In the past couple of weeks, I have purchased myself a new iPad Air fifth generation with the Magic Keyboard and have learned so much about it and iPadOS.
One aspect of the combo that makes it stand out is that a lot of students are more familiar with the iPad and iPadOS already, but the other factor here is that the iPad Air with the Magic Keyboard is it can do most things a student would need to do.
Obviously students would be able to write a paper with Pages or Microsoft Word, or create a PowerPoint or Keynote with them. Note-taking apps like Apple’s Notes app or Evernote are great for students.
The camera on the iPad Air could be used for students and enable them to take pictures of a marker board in the classroom for notes (if the student does not want to type the notes). Not to mention the camera could be good for recording classroom lectures with as well.
But where the iPad Air excels is its portability, which brings me into my next point where, and especially for college students, students can get most if not all of their textbooks on their iPads. No more of the days where students are carrying their physical books and backpacks around the school. Instead, just have everything right there on the iPad. It’s the way school always should have been.
What would these two cost together?
For just one of these together through Apple, it would include a cost of about $900 per pair. That might sound like a lot, but I believe schools, school districts and colleges can make it possible to make it affordable for all parties involved. If anything, there is the Apple Education discount and that public school districts can get tax exemptions on purchases.
Sure, laptops like the Google Chromebook might cost a lot less compared to the iPad Air and Magic Keyboard, but the quality of the iPads will typically last longer and the software is much better than ChromeOS.
What are your thoughts on this idea for the iPad Air fifth generation and the Magic Keyboard pairing for schools and colleges? Comment below or let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy. Feel free to read our recent review of the pair too.
