write essay on ipad

A practical guide to writing on the iPad

Apple didn't design the original iPad for writing. It was a device for reading or viewing media, not creating it. Over the years it has become a great portable writing tool. Many writers find it is better than a laptop.

Here we look at why the iPad could be the best option for you. We examine which iPad or keyboard to choose and outline the best iPad writing app.

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From the outset it was clear the iPad could do more than display media.

It has evolved to the point where it can do everything a laptop can. Today’s iPads can be better than laptops for many creative tasks.

The iPad has clear advantages for people who need to write:

Long battery life . Sure, you can find laptops that will go the best part of a day between charges. Apple's MacBooks with the M1 or M2 processor sip electricity. You'll struggle to find a Windows laptop which beats an iPad for battery life.

Measure-for-measure, an iPad will last longer between charges than a conventional computer.

Focus . While you can now open side-by-side screens or use Stage Manager, iPadOS lends itself to doing one thing at a time. There is no clutter. With the iPad you can focus on writing without other apps distracting you. Turning off notifications and concentrating is easier. This is why you can see the iPad as the closest modern equal to a portable typewriter.

Portable . The iPad is more portable than any laptop. It can go places laptops don’t. The iPad Air weighs in at 460 grams. It will fit in a large pocket. The iPad Mini weighs 300 grams and is smaller again.

Robust . There are no moving parts on an iPad. No hinges. This makes it more robust than a laptop.

Work while standing . You can work on an iPad when you are standing. It is possible to type on the screen keyboard using your thumbs. I’ve done this at stand up press conferences and while waiting in queues to board planes. This means you can write in more places, more often. Yes, you can do that on a phone, but it’s not the best writing experience. It is not easy to write standing up with a laptop. The same applies if, say, you are sitting in a cramped cramped on a crowded flight or in a train. At a pinch you can tap out words holding the iPad in vertical or portrait mode when there’s no room for a keyboard. Being able to use the taller portrait orientation is an overlooked bonus. There are subtle ergonomic problems with writing across a wide screen. A wider column makes errors harder to spot. A narrow width is easier to proof-read. If you write words to print on paper, the display mirrors how your words will look on the finished document. In my experience, the smaller iPads work better when you are standing, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro is more unwieldy.

Great screens . iPads have glorious, well-lit high resolution screens. Higher resolution means your eyes don’t tire as fast. You can work for longer stretches and concentrate for longer. Y

No waiting . An iPad is always ready to go the moment you switch on. Yes, modern laptops can do the same, but you can always start writing in seconds on an iPad.

You don’t need a high-end iPad for writing. Apple sells the 9th generation iPad with a 10.2 inch screen for NZ$649. It has everything you need to write. It is powerful enough to handle almost every writing app and has a screen you’ll have no trouble living with.

Likewise, the iPad mini, New Zealand prices start at NZ$1000, will fit in a pocket and can handle basic writing tasks. An iPad mini is realistically the smallest practical device for serious writing while on the move.

Writing on an iPad Pro with a suitable keyboard is not that different from writing on a laptop. The larger screen is easier to read than other iPads, especially if you have poor eyesight, but they all display your text clearly.

If writing is your focus, your model choice will determine which keyboards you can use. If use an Apple Pencil for note-taking, the iPad model determines your choices.

iPads come with a range of storage options. Upgrading storage isn't practical, which means you need to be careful when buying.

Base level iPad storage options start at 64GB. Smaller models can store up to 256GB, although the iPad Pro goes all the way to 2TB of storage.

By 2023 standards, 64GB is not a lot of storage. You can get by, but the moment you decide to keep music or video libraries on your iPad you'll bump up against limits.

Go with the 256GB model if your budget can stretch that far. At the time of writing that will add NZ$300 to the device price. Often you'd do better trading down to an iPad with more storage than buying a more powerful device that runs out of storage.

It's easy to overbuy storage on an iPad Pro. You are unlikely to need 2TB unless you need to keep vast amounts of video and audio files with you all the time. A 512GB model will be enough for most iPad Pro buyers. Remember, you can offload rarely used files to cloud services.

Consider other tasks when choosing Given you can use every iPad for writing, let the other tasks you plan for the device determine your choice.

Even when you add a keyboard, iPads are smaller, lighter and more portable than most laptops. Apple’s MacBook Air gets close. The nearest non-Apple competitor would be a Microsoft Surface tablet.

If money is no object, you can choose the iPad that you find comfortable to read. If it is an object, pick the iPad you can afford.

Do I need a Sim-card iPad?

Few writers need Sim-card equipped iPads that can connect to cellular networks.

You’ll find Wi-Fi is available in many of the places where you will want to write. Where it isn’t, you can tether your iPad to your phone and connect that way.

Tethering works with both iPhones and Android phones. The experience is better and smoother if you have an iPhone, but don’t get hung up on this point, it isn’t a deal breaker. Android phones work fine.

Cellular adds around NZ$220 to the price of a Wi-Fi iPad. Spend the money saved on storage or a better keyboard.

A keyboard isn’t essential if you own an iPad. You can do a lot without one and there is always the Apple Pencil and handwriting recognition . Apple’s new Scribble feature can change the way you think about your iPad .

But this post is about writing on an iPad. A keyboard makes that easier.

There is no shortage of iPad keyboards to choose from. Any iPad will work with any Bluetooth keyboard, but only a handful of keyboards are made to fit exactly to each iPad model.

When you buy an iPad, chances are someone will attempt to sell you a keyboard as an add-on. It makes sense to buy the keyboard at the same time. If the salesperson is knowledgeable, they can help you get the right keyboard for your iPad. They can also help you get the one that suits you best and let you look closer at your options.

Apple keyboards are the obvious choice. But not always and not for everyone. Choose the keyboard you feel comfortable with. That’s from both an ergonomic point of view and from a budget point of view.

Whether you choose an Apple keyboard or an alternative, match it with your iPad. Keyboards double up as protective covers. A better fit means better protection. This sounds obvious, but I've come across people who run into trouble with the wrong iPad keyboard.

The other thing to watch is that not every Apple iPad keyboard is available for every model. Buying at the same time as the iPad from a retailer who knows what they are doing can save you problems later.

At NZ$620 a pop, Apple’s Magic Keyboard is an expensive, Rolls Royce option. You can use it for writing on an iPad Air or an iPad Pro. It doesn't fit the less expensive iPad models.

It’s a good keyboard but it is not perfect.

You might expect that when you use it at a desk or on a flat surface it differs from the laptop keyboard experience.

That's not the case. The top part, that's the iPad, is heavier than the keyboard. Together, the iPad plus Magic Keyboard, weigh more than a MacBook Air .

There are two hinges, the second one allows you to adjust the viewing angle.

The keys are excellent for typing. I'm a touch typist and can run into problems with some tablet keyboards. This one is touch-typeable from the moment it's opened. Keys are backlit, something that doesn't happen on the less expensive Apple keyboards. And there is a touchpad, which works exactly as you'd expect.

The Apple Smart Keyboard Folio is a less expensive alternative. There are models for iPad Pros and iPad Airs. Prices start at NZ$390.

This is the keyboard I choose when I’m on the move. It has the best balance of function and price. Again, it gives the iPad a laptop feel. Yet it is more flexible and feels less robust than the Magic Keyboard.

It doesn't offer backlighting and there is no trackpad. My Smart Keyboard Folio is now coming up to four years old and is showing signs of wear and tear. It doesn't last anything like as long as the iPad.

If you have a 10th generation iPad, not the Pro, not the Air, then the NZ$530 Magic Keyboard Folio is the top choice. It's not as flexible for positioning as the iPad Magic Keyboard, but the keys and the trackpad are as good. I found it easy to touch type.

Apple's Smart Keyboard is compatible with the iPad, 3rd generation iPad Air and 10.5 inch iPad Pro. Prices start at $320. It's the most basic Apple iPad keyboard, but covers all the bases and gets the job done. I found it harder to adapt my touch-typing technique to the Smart Keyboard, but got there soon enough.

Not all Apple keyboards are available for all iPads. If you buy a more expensive iPad, you'll need a more expensive Apple keyboard.

A word of warning. Apple iPad keyboards flex more than you might expect if you are typing on your lap. When used this way they are not as solid as laptops.

Logitech iPad keyboards

Beyond Apple's own keyboards, Logitech is the best alternative. You could argue some models are better than their Apple equivalents.

There's a wide range to choose from. Again, different keyboards work with different iPad versions. The difference between Apple and Logitech keyboards is price. You can save up to a third of the price for similar functionality.

On the whole Logitech keyboards work as well as Apple models. All keyboards mentioned here double as protective covers for iPad screens. Logitech keyboards do this a little better than Apple's keyboards. The Logitech keyboard plus iPad combinations are thicker than the Apple ones and the function keys differ.

Brydge makes hard shell keyboards that turn your iPad into a laptop. You end up with something that feels like a MacBook. I haven't seen the recent Bridge keyboards, but when I borrowed one for review, it was heavier than Apple's. The keys were smaller. Of all the keyboards mentioned here I found the Brydge keyboards harder to type on. Yet they could be perfect for you.

All keyboards designed to work with iPads offer a degree of protection. That’s important if you are mobile. iPads are not fragile. Yet once you start moving the potential for dropping them or other damage increases.

Sometimes I use a first generation Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a mStand tablet from Rain Design to hold the iPad. It’s a simple and elegant approach. There are many other options. Any store that sells iPads will have a selection.

As mentioned earlier, you can write on an iPad using an Apple Pencil and handwriting recognition. There are two Pencils, Apple calls them the first and second generation models.

Which one you can use depends on your iPad model. Each iPad only supports one Pencil generation. The first generation Pencil costs NZ$200 and the second costs $280.

The main difference between generations is how the Pencil charges. The second generation Pencil is flat and magnetised on one side. It connects to the side of the iPad for charging.

First generation Pencil charge through the blunt end, which looks clumsy, but works fine in practice. On the down side, you have to remove the cap and it is easy to lose that cap. The older Pencil was round, which means it can roll off a table or desktop, the flat side on the second generation Pencil stops that from happening

Apple's free Notes app comes with every iPad. It's great for taking short handwritten notes and has text recognition built in. It's a good place to try the Pencil before spending money on a third-party app.

To use immediate handwriting recognition in Notes chose the pencil tool marked with an A.

The alternative is use another pencil tool, then highlight and choose to convert the word.

Both approaches are fast on even a modest iPad. The technology is forgiving, I have terrible handwriting and it gets about 95 per cent of what I write.

GoodNotes is a great third-part alternative to Apple Notes. It uses a notebook metaphor. You can write a limited number of notes in one of three "notebooks" for free, then you need to pay a one-off US$15 for unlimited use. Paying also unlocks the handwriting recognition feature.

Text recognition is as fast as on Apple Notes and, without extensive testing, the accuracy appears to be on a par with Apple's.

GoodNotes is a better choice than Notes if you plan to use your iPad more for handwriting than typing. There's a strong search feature and note organisation and sharing is a strength. It won the Apple 2022 iPad App of the Year award.

GoodNote's main competitor is Notability from Ginger Labs. You can download the app for free but that doesn't include handwriting recognition and only allows a limited number of edits. To get the full app you need to buy an annual subscription.

Ginger Labs is coy about the price of the subscription, you don't get to see the price until you install the app. I don't like that.

The price appears to change from country to country. When I checked on my iPad, the subscription was $21, although it isn't clear if that is NZ dollars or US dollars. Either way that makes Notability more expensive than Goodnotes. The price is hard to justify.

Noteful is like Goodnotes and Notability, but doesn't have handwriting recognition.

In use, there's a delicious minimal user interface. The app uses the notebook metaphor. It offers something called "layers". That's an idea familiar to people who use photo editing or graphic design software. Searching for notes is harder work in Noteful than in its rivals.

Like Ginger Labs, the company is coy about disclosing its price until you have the app loaded on your iPad. You need to pay a one-off US$5 to unlock all the features, which is reasonable, but transparent pricing would be better.

If you have a Microsoft Office subscription, OneNote is an option. It has good basic handwriting recognition. But it is more clumsy than the alternatives and impractical for anything more than the shortest phrases.

There's a wide range of word processors, text editors and other writing apps for iPad. You'll recognise the names of a few, they are iPad versions of popular apps for PCs and Macs. This guide is not comprehensive, but it covers the important options and the ones you are likely to come across.

Pages is not the best-known, the most popular or the perfect writing tool, but comes free with every iPad and Mac. It's the iPad writing app you'll see first.

It is part of Apple's own productivity software suite: iWorks. Alongside Pages, iWorks includes Numbers, a spreadsheet and Keynote, a presentation manager.

Apple and everyone else describes Pages as a word-processor, which is true. Yet unlike other word-processors, Pages focuses on page design.

In a sense it sits somewhere between Microsoft Word and Adobe InDesign although it has far fewer features than both. That said, you could write and layout a print magazine or a book with Pages.

Page design works better than you might expect on an iPad. While you'll get better results with a large screen iPad Pro, working on an 10-inch iPad is possible. Pages is ideal, a better bet than Word or Docs, if you plan to create Apple Books or PDFs.

Apple's Pages could be all the word processor you need. It will open documents created with Word or Google Docs and you can send Pages documents in the Word format. Round trips work fine almost all the time. I've seen problems with earlier versions of Pages, not with the current Pages 12.

You can deal with corrections and Track Changes between Word and Pages documents.

Presenter mode

There’s one Pages feature I love, even if it is not my first choice for writing on the iPad. Presenter Mode turns the iPad into an autocue. When I’m on a long radio broadcast, presenting live or doing similar work I use it as a prompt.

Pages has better cloud support than Word, but you will need an Apple iCloud account to make use of this. While Pages' online collaboration is superior to Word, Google Docs is better again.

Apple's Pages templates are better than Microsoft's basic Word templates. If you are new to word processing, Pages is easier to learn and master. That said, if you have learned Word elsewhere, there may be some unlearning to do before you get on top of Pages.

Pages isn't the best writing tool for everyone. Yet it is a solid option that is free and simple. At the very least, you should give it a try before spending money on another iPad writing app.

Microsoft's Word is good on an iPad. If you know Word from a laptop or desktop, Windows or MacOS, you'll be immediately at home.

All the important features for everyday folk are here. The app is the most feature rich iPad word processor. Word power users might miss advanced features, they are not the target market.

Add a decent keyboard to your iPad and the Word experience is on a par with that laptop or desktop. I'd argue the experience is better. Because there are fewer features the user interface is less cluttered, easier to navigate.

While the interface will be familiar and easy to use if you know Word, it won't challenge newcomers. There are points where it doesn't act like other iPad apps, especially when storing or retrieving files. Then there are the needy messages from Microsoft

Microsoft designed Word on the iPad to work with its own OneDrive cloud service. The chances are you'll need a Microsoft subscription to use the app and storage comes as part of that subscription. It's possible to access files stored on the iPad or in iCloud direct from Word, but that's not the first choice. Microsoft has added an impressive array of alternative cloud storage choices.

Another way Word departs from the standard iPad user interface is the way it relates to the keyboard. There are keyboard shortcuts you may know from the Mac or PC that work, others don't. You'll find out with practice.

Word remains the most feature rich and complete iPad word processor. If you use Word on a laptop or desktop it will be familiar. The interface doesn't always act like a standard iPad app, but there's nothing that is likely to be a barrier for most people.

The app is a free download. The software remains free if your iPad's screen is smaller than 10.1 inches. Beyond that you'll need a Microsoft 365 licence. A one person licence is NZ$120 a year, prices are different overseas. It covers you on up to five devices including tablets and conventional computers. The 365 Family licence at $165 a year means up to six people can use the software.

If you need Word to work on your iPad at home, check if your employer or place of study has a licence you can use.

Word isn't the right iPad writing app for everyone. If you already use it or know it, it can make sense to stick with what you know. For many users it offers far more than you might need or want to pay for.

If you love Office or Word, but are on a tight budget, there's a free web version of Office that works fine on an iPad. It's had other names over the years. These days Microsoft calls it ' Office '.

There are ways the web version of Office is like Google Docs. Like Google Docs, it stores your finished documents online. In this case Office uses Microsoft OneDrive, not Google's cloud storage. Microsoft Office online can't handle files larger than 2GB. This is not going to trouble anyone unless documents contain embedded media.

Microsoft's web version of Office has fewer features than the PC or Mac version. It is closer to the iPad version. The user interface is distinct from both the PC and the iPad versions. You will need a live and consistent internet connection to use the online app. In practice you'll notice more lag than when writing on the other Word apps. This has little to do with connection speed. I tested on a gigabit fibre connection and the latency was the same as on a slower connection.

The online version will open any file format supported by the desktop Word app. Saving to the OneDrive cloud is automatic. There are tools for sharing documents with colleagues. If sharing is important to you, Google Docs does this better.

You can use Google Docs two ways on the iPad. It will work as a web app in your iPad's Safari browser or you can download and install the free iPad app. You'll get a better experience using the browser version, you need a decent internet connection for that. If you want to use Google Docs offline there is an iPad app, but it's mediocre compared with the other options on this page.

The free online version of Google Docs is almost identical to the version in the paid-for Google Workspace. New Zealand prices for Google Workspace start at NZ$9 a month for a plan with 30 GB of storage. A version with 2 TB of storage is a heft NZ$18 a month. This is more expensive than Microsoft Office. The most noticeable difference between the free and paid versions of Google Docs is that it is harder to create templates in the free version.

Google built Docs for online work. It is the best option if you collaborate on documents with remote colleagues. It's less powerful than Office and has fewer features than most of the other choices listed on this page. Getting started is easier, but you can rub up against limitations.

Things get tricky when you have large documents. The app is fine for up to a couple of thousand words. It starts to slow down as the file grows and would be slow if you were editing an entire book.

One downside is there can be problems if you lose your internet connection or you want to work offline, say while on a flight. The Google Docs iPad app helps, it can store documents in the iPad's memory. You have to sign into a Google account before using the app online or offline. This can be tricky, in the past I've found myself logged out while offline and unable to use the app.

I recommend using Google Docs if you already use the app elsewhere or if you work with others using the app. Otherwise you can do better elsewhere.

Collabora Office is a promising mobile open source document editing suite based on LibreOffice . It's compatible with Microsoft Office and works with the Open Document Format. There's iPad app and an online version. The app is free for "testing", a subscription std US$20 a year.

My 2021 Collabora Office review warns the software wasn't ready for everyday use and that it jars with iOS. Both remain true. There are fewer bugs and the software is more stable, but it is hard going. You'd need to be an open source devotee to choose it, and people who feel that way are less inclined to use an iPad.

Markdown is a markup (yes that does sound odd) language used to format text with simple codes. Type a single hash # character at the start of the line for a top level head, two hashes means second level head and so on. It takes seconds to learn, a day to master.

This approach leaves formatting that is easy for humans to read. You can create Markdown using a text editor. Markdown editors will show you how your formatting looks in a finished document. You can send finished Markdown documents direct to WordPress or Ghost blogs. Markdown editors usually let you convert them into other word processor formats.

It's possible to start writing on your iPad using IA Writer, make edits on an iPhone using a text editor and finish on, say, a desktop using Byword.

On one level there is nothing fancy or complicated about IA Writer . That's its attraction. You can start laying down words within minutes.

In recent years the app's developers have added more features. Yet it retains its simple user interface. It hides that added complexity from sight until you need it. Many users never will.

The minimal interface lets you focus on putting words on the screen. Coupled with the iPadOS, it becomes the closest thing you can get to an old school typewriter and paper.

One feature you may find useful is the style checker which helps improve your writing. It looks for clichés, fillers or redundancies but leaves it up to you to do anything about them.

In the past Writer forced you to store documents in an iCloud or Dropbox account. Now you can save them on your iPad, a better idea if you ever work away from an internet connection.

IA Writer’s price continues to climb faster than inflation. When I first bought the software I paid NZ$3. It was a promotional price when the app was in its infancy. Today the software costs NZ$50. If you buy the iPad version, you can use it on an iPhone at no extra cost. Buying the MacOS version will set you back another $50. It remains good value, but is no longer something you can afford and then discard if it doesn't work for you. Luckily there are free trial versions.

Byword is a great alternative to IA Writer on the iPad. It has a much lower NZ$10 price, which makes it a bargain. Byword has the same minimalist user interface.

Like IA Writer, Byword co-operates with blogs like WordPress or Medium and plays nice with Evernote. If anything Byword is simpler to use and easier to learn than its main rival.

Byword can look better on an iPad screen than IA Writer. You can choose the font and the size of your type.

Unlike IA Writer, which gets constant attention and new features, Byword has changed little in close to a decade. This doesn't have to be a bad thing, the app is stable and does what it sets out to do without fuss.

Scrivener (NZ$24 in the App Store) sits at the opposite end of the writing app spectrum from Markdown editors like IA Writer or Byword.

Markdown editors hide complexity. Scrivener is about providing the all the complexity a writer needs in one place.

In a sense, Microsoft Word is a more appropriate point of comparison. Although in practice the gulf between Scrivener and Word is as wide as the gulf between it and IA Writer.

In a sense, Microsoft Word is a more appropriate point of comparison than the Markdown editors. Although in practice the gulf between Scrivener and Word is as wide as the gulf between it and IA Writer.

If anything Word requires even more work to master than Scrivener. People don't notice that effort because they pick up the complexity of Word almost by osmosis. It can take years, often starting at school.

Switching to Scrivener means doing all that learning in a matter of days or weeks. It's a steep learning curve. You may find it rewarding if your brain thinks in the right way. I'm afraid it doesn't work for me.

Literature and Latte, the company behind Scrivener, built it for ambitious writing jobs. There are tools to help, such as a cork board for keeping notes. You can attach the parts of your project to a single file and even colour code them making them easier to navigate.

Because Scrivener is complex, users tend to have a few windows open as they work. This lends itself to a large screen on the desktop. No doubt there will be Scrivener fans reading this who love the app running on a small MacBook. Yet, I'd argue the app works best with a larger screen.

Which brings up to the iPad version of Scrivener. Why might you choose it? The iPad app is feature rich although it doesn't include everything in the desktop version, although it does include the cork board.

Literature & Latte's marketing suggests the iPad app complements the desktop app. You might use it when working away from your desk or in the field researching. It allows you to push on while on an airplane flight or a train journey. To this end, everything you do on the iPad syncs with your desktop project.

I suspect, but don't know, that few people use the iPad app without also using Scrivener on the desktop. If it sounds like something you need, try the free desktop download first before buying the app.

Ulysses uses the same Markdown formatting as iA Writer and Byword. It adds more word processor-like features. This sounds contradictory. Yet it marries a minimalist look and feel with background complexity. You’ll either love it or it will bewilder you.

Like Scrivener, Ulysses - the company shares the app's name - pitches its software at people working on complex projects. And like Scrivener it also caters for people writing smaller articles. It has tools to help you publish direct to popular blog sites.

The Markdown in Ulysses is somewhat non-standard. You may struggle at first moving to the app after using another Markdown editor. If you haven't used Markdown before, this won't be an issue.

At first look, Ulysses is pretty where Scrivener's cluttered look is ugly. It doesn't take long before Ulysses can become as cluttered.

Tools like the goal display telling you how many words you still need to write can be both a distraction and a source of demotivation.

The elephant in the room with Ulysses is its price. The app is a free download. A subscription costs NZ$11 a month or $75 a year which is expensive for what is, at core, a Markdown editor with trimmings.

Most apps with a similar functionality have a one-off price. The desktop version of Scrivener has a one-off price of NZ$100.

A family licence for Microsoft Office that includes Word, other apps and storage for up to six people is NZ$165. You can run the software on iPads, laptops, desktops or phones.

The NZ$75 Ulysses subscription allows you to use both the desktop and iPad versions

If Ulysses is right for you and gels with your thought processes, the price is a bargain. You'll recover it in no time. Otherwise, do your wallet a favour and consider everything else first.

Other writing apps

Wordprocessors, Markdown editors and text editors are not your only options. A handful of iPad users choose to write documents using Bear . It's a flexible note-taking app that blurs the distinction between a notes app and an editor. Another option is Evernote , although it is more about note-taking, less about writing. Simplenote is a free alternative.

• Take the path of least resistance. If your employer or school pays for a Microsoft Office or Google Workspace account, use it. You won't have to pay anything, there should be support and you won't have to learn how to use an alternative.
• Otherwise, look at Apple Pages first. It's free, works well on the iPad's touch screen and Apple designed it with the entire ecosystem in mind. It should have all the features you need. Best of all, you can start writing in Pages on your iPad and switch to working on an iPhone or Mac without missing a beat.
• If you are coming from another writing tool, take time to adjust to Pages. It's worth the effort and you'll save money that might be better spent elsewhere.
• An alternative strategy is to choose radical simplicity. Markdown editors like IA Writer or Byword let you focus on your words in the most efficient way possible. Disclosure: this is what I do.
• Invest time and money finding the keyboard that works best for you. While it's easy to buy devices online, it pays to go to a store and try keyboard options before parting with any cash.

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14 Best Writing Apps for iPad

If you need help with your writing needs, then you should find the best writing apps for iPad.

The App Store is filled with numerous apps that can help you create and edit your documents. However, choosing the best writing apps for the iPad can prove to be a real challenge. And your time is invariably better spent writing rather than procrastinating about what app to buy or try.

At A Glance: Our Top 3 Picks For Writing Apps For iPad

• Best Grammar Checker: Grammarly
• Best for Storytellers: LivingWriter
• Best For Long-Form Writing: Scrivener

That’s why we have come up with the best writing apps available for iOS and iPad. Remember, Apple Notes is a great free choice, and it syncs nicely across all Apple devices. But, what if you want more? Try these apps to help you when working on your next book , blog post or article with an iPad.

1. LivingWriter

2. scrivener, 3. grammarly, 4. apple notes, 6. notebook, 7. ia writer, 8. simplenote, 9. notability, 10. evernote, 11. goodnotes, 12. onenote, 13. ulysses, tip: get an ipad keyboard, why you can trust us, testing criteria, is writing on an apple ipad hard, which ipad is best for writers, can you use an ipad to write a book, are ipads good for writing, writing apps resources.

Pricing: From free trial for 14 days to $96 billed once a year / $9.99 per month

LivingWriter  is a newer writing app for writing stories or a book via your iPad and online. Rather than using a word processor, It helps writers arrange plots and stories using boards and templates. This tool includes a series of outline templates for popular story structures like the Hero’s Journey.

It’s ideal for writing short stories and novels. Story writers can take out a 14-day free trial without a credit card.

Check out my  interview with LivingWriter’s founders .

Living Writer contains time-saving templates for authors and novelists. iOS and Android apps available

Pricing: From $49 per month | Requires macOS 10.12+

Scrivener is my preferred writing app of choice for longer articles like a book thanks to its many export options and advanced self-editing tools. Think of it as a powerful word-processor rather than as simply another minimalist writing app.

You can even use Scrivener for blogging .

It works quite well with an iPad Pro and is great for organising complicated writing projects. However, it’s more expensive than some of the other writing apps for iPad listed in this article.

You can sync a manuscript to Dropbox and work on it when back at your Apple Mac. It offers a comparable writing experience to Ulysses. Unfortunately, Scrivener doesn’t support Markdown which may put off some bloggers.

Read our Scrivener review

Scrivener is our go-to app for long-form writing projects. It's popular with best-selling novelists, screenwriters, non-fiction writers, students, academics, lawyers, journalists, translators and more. 

Pricing: From free trial available, then $29.99 per month

Writing on the go with your iPad? Grammarly can help you find and fix common writing mistakes with a clever AI-powered assistant. It also includes a handy plagiarism checker.

Grammarly offers apps for iOS. You can also use its virtual keyboard with your iPad or log directly into the web app It includes a free trial before taking out a $29.99 monthly subscription.

Monthly and annual discounts are available.

We tested dozens of grammar checkers, and Grammarly is the best tool on the market today. It'll help you write and edit your work much faster. Grammarly provides a powerful AI writing assistant and plagiarism checker.

Pricing: Free

When in doubt or on a tight budget, use Apple Notes. It’s free and built into your iOS devices. It also syncs instantly across an iPad, iPhone and Mac. You can organize your early story drafts using folders or simply write them up and copy to a dedicated story writing app later on.

Pricing: From $5.99 | Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip

Byword is one of the newer apps available for the iPad. The app can open all of your text documents across all Apple products, including the Mac, iPhone and iPad.

With this writing tool, you can also edit your documents even when you are offline. The app can convert files into PDF and HTML formats for easy editing.

Finally, people also love the app because you can multitask with it. Byword allows you to split your screen, helping you quickly move between documents if necessary. Its dark mode makes it more comfortable on your eyes.

Pricing: Free | Requires iOS 11.0 or later

Notebook was designed by a company called Zoho. This is one of the strongest all-around writing apps for the iPad. It even won “Best App of the Year” back in 2016.

Like a typical word processor, you can use Zoho to add and edit spreadsheets, documents and PDFs. The app even allows you to scan documents, so you have a soft copy of them.

You can store your work on your iCloud and access them on other Apple devices. Notebook is one of the best free writing apps for iPad.

Pricing: From $29.99 per month | Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

Also available on iOS, iA Writer is a simple, intuitive writing app that has a short learning curve. This app has even won “Best App” on the App Store four separate times.

People love iA Writer because it has something called Focus Mode. A distraction-free writing environment, it will dim everything on the screen except the current line that you are editing.

The app can even mark your mistakes, repetitive words and weak verbiage, helping you become a stronger writer . You can even customize writing templates and publish them on WordPress. It will also sync your writing to iCloud or Dropbox.

I use iA Writer for writing short articles in full-screen on my iPad Pro. I’ve also occasionally used it on various iOS devices like my iPhone over the years. It supports Markdown.

Pricing: Free | Available for Mac, iOS, Windows, and Android

Simplenote is the ideal writing app to knock out your writing assignments quickly. This app allows you to type, record your voice, record videos, and more. It works well if you like plain text .

You can also set reminders, change the color of your text, change its size, and change the font entirely.

Furthermore, you can link Simplenote to your social media accounts and share your notes with your friends. You can also access Simplenote via a web browser.

While this app is not compatible with Bluetooth, it can sync to iCloud, allowing you to share your documents across multiple devices. Unfortunately, it no longer syncs to Dropbox.

This was one of my preferred note-taking apps for several years. Lately, I use notes on iOS instead. That said, both are good.

Pricing: From $8.99 | Requires macOS 10.15 or later

Notability is a strong writing app for the iPad. This app was even selected as the “Editor’s Choice” app when it first came out.

This is a great app for students, teachers and professionals. It has a user interface that’s easy to follow. You can use Notability to secure important notes with password protection as well.

You can even sign documents on this app.

People love Notability for the multi-note feature. This allows you to list two documents side by side and work on them simultaneously.

There is even a word counter tool along with numerous other customization options.

Evernote is one of the most popular writing apps for the iPad.

This app has been designed to help you focus on your most important tasks and leave distractions behind. Evernote is meant to help you organize your documents, dictate your notes, and convert them into text.

You can even use Evernote to discuss issues and chat with your friends.

Finally, you can also annotate PDF documents, sync Evernote across all of your devices, and access valuable storage space.

Read our Evernote guide .

Pricing: From $7.99 | Available on the iPad, Mac, and iPhone

Goodnotes is one of the top writing apps for the iPad. Its vector engine helps you precisely and fluently write on the screen. Everything in Goodnotes is searchable, allowing you to pick up easily where you left off.

Goodnotes lets you sync your documents to the iCloud. Then, you can access them on different devices. There is even a shape tool that allows you to draw on the app itself.

OneNote is a classic Microsoft app that has made its way to the iPad. This app allows you to create texts, sketches and more. This app even allows you to quickly jot down thoughts you want to remember for later.

People love OneNote because it allows you to edit your texts, record voice notes, save images and take videos. While OneNote does have some complex features that are meant for professionals, this app can be used by anyone.

Pricing: From $5.99 per month

Ulysses is a writing app designed for Apple products, including the iPad, and has been designed to help creative writers customize their writing experience to meet their needs.

Ulysses features a clean, distraction-free user interface that helps you focus on the words in front of you. Ulysses also comes with a text editor, helping you mark headlines, key passages and comments. It will sync your writing to iCloud or Dropbox. It’s more feature-rich than its competitor iA Writer.

This app is good for bloggers who have many writing projects in production, as you can organize them using tags and folders. You can also set target word counts.

It also comes with a typewriter mode that vertically fixes the current line on which you are working. It also supports Markdown. Finally, you can also set benchmarks in terms of words or characters, helping you stick to your deadlines.

Pricing: From $9.99 | Windows 10 version 16299.0 or higher, Xbox One

Nebo is an app that comes with advanced tools and customizable features. The app is only available on the iPad and lets you create and edit documents using the Apple Pencil.

A highlighting feature helps you track important sentences and phrases in your documents. Nebo even lets you edit your PowerPoint files.

If you need to add charts and formulas to your documents, Nebo can handle this as well.

To get the most use out of writing on an iPad, I recommend upgrading to a keyboard with trackpad. It’ll enable you to type faster. The dedicated Apple iPad keyboard is a good if expensive choice. Another cheaper option is available from Logitech.

• LAPTOP-LIKE TYPING - Turn your iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd and 4th gen) into a laptop with Slim Folio Pro. Forget about cramped on-screen typing — now you can type quickly and accurately in comfort with a familiar laptop-like premium keyboard. With a full row of iOS shortcut keys and media controls you can optimize your productivity without leaving the keyboard.
• BACKLIT KEYS - Type away, day or night. Backlit laptop-like keys with 3 adjustable levels of brightness lets you achieve maximum productivity anywhere.
• FRONT AND BACK PROTECTION - Light and durable case with secure magnetic latch keeps iPad Pro closed and safe from bumps, scratches and spills. Viewing Angles: Fixed Type Mode: 58 degrees and View Mode: 10 degrees
• CHARGE AND STOW APPLE PENCIL (2ND GEN) - Charge Apple Pencil (2nd gen) with the case on. When you're done writing, store Apple Pencil inside keyboard case and use the magnetic latch to keep it closed and secured in transit.
• 3 MONTH BATTERY AND RELIABLE BLUETOOTH - Take keyboard anywhere without worrying about short battery life. Lasts 3 months on a single charge based on 2 hours daily use. Enjoy easy one-time Bluetooth setup to connect iPad Pro and keyboard case.

I’ve written and published dozens of articles for newspapers, magazines, and online publications including, Forbes and Lifehacker. I’m also a best-selling non-fiction author, a trained journalist, and a copywriter.

I regularly update this roundup as iOS and its app ecosystem evolves. I test new iPad apps and tools by writing drafts of articles, book chapters, and blog posts on an iPad Pro, iPhone 11, and iMac. Along with other writers, I also compare each app in terms of price, functionality, and ease of use.

The Final Word on the Best Writing Apps for iPad

In the end, you can find many different iPad writing apps. If you’re looking for the best writing apps for iPad, then these apps might be able to help you expedite your writing process. Find one on the App Store and start writing!

I use an Apple iPad Pro to occasionally write short articles on the go. It’s comparable to writing on a laptop, and it’s gotten easier now that the latest iPad keyboard includes a trackpad. That said, I still prefer editing larger projects on iMac as I can tab between windows faster. Writing on an iPad using only the screen is harder however.

if you can afford it, I’d recommend buying the 12.9 inch iPad Pro. The screen looks fantastic and it’s a joy to use. If budget is an issue or you expect to travel, opt for the 11 inch. That said, you can easily write using an iPad Air.

You can easily use an iPad to write the first draft of a book using one of the apps in this article paired with a keyboard. However, for self-editing a book, I’d recommend using a computer or laptop and a Mac app, as it’s more efficient when working with multiple manuscripts and feedback from an editor.

Yes, they are, assuming you buy a keyboard. An iPad is portable. It’s also ideal for a minimalist distraction-free writing environment meaning you can take it with you and write wherever, whenever. Just remember to buy a keyboard by Logitech or Apple.

Best Grammar Checker Tools

Best Note-Taking Apps

Best Book Writing Software

Best Essay Checkers

Best Writing Apps for Android

The Best Writing Tools

Best Writing Apps for Apple Pencil

Bryan Collins is the owner of Become a Writer Today. He's an author from Ireland who helps writers build authority and earn a living from their creative work. He's also a former Forbes columnist and his work has appeared in publications like Lifehacker and Fast Company.

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How I use the iPad as a serious writing system

The iPad has revolutionized the way I approach my writing and I am regularly asked how I use it. I originally wrote about the iPad as a solid system for writing a year and a half ago and the tablet is still serving me well. I have used a number of tablets for writing work since then and while most of them work just fine I always come back to the iPad for a number of reasons.

Why it works so well

It's hard to believe but I hear regularly from folks who refuse to believe that the iPad can be use productively for my work.  The fact is the iPad with a physical keyboard is a no-compromise tool for my writing. It works well for a number of reasons:

• Long battery life- I never think about battery life on the iPad, unlike most other PCs/tablets.
• Retina display- the screen on the iPad makes it possible to work for hours without eyestrain.
• LTE- having integrated LTE frees me from the wi-fi hotspot, which is liberating.
• Small package- I can carry the iPad in the keyboard case in the smallest bag possible, making it easy to move around.
• Taller display- the iPad's screen is taller than other tablets with a wider screen.
• Focus- having multiple apps on the screen at once can be nice, but for writing the one app on the screen eliminates distraction. I hit the Do Not Disturb toggle on the iPad to turn off notifications when I'm writing.
• Speed to production- I can take the iPad out of the bag and be where I left off in the last session in just a few seconds.
• Security- all of my work is in the cloud so I lose nothing if the iPad is stolen. I can deactivate it remotely if that ever happened.

I currently use an iPad 4 with 64GB of memory (which frankly is overkill) and most importantly integrated LTE. The LTE capability is a godsend, freeing me from needing to find a wi-fi hotspot. I can literally work anywhere without compromise, a powerful feature.

I pair the iPad with a keyboard case to facilitate text entry. I could forego the physical keyboard if I wanted to, I know some who do that regularly. My writing projects can be 1,000-2,000 words so a real keyboard makes my work much easier.

See related: Definitive guide to keyboards for iPad and iPad mini

I've tried most popular keyboard cases for the iPad (see related link above) and I've settled on the ZAGG Profolio+ . The case protects the iPad from the bumps of the road, and has a fantastic keyboard that supports fast touch typing. The backlit keys are a nice touch.

The software tools

The writing in my projects is just a small part of the entire process. A lot of research goes into the work and that takes place online. A web browser is where most of the research takes place and I largely use Chrome for that work. The Safari browser native to the iPad works just fine and while many use it I prefer Chrome. I use Chrome on every platform and device so it's nice to have my environment and bookmarks always at hand on the iPad.

I use RSS feeds to follow hundreds of web sites for my research, and until recently I did that with Google Reader. Now that Google has shut that down I use Newsblur for RSS feed work. It works very much like Google Reader and the iPad app is pretty solid. I use it to peruse several thousand items daily. It keeps me abreast of all the tech news I need to follow.

My main writing app on the iPad is Evernote, the note app supreme. There's a version of Evernote for every platform so my collection of notes is always at hand. The editor in Evernote is good for my needs as I don't do any formatting, I just write. When the article is finished I copy and paste it (as plain text) into the ZDNet CMS in the Chrome browser. I can add images and hyperlinks in the CMS for final formatting before publishing.

I often receive Microsoft Office documents (Word and Excel mostly) from PR firms with information about new products. Not having Office on the iPad is not an issue as I use Office2 HD to access them. It does a good job rendering these Office documents and since I am using them for reference I don't need to worry about revising and formatting them.

I use the Google Drive app on the iPad when I need to access my Google Docs in the cloud. This gives me instant access to anything in the cloud and is a useful repository to have my stuff available when I leave the iPad behind and bring some other device with me.

Not the only solution

While I am writing this I can anticipate the reaction to this article, pointing out there are other devices and platforms that can do this work. I agree fully with that observation, in fact I sometimes bring other tablets/laptops/hybrids with me for my remote work. My new MacBook Air is coming along for my work outings quite a bit due to its light weight and 9+ hour battery life.

It's a fact there are other solutions that are cheaper, faster, and more capable than my iPad with keyboard. There are other laptops and tablets that some will find a better fit than the iPad. I agree that others will find the iPad lacking in some areas and won't meet their needs. That's OK, we're all different and should use what works best for each of us.

The iPad is a constant road companion for me for all of the reasons stated in this article. It's a solid system for a writer that has no compromises yet is full-featured enough to write thousands of words a day. I like using it and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. The key for each user is to use what works well for them.

Generative AI may be creating more work than it saves

I tested the 11-inch ipad air (2024) for a week, and it made my $1,200 android tablet feel ancient, how to use chatgpt plus: from gpt-4o to interactive tables.

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Best iPad apps for writers in 2022

There are still people who think that iPads are only good for consuming content like watching films, reading books and playing games. Clearly, none of these people have tried to write on a Kindle.

For writers, the iPad does offer every bit of this content consumption, and it offers it extremely well. But every iPad, iPad mini , iPad Air , and iPad Pro is also a writing studio that is about as light and convenient as you could imagine, and at least as powerful as you could hope.

You really should buy some kind of external keyboard, or keyboard case, if you're going to be doing serious writing on any iPad. Typing thousands of words onto the glass is not ideal, and the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro and now also iPad Air isn't essential.

But you want one of those options and you don't want the other.

Beyond that, you are able to do just about every type of prose writing you need to on an iPad, straight out of the box. Without any other apps than Apple provides, you have a full word processing solution in Pages, for instance.

There are things Pages is poor at, though, such as scripts and screenplays. They can be written in Pages in theory, but in practice, it's no better at them than Word is.

So there are specific needs to use alternative apps, and there are plenty of alternative apps to satisfy requirements like that. Plus there are apps that do the same thing yet one just works better for you than others.

It's like the ancient old days when you might have a preference for which type of pencil you use. You know they all get the job done, yet just one is right for you.

That does mean that any roundup of the best writing apps for iPad is unquestionably subjective. And any unquestionably subjective roundup is bound to leave out your favorites.

Don't take that as a failing, do take it as your opportunity to enthuse in the AppleInsider forums. And also this: the reason people get very passionate about writing apps for the iPad is that they are worth it.

Apple will never say that it only makes iPads for writers, but they're so good for all writers and authors that you have to wonder.

Main word processors for iPad

We used to write everything in one word processor, whether it was a novel or a shopping list. We did so partly because they were built to handle everything, but mostly because they were so expensive that you only ever bought one.

That's changed because of the iPad and the App Store, but while there is a booming market in more specialized writing tools, there are still a couple of heavyweights that would could make a case for being your sole text editor.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft made a mistake choosing to keep Word off the iPad for years. Once users were required to find alternatives, they did, and they also found that they liked them.

Then once a user has moved to an alternative on the iPad, they very easily moved to the same alternative on the Mac. And what they routinely found was that this alternative, whichever it was, didn't crash as often as Word, it didn't drive them spare twice a day.

So Microsoft Word went from being a synonym for word processor and into just one more of your choices.

It has not come close to reclaiming the total dominance it once had. But when it did come to the iPad, it came in a completely new and rewritten form — which was better than we'd had on the Mac.

That wasn't to say it was as powerful, but starting from scratch meant adding in only features that users need. The bloated Word for Mac was regenerated into the slim Word for iPad, and there is a huge amount to like about it.

Microsoft Word is a free download from the App Store, but then requires one of many alternative subscriptions starting from $6.99 per month.

Apple Pages

Pages — free on iPads, Macs and iPhones — does not get as much love as it should. Where Microsoft likes you to see how powerful it is by displaying every tool and option it can, Apple wants you to be able to just get on with your writing.

Consequently, Pages hides away its powerful features until you need them. And unfortunately, that can have the effect of making it look as if Pages does not have these features.

Pages looks simple but it's not just a note-taking app. It is not as powerful as Word, but for the giant majority of writing tasks, Pages is Word's equal — and can subjectively feel better to you.

Only, Word and Pages both date back to the days when everything we wrote was then printed out on paper to be sent to publishers. Today you might be struggling to remember where your printer is.

Word and Pages continue to be used for writing that is going online, or certainly being sent digitally to book publisher systems like Affinity Publisher and Adobe InDesign . But they are not ideal for it.

Worse than not being ideal, if you copy text from either of them — most especially Word — and then paste it into an online content management system, you can get problems. Peculiar formatting, odd characters, even unexpected spacing issues can all arise because these two produce heavily formatted text.

Between a word processor and a text editor

You can't really have both a full word processor without issues like this, but you can have tools that do tiny, specific writing tasks. And you can have some in the middle, neither full word processors nor bare text editors, yet somehow better than both.

The iPad and Mac app iA Writer is a calming, relaxing kind of writing tool which lacks the powerful features of Word and Pages, such as longform book options, but will make you not care.

For iA Writer knows that writing has to be written, that it has to be put down on screen from out of the writer's head. Until then, there's nothing to format, nothing to create footnote citations about.

So this app concentrates on pushing aside features, interruptions, and really even any non-essential options. It's for making you concentrate on your writing.

For the iPad version, iA Writer costs $30 on the App Store.

Now Drafts 5 practically bills itself as a text editor, which is a way of saying you can basically type into it but mustn't expect anything fancy. Except Drafts 5 is replete with fancy tools and options.

Its chief aim is to get you writing immediately. Start the app, start typing. No pause, no waiting for a moment, no tapping on a New or a Plus sign.

There's also no obvious formatting, no obvious controls, it's just a blank page for you to get your words down. There is formatting, though, you can use Markdown controls to set headings and bold, italic and so on.

And what's great about Drafts, beyond just the practical feel of it all, is that once you do have your words written, there is an enormous amount you can do. Take that text and email it directly to your publisher, send it to your Kindle, send it out as a text message, or publish as a blog.

Drafts 5, which is also on the Mac and iPhone, has a library of Actions that let you create whole workflows for your work.

Drafts 5 is free to download from the App Store, and then costs $20 per year.

Specialized prose writing apps for iPad

Somewhere between the word processors of this world and the better text editors, there are apps that you might call writing studios, or writing environments. They are apps that work to help you with the business of writing as well as the job of typing text.

Scrivener, for instance, knows that when you're writing a novel, you are in it for the long haul. It knows you may need research, and it definitely knows that once you're up around 80,000 words or more, you need help keeping track of everything.

So Scrivener will let you write sixty chapters one after another if that's what you like, but it will also then slice that text up. If you have a character who only appears in chapters 4, 7, 11, and 33, then you can have Scrivener show you solely those chapters.

Look at the entire manuscript to get the whole picture, or concentrate on a specific segment. Scrivener bounces between both of these as you want, and it also offers a slew of extra writing, or rather writer, tools.

Such as how it handles research. You can drag images, URLs, whole web pages, and even entire other documents into the research section of your book.

Then whenever you open your iPad to write, everything you need is there. And when you're ready to send the manuscript to a publisher, they get everything — except the research.

Scrivener for iPad costs $20 on the App Store.

Ulysses is a curious writing environment for writers, one that is either completely compelling or just does not feel right to you at all. Rather than having documents per se, Ulysses offers you one single app with one single file — within which you can create countless pieces of writing.

Those are called Sheets in Ulysses and, like Scrivener, you can write them all in one go or you can slice them up.

It's a Markdown editor which means it feels bare, like Drafts can, and it doesn't have the same full-feature sense that Scrivener does. But wherever you go, whenever you open your iPad, you don't just have your latest writing, you have all of your writing.

All of it. Every bit since you started using Ulysses, anyway, and that grows into a very compellingly handy library of all your work.

Ulysses is free to download, then costs around $40 per year. It's also available as part of Setapp .

Specialized writing tools for scripts

As yet, there's no breakout hit app for writing haiku poetry. But there are a lot of apps for writing scripts and screen plays.

Scrivener is one of them. As well as prose, you can switch to a scriptwriting mode in Scrivener and it is a good writing tool for screenplays.

Screenplays have very specific formats and margins, developed over the last century and every bit is the way it is for a reason. It could be a reason that helps location scouts later on, rather than being any use to the writer now, but each reason is real and each formatting requirement is needed.

And they are just fiddly enough that it's only right an iPad should do as much of that work for you as possible. Let you concentrate on what's happening in the script, while your writing app looks after making it readable on the screen.

Final Draft 12

The most famous and the longest-running screenwriting app is Final Draft, now in version 12. It is very, very good on the Mac and PC.

Don't ask any Final Draft user if there's anything they dislike about it, you haven't got time, but still it's very, very good.

Whereas the iPad app is just good, approaching pretty good. It's had some bugs over the years and the company's support hasn't always been marvellous, but there are writers who solely use the iPad version and don't even have a Mac.

If they did have a Mac, they'd find out that the computer version of Final Draft is expensive. For Mac, it's officially $250 , though it tends to go on sale a great deal, and once you have one the company is good at selling you upgrades that are expensive, but seem cheap next to buying the full thing.

On the iPad, though, it costs $9.99 on the App Store. It's some writers' sole professional tool and it costs less than a book.

Alternatively, there is also Celtx, which used to be practically a clone of Final Draft and has the advantage that it's free on the App Store.

As yet, there isn't an iPad version of what might be Final Draft's best competitor on the Mac, Highland 2 . It's modern, slick, and it's built by professional, working screenwriters with long success in the industry.

They say that an iPad version is in the works, but no release date has been announced yet.

Utilities for writers

You could spend all your writing time just checking out utility apps for writers, like dictionaries and outliners and programs that make up your plot for you.

However, save yourself some trouble. Skip those ones where they say you just put in a name and choose a genre like comedy or western, and they'll outline your story for you.

But speaking of outlines... You may not be the kind of writer who plans anything out, you could be a pantser — one who writes by the seat of their pants.

Whether you like outlines or not, you can be required to write them for certain publishers or producers. When that's the last requirement before they start paying you, suddenly you can get to be very fond of outliners.

Try OmniOutliner 3 for iPad when you have any thing like a book structure to create, or an event to program. It's free to download and try, then costs from $19 .

There is an outliner in Word, but it's built for academics and is like working in treacle. There was an outliner in Pages, but Apple removed it.

Actually, you can jury-rig an outline in Pages using heading styles, but moving around it, changing text, grouping ideas together, it's as bad as Word.

Scrivener also has its own outliner and that's pretty powerful. But the separate, standalone OmniOutliner is the kind of writing tool that turns you from a user into a fan.

The best writing apps for iPad

This has been about the best writing apps for iPad, but it's really about the best writing apps for writers and those are on the iPad. We are now most definitely spoiled for choice for straight writing tools, and it is a fantastic thing.

And we have even more choice when it comes to writing being part of a larger project, a larger business. Then there are apps like Notion and Craft which are good for handling lots of information, or DEVONthink which is like a bionic research and writing too.

There may never be an end to the best writing apps for iPad, and there certainly won't be an end to the debate over just what constitutes the best.

But what doesn't change is that each of these runs on every iPad from the regular one, through the iPad mini, and on up to the 12.9-inch iPad Pro . We can have superb writing apps, and we can have them anywhere we go.

After you write your novel, you may want to try to publish it. We'll be talking about that very soon.

You're doing screenwriters a disservice in not mentioning WriterDuet - platform agnostic, device agnostic.  It just works.

I’ve written six novels in Scrivener, but the iPad version, sadly, is so “fat” that you can barely see a single page in it. The great thing about the macOS version is that you can see your writing and a bunch of panes at the same time (outline, metadata, notes, references, split views horizontally or vertically, etc.), to taste. The iPad version can squeeze in a few views (at the expense of content), but it’s all aimed at finger navigation and feels shoehorned in. I bought it, but it’s claustrophobic to look at.  Unrelated: another outlining app that’s been getting a lot of attention in the last week or so is Bike: https://www.hogbaysoftware.com/bike/

A shame the mere existence of a writing app isn’t enough motivation for some to just write, but these are good apps. Right, well… write well!

Thank you for the thoughtful write up.  I am writing a book that has a unique, smaller page size that “standard”. I also want to include drawings, pages with quotes, pages with pictures.  A combination of visual drawing and written word.   My desire is to find a software program that allows me to create a template for each page, so I know what will fit on each page. Then I am able to format the written word, and also format my drawing and images on pages.   Then I’d also like to be able to move pages around, so that I am sure which pages are facing each other. For example, if I want to do a drawing that is on 2 pages, I want to be sure that they are facing each other (not back to back/requiring a page turn).   I’d love suggestions or ideas about software for the iPad that you’d suggest for this project.  With a deep bow of gratitude. 

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The best writing apps for the iPad

If you’re looking for a portable device that can also be used as a writing station, well, the humble iPad is a great choice. While it’s still lacking in some respects, Apple has bridged the large gulf that previously existed between iPads and laptops, adding a variety of features in iPadOS that help to turn your tablet into a laptop substitute. So whether you’re using the entry-level iPad  or the top-of-the-line iPad Pro and Magic Keyboard , you can get a good writing experience out of your device.

Google Docs (free)

Microsoft word (subscription), ulysses (subscription), scrivener ($20), jotterpad (free/subscription), werdsmith (free/subscription), compo (free), shortly: a.i. writing assistant (free).

But you’ll also need a good writing app to really take advantage of iPadOS’s additional writing oomph. The perfect writing app for you depends on what you need and what you’re using it for. So whether you’re jotting down an assignment, your idea for a bestselling novel, an award-winning screenplay, or anything else, here are some of the best writing apps for the iPad.

Although iPadOS’s keyboard isn’t bad, you’ll want a keyboard to really take your writing to a new level. Check out our list of the best iPad keyboards to see the best keyboards for you.

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This wouldn’t be much of a list without the Google Suite’s writing app. Google Docs may lack the crazy features of some of the other options on this list, but Docs has everything you need for most basic writing tasks, including full formatting, support for images, and spell checkers. But the real strength lies in its online nature. It’s completely free, but despite that, you’ll get instant syncing so you can work on your document at the same time as other people and see edits and additions in real time, and it can import from and export to pretty much every format you’ll possibly need. While it’s a bit bare if you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, this is the ultimate note-taking tool, and one of the best completely free options available.

It’s the classic app we all know and love, and probably the program we all immediately think of when anyone says “word processor.” Word comes with a number of templates for different styles of document, handles images, and has a full formatting toolbar to boot. Word is effectively Microsoft’s answer for Google Docs — except you have to pay for it. Regardless of that, if you already have an Office subscription, Word is a strong option with support for importing from and exporting to many formats, cloud-based storage, and real-time editing with collaborators, plus the advantage of being the word-processing program of choice for many professional editors.

The first app in this list to really push itself to “writers,” rather than people who just need to write, Ulysses is a strong contender for the app for serious writers. You can keep almost anything in Ulysses, including your screenplay, novel notes, a to-do or shopping list, or even your blog’s latest post. There is a strong spelling and grammar checker, it syncs up with the MacOS version of Ulysses, and it can even export as an e-book. Unfortunately, you won’t get this for free, and Ulysses requires a subscription to work. It’ll set you back $6 a month, with discounts for year-long plans — but if you’re serious about writing, Ulysses is a good investment.

Possibly the most powerful single tool for writing, Scrivener is one of our favorite writing apps. It costs an upfront $20, which is a lot of money for an iOS app, but for that price you get a solid writing platform, a place to keep all your research (including images), notes on characters or locations, and a useful “corkboard”-style view for your chapters, which allows you to view everything at a glance, or even move individual chapters around easily like you would on a real corkboard. It exports to e-book and other popular formats, and syncs up with the MacOS version — though you’ll need to buy that too . Still, even with those added costs, Scrivener is the real deal.

Jotterpad’s aim is to provide a writing app without the distractions of a traditional word processor, and it does this extremely well. The interface is simple and extremely streamlined, but even with that, it’s not lacking in features. You’ll find all the usual additions, including Markdown, Fountain, a spell checker, and more. There’s even a rhyming dictionary. You can start up your document as a novel, screenplay, blog, or editorial piece, and you can jump between Jotterpad on different devices, thanks to its syncing. However, you’ll need a subscription to access most of the features on offer, including cloud syncing. A year’s subscription will cost you $30 a year.

Writing should be addictive. At least, that’s what Werdsmith believes, and it has the tools to hopefully inspire you to make writing a part of your daily routine. It uses writing tracking and daily goals to push you into keeping up a streak and jotting words down every day. Heck, it even has an Apple Watch word-counting app. If you struggle to keep writing, this may be the iPad writing app for you. Other than that, it has a decent number of features, including novel or screenplay writing tools and cloud syncing to keep your work current. There is a subscription, but it’s purely to allow you to work on more than a set number of documents at once, for $5 a month.

Compo is a brutally simple writing experience that aims to deliver a quick, easy way of writing down whatever’s on your mind. While some other apps may want you to set up a project and a template before you start, Compo just opens a blank page and lets you at it. Although it’s something more of a note-taking app, it’s certainly good enough for more heavy-duty writing tasks. You can share your writings on a number of different services and social media sites, and it syncs up with iCloud as well.

We’ve left the, well, weirdest until last. Shortly is a writing app with a difference — it has another tiny writer caged inside it, who learns from your writing and pens their own additions to your story when asked. All right, so it’s really an A.I., but Shortly’s writing assistant is actually pretty good, and it’s the perfect tool for getting over a small writer’s block. Using your past pennings as a template, it’ll take the reins and type away, adding new ideas and story turns you might not have thought of. While it’s unlikely to finish your story for you, it’s a great way to get the creative impulses firing up again. Worth a download and a try, even if you’re using another app.

Editors' Recommendations

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A refurbished model but one that's unlocked and comes with a full one-year warranty, the Apple iPhone XR is still pretty stylish for its age. It has a large 6.1-inch LCD screen with 1,792 x 828 resolution with Liquid Retina technology ensuring it looks super sharp. Powered by the A12 Bionic chip, it's starting to show its age but still has potential. There's also a 12MP back camera that can shoot 4K videos while the front-facing camera is 7MP and ideal for selfie-taking.

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As smartphone bugs go, this was surely one of the more bizarre ones. Reports of the strange issue began to surface following Apple’s rollout of iOS 17.5 last week.

Essayist: Academic Writing App 4+

Apa, mla, chicago & more, essayist software inc..

• 4.8 • 650 Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

Try Essayist for free today! "App of the Day" — Apple "Editors' Choice" — Apple "A-Plus Apps for Students " — Apple "Apps You Need This Week" — Apple Essayist allows you to write APA, MLA, Chicago & Harvard Style essays with ease. From in-text citations and footnotes to references and page setup, Essayist takes care of everything. It greatly simplifies the academic writing process. AUTOMATIC FORMATTING Essayist formats everything for you. Upon starting a new essay it sets up the title section/page, margins, font, line spacing, alignment, page headers/footers, etc. It formats your references, in-text citations, footnotes/endnotes, figures, tables, table of contents and more. UNIVERSAL REFERENCE MANAGER Store and manager references in a universal reference manager backed by iCloud. Search for, add, and store references in one place and use references across multiple essays. Create separate collections (folders) within the reference manager to organize and manage references. Add references quickly and easily using Google Scholar, Essayist’s built-in search, by pasting a URL or manual entry forms. Once added, references are automatically formatted and added to your essay’s references/works cited list. CITATIONS (IN-TEXT CITATIONS, FOOTNOTES, ENDNOTES) Add in-text citations and footnotes/endnotes with ease. Simply click the insert citation button and select the reference you wish to cite. An in-text citation/footnote/endnote is automatically created for you GENERAL FOOTNOTES Add general footnotes to any essay. EQUATIONS Essayist supports equations backed by LaTeX. CITATION STYLES Essayist supports four citation styles: APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian & Harvard. *Supported Versions: APA 7th Edition, MLA 8th & 9th Edition, Turabian 9th Edition, Harvard Snooks Style Manual and Cite Them Right 11th Edition, among various other versions from institutions throughout the UK and Australia* EXPORT Export your work to PDF or Word. MINIMAL INTERFACE A simple interface helps you write without distractions. You know all those buttons in other word processors you never use? We got rid of those. ABSTRACT, APPENDICES & TABLE OF CONTENTS Add an abstract, appendices and a table of contents to your essay. FIGURES & TABLES Easily add figures and tables with all the required information (caption, title, numbering, notes, etc.). REGULAR UPDATES We are working hard to make Essayist the best academic writing app it can be. If you have feature requests or encounter issues, please don't hesitate to contact us at [email protected] MORE - iOS & macOS versions (universal purchase) - Built-in Universal Reference Manager - Pre-defined & customizable paragraph styles (Block Quote, Headings, etc.) - Bold, Italicize & Underline options - Import BibTeX - Multiple reference types (News Article, Magazine, Website, Dictionary, etc. …) - Two paper sizes: US Letter & A4 - Two font choices: Times New Roman & Arial - Word Count & Page Count - Multiple background choices - Spell Check, Auto Completion & Auto Capitalization - Dark mode - Designed for Accessibility FREE TRIAL Essayist features a free trial that enables you to use all features at no cost (including export and sync). PRICING Essayist requires a subscription. Choose between a monthly and a yearly subscription. Both subscription options offer a free trial. READ-ONLY MODE Download Essayist and review essays for free! *Editing functionality is locked without an active subscription. Terms of Use: https://www.iubenda.com/terms-and-conditions/82031685 Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/82031685

Version 1.10.4

IMPROVEMENTS - Improves how ambiguous citations are disambiguated. - Makes it more obvious how to unlock Essayist when one already has a subscription. If you have feature requests or experience an issue, please email us. We usually respond very quickly and it really helps us improve Essayist.

Ratings and Reviews

650 Ratings

Outstanding Application & Support

I've been using Essayist for years as for a while I only had an iPad as my main driver yet had to write papers for school and this was the only applicaiton that allowed me to do so on the iPad while not only maintaining all APA formatting requirements but making it even easier to cite articles with it's Google Scholar search function. I've also had a couple of times where i'd reach out to their customer support and they were prompt in responding with answers or even potential updates and timing. I highly recommend this app to every student at every level as I used it through my MBA and i'm not using it to complete a doctorate.

Developer Response ,

Hi. Thank you very much for your kind review! We wish you all the best for your doctorate :) Till

Just short of perfect, but the glitch is significant

This is an excellent app all things considered. I wish it was around when I was in college. It would be perfect in my mind but for one thing…..exporting. There is an export feature - and it exports, it just does so without carrying over any of the formatting. You can fix it in one of two ways. Get rid of the feature, and do not claim that essayist can export to word or docs with formatting, or make it work. This is an app that costs money. The export feature as it currently functions might as well not be there at all. If you do not need to export, if you are happy to simply do the entire project on essayist it is perfect. Problem is most professors are not using is, so yes…fix the export feature please. It does hurt the value of the product in my mind.

Hi. We are happy to hear you like Essayist! Regarding export: Exporting to Word should work with all formatting intact. I have myself noticed that the preview in Word on iOS can have a glitch and sometimes look like the formatting is off, but once the file is saved and you are in editing mode it’s all there. Please contact us at [email protected] so we can better assist you. Kind regards, Till

This app really is great and I recommend it for anyone writing papers and rely on citing sources. Some items I hope to see in future updates: 1. Auto-capitalize first word after a period. 2. The app does show a word count but it ony shows it for the whole paper. (It ignores word count in citations, which is perfect). I hope it is added where you can select a certain amount of text and it show you how many words are selected. 3. Allow references from other papers you have written to be imported into a new paper. For instance you might have to cite the same textbook in many papers over the course of a class. It would be conveneint to not have to go and locate and add it each time but have it populate from another source since you have alraedy gone through the effort of adding it before. 4. Remove the setting where the reference window is always on top. It is very cumbersome since you can't drag and move it and it is always on top of other windows. Thanks for the great app!

Hi, thank you so much for your review and feedback! We love hearing from our users :) The word count feature is a great suggestion that we will look into adding, and we are currently working on an update that will allow users to add references from other papers. We will also work on an update to change the reference window setting. We can see how this could be cumbersome. As for the autocapitalization issue, Essayist should already auto-capitalize after a period. Could you email us at [email protected] about this issue? Kind regards, Erin.

App Privacy

The developer, Essayist Software Inc. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

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Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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Writing with iPad Pro: The first 48 hours away from Mac

Every time a new iPad Pro is released, reviewers tend to ask the question: can it replace a laptop? That’s a valid question as Apple pitches the iPad Pro as the future of computing, even boldly creating the commercial last year that asks What’s a computer?  I’ve spent 48 hours writing with iPad Pro and here’s what I think…

First and foremost, what am I using to replace my 2016 MacBook Pro? The 12.9-inch iPad Pro with Smart Keyboard Folio and Apple Pencil. The last iPad I owned for an extensive period of time was the iPad mini 2 . My 15-inch MBP was the top of the line model at the time, with 16GB of RAM, 1TB SSD, 2.9GHz Core i7 with the dedicated AMD GPU . But, for the most part, none of that matters for me.

See, the thing with the iPad Pro hardware is that it’s gotten so powerful over the years, seeing massive gains in performance every generation. However, the software has unfortunately not caught up yet. Despite this, I believe iPad Pro can be a great contender for replacing a computer for many people.

Within the last 48 hours I’ve been using iPad Pro as my main work machine. So far it’s been a pretty good experience.

The initial 48 hours

On a typical work day, I have our Slack chat running on the left side of my screen, and the 9to5Mac web portal running in Safari, split 50/50 evenly. In addition, I often have Tweetbot as a window over Safari to make sure I’m not missing any breaking news. I also have work email enabled and with notifications on all incoming mail through Edison (current mail client of choice). If I need to, I’ll swipe up a little from the bottom, drag Edison into the Safari slot and read/reply to email there if need be.

If I need to reference an email while typing out a post, I have Edison as a window and Safari on the right of the 50/50 split.

If it’s a news piece, I return back to Safari and start writing there. Over the last few days I’ve noticed some small issues such as the cursor not appearing, but for the most part it works just fine. For longer pieces (like this one) I use Ulysses to write. Other than updating its app to support the new iPad screen sizes, it works as expected with any other iPad.

I think the hardest transition is going from mouse/trackpad and keyboard to touch and keyboard. Most first-party apps and some iPad Pro specific third-party apps support keyboard shortcuts that are similar to what you’d find on a Mac. For example, pressing ⌘ + L on Safari for iPad gets you into the URL/search bar without moving your hand all the way to the top.

Adjusting to iOS

Admittedly, I haven’t spent too much time in Shortcuts or Siri Shortcuts . But from what I’ve seen and heard, this could be a potential game changer for getting work done on iPad.

Oh, and the new iPad Pro has USB-C now, which is great. However, for now it basically has the limitations of what Lightning did.

Sure, if you have a 4K USB-C monitor, you can plug it in and have it mirror the screen and charge your iPad at the same time, as well as use it as a hub for other accessories. But you could do that with Lightning as well, albeit not through a single cable (HDMI adapter with one USB-A and Lightning for charging, anyone?). While I’d love to have my monitor mirror my screen, I’d rather it extend it and maybe have more apps running at any given time. I also have the LG UltraFine 5K, which is Thunderbolt 3. So I can’t test that functionality.

The real benefit of USB-C is having one cable to rule them all. The iPad is now free of just “iOS accessories” and the door is open to other vendors building in support.

Lack of external hard drive support is weird to say the least. Plugging in a camera automatically launches the Photos app, naturally. So, one would assume plugging in an external hard drive or flash drive would automatically open up the Files app. Nope. Hopefully this changes in the future.

Obviously, it’s only been a few days and that isn’t enough time to make a firm decision on whether or not this could fully replace my computer (for work purposes) yet. With that being said, the iPad is starting to grow on me and I’d highly recommend others who primarily write for a living to give it a shot.

I’ll need a bit more time before I can make an informed decision, but the future is looking bright for the new iPad Pro so far!

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7 Best Writing Apps for iPad 2024 (Write A Book Fast)

by Chris Von Wilpert, BBusMan • Last updated November 23, 2023

Expert Verified by Leandro Langeani, BBA

Today there are 118 different writing apps for iPad . We spent 57 hours comparing the top 50 to find the seven best you can use to write on the world’s best tablet.

What is the Best Writing App for iPad?

• Scrivener — best of the best
• Ulysses — best minimalist app
• iA Writer — best distraction-free interface
• Pages — best from Apple
• Google Docs — best for cloud storage
• Microsoft Word — best feature-rich app
• Bear — best markdown editor

1. Scrivener

Our verdict — best of the best.

Scrivener is the go-to writing app for aspiring authors. We think it’s the best because of its customizable corkboard view, versatile writing and editing features, and powerful outlining tools.

The Best Part:

Powerful outlining functionality. Scrivener's Outliner feature helps you effortlessly plan, organize, and rearrange your projects.

The Worst Part:

Steep learning curve. It might take some time for newcomers to get acquainted with all of Scrivener’s features.

Get it if you want a feature-rich app that allows you to write, edit, and manage your book projects from the comfort of your iPad.

I recommend you buy Scrivener from the App Store for $23.99.

(download now)

Scrivener is best for aspiring authors who want an all-in-one app to help them write, edit, and manage their book writing projects.

Top Features

Visualize your plan. Organize your ideas with digital notecards on a customizable corkboard — perfect for visual thinkers.

Write now, organize later. Piece together bits of text you've penned spontaneously and easily rearrange them with Scrivener's scrivenings mode.

Make it feel like home. Tweak settings, toolbars, and layouts to create the perfect writing environment on your iPad.

Write without distractions. Focus all of your attention on your words with Scrivener's full-screen composition mode, to block out all distractions.

Keep up with your writing goals. Set word count goals for your project or individual sections to stay on track.

Scrivener offers a single pricing plan:

Scrivener for iOS: $23.99 one-time payment, for aspiring authors and dedicated writers who want a powerful, all-in-one writing tool on their iPads.

Try Scrivener today via the App Store.

Our Verdict — Best Minimalist App

Ulysses is a sleek and straightforward writing app designed for iPad users who crave a minimalist experience. We think it’s the best minimalist app because of its clutter-free interface, seamless synchronization across Apple devices, and efficient organization tools.

Organization made easy. Ulysses lets you keep your content structured and tidy with its intuitive sheet grouping and library sorting options.

Limited formatting options. Ulysses doesn’t have many of the fancy formatting options other writing apps offer, which could be a letdown for some users.

Get it if you want an intuitive writing app that covers the basics and keeps things simple for the minimalist in you.

I recommend you get started with the free trial, then go for the Yearly Plan for $39.99/year.

(free plan)

Ulysses is best for writers who want a minimalist writing environment that keeps them focused on their work.

Sync it up. Use iCloud integration to keep your work up to date at all times across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices.

It helps you keep your pace. Set word count or time-based goals and track your progress effortlessly.

Your own space. Customize Ulysses with a variety of themes that suit your style, while keeping that minimalistic feel.

Export in a snap. Ulysses makes it easy for you to convert and export your books to various formats, including PDF, HTML, and ePub.

Search and find. Use the advanced search function to locate specific content within your library.

Ulysses offers three pricing plans:

• Monthly Plan: $5.99/month for writers who prefer a flexible, short-term subscription for writing a book or two.
• Yearly Plan: $39.99/year for dedicated writers who are in it for the long haul and want the best bang for their buck.
• Student Offer: $10.99/six months for students.

The annual plan provides a 44% discount.

Try Ulysses today with the free plan.

3. iA Writer

Our verdict — best distraction-free interface.

iA Writer is the perfect iPad app for writers who want the closest experience to pen and paper. We think it’s the best distraction-free interface because of its seamless fullscreen mode, live syntax highlighting, and smooth syncing capabilities.

It’s all about focus. iA Writer’s full-screen mode allows you to completely immerse yourself in your writing without a single distraction.

No free trial. iA Writer doesn’t offer an option for testing out its features — you’ll have to pay the $49.99 fee in full.

Get it if you want a completely distraction-free writing environment that allows you to put all of your focus on your words and ideas.

I recommend you get iA Writer from the App Store for $49.99.

iA Writer is best for writers who want a clean, distraction-free writing environment.

Swift cloud storage access. Access all of your docs within iA Writer’s intuitive Library, whether they’re stored in iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox.

Favorites FTW. Mark your most-used files and folders as favorites to always keep ‘em handy.

Stay organized. Set up custom rules for Smart Folders and watch your documents automatically get organized.

Categorization made easy. Group your work using hashtags to categorize key chapters, themes, and ideas to easily locate while writing your book.

Sort files your way. Personalize how you view your File List by sorting documents according to Name, Date, or Extension.

iA Writer offers a single pricing plan:

iOS & iPadOS: $49.99 one-time payment, for writers who want lifetime access to a full-screen, distraction-free writing app.

Try iA Writer today via the App Store.

Our Top Three Picks

Here’s a quick summary of our top three picks:

• iA Writer — best distraction-free app

Here’s a quick comparison of our top seven picks:

Here are the top 50 best writing apps for iPad we considered in this review:

• Google Docs
• Microsoft Word
• JotterPad 
• Fade In Mobile
• ProWritingAid 
• Grammarly Keyboard
• Zoho Writer 
• Celtx Script
• Quip: Docs, Chat, Spreadsheets
• FocusWriter
• iaWriter 
• Markdown & Rich Text Editor
• Textilus Pro
• Manuscript Writer
• WriteMapper 
• Aeon Timeline
• Writer's Studio
• Day One Journal
• Penultimate
• XMind: Mind Map
• Story Planner for Writers
• Hemingway Editor 

What is the best writing software for iPad?

The best writing software for iPad is Scrivener, known for its powerful features, intuitive interface, and seamless compatibility with industry standards. 

Scrivener is a powerful writing app that caters to the needs of aspiring authors, professional writers, and anyone looking to enhance their writing process. Its customizable corkboard view allows users to organize ideas using digital notecards, making it an excellent tool for visual note-taking and planning.

Scrivener excels in the writing process, providing powerful outlining functionality, handy features for editing, and efficient note-taking capabilities. The app is designed with industry standards in mind, offering a formidable tool for writers who need to manage complex projects. With its handwriting recognition feature, it allows users to input handwritten notes and convert them into digital notes, making the transition from traditional notes on paper to digital notebooks seamless.

Additionally, Scrivener offers a range of export options, making it easy for writers to share their work with others or publish it in various formats. The app is available for both desktop version and mobile devices, ensuring a consistent writing experience across platforms. With cloud service integration, your work can be synced across devices, ensuring you always have access to the latest version of your projects.

Although Scrivener has a steep learning curve due to its advanced tools, mastering these features can significantly improve your writing experience. It offers a comprehensive set of onboard organization tools, markup tools, and features like the color fill tool, curve tool, and an easy-to-use tool interface. With its sharing features and options for storage, Scrivener becomes an invaluable resource for writers. The app is available for download from the Apple App Store.

What is a good free writing app for iPad?

A good free writing app for iPad is Apple Pages, which is designed to provide a simple, clean interface and essential tools for creating documents, including essays, reports, and even books. 

Pages come pre-installed on iPads, making it an easily accessible option for Apple users. As a free app, it offers a range of powerful features that cater to the needs of writers, from beginners to professionals.

Pages provide a variety of ready-made templates that can be customized according to your preferences, making it easy to create polished documents with minimal effort. The app supports handwriting recognition, allowing users to input handwritten notes and convert them into digital notes. This integration of the concept of handwriting with digital tools makes it easy for writers to capture their notes with ease and keep their notes neat and organized.

Apple Pages is designed with a focus on simplicity and ease of use, offering a streamlined writing experience without a rigid note-taking structure. This makes it perfect for writers who prefer a clutter-free environment for their work. It is compatible with popular note-taking apps, making it easy to transition from one platform to another.

Pages also support cloud syncing through iCloud integration, ensuring seamless synchronization across Apple devices, including iPads, iPhones, and Macs. This feature allows writers to access and update their work seamlessly across devices, making iPads an excellent platform for writing on the go.

What app do most writers use?

Most writers prefer Scrivener for its comprehensive set of powerful features, intuitive interface, and compatibility with industry standards. It caters to the needs of aspiring authors, professional writers, and anyone looking to enhance their writing process. With its powerful outlining tools, handy features for editing, and efficient note-taking capabilities, Scrivener becomes an invaluable resource for writers. Its compatibility with both desktop and mobile devices ensures a consistent writing experience across platforms. With cloud service integration, your work can be synced across devices, ensuring you always have access to the latest version of your projects.

Are iPads good for writers?

iPads are suitable for writers due to their portability, flexibility, and compatibility with various writing apps, including Scrivener, Ulysses, and iA Writer. The availability of these apps on iPads allows writers to access and update their work seamlessly across devices, making it a convenient platform for writing on the go. Additionally, iPads support handwriting recognition, making it easy for writers to input handwritten notes and convert them into digital notes. This feature enables a smooth transition from traditional notes on paper to digital notebooks, allowing writers to organize their work efficiently.

Furthermore, iPads offer the ability to add audio recordings to notes, providing an extra dimension to the note-taking process. The combination of a powerful processor, high-quality display, and long battery life make iPads an ideal choice for writers who require a versatile and reliable device for their work.

Is Scrivener worth getting?

Scrivener is worth getting for its powerful features, intuitive interface, and ability to streamline the writing process. Although it has a steep learning curve due to its advanced tools, mastering these features can lead to a more efficient and organized writing experience. Scrivener is highly recommended for both aspiring authors and professional writers.

Its customizable corkboard view, powerful outlining functionality, and handy features for editing make it an excellent tool for managing complex writing projects. With its compatibility across desktop and mobile devices, writers can access and update their work seamlessly, ensuring they always have the latest version of their projects at their fingertips. Scrivener's cloud syncing capabilities also make it easy to collaborate with others or work on multiple devices.

The Bottom Line

To recap, here are the best writing apps for iPad to try this year:

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The Best Way to Use Your iPad Effectively for Studying

Looking to make the most out of your ipad for studying check out our guide on the best ways to optimize your ipad for academic success. from note-taking to productivity apps, we've got you covered.

Are you a student struggling to stay organized while studying? If so, you're not alone in this process. With so many distractions and competing demands on your time, it's often challenging to stay on top of assignments and exams. But fear not because your iPad can be a game-changer for effective studying sessions.

Whether taking notes, reviewing flashcards, or researching for a paper, you can maximize the usage of your iPad's features and apps. This article will cover essential tips and tricks to use your iPad better when studying. From split-screen mode to digital flashcards, we've got you covered. So grab your iPad, get comfy, and read on!

Try digital flashcards

Several flashcard apps on the App Store make studying a breeze. They save paper and clutter and maximize the effective use of your time. You can easily shuffle cards, mark difficult items for later review, and even test yourself with built-in quizzes. Plus, some apps support sharing your flashcards with friends or classmates for collaborative studying. It's like having a custom portable study group in your pocket! So ditch the physical flashcards and embrace digital ones --- your backpack (and the environment) will thank you.

Secure your Data with Cloud Storage

Using cloud storage capabilities, students can easily store and retrieve their data, papers, and homework. You need only ensure you have an active internet connection. Cloud Storage rids you of the need to worry about data loss while working on your iPad, PC or any synchronized device. Moreover, it may be used to share information. When you decide to pay people to write essays , it's convenient to upload your requirements for an essay with this tool, and your professional writers will access it and complete the task easily.

Students may maintain order by categorizing and labeling different homework, projects, or courses in cloud storage. By adopting this feature, users may reduce clutter and easily find important information when needed.

Organize your apps

App organization makes a huge difference when using your device for studying. First, create a separate folder or page for your study-related apps. This will help you quickly locate them when you need them without swiping through endless pages of apps.

Use the iPad's " App Library " to automatically categorize your apps. Another helpful tip is to rearrange the apps to your preference. For instance, you can group note-taking apps, research apps together, and so on. The bottom line is to create an intuitive app setup. It'll save you time and frustration!

Use split-screen mode

The amazing split-screen mode on your iPad is a game-changer regarding multitasking and productivity. The split-screen mode allows you to have two apps open simultaneously. For a use case, you can take notes on one app while simultaneously researching on another app.

To activate the split-screen mode, swipe up to access the dock, then drag one app to the left/right screen side. Next, select the second app and drag it to the other side. Voila! You have two apps open. Both can be used simultaneously. Trust us, once you get the hang of it, you won't know how you ever studied without it!

Voice Dictation

With the voice Dictation feature, you can quickly and effortlessly dictate essays and other tasks using the inbuilt speech recognition software. This feature eliminates the need to rely solely on typing everything by hand. You can concentrate on your studies and finish other tasks more quickly.

Voice dictation can be especially beneficial for folks who struggle with writing due to physical limitations or learning disabilities. By leveraging this feature, they can also succeed in their academic pursuits and finish more in less time.

Take advantage of keyboard shortcuts

Instead of tapping away to perform simple tasks like copying and pasting, try using keyboard shortcuts. For instance, you can press "Command+C" to copy text and "Command+V" to paste it. "Command+Z" will undo a mistake, and "Command+A" selects all text.

These shortcuts may seem trivial, but they'll save you time. Plus, they elevate you to a tech-savvy wizard, which is always a plus! To view a list of available keyboard shortcuts, simply hold the "Command" key down. Give it a try, and you'll be amazed at how efficient you can be while studying without needing to pay for essay writing.

Use a stylus for note-taking

A stylus offers a whole new level of precision and control, way more than obtainable with merely your fingers. Not to mention, it feels way more natural. With a stylus, you can quickly jot down notes during lectures or draw diagrams for better understanding.

Plus, you can easily highlight important information without having to switch between tools. There are many stylus options, from fancy Apple Pencils to more affordable options. No matter which you pick, using a stylus for note-taking would simplify your study process.

Conclusions

We trust these pointers and methods have assisted you in understanding the full potential of your iPad for academic purposes. With some practice, you'll be proficient in juggling tasks, jotting down notes, and managing time.

Always remember that effective iPad usage is subjective and requires experimentation to determine what suits your learning style. Don't shy away from trying out various apps and the atypical tech tool until you find what works for you. Also, remember to take regular breaks, stretch your legs, and inhale some fresh air now and then.

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How-To Geek

How to take handwritten notes on your ipad using the apple pencil.

Purchased an Apple Pencil with your new iPad? Forget your notebooks and take digital handwritten notes right on your iPad. Here's how.

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Apple pencil compatibility, how to take handwritten notes on ipad using notes app, alternative note app options.

The Apple Pencil is a versatile tool for your iPad. Not only can you use it for (virtual) drawing, painting, or coloring, you can also take notes and doodle. Here's how to take handwritten notes on your iPad.

Apple Pencil is available in two different models. The first-generation Apple Pencil comes in a round shape and was first introduced with the original iPad Pro. It also includes a Lightning connector under a cap for charging.

Here's a list of all iPads that support the first-generation Apple Pencil at the time of writing:

• iPad Air (3rd generation)
• iPad mini (5th generation)
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st or 2nd generation)
• iPad Pro 10.5-inch
• iPad Pro 9.7-inch
• iPad (6th generation)
• iPad 10.2 inch (7th generation)

The second-generation Apple Pencil is quite a bit smaller, with a single flat edge. It now magnetically latches on to the edge of the iPad Pro and charges wirelessly.

The accessory is only supported on the following iPad Pro models with Face ID (again, at the time of writing):

• iPad Pro 11-inch (2018 and 2020 models)
• iPad Pro 12.9 inch (2018 and 2020 models)

It's quite easy to get started taking notes on your iPad as you don't even have to download an app. Simply use the built-in Notes app on your iPad.

Open the "Notes" app on your iPad and create a new note. From there, tap on the Expand button to make the note full-screen.

Now, you can tap the tip of your Apple Pencil on the screen to enter the handwritten notes mode. You'll see drawing tools appear at the bottom of the screen.

The canvas is now yours. You can doodle, write, or type anything in the note. When you're taking notes with the Apple Pencil, use your finger to swipe up and down.

From the drawing tools, the first is the Pen tool. Tap on it to see the option for the thickness of the nib and the transparency. You can do the same thing for the next two tools which are Marker and Pencil.

If you have the second-generation Apple Pencil , you can double-tap on the Action button to switch to the Eraser. You can also customize the Action button to switch to the last used tool instead.

Related: How to Change the Double-Tap Action on Apple Pencil for iPad Pro

The fourth tool is the Eraser. Tap on it to turn your Apple Pencil into an eraser. Move your Apple Pencil over anything that you want to erase.

The fifth tool is a Lasso-style selection tool. (Photoshop users might be familiar with it.) Once the tool is selected, you can circle over elements to select them. Once selected, you can use your finger to move them around. This can be a good way for you to move a doodle to a different place.

The last tool in the set is the Ruler. After you select it, you'll see a large ruler show up in the note area. You can use two fingers to move the Ruler and to change the angle.

Move your fingers around and you'll see that the ruler snaps to certain angles like 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and so on. Once you've used the ruler, tap on the icon again to get rid of it.

On the right edge, you'll see a color picker. You'll see five common colors that you can pick from, or you can tap on the color picker icon to choose from all available shades.

Now that you know all the tools, go ahead and start writing using your Apple Pencil.

Once you're finished writing, there's a nice hidden gem for you to discover. Apple Notes app has a handwriting recognition feature built-in. So, as long as your handwriting is legible, Apple should be able to recognize and index them.

This means that you can search for text inside your handwritten notes. To test it out, go to the "Search" field, and try to find something from your handwritten note.

Plus, you don't even need to unlock your iPad to start taking handwritten notes. Just tap on your iPad's lock screen with your Apple Pencil. This will create a new blank note that you can start writing in. Later, you can unlock your iPad to save the note.

You can customize the feature in the Settings app by going to Notes > Access Notes From Lock Screen section.

Write Neatly Using Lines and Grids

When you start using the Notes app to take handwritten notes, you'll realize that your handwritten notes are quite haphazard. There's one way to make things neat and tidy. When you first create a blank note, tap on the Share button. It will show a single "Lines & Grids" option. (You'll also find the option in the Share sheet. )

From the pop-up, select the kind of lines or grid layout that you want.

This will now become the background of your note, making it much easier to write in straight lines.

The Apple Notes app is a good place to get started with handwritten notes on the iPad, but if you want more features, you'll have to look at one of the many third-party apps on the App Store. Here are our recommendations.

GoodNotes 5 ($7.99)

GoodNotes 5 is the most versatile notetaking app when it comes to Apple Pencil. You can customize virtually every single part of the handwritten notetaking interface. You can switch between different pen styles and scrolling direction. You can add shapes, images, and text to the note. The app comes with a myriad of templates, and there's a feature that lets you zoom in to a particular part of the page.

Notability ($8.99)

Notability is a popular notetaking app among students. It lets you record audio, type out notes, and take handwritten notes, all in a single interface. Plus, it can sync audio along with your notes, which is handy during revision time. You can also import and annotate PDFs and work on two notes side-by-side.

If you have an iPad Pro and a newer Mac, you can connect your iPad to your Mac and turn it into a fully functional secondary display and drawing tablet (with Apple Pencil support) using the new Sidecar feature in macOS Catalina and iPadOS.

Related: How to Use Your iPad as an External Mac Display With Sidecar

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A practical guide to writing on the iPad

The iPad is a great tool for writers. For many professional and part-time writers it is a better option than a laptop.

In this feature we’ll look at why the iPad could be a better option for you. We’ll examine which model iPad to choose, explore keyboards and outline writing applications.

You don’t need an expensive high-end iPad model for writing. The standard NZ$569 (mid-2020 prices) iPad has everything you need. It’s powerful enough and has a screen you’ll have no trouble living with.

Write on any iPad

Writing is an undemanding application for a computer or a tablet. It barely skims the surface of a device’s capabilities. That said, you need enough computing power for the screen to keep up with fast typing and to display crisp, readable text.

Every 2020 iPad meets that standard including the iPad mini. Indeed, every iPad from the last five years will do the job and do it in style.

When I’m away from my desk, I use a top-of-the-range 12.9-inch iPad Pro for writing. It has far more power than I need to put down words, in my case I use the extra grunt other applications.

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Apple could have designed the iPad with journalists like me in mind. They are more portable than even the slimmest, lightest laptop. Their batteries tend to last hours longer than most laptops. And they do a good job of hiding complexity.

It’s no trouble to pull out an iPad and work on in a cafe, on an airplane tray-table, or, at a pinch, on your lap. Sure this is true of a good laptop, but it is more so with the iPad.

Why is the iPad a great writing tool?

When Apple launched the first iPad it pitched the tablet as a media consumption device. It was clear early on that it could do more. Today’s iPads are better than laptops for many creative tasks.

When it comes to writing the iPad has many advantages:

• It has long battery life. Sure, you can find laptops that will go 12 hours between charges. Yet, measure-for-measure, an iPad will last longer between charges than a conventional computer.

This is why the iPad is the closest modern equivalent to a portable typewriter .

• Portable. The iPad is more portable than any laptop. It can go places laptops don’t.
• One aspect of the iPad’s portability is that you can work on it even when you are standing.It’s possible to thumb type on the screen keyboard while your are standing. I’ve done this at press conferences. I’ve done this waiting in queues to board planes.
• This means you can write in more places, more often. Yes, you can do that on a phone, but it’s not the best writing experience.  It is not easy to write standing up with a laptop.
• The same applies if, say, you are sitting cramped on a crowded plane flight. At a pinch you can tap out words holding the iPad in vertical or portrait orientation when there’s no room for a keyboard.
• Being able to use the taller portrait orientation is an often overlooked bonus.There are subtle ergonomic problems with writing across a wide screen. This tends to make errors harder to spot. A narrow width is easier to proof-read.  If you are writing words to print on paper, the screen orientation more closely mirrors how your words will appear on the finished document.
• iPads have glorious, well-lit high resolution screens. Higher resolution means your eyes don’t tire as fast. You can work for longer stretches and retain concentration for longer.
• No waiting. An iPad is always ready to go the moment it is switched on. Yes, modern laptops can do the same, but you can always start writing in seconds on an iPad.

Pick an iPad, any iPad

iPads range in size. The smallest is the iPad mini, with a 7.9-inch display. That’s roughly 200 by 135mm. At the other end of the scale the 12.9-inch iPad Pro display measures 280 by 215mm. It has more than twice as much screen.

The Mini weighs 300g. That’s roughly the weight of two phones. The larger size iPad Pro is 640g, about half the weight of a laptop with the same size display.

Even when you add a keyboard, iPads are smaller, lighter and more portable than almost every laptop. The nearest non-iPad competitor would be a Microsoft Surface tablet.

If money is no object, you can choose the iPad that you find comfortable to read. If it is an object, pick the iPad you can afford.

Cellular or not?

Few people need the models that include cellular phone technology for connecting to the net.

You’ll find Wi-Fi is available in many of the places where you will want to write. Where it isn’t, you can tether your iPad to your phone and connect that way.

This works with both iPhones and Android phones. The experience is better and smoother if you have an iPhone, but don’t get hung up on this point, it isn’t a deal breaker.

Cellular adds around $220 to the price of a Wi-Fi iPad. The other option that adds to the price of an iPad is storage.

iPad storage

While you don’t need a huge amount for storage for written documents, you may want to store music, other audio, photographs and video. These are all storage hungry.

There is a terabyte storage option for the iPad Pro. This adds NZ$900 to the price of the base 128GB model. It will be overkill for many readers. I have a huge music collection, store audio and video files and struggle to fill a 512GB iPad. That size of storage will add roughly NZ$500 to the base price.

The exact amount of storage you need should take into account what other devices you own. If you have a computer and an iPad, then you won’t need to splurge on a lot of storage. Likewise, if you can offload files that you don’t need all the time to an external drive, you can save money.

One thing you must be aware of is that it is near impossible to upgrade iPad storage. It’s a decision you need to get right before you buy.

Based on my experience, I’d suggest you should budget for at least 256GB of storage and consider buying 512GB. That’s the amount I have on my own iPad, it has enough headroom for me to never worry about running out of space.

iPad keyboard considerations

A keyboard isn’t essential if you own an iPad. You can do a lot without one and there is always the Apple Pencil and handwriting recognition .

But this is all about writing on an iPad. A keyboard is always going to make that easier.

There is no shortage of iPad keyboards to choose from. Any iPad will work with any Bluetooth keyboard.

When you buy an iPad, chances are someone will attempt to sell you a keyboard as an add-on. Apple’s iPad keyboards are the most straightforward choice, although your choice should be down to what you find comfortable. That’s both from an ergonomic point of view and from a budget point of view.

Magic Keyboard

At NZ$550 a pop, Apple’s Magic Keyboard is an expensive, Rolls Royce option. It’s good, when you use it at a desk or on a flat surface it is little different from a laptop keyboard experience.

The $320 Apple Smart Keyboard Folio is less expensive. It’s the one I choose for when I’m on the move. It has the best balance of function and price. Again, it gives the iPad a laptop feel. Yet it is more flexible and feels less robust than the Magic Keyboard.

Then there’s the NZ$260 Apple Smart Keyboard.

Not all Apple keyboards are available for all iPads. One aspect of the Apple keyboards that you might see as a negative is that they flex more than you might expect if you are typing on your lap. When used this way they are not as solid as laptops.

Two third-party brands to consider are Logitech and Brydge. You can save a few dollars when compared to Apple prices. Brydge makes hard shell keyboards that turn your iPad into something laptopesque.

When I looked there were a dozen Logitech iPad keyboards. The range covers all iPad models.

All the keyboards that are made to work with iPads offer a degree of protection. That’s important if you are mobile. The devices are not fragile, but once you start moving about the potential for dropping them or doing other damage increases.

Keyboards a matter of personal taste. I touch type and find there’s a huge variation in what works for me. The only way you can be certain is to have a quick test drive before buying. It may make sense to shop online for an iPad, I recommend you visit a physical store before choosing a keyboard.

Much of the time I use a first generation Apple Bluetooth keyboard and a mStand tablet from Rain Design to hold the iPad. It’s a simple and elegant approach.

Buying an Apple Pencil can be confusing. There are two models. The one you buy depends on your iPad model.

It’s not realistic to use a Pencil for long writing jobs. They are great for jotting quick notes when on the move. My regret is that I can’t use shorthand to write with an Apple Pencil.

File the Apple Pencil under nice to have rather than essential . Although there are people who say they can’t live without them. It’s a good thing to ask someone to buy you as a present.

Writing apps

There are iPad versions of two best-known writing apps: Microsoft Word and Google Docs. While they may be all you need, there are a wealth of alternatives that may suit your needs better than the juggernauts.

It’s controversial, but I argue Word is a better experience on the iPad than on a Windows or Mac computer. It’s stripped back and has an elegance that’s hidden on a conventional computer.

If your iPad has a screen smaller than 10.1-inches, Word is free.

Otherwise you can buy Word for the iPad as part of any Microsoft Office subscription. If you use the software at work, or on a computer, you may already have a licence.

A Microsoft Office licence costs around NZ$130 a year, although you can find deals.

There is a web version of Microsoft Word, which is handy if you need the software in a hurry and don’t have the app loaded.

One Word drawback is that it doesn’t dovetail as neatly into the Apple-iPad world as many other writing tools. You are pushed towards using Microsoft OneDrive instead of iCloud or Dropbox.

Likewise, when you try to mail a Word document, the software assumes you want to send it using Outlook, not the stock iPad Mail app.

Google Docs

Google does something similar with Google Docs on the iPad. You can use the app in its familiar web-based version. When you open a document, say from Google Drive, there’s an option to download and install a Google Doc iPad app.

If you don’t choose to download, opt to open the document in Safari, a second pushier screen pops up asking you a second time. Never forget that installing a Google app gives the company permission to spy on your iPad.

Google Docs works fine on a browser on the iPad. I’m hard-pressed to see any difference in the user experience when compared with Docs on a laptop or desktop computer. If you are all in with Google, the app might make more sense. Otherwise, stick with the web version.

While Microsoft Word has collaboration features, Google Docs is a better choice if you work with others to build documents. Better, not foolproof. 

Apple Pages

Apple’s own Pages word processor is included as standard with every iPad. It could be all the word processor you need. It will open documents created with Word or Docs and you can send Pages documents in the Word format.

As the name hints Pages is more page design oriented that Word or Google Docs. This works better than you might expect on an iPad, although you will need a larger screen to make the most of it. Pages is ideal, a better bet than Word or Docs, if you plan to create Apple Books or PDFs.

There’s one Pages feature I love, even if it is not my first choice for writing on the iPad. Presenter Mode turns the iPad into an autocue. When I’m on a long radio broadcast, presenting live or doing similar work I use it as a prompt.

Every writer has their favourite apps. Different writing tools perform different functions. What works best for you depends on what writing you do and what you are familiar with.

For my everyday work the best writing app is iA Writer . It may not suit you. iA Writer is not a word processor, it is a text editor. That means it’s a barebones writing app with few features. You can download it from the App Store for NZ$30.

iA Writer uses Markdown . This is a way of formatting text without lifting your hands from the keyboard. It takes minutes to learn and can speed up writing.

Byword is a good NZ$6 alternative to iA Writer. The developers neglected the app for a while, but are now back on the job.

Other writing apps

Two other apps worth considering are Scrivener and Ulysses. I’m not familiar with either beyond testing them both many years ago.

Scrivener, NZ$19 in the App Store, sells as a writing tool to help novelists. That means it has database features to help track characters and other novel elements.

Fans swear by the app. It goes in the opposite direction to where I want to go with writing on my iPad. That is, it adds complexity.

Ulysses has the same Markdown formatting as iA Writer and Byword, but adds a lot of word processor-like features. This sounds contradictory, but it marries a minimalist look and feel with background complexity. You’ll either love it or be bewildered by it.

The app is a free download, you can test it without paying. After that it costs NZ$11 a month or $92 a year to use. That makes it expensive if you don’t expect to tap into its complexity.

You aren’t restricted to using an app made solely for writing. Many general applications include editors that may serve your purposes.

There are iPad users who write everything in the Notes app that comes as part of the iPad operating system.

Tools like Evernote are popular with iPad writers. Bear is another app that comes up in conversations about writing on the iPad. It is more a note-taking app than a text editor, but it covers all the bases. Simplenote is a free alternative.

Bill Bennett

Freelance journalist.

Auckland-based Bill Bennett writes technology and business stories that are directly relevant to New Zealand readers. His emphasis is on telecommunications, but he also covers other aspects of technology and business. You can find his features in the New Zealand Herald and hear him regularly on RNZ Nine to Noon and the NZ Tech Podcast. Bennett's The Download Weekly newsletter is published every Friday. You can sign up for it here . If you want to support his work, you can make a donation to his PressPatron account .

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Best essay writing apps for iPhone & Mac

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Composing with a pen and paper is rapidly becoming outdated, which is reasonable. Why put yourself through such stress when using your device to compose better quicker? 

Tons of writing apps make writing a more stress-free experience. Ideally, excellent essay writing apps should help you with grammar, proofreading, and more. For example, you can write a profile essay about   any topic expertly using good writing apps which can help you understand the definition and outline of an essay. A good writing app will help you execute your task effectively and give you a great writing experience. If you use an iPhone or Mac, or use both, here are the top apps to choose from. 

This brilliant writing application has been named the best essay writing app for Apple devices such as Mac, iPad, and iPhone. It doesn’t work with some other OS like Android or Windows. What makes Ulysses unique is that it can back up your documents to the iCloud so that regardless of whether you lose the first record, your work is still securely put away in the cloud.

Ulysses uses markdown language to help you apply styles to your writing without worrying about using a formatting menu. This app also features a “focus mode” that helps streamline your writing to a single line and minimize on-screen distractions. Ulysses lets you export your files in various formats to make it easier to finalize your work. 

Focus Writer

Focus Writer is a simple-to-use free word processor, and it is accessible across all major working operating systems, including your iOS and Mac gadgets. With Focus Writer, you can make text and save it in RTF design. It features live document statistics to assist you and eliminates the need to run word counts and character counts. It features:

• Hide-away interface
• Live statistics
• Spells checking
• Document tabs

Evernote is another spectacular writing application that helps with essay writing. The program is a cross-platform note-taking application.  It would work with iOS gadgets and other working frameworks like Android and Windows. Evernote is great for handling written by hand notes. It additionally assists with making the outline of an exposition or article, which can be helpful for an essay write-up. Evernote can store anything you want to remember for your papers, be it a straightforward composing note or an article you viewed on the net. Like that, you can have all your paper thoughts organized and compact.

Grammarly is one of the most well-known article writing tools available on the market today. Grammarly is notable for aiding the adjustment of spelling issues, grammatical errors, and styling mistakes.

Grammarly is open in both a free and a paid version. It has a web-based editor that really looks at your sentence structure, spelling, grammar, word choice, readability, and style mistakes. Grammarly can detect plagiarism by contrasting your paper with billions of other web pages on the net. It’s an awesome program for composing impeccable papers, theses, research papers, and different sorts of compositions.

Pro Writing Aid

ProWritingAid is a cloud-based editing tool for article writing, copywriting, and blogs. This program is planned to help you recognize editing issues, eliminate mistakes, and correct grammatical problems in your essays.

It has a brilliant and valuable free version, while its premium version contains amazing features like upgrading word choice, wiping out cliches, and amending sentence length issues. ProWritingAid further develops your readability and style while additionally recognizing grammatical mistakes.

Hemingway is best known as a tool that can help you improve the readability of your writing,  but it is also an effective, comprehensive proofreading tool.

Hemingway detects sentences that are too complex for readers, helping you simplify your thoughts.  Its top-notch proofreading features can help make your sentences clear, concise, and bold.

As you keep writing your essay, the editor will mark too complex sentences. Hemingway helps you hold the reader’s attention by keeping your sentences short, simple, and sound.

Manuscripts

The Manuscripts is a terrific program for creating short stories, essays, and novels that are pleasant and powerful. This software discovers items like digits in the middle of phrases, layout, compound words, and abbreviations that exist in many formats and detects faults in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Overall, it is free to download and use, with no restrictions on what you may do with it. 

It makes no difference how difficult or frustrating writing may appear. However, using the Manuscripts, you can effortlessly kick-start your career in the writing domain. Use it as a starting point for self-editing before submitting to clients. 

Scrivener is a full-featured writing tool. Are you writing a novel? A script? An essay? A research paper about fashion * ? *Brazilian Portuguese website linked

Scrivener can handle them all! The “binder” view in Scrivener allows you to divide your book into chapters and parts and reorder it using a drag-and-drop interface to understand how your work fits together.

Scrivener provides too many customization options to count, and each feature of the program may be changed to your preference to help you create the ideal writing environment. 

With the Binder, you may keep your work divided for easy organizing and editing while maintaining its structure. Scrivener is one of the best book writing apps for writers; writers created it for writers. 

After writing down your ideas, Scrivener lets you combine your project into a single document and export it in formats including DOC, rich text, PDF, ePub, and Kindle. Scrivener works on popular operating systems.  So whether you’re on your computer, laptop, tablet, or phone, you can write awesome essays anytime and anywhere with Scrivener.

Byword is straightforward and powerful writing software. A Byword is an uncomplicated software with a user-friendly interface and only a few settings to fiddle with; it just wants you to get to writing.

You’ll get a blank document in this Markdown-focused writing tool and write. Byword lets the iCloud Drive sync your papers between your Mac, iPhone, and iPad, and you can also save them to Dropbox.

Byword supports Markdown, which is a distraction-free writing language. Markdown is a means to format text without using menus or options, which keeps the user experience simple and clutter and distraction-free. 

Pages, Apple’s very own writing program, allows you to create many different documents. Pages have over 60 templates that include almost every type of writing, from short essays to research papers, novels, and theses. Pages app also includes templates for business cards and flyers to give you more variety. 

You can insert photos, text boxes, and shapes, and you can change the layout of your documents and do much more. If your computer is one of Apple’s 2016 MacBook Pros with Touch Bar, you can also use Touch ID to keep your documents safe. 

You can easily collaborate with other writers that are using Pages. Multiple individuals can work on a document simultaneously, whether they’re using macOS, iOS, or even Windows, thanks to iCloud.com. You can also share collaborative documents with the entire community or with select individuals, and you can see who is in the group.

You can share collaborative papers with particular users publicly, see who is working on the document at any one time, and track their cursors as they update the page. It’s fascinating writing software that gives you the variety you seek.

Google Docs

Google Docs is one exciting piece of writing software. It’s free, straightforward to use, and requires no backups since everything is in the cloud.  Best of all is its collaboration features, which allow you to invite your editor to the document and then watch as they make changes, which you can view in the comment mode. 

Freedom lets you temporarily disable applications, websites, and social media on all of your devices so you can concentrate on writing. This is great for those seeking an immersive writing experience with no distractions. Not to worry, in case of emergencies, you can still be contacted. You can even set the program to function automatically when you need it the most. 

The freedom from online diversions is beneficial; sometimes, “just a few seconds” may stretch into hours of wasted time. Freedom might assist you in concentrating and increasing your productivity. It works on any device. 

Our takeaway

Whether you are in high school, college, or working on your Ph.D., there are essay writing apps that can help you along the way. If you sift through the benefits of each tool and consider their peculiarities, you can find the proper application to help you with your essays and research papers. Any of these apps will transform your writing experience from frustrating hard work to a pleasant experience.

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How To Write Neatly On Ipad With Apple Pencil

• How-To Guides
• Software Tutorials

Introduction

Writing neatly on an iPad with the Apple Pencil has become increasingly popular among digital note-takers and artists. The Apple Pencil offers a seamless and precise writing experience, making it a great tool for those who prefer the feel of pen and paper but also crave the convenience of digital technology.

In this article, we will explore the various techniques and tips to help you write neatly on your iPad using the Apple Pencil. Whether you are a student taking notes, a professional jotting down ideas, or an artist creating digital artwork, these tips will elevate your writing experience and improve your overall productivity.

We will delve into the nuances of choosing the right app for handwriting, adjusting writing settings on your iPad, holding the Apple Pencil for better control, and practicing proper handwriting techniques. Additionally, we will discuss using different stroke styles and sizes, making corrections, and organizing and saving your handwritten notes for easy access.

Writing neatly on an iPad may seem challenging at first, especially if you are accustomed to traditional pen and paper. However, with the right techniques and tools, you can achieve legible and precise handwriting that rivals the experience of putting pen to paper.

So, if you are ready to unlock the full potential of your Apple Pencil and start writing neatly on your iPad, let’s dive into the world of digital handwriting and explore the tips and tricks that will help you master this art form.

Getting started with Apple Pencil

Before you begin writing neatly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil, you need to ensure that it is properly paired with your device. To do this, simply attach the Apple Pencil to the magnetic connector or connect it via Bluetooth on newer models. Once connected, you’re ready to start using your Apple Pencil for writing and drawing.

Next, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the basic functions of the Apple Pencil. The Apple Pencil offers pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition, and palm rejection, allowing for a more natural and fluid writing experience. This means you can vary the line thickness and shading by adjusting the pressure applied to the screen, just as you would with a traditional pen or pencil.

Depending on your iPad model, you may also have additional features such as double-tapping the Apple Pencil to switch between tools or activating the eraser by flipping the pen around. Take some time to explore these features and customize them to your preferences by going to the settings of your iPad.

Once you’re comfortable with the basics of using the Apple Pencil, it’s time to choose the right app for handwriting. There are plenty of options available in the App Store, each with its own unique features and interface. Some popular choices include Notability, GoodNotes, and OneNote, which offer tools specifically designed for handwriting and note-taking.

When selecting an app, consider features such as palm rejection, pressure sensitivity, and the ability to import and export files. Additionally, choose an app that feels intuitive and suits your writing style, as this will greatly impact your overall handwriting experience.

Now that you’re familiar with the initial steps of getting started with Apple Pencil and selecting the right app, it’s time to dive into the details of adjusting the writing settings on your iPad to optimize your handwriting experience. Let’s explore the next section to uncover the key settings you should be aware of.

Choosing the right app for handwriting

When it comes to writing neatly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil, choosing the right app is crucial. With a wide range of options available, it’s important to consider your specific needs and preferences in order to find the app that best suits your handwriting style.

One of the key factors to consider when selecting an app is palm rejection. This feature prevents accidental touches from your palm or wrist while writing, ensuring a seamless and uninterrupted experience. Without proper palm rejection, your handwriting may become distorted or interrupted by unintended marks on the screen.

Another important feature to look for is pressure sensitivity. This allows your iPad to detect the varying levels of pressure you apply with the Apple Pencil, resulting in thicker or thinner lines. Pressure sensitivity adds depth and realism to your handwriting, closely mimicking the experience of using a traditional pen or pencil.

The ability to import and export files is another crucial consideration. It allows you to easily transfer your handwritten notes to other devices or share them with colleagues and friends. Look for apps that offer compatibility with popular file formats such as PDF or JPEG, as this will ensure that your notes can be accessed across different platforms.

Furthermore, consider the organization and syncing capabilities of the app. A well-organized interface will make it easier to categorize your notes and find them when you need them. Additionally, if you use multiple devices, look for apps that offer seamless syncing across platforms, allowing you to access your notes from anywhere.

Aesthetics and customization options are also worth considering. Some apps offer different paper styles, such as lined, grid, or blank pages, allowing you to choose the layout that best suits your writing style. Customizable pen colors and types can further enhance your writing experience, allowing for personalization and creativity.

Ultimately, the best app for handwriting is the one that suits your specific needs and preferences. Consider trying out a few different apps before settling on one that feels comfortable and intuitive to use. Remember, finding the right app will greatly enhance your ability to write neatly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil.

Adjusting writing settings on your iPad

Customizing the writing settings on your iPad is essential for achieving the best handwriting experience with the Apple Pencil. By adjusting these settings, you can fine-tune various aspects of your writing, such as line thickness, pressure sensitivity, and palm rejection.

Start by opening the settings app on your iPad and selecting the “Apple Pencil” or “Apple Pencil & Scribble” option. Here, you’ll find a range of customizable settings that can be adjusted to meet your specific requirements.

One of the most important settings to adjust is the line thickness. This determines the width of your strokes when writing or drawing. Experiment with different line thicknesses to find the one that feels most comfortable and natural for your handwriting style.

Pressure sensitivity is another crucial setting that can greatly impact your writing experience. By adjusting this setting, you can control how much pressure is required to create thicker or thinner lines. Play around with the sensitivity levels to find the right balance for your writing style and preferences.

Palm rejection is a vital feature that prevents accidental touches from interfering with your writing. It’s important to ensure that this setting is properly enabled to avoid unwanted marks on the screen. Adjust the palm rejection sensitivity to strike a balance between rejecting accidental touches and allowing intentional touches to be recognized.

The writing angle can also affect the precision and accuracy of your handwriting. Some apps allow you to adjust the angle at which the Apple Pencil interacts with the screen. Experiment with different writing angles to find the one that works best for you.

Additionally, explore other settings such as double-tap functionality, which allows you to customize the Apple Pencil’s behavior when you double-tap the side of the pen. You can set it to switch between tools, activate the eraser, or perform other actions based on your preferences.

Remember to regularly check for software updates on your iPad, as these updates may include new features or improvements to the Apple Pencil’s functionality. Keeping your device up to date ensures that you have access to the latest enhancements for a seamless and optimized writing experience.

By adjusting the writing settings on your iPad, you can personalize your Apple Pencil experience and create a writing environment that is tailored to your needs. Take the time to explore and experiment with these settings, and don’t hesitate to make changes as you fine-tune your handwriting on your iPad.

Holding your Apple Pencil for better control

The way you hold your Apple Pencil can significantly impact the control and precision of your handwriting on your iPad. By adopting the proper grip, you can enhance your writing experience and achieve neater and more accurate results.

When holding the Apple Pencil, it’s important to find a grip that feels comfortable and natural for you. Start by holding it in a relaxed manner, making sure not to grip it too tightly. This allows for greater flexibility and fluidity in your writing movements.

Position your fingers slightly above the tip of the Apple Pencil, near the middle of the pen. This will help you maintain better control and stability while writing. Avoid gripping the pen too close to the tip, as this may result in less control and more pressure on the screen.

Another important aspect to consider is the angle at which you hold the Apple Pencil . It’s generally recommended to hold it at a slight angle, roughly 45 degrees, to achieve smooth and consistent strokes. Experiment with different angles to find the one that works best for your handwriting style.

Practice maintaining a light touch on the screen, as excessive pressure can lead to thicker and less controlled lines. By applying just enough pressure to register your strokes, you can achieve more precise and legible handwriting.

Pay attention to your hand and wrist position as well. Keep your wrist relaxed and avoid resting it on the screen, as this may trigger unwanted touches. Instead, hover your hand slightly above the surface or rest it on a nearby support, such as a table or a pillow.

Regular practice is key to improving your grip and control over the Apple Pencil. Dedicate some time each day to practice writing with the pencil and focus on maintaining a consistent grip and angle. Over time, you’ll notice improvements in your handwriting as your muscle memory develops.

Remember that everyone’s handwriting style is different, and it may take some experimentation to find the grip and angle that works best for you. Embrace your unique style and adapt the techniques to suit your comfort and preference.

By holding your Apple Pencil with the right grip and maintaining proper control, you can elevate your handwriting experience on the iPad and create neater, more precise writing that closely mimics the feel of pen and paper.

Practicing handwriting techniques

Just like with traditional pen and paper, practicing proper handwriting techniques is crucial for writing neatly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil. By developing good habits and consistently practicing these techniques, you can improve the legibility and overall appearance of your digital handwriting.

One of the fundamental techniques to focus on is maintaining a steady hand. This involves minimizing unnecessary movement and keeping your hand and arm relaxed while writing. Unnecessary shaking or wobbling can result in messy and uneven lines. Practice writing slowly and deliberately to develop control and stability.

Consistency in letter size and spacing is also essential for neat handwriting. Aim for uniformity in the height and width of your letters, as well as equal spacing between words and lines. Take your time to ensure each stroke is deliberate and well-formed.

In addition to letter formation, pay attention to the slant of your writing. Consistent slanting can give your handwriting a more cohesive and professional look. Decide on a slight slant that feels comfortable to you and practice maintaining it throughout your writing.

Another technique to consider is the use of proper letter connections. Connecting letters smoothly and without interrupting the flow can greatly enhance the readability of your handwriting. Practice joining letters in a way that feels natural and reduces the need to lift the Apple Pencil frequently.

Experiment with different writing pressures to achieve the desired line thickness. Applying more pressure can result in a bolder line, while lighter pressure will yield a thinner line. Practice varying your pressure as needed to add emphasis or distinction to certain words or characters.

While practicing handwriting techniques, it can be helpful to use writing guides or templates available in some apps. These guides provide visual cues for consistent letter size, spacing, and slant. Utilize these tools to train your muscle memory and develop a more consistent and polished handwriting style.

Remember to be patient with yourself and allow for some trial and error as you work on improving your handwriting techniques. Consistent practice and conscious effort will yield noticeable improvements over time.

Continuously seeking feedback and making adjustments to your technique will also contribute to your progress. Ask others for their input on the legibility and appearance of your handwriting, and utilize their suggestions to refine your style.

By devoting time and effort to practice handwriting techniques, you can elevate the quality of your digital handwriting and achieve a clean and professional look. With consistency and perseverance, you’ll soon see significant improvements in your ability to write neatly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil.

Using different stroke styles and sizes

One of the advantages of writing on your iPad with the Apple Pencil is the ability to experiment with different stroke styles and sizes, allowing you to add variety and creativity to your digital handwriting.

Most note-taking and drawing apps offer a range of pen styles, such as ballpoint, marker, brush, or fountain pen. Each style has its own unique characteristics, allowing you to choose the one that best suits your writing or drawing needs.

Try out different pen styles to see how they affect the appearance of your handwriting. A ballpoint or marker pen style may provide a bolder and more solid line, while a brush or fountain pen style can give your writing a softer and more fluid look.

In addition to pen styles, you can also experiment with different stroke sizes. Some apps allow you to adjust the thickness of your strokes, giving you the flexibility to create bold or delicate lines. By varying the stroke sizes, you can add emphasis to certain words, create contrast, or simply enhance the visual appeal of your handwriting.

When using different stroke sizes, consider their functionality within your writing. For headings and titles, a larger stroke size can make them stand out. On the other hand, using a smaller stroke size for the main body of text can help maintain legibility and streamline your writing.

Be mindful of not overusing different stroke styles and sizes, as it may distract from the clarity and readability of your handwriting. Use them strategically to enhance specific elements or add visual interest, but ensure that the overall result remains clear and easily readable.

While experimenting with stroke styles and sizes, keep in mind the context and purpose of your writing. Different settings, such as note-taking, doodling, or sketching, may call for different stroke styles and sizes. Adjust accordingly to achieve the desired effect for each specific use case.

Remember to practice with the different stroke styles and sizes to become comfortable and proficient in using them effectively. It may take some time and experimentation to find the ones that best complement your handwriting style and preferences.

By utilizing different stroke styles and sizes, you can add variety and creative flair to your digital handwriting. Explore the options available in your chosen app and experiment to find the perfect combination that enhances the visual appeal of your writing while still maintaining clear and legible text.

Making corrections and erasing mistakes

Even with the convenience of digital handwriting on an iPad with the Apple Pencil, mistakes are bound to happen. Fortunately, correcting errors and erasing mistakes is a breeze with the various tools and features available.

Most note-taking apps offer an eraser tool specifically designed for the Apple Pencil. Simply select the eraser tool and swipe it over the areas you want to erase. This allows you to quickly and seamlessly remove any unwanted marks or mistakes.

For more precision, some apps provide a smaller eraser size option. This allows you to erase specific characters, lines, or even tiny details with ease. Take advantage of this feature to correct mistakes without affecting the surrounding content.

If you prefer a more traditional approach, undo and redo functions are usually available in note-taking apps. These functions allow you to quickly revert to a previous state or redo an action, giving you the flexibility to correct mistakes or explore different options during the writing process.

In some cases, for minor errors or small handwriting adjustments, simply using the Apple Pencil to overwrite the mistake with the correct stroke can be sufficient. This method allows you to seamlessly incorporate corrections without disrupting the flow of your writing.

Another helpful tool is the lasso selection feature, available in some apps. This feature enables you to select and move or delete specific parts of your handwriting. It can be especially useful when editing or rearranging content within your notes.

To avoid the need for frequent corrections and erasures, consider utilizing the editing tools available in your chosen app. These tools allow you to cut, copy, and paste sections of your writing, enabling you to make changes or rearrange content with greater efficiency and accuracy.

Practice good editing habits, such as proofreading your work before finalizing it. Taking a moment to review your writing can help catch any minor errors or inconsistencies before they become more difficult to correct.

Remember to save your work periodically to prevent the loss of any important changes or alterations you’ve made. Auto-save features are usually available in note-taking apps, but it’s always a good idea to manually save your work after significant edits or before exiting the app.

By utilizing the various correction tools and features available, you can quickly and easily fix mistakes and make adjustments to your digital handwriting. Embrace these tools as valuable assets that help you maintain neat and precise writing.

Organizing and saving your handwritten notes

Keeping your handwritten notes organized and easily accessible is essential for efficient digital note-taking with the Apple Pencil. Fortunately, there are several methods and features available to help you organize and save your digital handwritten notes.

Many note-taking apps provide the ability to create multiple notebooks or folders to categorize your notes. Utilize this feature to create separate sections for different subjects, projects, or topics, making it easier to locate specific notes when needed. Consider using clear and descriptive titles for your notebooks or folders to further streamline the organization process.

Within each notebook or folder, you can create individual pages or sections for different topics or subtopics. This hierarchical structure allows for a more organized and intuitive note-taking experience. Grouping related notes together helps you quickly find and reference information when needed.

In addition to notebooks and folders, note-taking apps often provide the option to add tags or labels to your notes. This allows you to assign specific keywords or categories to each note, making it easier to search for and retrieve them later. Take advantage of this feature to create a comprehensive tagging system that suits your organizational needs.

Most apps have a search function that enables you to quickly find specific handwritten notes based on keywords, phrases, or tags. This powerful feature saves time and effort when you need to locate specific information within your digital handwritten notes.

Cloud syncing is an invaluable feature that ensures your notes are accessible across multiple devices. By syncing your notes to cloud storage, such as iCloud or Google Drive, you can seamlessly access and edit your handwritten notes from your iPad, iPhone, or computer. This not only provides convenience but also acts as a backup solution, protecting your notes from loss or accidental deletion.

To further protect your valuable notes, consider setting up automatic backups within your note-taking app. Regularly backing up your handwritten notes to a location of your choice provides an extra layer of security and peace of mind.

Some note-taking apps even offer the option to export your handwritten notes as PDF or image files. This allows you to share your notes with others or import them into other applications as needed. Exporting your notes in a portable format ensures that your handwritten content remains accessible even beyond the confines of the note-taking app.

Remember to periodically declutter and organize your notes by archiving or deleting those that are no longer needed. This helps maintain a clean and manageable note-taking environment, making it easier to locate and work with your most relevant and up-to-date handwritten notes.

By utilizing the organizational features and saving options available in your chosen note-taking app, you can ensure that your handwritten notes remain well-organized, easily retrievable, and protected for future reference and use.

Tips for improving handwriting on iPad

Writing neatly on an iPad with the Apple Pencil is a skill that can be developed and refined with practice. If you’re looking to enhance your digital handwriting, consider implementing these tips to improve the quality and legibility of your writing.

1. Practice regularly: Consistent practice is key to improving your handwriting on the iPad. Dedicate time each day to write or doodle, focusing on maintaining control and forming each letter with precision.

2. Use a comfortable grip: Find a grip that feels natural and comfortable for you. Avoid gripping the Apple Pencil too tightly, as this can restrict your movement and result in less controlled strokes.

3. Experiment with different apps and settings: Explore different note-taking apps and adjust the settings to find the ones that best suit your writing style. Experiment with line thickness, pen styles, and other customization options to find the combination that enhances your handwriting.

4. Write slowly and deliberately: Take your time when writing on the iPad. Writing slowly allows you to focus on maintaining control and forming each letter accurately. Rushing can lead to messy or illegible handwriting.

5. Pay attention to letter formation: Focus on forming each letter clearly and consistently. Pay attention to the shape, size, and slant of each letter to ensure uniformity throughout your writing.

6. Practice proper spacing: Leave equal spacing between words and lines to improve the readability of your handwriting. Consistent spacing helps avoid overcrowding and makes your writing appear more organized.

7. Utilize grid or lined paper templates: Some note-taking apps provide the option to use grid or lined paper templates. These templates can help guide your writing and maintain consistent alignment and proportions.

8. Maintain a light touch: Apply just enough pressure with the Apple Pencil to register your strokes. Avoid pressing too hard, as this can result in thicker and less controlled lines. A light touch allows for smoother and more precise writing.

9. Study and learn from examples: Take the time to analyze and study samples of handwriting that you admire. Pay attention to letter forms, spacing, and overall style. Incorporate elements that you like into your own handwriting and adapt them to suit your unique style.

10. Embrace digital editing features: Take advantage of the editing features in your note-taking app. Use the eraser tool or undo feature to correct mistakes and make adjustments easily. Digital editing can save you time and allow for a cleaner final result.

11. Review and refine: Regularly review your handwriting and look for areas of improvement. Seek feedback from others and be open to making changes. Continuous refinement is key to developing and enhancing your digital handwriting skills.

By implementing these tips, you can steadily improve your digital handwriting on the iPad. Remember that everyone’s handwriting style is unique, so embrace your individuality and focus on progress rather than perfection. With practice and patience, you’ll enhance your ability to write neatly and legibly on your iPad with the Apple Pencil.

Writing neatly on an iPad with the Apple Pencil offers a dynamic and convenient way to digitize your handwritten notes. By following the tips and techniques outlined in this article, you can enhance your digital handwriting skills and achieve neater, more precise writing that closely replicates the experience of pen and paper.

Getting started with the Apple Pencil and selecting the right app are key steps in the process. Adjusting the writing settings on your iPad allows for customization and optimization of your handwriting experience. Holding the Apple Pencil with the proper grip and practicing handwriting techniques help improve control and consistency.

Using different stroke styles and sizes adds variety and creativity to your writing, while making corrections and erasing mistakes ensures the cleanliness of your notes. Organizing and saving your handwritten notes promotes efficient retrieval and keeps your work well-structured.

To improve your handwriting, commit to regular practice and be open to experimenting with various techniques. Embrace the editing features available in note-taking apps and strive for continuous refinement of your style.

Remember, handwriting on the iPad with the Apple Pencil is a journey of improvement and personalization. Each person has a unique style, and the goal is to find what works best for you. With patience, dedication, and a willingness to adapt, your digital handwriting skills will continue to evolve and flourish.

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When You Write

Note-Taking On Ipad Vs Paper: Pros And Cons

Are you tired of lugging around heavy notebooks and stacks of paper? Do you want a more convenient way to take notes on the go? The iPad has revolutionized the way we take notes, offering a portable and efficient alternative to traditional paper note-taking.

But is the convenience of the iPad worth sacrificing the tactile experience and potential retention that comes with writing on paper? In this article, we will explore the pros and cons of note-taking on iPad versus paper, helping you determine which method is best for your needs.

As technology continues to advance, it’s important to stay informed and make informed decisions on how we approach our daily tasks, including note-taking. So, let’s dive in and weigh the pros and cons of each method!

Key Takeaways

• iPad note-taking offers efficiency and convenience while reducing paper usage and allowing for easy searchability.
• Handwriting notes on paper may lead to better memory retention and engagement of different parts of the brain.
• Both methods have their disadvantages, such as digital notes being lost or damaged and poor handwriting on paper.
• When choosing a method, factors such as personal preference, learning style, and contextual relevance should be considered, and experimentation may be necessary to determine the best fit.

Convenience of iPad Note Taking

If you’re looking for a way to take notes that are both efficient and mobile, using an iPad may be the perfect solution for you. Not only can you easily type out your notes, but you can also access them from anywhere with an internet connection. This convenience is something that traditional note-taking methods simply can’t compete with.

When it comes to efficiency, the iPad reigns supreme. Typing notes is much faster than handwriting, and you can easily search for specific keywords or phrases within your notes. Plus, you never have to worry about running out of paper or ink.

However, for those who prefer the traditional method of handwriting their notes, the iPad may not be the best option. It can be difficult to replicate the feeling of writing on paper, and some people find that they retain information better when they physically write it out.

Ultimately, the decision comes down to personal preference and what works best for your individual needs.

Potential Lack of Retention with iPad Note Taking

When taking notes on your iPad, it’s important to consider the potential lack of retention that may come with the convenience of typing.

While it may be quicker and easier to type out your notes, research has shown that physically writing them down can lead to better memory retention.

Without the physical act of writing, you may find it more difficult to retain the information long-term.

Convenience of typing may lead to less retention

Typing on an iPad may seem like a time-saver, but it could lead to a significant decrease in retention, making all those notes taken on the device essentially useless. The convenience of typing may actually be detrimental to your ability to retain information.

When typing, you tend to write down everything you hear or see, without really processing the information. This means that you’re not really engaging with the material, which can lead to a lack of retention.

On the other hand, writing by hand requires more effort and processing, which can actually help you retain information better. Writing by hand also allows you to take more selective notes, since you have to be more deliberate about what you write down.

This means that you’re more likely to remember the information that you’ve written down since you’ve had to engage with it on a deeper level. So, while typing on an iPad may be more convenient, it’s not always the best option if you want to retain information.

Difficulty in retaining information without physical notes

Losing your physical notes can be frustrating, especially when you’re trying to remember key information from a lecture or meeting. This is one of the biggest drawbacks of note-taking on an iPad or other digital device.

While it’s convenient to have all your notes in one place, it can be difficult to retain information without physical notes to refer to. Physical notes provide a tactile experience that helps with memory retention. Writing notes by hand can also be a more active process, as it requires you to engage with the material in a way that typing does not.

For this reason, many people find that they’re better able to remember information when they take notes on paper. However, this isn’t to say that digital note-taking is completely ineffective. With the right techniques and tools, it’s possible to use an iPad or other device to take notes that are just as effective as physical notes.

Tactile Experience of Paper Note Taking

You’ll feel the satisfying texture of the paper beneath your fingertips when jotting down notes by hand. There’s something about the tactile experience of writing on paper that simply cannot be replicated by typing on a keyboard or tapping on a screen. The act of physically forming letters, words, and sentences with a writing instrument can be a calming and meditative process, allowing you to focus more fully on the content you’re trying to capture.

Beyond the sensory pleasure of writing on paper, there are proven benefits to handwriting your notes. Studies have shown that writing by hand can improve memory retention and recall, as well as enhance critical thinking skills. Additionally, the act of handwriting engages different parts of the brain than typing does, which may lead to a deeper understanding and retention of information.

So while digital note-taking certainly has its advantages, the tactile experience of paper note-taking should not be overlooked.

Disadvantages of Paper Note Taking

When opting for paper note-taking, you may find yourself struggling to read your own handwriting, resulting in frustration and confusion when reviewing your notes later on. This can be especially problematic if you have poor penmanship or if you’re in a hurry and don’t take the time to write clearly.

Additionally, paper notes can be easily lost or damaged, making it difficult to access important information when you need it most. On top of these issues, paper note-taking isn’t the most eco-friendly option. The amount of paper used for note-taking can add up quickly, contributing to deforestation and other environmental issues.

By switching to digital notes, you can significantly reduce your paper usage and have a positive impact on the environment. Not only that but reducing paper usage can also have health benefits, as exposure to paper dust and other particles can be harmful to your respiratory system.

Overall, digital note-taking is a more efficient and environmentally responsible option that can benefit both you and the planet.

Choosing the Best Method for You

When it comes to choosing the best note-taking method for you, there are a few key points to consider.

First and foremost, you should think about your personal preferences. Do you prefer the tactile experience of writing on paper, or do you enjoy the convenience of digital note-taking?

Additionally, it’s important to consider the purpose of your note-taking. Are you taking notes for a class or work meeting, or are you just jotting down ideas for a personal project?

Finally, it’s always a good idea to experiment with both methods to determine what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to try new things and see what feels most natural and effective.

Consider your personal preferences

As someone who’s always preferred the tactile experience of writing on paper, I find that taking notes on an iPad feels like trying to dance in shoes that are two sizes too big – it’s doable, but it doesn’t feel quite right. However, it’s important to consider your personal preferences when choosing between paper and digital note-taking.

Here are three factors to keep in mind:

• Personal preferences and individual habits: If you’re used to writing with a certain type of pen or pencil, or if you have a favorite notebook, you might find it difficult to switch to digital note-taking. On the other hand, if you’re someone who’s more comfortable with technology and enjoys using new gadgets, an iPad might be a better fit for you.
• Learning style: Some people learn better when they can see and touch physical objects, while others learn better when they can interact with digital media. If you’re someone who learns best through hands-on activities, you might find that paper note-taking is more effective for you. However, if you’re someone who enjoys multimedia content like videos, animations, and interactive diagrams, an iPad might be a better choice.
• Cognitive processes: For some people, the act of writing by hand can help them remember information more effectively. Others might find that typing on an iPad is more efficient and allows them to keep up with a fast-paced lecture or meeting. It’s important to consider how your brain processes information when choosing between paper and digital note-taking.

Consider the purpose of your note-taking

Considering the purpose behind your note-taking can greatly impact the method you choose, as it’s important to select a mode that aligns with your specific goals and objectives.

If you’re taking notes to study for an exam, for instance, you may want to consider your learning style. If you’re a visual learner, typing notes on an iPad may not be as effective as handwriting them on paper, as the physical act of writing can help with memory retention. However, if you’re an auditory learner, recording lectures on an iPad and taking typed notes may be a better option.

Another factor to consider is contextual relevance. Are you taking notes for personal use or for a professional setting? If you’re taking notes for a meeting, typing on an iPad may be more efficient and allow you to easily share notes with others. However, if you’re taking notes for personal use, handwriting on paper may be more meaningful and allow you to add personal touches like drawings or diagrams.

Ultimately, the purpose behind your note-taking should guide your decision on whether to use an iPad or paper.

Experiment with both methods to determine what works best for you

Ah, the eternal battle between technology and tradition. Want to know the best way to figure out if typing on an iPad or handwriting on paper is right for you? Experiment with both methods and see which one floats your boat.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure where to start – there are plenty of opportunities to compare the effectiveness of iPad and paper note-taking in different scenarios. For example, try taking notes during a lecture or meeting using both methods and see which one allows you to capture the most information. Or, try writing down your thoughts and ideas on paper, then typing them up on your iPad later to see which method helps you organize your thoughts better.

As you experiment with both methods, pay attention to the pros and cons of each. For instance, typing on an iPad allows you to easily edit and rearrange your notes, while handwriting on paper may help you retain information better. You may find that one method is better suited for certain tasks than the other.

Ultimately, the best way to determine what works best for you is to try both and see which one fits your needs and preferences.

So, which method of note-taking is best for you? It ultimately comes down to personal preference and what fits your learning style.

The convenience and organization of note-taking on an iPad can be a game changer for some, but it may not be the best choice for those who struggle with retaining information without the tactile experience of pen and paper.

On the other hand, paper note-taking can provide a satisfying tactile experience and may lead to better retention of information, but it can also be less organized and harder to search through later on.

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of each method and consider your own habits and preferences when deciding which method to use.

Ultimately, whether you choose to take notes on an iPad or with pen and paper, the most important thing is to find a method that helps you effectively retain and recall information.

So, ask yourself: what works best for you?

Recommended Reading...

Academic writing in resume: how to highlight your academic achievements, active vs passive note-taking: understanding the difference, can you claim resume writing on tax here’s what you need to know, best way to take notes in university: tips for success.

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Character Story Planner 2

Every character has stories and every World has histories. Planning and building a story cannot be easier with the help of this app. It helps the writer planning the story and the development of characters, relations, groups, races, creatures, etc.

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Simple. Effective. Personal. Keep life moments and ideas always with you. Diaro is here to help.

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Apple Pages

Pages is a powerful word processor that lets you create stunning documents, and comes included with most Apple devices. And with real-time collaboration, your team can work together from anywhere, whether they’re on Mac, iPad, iPhone, or a PC.

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Website: https://www.apple.com/pages/

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Grammar Lookup

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Apple Notes

Notes is the best place to jot down quick thoughts or to save longer notes filled with checklists, images, web links, scanned documents, handwritten notes, or sketches. And with iCloud, it's easy to keep all your devices in sync, so you’ll always have your notes with you.

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Typing Apps for the iPad: Top Picks for Efficient Writing

Typing on an iPad can be a breeze when you have the right tools. Typing apps for iPad are specifically designed to enhance your typing experience, offering a range of features such as keyboard customization, swipe typing, and predictive text. These apps make typing faster, more accurate, and more enjoyable. Whether you’re drafting an email, taking notes, or writing a novel, there’s an iPad typing app out there to suit your needs.

After installing your chosen typing app, you can expect an improved typing experience. With features tailored to your preferences, you’ll likely find yourself typing more efficiently and with fewer errors. Plus, many of these apps come with additional tools like spell check and grammar suggestions, making it easier to produce polished, professional-looking text.

Introduction

Typing on an iPad can sometimes feel like a chore, especially if you’re used to the tactile feedback of a physical keyboard. But fear not, for the tech world has blessed us with an array of typing apps that can transform your iPad into a typing powerhouse. These typing apps offer various features that cater to different needs, whether you’re a student jotting down lecture notes, a writer crafting your latest story, or a professional responding to a flurry of emails.

Imagine being able to type with such speed and precision that your fingers seem to dance across the screen. That’s the promise of these typing apps – to make your digital typing experience as close to the real thing as possible. And let’s not forget the convenience factor. Your iPad is portable, and with the right typing app, you can turn any space into a temporary office. How’s that for productivity on the go?

The importance of typing apps for the iPad cannot be overstated. In today’s fast-paced world, where every second counts, being able to type quickly and accurately is a valuable skill. Additionally, these apps can help reduce the strain on your fingers and wrists, making typing more comfortable. So, whether you’re a student, a professional, or just someone who wants to type better on your iPad, this article is for you.

Step by Step Tutorial: Installing and Using Typing Apps for the iPad

This section will guide you through the process of finding, installing, and using a typing app on your iPad. By the end of these steps, you’ll be typing away with ease.

Step 1: Choose a Typing App

Select a typing app from the App Store that suits your needs.

There are numerous typing apps available, so consider what features are important to you. Do you want swipe typing? Customizable keyboards? Practice exercises? Browse through the options, read reviews, and decide on the app that offers what you’re looking for.

Step 2: Download and Install the App

Once you’ve chosen an app, download and install it on your iPad.

Tap the “Get” button next to the app’s name in the App Store and wait for it to download. Once it’s installed, you’ll see an “Open” button – hit that, and you’re ready to roll!

Step 3: Set Up the App

Open the app and follow the setup instructions.

Most typing apps will have a setup process that allows you to customize the app’s settings. This might include adjusting the keyboard layout, setting your language preferences, and enabling features like autocorrect or swipe typing.

Step 4: Start Typing!

Begin using the app for all your typing needs on the iPad.

Now that everything’s set up, it’s time to put your new typing app to the test. Start a new document or email and notice the difference in your typing speed and accuracy.

Additional Information

When delving into the world of typing apps for the iPad, it’s essential to consider a few extra tips that can enhance your experience. Firstly, make sure the app you choose is regularly updated. App updates often include bug fixes, new features, and compatibility improvements, ensuring your typing experience remains smooth.

Another key point is to experiment with different apps before settling on one. What works for one person might not work for you, so take advantage of free trials or free versions to find your perfect match. Also, don’t forget to explore each app’s additional features, like text shortcuts, multi-language support, and integration with other apps. These can all contribute to a more efficient typing workflow.

Lastly, remember that practice makes perfect. If you’re not used to typing on a touchscreen, give yourself some time to adapt. You might be surprised at how quickly you can become proficient with a little patience and practice.

• Choose a typing app that fits your needs.
• Download and install the app on your iPad.
• Set up the app according to your preferences.
• Start typing and enjoy the improved experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can i use a typing app with an external keyboard.

Yes, most typing apps are compatible with external keyboards, offering even more versatility in how you type on your iPad.

Are there typing apps for kids?

Absolutely! There are several typing apps designed with kids in mind, featuring engaging interfaces and fun exercises to help them learn to type.

Do typing apps work offline?

Many typing apps do work offline, though some features like cloud synchronization may require an internet connection.

Can I switch back to the default iPad keyboard?

Yes, you can always switch back to the default keyboard in your iPad’s settings if you prefer.

Are there free typing apps available?

Sure thing! There are several free typing apps, though they may offer in-app purchases for additional features.

Typing apps for the iPad are game-changers, transforming the way we interact with our devices. They offer speed, accuracy, and a host of features that can make typing on a touchscreen as comfortable and efficient as typing on a traditional keyboard.

Remember, the key to finding the perfect typing app is to consider your personal needs, try out different options, and give yourself time to adjust. With the right app, your iPad will become an even more powerful tool for productivity, communication, and creativity.

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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can you write college papers on ipad

can you write papers on ipad

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 10:13 AM

Posted on Dec 1, 2012 1:58 PM

jr9618, you can definitely write papers using the iPad. I use Apple's Pages app. If you are a student, say goodbye to lugging your laptop to class, the iPad does it all. If you are accustomed to typing on the iPad, a keyboard won't be necessary. I have had an iPad since the iPad 1st gen, you get used to typing on the screen and your speed picks up. I stopped using my Apple bluetooth keyboard long ago. Enjoy!

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Dec 1, 2012 1:58 PM in response to jr9618

Dec 1, 2012 10:21 AM in response to jr9618

If you have a word processing app, sure. and may/may not need a keyboard (depends on how well you type on the on screen keyboard.

I use documents to go but there are plenty of other word processing apps out there

Dec 1, 2012 10:35 AM in response to jr9618

You can but it would be slow using the on-screen keyboard. Much easier if you get a bluetooth wireless connected keyboard. Then you would have to be able to print from the iPad, or transfer the file to your computer.

 Cheers, Tom 😉

Dec 1, 2012 2:39 PM in response to jr9618

I think the answer depends on the type of papers you need to write. There are a variety of word processing apps but most do not support footnotes, end notes, the easy creation of indexes or complex formatting like chapters and subsections. For complex formatting you'll need to use a computer.

Dec 1, 2012 8:25 PM in response to jr9618

Pages for iPad supports headers, footnotes, numbering, etc. Pages for iPad is very advanced in what you can use it to create. This link shows some features

http://help.apple.com/pages/ipad/1.6.2/#tan72488da0

I've used this app to write tons of papers, case studies and lab reports. There are other apps available in the App Store for the people that refuse to give up microsoft's way of life.

How to Write an Explanatory Essay

• Smodin Editorial Team
• Published: May 24, 2024

A study from the English Language Teaching Educational Journal found that students encounter difficulty in organizing thoughts, generating ideas, and understanding writing processes when writing essays [1]. These are all key components of putting together a good explanatory essay. If this sounds like you, then don’t worry.

With the right approach, you can seamlessly combine all these components. This guide will give you a simple step-by-step strategy for writing an explanatory essay. It’ll also give you handy writing tips and tool suggestions, like utilizing artificial intelligence.

With this guide, you’ll be able to write an explanatory essay with confidence.

1. Develop a strong thesis statement

Crafting a strong thesis statement is the cornerstone of any well-written explanatory essay. It sets the stage for what your essay will cover and clarifies the main point you’re going to explain. Here’s how to create a thesis:

• Find the main idea : Start by pinpointing the key concept or question you want to explain. Develop a clear purpose for the essay. This will guide your research and writing process for your explanatory paper. Use other reputable explanatory essay examples to guide your ideas. This may involve exploring other explanatory essay topics within the same field.
• Be specific : A vague thesis can confuse readers. So, make sure your statement is clear. If you’re explaining a complex process, break it down to its key points. After that, break it into a clear, concise statement that’s easy to understand.
• Reflect objectivity : Explanatory essays educate and inform. They do not argue a point. So, your thesis should take an unbiased stance on the topic. It should present the facts as they are, not as you interpret them.
• Use tools like the Smodin Writer : Smodin Writer does all the heavy lifting by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence. With it, you can generate an essay with a thesis statement. How, you ask? Through its dedicated thesis generator . It can create a statement that’s both strong and relevant. Plus, it can pull in all the most interesting information based on your topic to further enrich your thesis statement.

Make your thesis clear, informative, and neutral. This sets a strong foundation for an effective explanatory essay. Next, let’s look at how to gather the information you’ll need to support this thesis effectively.

2. Research and gather information

You need to conduct thorough research that will back your thesis with credible sources and relevant evidence. This will make your explanatory essay both informative and persuasive. Here’s a step-by-step guide to conducting effective research:

• Start with a plan: Put together an explanatory essay outline that includes the information you need to support your thesis. The plan should list the best sources, like academic journals, books, reputable websites, or scholarly articles.
• Use credible sources: They ensure the accuracy of your essay. Libraries, academic databases, and certified websites are excellent places to find trustworthy information.
• Seek detailed information: Look for the most current sources that explain your topic well and provide unique insights related to or opposing your thesis statement. This depth is crucial for explaining complex ideas clearly and thoroughly in your explanatory papers. Pay attention to the explanatory essay structure to guide your topic of choice (more on this later).
• Gather relevant evidence: Collect data, stats, and examples. They should directly support your main points. Make sure this evidence is directly related to your topic and enhances your narrative.
• Employ digital tools: Tools like Smodin’s Research Assistant can accelerate your research process. Smodin’s tools can help you find detailed information quickly, ensuring that the data you use is up-to-date and relevant.
• Document your sources: As you conduct research, keep a meticulous record of where your information comes from. This practice will help you make an accurate bibliography. It can save you time when you need to refer back to details or verify facts. Again, this is something that’s covered thanks to Smodin’s Citation Machine.
• Evaluate your findings: Critically assess the information you collect. Ensure it provides a balanced view and covers the necessary aspects of your topic to give a comprehensive overview of your essay.

By following these steps, you can gather a rich pool of information that provides a strong backbone for your explanatory essay. Now, you can start structuring your findings into well-organized body paragraphs.

3. Structure body paragraphs

Once you’ve gathered relevant evidence through thorough research, it’s time to organize it. You should put it into well-structured body paragraphs that follow a logical flow. Here’s how to structure each body paragraph for a strong explanatory essay:

• Decide how many paragraphs to use : It will depend on your topic’s complexity and the needed detail. Typically, three to five paragraphs are suitable, but longer essays may require more. An explanatory essay example on your topic of choice will be helpful.
• Start with a topic sentence : Each body paragraph should begin with a clear topic sentence that introduces the main idea of the paragraph. This sentence will act as a roadmap for the paragraph, giving the reader a sense of what to expect.
• Provide supporting evidence : After the topic sentence, share the evidence from your research. Ensure the evidence is relevant and directly supports the paragraph’s topic sentence.
• Give a detailed explanation : Follow the evidence with an analysis or explanation that ties it back to the thesis statement. This step is crucial for maintaining logical flow throughout your body paragraphs.
• Use linking words : They connect body paragraphs smoothly, ensuring the reader can follow your argument.
• End each body paragraph with a closing sentence : It should sum up the point and move to the next idea.

Following this structure will help your body paragraphs support your thesis. These paragraphs will also offer a clear, detailed explanation of your essay topic. Strong body paragraphs are essential to maintain objectivity in your writing.

4. Maintain objectivity

An explanatory essay aims to inform and educate, which makes maintaining objectivity crucial. Staying neutral lets readers form their own opinions based on facts. This ensures the writing is both reliable and informative. Here’s how to maintain objectivity:

• Avoid personal opinions: Your goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the topic. Refrain from injecting your personal opinion or biases. Instead, stick to presenting factual information that supports the thesis.
• Use relevant evidence: As mentioned, ground your arguments with relevant evidence from credible sources. Back up your main points with data and use research findings and verified details. This will make the explanatory article trustworthy.
• Provide a balanced view: In cases with multiple perspectives, offer a balanced view. Cover each side fairly. Even if one view prevails in consensus, acknowledging others gives readers a broader understanding.
• Adopt neutral language: Be careful with word choice and tone. Neutral language implies words that don’t encourage or illustrate bias. This helps avoid emotionally charged phrases and keeps the writing objective.
• Cite sources accurately: Proper citation of sources provides accountability for the evidence presented. This transparency builds credibility and shows you’ve conducted research thoroughly. It’s also worth noting that different intuitions have different citation styles like APA and Chicago, which is important to note before starting your essay.
• Review for biases: After drafting your essay, review it with an eye for biases. Ensure no part leans too much on one viewpoint. And, don’t dismiss an opposing perspective without cause.

Maintaining objectivity enhances the clarity and reliability of explanatory writing. Let’s now focus on crafting an introduction and conclusion that bookend your work effectively.

5. Craft an effective introduction and conclusion

A good introduction and a strong conclusion frame your explanatory essay. They give context at the start and reinforce the main points at the end. Here’s how to craft an effective introduction and conclusion.

In the introduction:

• Hook your reader in the introduction : Use an interesting fact, a compelling quote, or a surprising statistic.
• Provide background information : Be brief and offer only the essential context the reader needs to fully understand the topic. This should give the audience a foundational understanding before diving deeper into your main points.
• Include the thesis statement : Clearly state your thesis near the end of the introduction. This statement will outline the essay’s direction and give readers a preview of the body paragraphs.

In the conclusion:

• Summarize the key points : Start your explanatory essay conclusion with a summary. It should cover the main points from the body paragraphs. This summary should help readers recall and reinforce the information they’ve just read.
• Restate the thesis : Repeat your thesis again but in a new way. Explain how the evidence from the body paragraphs supported or clarified it.
• Provide a conclusion : End the essay with a statement that wraps up the argument. This statement should resonate with the reader. It should leave them with an impression that stresses the topic’s importance.

An effective introduction and conclusion give the essay structure and coherence. They guide readers from start to finish. The next step is revising and editing your entire essay for clarity and precision.

6. Revise and check clarity

Revising and editing are key in writing. They make sure your essay is clear, joined, and polished. Here’s how to refine your writing using an explanatory essay checklist and proven academic writing techniques:

• Take a break: Before diving into revisions, step away from your essay for a few hours or even a day. This break will help you return with fresh eyes, making it easier to spot errors or inconsistencies.
• Follow an essay checklist: Create or use a checklist to ensure your essay has all the needed parts. It needs a strong intro with a clear thesis, well-structured body paragraphs, good sources, and a short conclusion. Check that your arguments follow a logical flow and that all relevant evidence is directly linked to your thesis statement.
• Check for clarity and conciseness: Academic writing needs clarity. So, make sure each paragraph and sentence conveys your point. Don’t use unnecessary jargon or overly complex language. Keep sentences concise while maintaining detailed explanations of your main points.
• Verify facts and citations: Make sure all facts, data, and quotes in the essay are accurate. Also, check that they are cited in the required academic style (e.g. MLA, APA). Improper citations can undermine the credibility of your writing.
• Review the grammar and style: Look for common grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, and awkward phrasing. Reading the essay aloud can help catch odd sentence structures or confusing wording.
• Seek feedback: Share your essay with a peer or use online tools to get constructive criticism. A second perspective can highlight issues you might have missed.

These editing steps will help you produce a polished essay that clearly explains your main points and holds up to academic scrutiny.

Explanatory Essay Format

Understanding the explanatory essay format is key to a well-structured and logical paper. Here’s a basic breakdown of the format for an explanatory essay:

Introduction paragraph

• Begin with an interesting sentence to capture the reader’s attention.
• Give a short intro. It should set the topic and outline the essay’s purpose.
• Present a clear thesis statement summarizing the main idea of the entire essay.

Body paragraphs

• Organize the body paragraphs around logical subtopics related to the essay topic.
• Start each body paragraph with a topic sentence that aligns with the thesis.
• Show evidence from good sources. Also, give key details for each main point.
• Incorporate a robust concluding statement per paragraph that drives home your point and links to the ideas in the next paragraph/section.
• Summarize the key points.
• Provide a final statement that reinforces the main idea without introducing new information.
• Craft a concluding statement that leaves your teacher or professor with a lasting impression.

Following this essay outline ensures that your paper has a clear flow. This makes it easy for readers to understand and follow your argument.

Write Better Explanatory Essays With Smodin

Explanatory essays can be overwhelming. Presenting a solid argument, keeping your professor or teacher interested, and remembering conventions like citations can be a real headache.

But, a strong thesis and thorough research make them easier. Well-structured body paragraphs also help deliver a clear, insightful essay that maintains objectivity. Just remember to revise and check for accuracy!

AI-powered platforms like Smodin simplify and enhance the process of writing explanatory essays.

Smodin’s tools help craft clear and well-structured essays that meet any of your academic standards. With Smodin’s advanced research capabilities, you can gather detailed and relevant information quickly. This will save you time and improve your work.

• Plagiarism Checker : Ensure your essay maintains originality with Smodin’s plagiarism detection tool. This feature helps maintain academic integrity by checking your work against vast databases.
• Auto Citation : Cite your sources accurately without the hassle. Smodin’s auto-citation tool ensures your references are in the right format and meet your academic institution’s rules.
• Text Shortener : If your explanatory essay is too long, use Smodin’s AI writer as an essay shortener. It will help you cut your content without losing key details. This helps keep your essay clear and relevant.
• Text Rewriter : Helps paraphrase existing content, ensuring uniqueness and a fresh perspective.
• Summarizer : The Summarizer boils down long articles into short summaries. They are perfect for making an efficient outline or conclusion.

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Why writing by hand beats typing for thinking and learning

Jonathan Lambert

If you're like many digitally savvy Americans, it has likely been a while since you've spent much time writing by hand.

The laborious process of tracing out our thoughts, letter by letter, on the page is becoming a relic of the past in our screen-dominated world, where text messages and thumb-typed grocery lists have replaced handwritten letters and sticky notes. Electronic keyboards offer obvious efficiency benefits that have undoubtedly boosted our productivity — imagine having to write all your emails longhand.

To keep up, many schools are introducing computers as early as preschool, meaning some kids may learn the basics of typing before writing by hand.

But giving up this slower, more tactile way of expressing ourselves may come at a significant cost, according to a growing body of research that's uncovering the surprising cognitive benefits of taking pen to paper, or even stylus to iPad — for both children and adults.

Is this some kind of joke? A school facing shortages starts teaching standup comedy

In kids, studies show that tracing out ABCs, as opposed to typing them, leads to better and longer-lasting recognition and understanding of letters. Writing by hand also improves memory and recall of words, laying down the foundations of literacy and learning. In adults, taking notes by hand during a lecture, instead of typing, can lead to better conceptual understanding of material.

"There's actually some very important things going on during the embodied experience of writing by hand," says Ramesh Balasubramaniam , a neuroscientist at the University of California, Merced. "It has important cognitive benefits."

While those benefits have long been recognized by some (for instance, many authors, including Jennifer Egan and Neil Gaiman , draft their stories by hand to stoke creativity), scientists have only recently started investigating why writing by hand has these effects.

A slew of recent brain imaging research suggests handwriting's power stems from the relative complexity of the process and how it forces different brain systems to work together to reproduce the shapes of letters in our heads onto the page.

Your brain on handwriting

Both handwriting and typing involve moving our hands and fingers to create words on a page. But handwriting, it turns out, requires a lot more fine-tuned coordination between the motor and visual systems. This seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning.

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"Handwriting is probably among the most complex motor skills that the brain is capable of," says Marieke Longcamp , a cognitive neuroscientist at Aix-Marseille Université.

Gripping a pen nimbly enough to write is a complicated task, as it requires your brain to continuously monitor the pressure that each finger exerts on the pen. Then, your motor system has to delicately modify that pressure to re-create each letter of the words in your head on the page.

"Your fingers have to each do something different to produce a recognizable letter," says Sophia Vinci-Booher , an educational neuroscientist at Vanderbilt University. Adding to the complexity, your visual system must continuously process that letter as it's formed. With each stroke, your brain compares the unfolding script with mental models of the letters and words, making adjustments to fingers in real time to create the letters' shapes, says Vinci-Booher.

That's not true for typing.

To type "tap" your fingers don't have to trace out the form of the letters — they just make three relatively simple and uniform movements. In comparison, it takes a lot more brainpower, as well as cross-talk between brain areas, to write than type.

Recent brain imaging studies bolster this idea. A study published in January found that when students write by hand, brain areas involved in motor and visual information processing " sync up " with areas crucial to memory formation, firing at frequencies associated with learning.

"We don't see that [synchronized activity] in typewriting at all," says Audrey van der Meer , a psychologist and study co-author at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She suggests that writing by hand is a neurobiologically richer process and that this richness may confer some cognitive benefits.

Other experts agree. "There seems to be something fundamental about engaging your body to produce these shapes," says Robert Wiley , a cognitive psychologist at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. "It lets you make associations between your body and what you're seeing and hearing," he says, which might give the mind more footholds for accessing a given concept or idea.

Those extra footholds are especially important for learning in kids, but they may give adults a leg up too. Wiley and others worry that ditching handwriting for typing could have serious consequences for how we all learn and think.

What might be lost as handwriting wanes

The clearest consequence of screens and keyboards replacing pen and paper might be on kids' ability to learn the building blocks of literacy — letters.

"Letter recognition in early childhood is actually one of the best predictors of later reading and math attainment," says Vinci-Booher. Her work suggests the process of learning to write letters by hand is crucial for learning to read them.

"When kids write letters, they're just messy," she says. As kids practice writing "A," each iteration is different, and that variability helps solidify their conceptual understanding of the letter.

Research suggests kids learn to recognize letters better when seeing variable handwritten examples, compared with uniform typed examples.

This helps develop areas of the brain used during reading in older children and adults, Vinci-Booher found.

"This could be one of the ways that early experiences actually translate to long-term life outcomes," she says. "These visually demanding, fine motor actions bake in neural communication patterns that are really important for learning later on."

Ditching handwriting instruction could mean that those skills don't get developed as well, which could impair kids' ability to learn down the road.

"If young children are not receiving any handwriting training, which is very good brain stimulation, then their brains simply won't reach their full potential," says van der Meer. "It's scary to think of the potential consequences."

Many states are trying to avoid these risks by mandating cursive instruction. This year, California started requiring elementary school students to learn cursive , and similar bills are moving through state legislatures in several states, including Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina and Wisconsin. (So far, evidence suggests that it's the writing by hand that matters, not whether it's print or cursive.)

Slowing down and processing information

For adults, one of the main benefits of writing by hand is that it simply forces us to slow down.

During a meeting or lecture, it's possible to type what you're hearing verbatim. But often, "you're not actually processing that information — you're just typing in the blind," says van der Meer. "If you take notes by hand, you can't write everything down," she says.

The relative slowness of the medium forces you to process the information, writing key words or phrases and using drawing or arrows to work through ideas, she says. "You make the information your own," she says, which helps it stick in the brain.

Such connections and integration are still possible when typing, but they need to be made more intentionally. And sometimes, efficiency wins out. "When you're writing a long essay, it's obviously much more practical to use a keyboard," says van der Meer.

Still, given our long history of using our hands to mark meaning in the world, some scientists worry about the more diffuse consequences of offloading our thinking to computers.

"We're foisting a lot of our knowledge, extending our cognition, to other devices, so it's only natural that we've started using these other agents to do our writing for us," says Balasubramaniam.

It's possible that this might free up our minds to do other kinds of hard thinking, he says. Or we might be sacrificing a fundamental process that's crucial for the kinds of immersive cognitive experiences that enable us to learn and think at our full potential.

Balasubramaniam stresses, however, that we don't have to ditch digital tools to harness the power of handwriting. So far, research suggests that scribbling with a stylus on a screen activates the same brain pathways as etching ink on paper. It's the movement that counts, he says, not its final form.

Jonathan Lambert is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance journalist who covers science, health and policy.

• handwriting

Apple highlights AI features, including M4 neural engine, at iPad event

Apple isn’t yet ready to unveil its broader AI strategy — it’s saving that for its Worldwide Developer Conference in June — but the tech giant did make sure to mention AI technologies across its device lineup at its iPad event on Tuesday . The company touted a new iPad Air as “an incredibly powerful device for AI;” its AI-powered features like visual lookup, subject lift and live text capture, among others; and, of course, its upgraded M4 chip, which features a neural engine that’s “dedicated to the acceleration of AI workloads.”

For instance, the iPad Air’s update, which now includes the M2 with a faster CPU, GPU and neural engine, was described as offering “powerful machine learning features,” like visual lookup , which can identify objects in photos; an AI-powered tool that can lift out a photo’s subject;  and live text capture , which can copy, share, look up and translate text within the camera frame.

When Apple didn’t have its own AI tech to point to, it referenced third parties. While talking about the iPad Air, for example, Apple gave a shout-out to Pixelmator’s Photomator, which uses AI models trained on over 20 million professional images to improve photos with a single click.

Meanwhile, the iPad Pro jumped from being powered by the M2 to the new M4, the latest generation of Apple silicone, with a new CPU, next-gen GPU and next-generation ML accelerators that Apple claims will deliver up to 50% faster performance than the M2. Of course, the company also played up the chip’s neural engine, or NPU, which is “dedicated to the acceleration of AI workloads.”

“Now while the chip industry is just starting to add NPUs to some of their processors, we’ve been including our industry-leading neural engine in our chip for years,” said John Ternus,  Apple SVP, Hardware Engineering, during the event.

Consumers, however, are waiting to see what sort of use cases are in store for these hardware advances — and that’s something Apple didn’t yet go into detail about, despite having the opportunity to tease an iPadOS release with new AI features or other developer-focused announcements.

Instead, Apple ran through iPadOS’ existing features, like multitasking view Stage Manager and a display mode for creatives, dubbed Reference Mode.

Still, the company hinted that improved AI capabilities would soon be in the hands of iPadOS app developers, noting that the operating system software offers advanced frameworks, like CoreML, and that developers would be able to tap into its neural engine to deliver “powerful AI features right on device.”

In other apps, like Logic Pro, Apple added new AI-powered session players like a bass and keyboard player who can join a performance alongside the drummer already available. These AI-driven backing band members can also respond to feedback provided in the app, Apple said. The company mentioned, too, a machine learning-backed Logic Pro plug-in, ChromaGlow, for adding warmth to tracks.

Apple made note of how AI could solve problems in areas like photography, like when trying to scan documents using a device’s camera.

“We’ve all had the experience of trying to scan a document in certain lighting conditions where it’s hard to avoid casting a shadow,” Ternus said. “The new Pro solves this problem. It uses AI to automatically detect documents like forms and receipts. If shadows are in the way it instantly takes multiple photos with the new adaptive flash. The frames are stitched together and the result is a dramatically better scan.”

Though none of the mentions of AI stood out as being over-the-top breakthroughs, they suggested that Apple’s style would be to note AI improvements as it related to upgrading the consumer experience of using its devices. You can check out the full video of the event here:

We expect to hear a lot more about Apple’s AI plans at WWDC, where the company may even announce an AI-powered Siri or partnership with an AI provider like Google or OpenAI , rumors suggest.

While AI references were sprinkled throughout, Tuesday’s event mainly focused on the new hardware itself, including a new iPad Air  with an M2 chip and first-ever 13-inch size; a new iPad Pro with completely new M4 chip and stacked OLED screens for higher-fidelity display; a Pro version of the Apple Pencil featuring new sensors; and a new version of the Magic Keyboard .

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What Is a Capstone Project vs. Thesis

As students near the end of their academic journey, they encounter a crucial project called the capstone – a culmination of all they've learned. But what exactly is a capstone project? 

This article aims to demystify capstone projects, explaining what they are, why they matter, and what you can expect when you embark on this final academic endeavor.

Capstone Project Meaning

A capstone project is a comprehensive, culminating academic endeavor undertaken by students typically in their final year of study. 

It synthesizes their learning experiences, requiring students to apply the knowledge, skills, and competencies gained throughout their academic journey. A capstone project aims to address a real-world problem or explore a topic of interest in depth. 

As interdisciplinary papers, capstone projects encourage critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. They allow students to showcase their mastery of their field of study and demonstrate their readiness for future academic or professional pursuits.

Now that we’ve defined what is a capstone project, let’s discuss its importance in the academic landscape. In case you have short-form compositions to handle, simply say, ‘ do my essay for me ,’ and our writers will take care of your workload.

Why Is a Capstone Project Important

A capstone project is crucial because it allows students to combine everything they've learned in school and apply it to real-life situations or big problems. 

It's like the ultimate test of what they know and can do. By working on these projects, students get hands-on experience, learn to think critically and figure out how to solve tough problems. 

Plus, it's a chance to show off their skills and prove they're ready for whatever comes next, whether that's starting a career or going on to more schooling.

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What Is the Purpose of a Capstone Project

Here are three key purposes of a capstone project:

Integration of Knowledge and Skills

Capstones often require students to draw upon the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout their academic program. The importance of capstone project lies in helping students synthesize what they have learned and apply it to a real-world problem or project. 

This integration helps students demonstrate their proficiency and readiness for graduation or entry into their chosen profession.

Culmination of Learning

Capstone projects culminate a student's academic journey, allowing them to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. 

tackling a significant project or problem, students demonstrate their understanding of concepts and their ability to translate them into practical solutions, reinforcing their learning journey.

Professional Development

Capstone projects allow students to develop skills relevant to their future careers. These projects can also be tangible examples of their capabilities to potential employers or graduate programs.

Whether it's conducting research, presenting findings, or collaborating with peers, students gain valuable experience that enhances their professional readiness. 

Types of Capstone Projects

Capstones vary widely depending on the academic discipline, institution, and specific program requirements. Here are some common types:

What Is the Difference Between a Thesis and a Capstone Project

Here's a breakdown of the key differences between a thesis and a capstone project:

How to Write a Capstone Project

Let's dive into the specifics with actionable and meaningful steps for writing a capstone project:

1. Select a Pertinent Topic

Identify a topic that aligns with your academic interests, program requirements, and real-world relevance. Consider issues or challenges within your field that merit further exploration or solution. 

Conduct thorough research to ensure the topic is both feasible and significant. Here are some brilliant capstone ideas for your inspiration.

2. Define Clear Objectives

Clearly articulate the objectives of your capstone project. What specific outcomes do you aim to achieve? 

Whether it's solving a problem, answering a research question, or developing a product, ensure your objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

3. Conduct Comprehensive Research

Dive deep into existing literature, theories, and empirical evidence related to your chosen topic. Identify gaps, controversies, or areas for further investigation. 

Synthesize relevant findings and insights to inform the development of your project and provide a solid foundation for your analysis or implementation.

4. Develop a Structured Plan

What is a capstone project in college without a rigid structure? Outline a comprehensive plan for your capstone project, including key milestones, tasks, and deadlines. 

Break down the project into manageable phases, such as literature review, data collection, analysis, and presentation. Establish clear criteria for success and regularly monitor progress to stay on track.

5. Implement Methodological Rigor

If your project involves research, ensure methodological rigor by selecting appropriate research methods, tools, and techniques. 

Develop a detailed research design or project plan that addresses key methodological considerations, such as sampling, data collection, analysis, and validity. Adhere to ethical guidelines and best practices throughout the research process.

6. Analyze and Interpret Findings

Analyze your data or findings using appropriate analytical techniques and tools. Interpret the results in relation to your research questions or objectives, highlighting key patterns, trends, or insights. 

Critically evaluate the significance and implications of your findings within the broader context of your field or industry.

7. Communicate Effectively

Present your capstone project clearly, concisely, and compellingly. Whether it's a written report, presentation, or multimedia deliverable, tailor your communication style to your target audience. Clearly articulate your research questions, methodology, findings, and conclusions. 

Use visuals, examples, and real-world applications to enhance understanding and engagement. Be prepared to defend your project and answer questions from peers, faculty, or stakeholders.

In wrapping up, what is a capstone project? It’s like the grand finale of your academic journey, where all the knowledge and skills you've acquired come together in one big project. 

It's not just about passing a test or getting a grade – it's about proving you've got what it takes to make a real difference in the world. So, if you ever need capstone project help , our writers will gladly lend you a hand in no time.

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What Is a Capstone Project in College?

How to do a capstone project, how long does a capstone project take to complete.

Annie Lambert

specializes in creating authoritative content on marketing, business, and finance, with a versatile ability to handle any essay type and dissertations. With a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a passion for social issues, her writing not only educates but also inspires action. On EssayPro blog, Annie delivers detailed guides and thought-provoking discussions on pressing economic and social topics. When not writing, she’s a guest speaker at various business seminars.

is an expert in nursing and healthcare, with a strong background in history, law, and literature. Holding advanced degrees in nursing and public health, his analytical approach and comprehensive knowledge help students navigate complex topics. On EssayPro blog, Adam provides insightful articles on everything from historical analysis to the intricacies of healthcare policies. In his downtime, he enjoys historical documentaries and volunteering at local clinics.

• T. (2023, June 16). What Is a Capstone Project? National University. https://www.nu.edu/blog/what-is-a-capstone-project/
• Lukins, S. (2024, May 12). What is a capstone project? And why is it important? Top Universities. https://www.topuniversities.com/student-info/careers-advice-articles/what-capstone-project-why-it-important
• Capstone Project vs. Thesis: What’s the Difference? (2021, December 9). UAGC. https://www.uagc.edu/blog/capstone-project-vs-thesis-whats-difference

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Voice of Democracy essay winner to deliver Memorial Day keynote

Gold Star family members participated in a wreath laying ceremony on Memorial Day 2023 at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery in Exeter. (Courtesy of Rhode Island Office of Veterans Services)

A Westerly teen will be the featured speaker at the state’s 50th Annual Memorial Day ceremony taking place Monday at 1 p.m. at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Exeter.

Abiagael Emery, 15, a sophomore at Westerly High School, took first place for Rhode Island in the 2023-2024 Voice of Democracy audio essay competition , a scholarship program sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). Emery, daughter of Tiffinay Antoch and Kevin Emery, will read her essay during the program honoring fallen military service members. 

Emery’s winning essay centers on her grandfather, Albert Antoch, a U.S. Navy veteran now in his 80s, who served on the aircraft carrier USS Essex in the blockade around Cuba during the October 1962 missile crisis. The United States and the Soviet Union were in a tense political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the U.S. coast. While many people feared the world was on the brink of nuclear war, Antoch, who was just 21 years old at the time, told his granddaughter he remembers being confused and had no idea what was going on.

Emery said she asked her grandfather if he would tell her about his military service once she became interested in writing an essay for the Voice of Democracy competition. He was glad to share his story, and she said it made her see her grandfather in a different light.

“I knew my grandfather was in the Navy,” Emery said in an interview. “Not that I didn’t care. It just wasn’t a huge interest point for me.”

“His story is so powerful to me because it’s a direct example of protecting American democracy and the public’s welfare,” she wrote in her essay initially submitted to Amancio-Falcone-Gaccione VFW Post 8955 . “The willingness and sacrifice of those involved in the Cuban missile crisis were building blocks to secure what America has built: democracy, freedom, and opportunity.”

The theme of the essay competition changes each year. For Emery and other students entering this school year, it was  “What Are the Greatest Attributes of Our Democracy?” The winning audio essays from each state can be found here .

At Monday’s ceremony, Rhode Island’s congressional delegation and general officers will join in honoring service members, veterans and their families, paying tribute to those who died in the line of duty. The Rhode Island National Guard 88th Army Band is scheduled to perform

Gov. Dan McKee, who missed last year’s ceremony because he was traveling back to Rhode Island from out of state, is scheduled to deliver remarks followed in order by U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse; U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner; Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos; Secretary of State Gregg Amore; Attorney General Peter Neronha; and General Treasurer James Diossa.

During the ceremony, wreaths will be laid at the Gold Star Family Memorial at the cemetery.

U.S. Rep Gabe Amo is unable to attend Monday’s ceremony because he is participating in the North Providence Memorial Day Parade. The ceremony and the parade in North Providence both begin at 1 p.m. Amo’s office said he is also planning to march in Memorial Day parades in Barrington and Lincoln on Monday morning.

McKee has directed U.S. and Rhode Island flags at all state agencies and buildings to be flown at half staff from sunrise until noon on Monday in observation of Memorial Day. McKee also asked Rhode Islanders to lower their own flags to half staff during this time. Flags should return to full staff at noon.

“Memorial Day is day for Rhode Islanders and the nation to stand together and say ‘thank you’ to our brave men and women who have served our country and have protected the freedoms we enjoy today,” McKee said in a statement Friday.

“This is a moment to recognize them, their families, and their sacrifice. Our service members represent the very best of Rhode Island and the United States and we are forever grateful for their selflessness and courage.”

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The post Voice of Democracy essay winner to deliver Memorial Day keynote appeared first on Rhode Island Current .

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Porsche-driving Indian teenager who killed two people ordered to write essay

A n Indian court granted bail to a drink-driving teenager who rammed his Porsche into a motorbike and killed two people, on the condition that he “write an essay” about the incident.

The court also told the 17-year-old boy from Pune in the western state of Maharashtra to undergo treatment for his drinking habit, take counselling sessions and work with the local police for 15 days.

The teenager, who has not been named, is the son of a prominent real estate magnate, and the perceived leniency shown by the judge has sparked outrage in the country .

The accident occurred at around 3.15am in Kalyani Nagar in Pune on Sunday.

A group of friends was returning home on motorbikes after a party at a local restaurant. When they reached the Kalyani Nagar junction, one of their motorcycles was hit by the teenager’s Porsche, police say, causing its two riders to fall and die instantly.

After hitting the riders, the teenager crashed his car into some railings, police say.

A video that has been widely shared on social media shows a group of passersby attacking the driver as he tries to exit the vehicle.

The deceased were identified as software engineers Anis Awadhiya and Ashwini Koshta, both 25.

A case was registered against the driver at a local police station and he was charged with rash driving, causing death by rash or negligent act not amounting to culpable homicide and endangering life or personal safety of a person.

The accused is reportedly four months shy of 18, the minimum legal age to drive a car in India .

He was reportedly out celebrating his Class 12 exam results.

He was driving at 200 kmh when he collided with the motorcycle.

The boy’s lawyer, Prashant Patil said: “The juvenile accused who was arrested by Pune Police has been granted bail by the Juvenile Justice Board on certain conditions, including that the accused should work with the traffic police of Yerawada for 15 days, accused should write an essay on accident, should get treatment from the concerned doctor to help him quit drinking and should take psychiatric counselling and submit the report.”

Police said they will appeal the bail order and treat the accused as an adult.

“We will not leave any stone unturned to prove that this is a heinous crime,” Pune’s police chief, Amitesh Kumar, told India Today .

Police have also arrested the boy’s father and owners of the two bars that allegedly served him alcohol.

The legal drinking age in Maharashtra is 25.

“We’re in shock,” Jugal Kishor Koshta, an uncle of one of the victims, told NDTV. “It’s condemnable that he should get bail in 15 hours. He and his parents should be investigated. We will discuss the matter once Ashwini’s last rites are over tomorrow.”

“We want his bail cancelled and he should remain in police custody. Because of him, an innocent girl, who has seen nothing of life, died," Sachin Bokde, another uncle of the victim, said.

Sanjay Raut, a prominent member of the opposition party Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, accused Pune police of serving pizza and burgers to the accused teenager after the crash, India Today reported.

“Police commissioner should be suspended. He tried to protect the accused. A young couple was killed and the accused was granted bail within two hours,” he told the ANI news agency.

“In the video, it can be seen that he was drunk, but his medical report was negative. Who is helping the accused? Who is this police commissioner? He should be removed or the people of Pune will come on the streets.”

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Review: The M4 iPad Pro — an amazing AI PC

Light, thin, and indiscreetly powerful, apple's new ipad pro will be seen as more than just a tablet once apple introduces genai in ipados..

Out of the box, my first reaction when taking hold of Apple’s  all-new 11-in. M4-powered iPad Pro  was how light it was, closely followed by some sense of wonder at how thin it has become. 

The model I’ve been using weighs just 0.98-pounds. (This is the version with both Wi-Fi and cellular capabilities; the equivalent 13-in. model weights 1.28 pounds.)

You got to carry that weight…

To put this into perspective, the previous generation 11-in. model weighed just a little more, 1.04-pounds — but that small, roughly 5% weight reduction is still quite tangible. 

I think it’s worth noting that Apple’s first ever cellular-equipped iPad weighed 1.6-pounds when introduced in 2010, meaning this iPad Pro is only 61% as heavy as that first-gen product, the one  thousands of C-suite executives acquired .

At 5.3mm, it’s super-thin, too. (The 13-inch model is even thinner). Apple claims it is the thinnest product it has ever made; it’s even thinner than the iPod Nano I sentimentally keep on my desk.

You’d think that thinness would make it easy to bend the product. I’m not about to try that, but I have found the iPad is reinforced with an additional spine to make it more resilient. My take is that you’ll have to try pretty hard to bend this thing, or you could try sitting on it by mistake when taking a flight, as I recently did with another model. It’s probably best to be careful.

Got to get yourself connected

The second set of reactions kicked in once I turned on the device. I’m always impressed at how Apple continues to improve the on-boarding process for its products. To get this machine working, I just had to bring my iPhone across, go through a very simple set up process, create a PIN code and wait for my apps and data to shift over from iCloud. That process takes longer the more data you need to transfer, but it’s painless.

If you’re setting up a managed device, it will be quite similar, though you’ll probably need to enter your Managed Apple ID before the iPad Pro is provisioned for you and your company. Apple’s on-boarding process is excellently executed.

Looks are sometimes everything

Once the iPad had stuffed itself with my data, I picked it up and began to use it.  That’s when my fourth big reaction kicked in: the image quality on the tandem OLED display is stupendous. 

I mentioned that ill-fated iPad-wrecking flight I took. While I was away, I took holiday photos, including a selection of beautiful, luscious, green landscapes. I like these images, but I have been truly impressed by the true-to-life detail and excellence in color rendering on this particular machine. The multitude of different greens you see in a forest really snap out at you, like being there. 

There’s a reason for this, of course. Both iPad Pro models feature what Apple calls an Ultra Retina XDR display and modestly describes as “the world’s most advanced display.” Those greens, deep true blacks, and all the other visual details are there because these displays use technology similar to what’s used in Apple’s XDR display for Macs. 

And those Mac displays deliver images just as good as the hugely expensive “reference displays” you find in movie studios. That’s great for iPhoto collections, of course, but also means that when you’re working on video footage or photos in the field, you get state-of-the-art color accuracy on a display that’s bright and beautiful. And packed inside a mobile device with a 10-hour battery life weighing less than a pound. That’s great for creatives.

A mobile creative powerhouse

In case you want the technical details, the display can reach a peak 1,600 nits brightness and a stable 1,000 nits most of the time. It also has a 2,000,000-to-1 contrast ratio, which is another reason colors really pop. And yes, if you need professional color, the device can display reference color for all the popular color standards. This display is a professional workhorse.

But iPad Pro isn’t only for creatives. And while Apple does tend to focus on the creative markets in its marketing materials, this system has something to offer any professional who needs a high-performance and highly portable system for any reason.

It might be over-specced for some enterprise uses of tablets (for which the iPad Air remains a more logical choice). But for use in some sectors (medical, education, and architecture, for example) the iPad Pro’s excellent display is most certainly part of the attraction.

Of course, some of the most challenging users really need to get the best possible performance, and you get that here  thanks to the M4 chip inside . 

Possibly, the world’s best AI PC…

Apple suggests it needed to use this processor because it wanted to make the iPad Pro thin and to drive the amazing display. The move to M4 also means you get a huge leap in processor performance (1.5x faster than the last model) and graphics (rendering is four times faster).

But what may become more important is that the deployment of this chip means the iPad Pro with M4 will perhaps soon become the world’s ultimate AI-driven tablet, about which we’ll learn much more at WWDC. 

I’m willing to speculate that once Apple introduces generative AI in iPadOS, the iPad Pro will be seen as even more than a tablet; you’ll even be able to  control it with voice and glance . Think about that and recognize that this means it will also become the ultimate mobile computing (with AI) experience. If Apple gets it right. 

If your computer interactions are no longer reliant on keyboard and mice, and your device can deliver the computational power (thanks to the M4 chip) you require, at what point does the PC become history? I think these iPads are part of that story.

But let’s not focus too much on what isn’t here yet, because what we actually have is quite something already. The iPad Pro can easily handle powerful apps such as Procreate, or large spreadsheets, or video apps, or whatever you need to run; all will run faster, perform better, and complete their tasks more swiftly than before. 

(It also gives developers of mobile apps an on-ramp for the addition of powerful new features in the future, and a glimpse at M4 Macs.)

What about the Magic Keyboard?

I’m using the iPad Pro with Apple’s new Magic Keyboard. I love it. 

Not only does it provide a 14-key function row, but it has been designed to include a comfortable aluminum palm rest and a much bigger, haptic trackpad. It makes working with iPad Pro much more Mac-like, especially as the keypad is backlit for use in darker places. The keyboard is comfortable to use and responsive — so much so, that I’m writing this review with it. 

The keyboard is a little heavy. At 1.27 pounds (according to my scales), the Magic Keyboard is actually heavier than the iPad Pro it holds, though the keyboard is a little lighter than the last version. Together, that’s a combined weight of 2.3 pounds — considerably lighter than a 3.4-pound 13-in. MacBook Pro .

Of course, these do different things, and your iPad Pro can deliver all its functionality in a lighter case, along with that precious,  Made For AI M4 chip. 

Weight aside, if you intend on using your iPad Pro as a highly mobile productive device, the Magic Keyboard is a must.

Write me kindly, sir

Digital creatives have another must-have accessory, the Apple Pencil Pro. Actually, a tiny computer in a pencil, the real achievement here is that Apple has managed to cram so much into something that feels just like the original Apple Pencil.

This iteration lets you squeeze the side to bring up a tool palette; you get unlimited undo; double tap; and a new barrel roll capability which changes the orientation of shaped pen and brush tools. You also get haptic feedback, so when you do something, you’ll feel something, and support for existing pencil features like low latency and “hover.” (Hover lets you precisely place where you want to be, with on-screen objects jumping at you.) 

It’s the squeeze function I find most useful; it makes the pencil so much more intuitive to use, as I’ve always kind of struggled moving between modes. Now, it seems much more natural. There are six sets of commands you can set Squeeze to handle, but only one can be in use at any point. The only limitation at present is that apps must be updated to gain all these tools. 

More to think about

There are lots of elements I’ve not touched on. One of these is the iPad Pro probably won’t get too hot, as thermal performance has been improved by almost 20%. Another is the four speakers and four microphones inside the system, which support the new landscape front camera to make the device a great tool for video conferencing on Zoom, FaceTime, WebEx, even Teams ( if you must ). 

The primary camera has also been improved for better performance in low light, augmented by AI to secure better images. There’s a built-in document scanner function and a LiDAR camera.

Who pays the iMan?

What may be the world’s most advanced mobile device comes at a price. The model I tested has the nano-texture glass ( what’s this? ) and 1TB storage. It costs $1,899. 

Add the Apple Pencil Pro at a surprisingly low $129 and Magic Keyboard at $299 and the combined system I’ve been testing costs $2,327 — just $71 less than the top-of-the-range 14-in. MacBook Pro with an M3 Pro chip. 

Price isn’t the only consideration, of course. You don’t necessarily have to get nanotexture, unless robust color accuracy is something you need. You might not want 1TB of storage. You might not even need cellular, the pencil, or the Magic Keyboard. The entry-level configuration will set you back $999, and frankly from what I’ve seen, you’re still getting a lot at that price. (If you are price conscious, the also-new iPad Air might be precisely what you need. I can’t say, as I’ve not yet looked at that model since I broke my own iPad on that flight.)

Who is this for?

Apple’s varied range of iPads now has something for every price point. The iPad Pro is for aspirational Apple fans, high-end mobile creatives, critical workers in some industries, designers, movie makers, quite possibly data analysts, IT admins and (as ever) the C-suite executives who get everything.

It’s also an amazing, high-class product that I think checks the boxes for almost every task we once relied on computers to achieve. I can’t wait to see how Apple plans to exploit the computational capabilities of the device in the days ahead.

On its own account, the iPad Pro with M4 is a very desirable machine, and while most of us might choose an M2-based iPad Air, those who don’t can look forward to a great experience. And the rest of us can look forward to at least some of these improvements extending across Apple’s other tablets over time.

Please follow me on  Mastodon , or join me in the  AppleHolic’s bar & grill  and  Apple Discussions  groups on MeWe.

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Hello, and thanks for dropping in. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Jonny Evans, and I've been writing (mainly about Apple) since 1999. These days I write my daily  AppleHolic blog at Computerworld.com, where I explore Apple's growing identity in the enterprise. You can also keep up with my work at AppleMust , and follow me on Mastodon , LinkedIn and (maybe) Twitter .

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