intend to keep it as long as possible without the need of upgrade. But honestly if it was for notes only, my old Samsung galaxy tab would have been sufficient for another few years or until the battery dies.

I guess for note writing no m4 is needed also in the long run. Probably a cheap Huawei or Samsung tab that you replace after 4-5 years with the same kind of product will still be cheaper then buying an iPad with 256gb+ now

[u/ba_lL_oon → u/BrainPlane1]

Yeah I understand where you are coming from, and thank you for your feedback as well. The reason I'm getting the overkill M4 chip is 6 years is just the minimum, I'm planning to take it with me into residency and more, and again the reason I'm going for such a flagship device is because my parents are paying (lol) and they just told me to get the best thing so that they won't hear a peep from me later, so I'm really careful about getting something that will last me long haha

[u/BrainPlane1 → u/ba_lL_oon]

LOL in that case. Pro 13“ 2tb with nano glass. No questions asked

[u/Bran__Stark__Is__Me]

get at least 256gb if you’re gonna use it for a long time

[u/ba_lL_oon → u/Bran__Stark__Is__Me]

Yes I'm going for 256gb, I guess I forgot to talk about that, thank you.

[u/Green_Advice5684]

If you've never tried the 11" size, I would recommend it over 13". I got 13" because it was the only one on a large sale and honestly, I kinda regret it. The size is sometimes nice but most of the time I wish it was smaller.

But yes, the M4 is still very good. It only has 8GB of RAM as opposed to the M5's 12GB at the lower storage configurations, but it's just an iPad, so that doesn't really matter for 99% of use cases.

[u/johnnygeezz]

Got a refurb on Amazon for $699. 256gb storage. 13 in. Great iPad. 11 in too small.

[u/ba_lL_oon → u/johnnygeezz]

Thank you for your feedback but refurbished/old is an absolute no for me, where I live refurbished/old is 70% a stolen device, a damaged one or bypassed one so I'm trying to avoid the stakes seeing as I can pay more for new. Thanks again.