My wife and I bought the 11-inch iPad Air M3, and the first thing we both noticed was the weight. It feels noticeably lighter than carrying a full laptop, and that one difference has already changed how often she reaches for it. We picked last year's model because the job was reading, annotation, and light remote access, not top-end specs.
Her main use case is studying, including prep for an upcoming machine learning course at Stanford. For that kind of work, she needs something fast to open, easy to carry, and comfortable for long reading and note-taking sessions. She does not need local development on the iPad.
For tools that still need a full computer, she can connect to a remote machine.
A Bluetooth keyboard and an inexpensive $20 case with a built-in stand make a stable setup for longer desk sessions.
The Apple Pencil Pro also worked better than expected for her. Compared with an e-reader stylus, writing feels smoother and more responsive.
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