Apple iPad Turns Into Tablet Notepad Device

The iPad is good for many things, but many have criticized the lack of great software for taking handwritten notes. The most popular note-taking app, Microsoft OneNote, has been criticized on the iPad for not having drawing and note-taking capabilities. According to PC World, that has all changed on the iPad.

“Microsoft recently announced a major feature update to OneNote for Apple’s slate, adding a standard feature found on OneNote’s other platforms: digital pen support. The latest version of OneNote for iPad brings handwriting and drawing, allowing you to make sketches on your slate or just doodle during Physics 101.”

Apple’s iPad has always had other note-taking apps that allow the use of a stylus, but none of them have been able to meet the needs of serious note takers. This new version of OneNote changes that — well, almost. When one writes a note on the iPad, they are essentially in “drawing” mode. The iPad doesn’t read handwritten notes as digital letters. Because of this, one isn’t able to search through notes written with a stylus.

Using OneNote on a Surface Pro is a completely different experience. You can take notes for an hour during a meeting. Later, when you want to see what you wrote about the company’s internet policy, all you need to do is search for the word “internet” and OneNote will point you to every place you wrote the word “internet” instantly. No matter what way one tries to spin it, Apple’s iPads were never meant for digital inking. However, that may change with the upcoming iPad Pro. According to Gizmodo, the iPad Pro will have a digital stylus.

“Apple already has patents for its own stylus, and a bigger iPad wouldn’t interest the average user anyway, who would most likely stick with an iPad Air or Mini. Instead, the big iPad will be marketed toward creatives and artists who need the pen to do their tablet-based artwork.”

In 2011, Samsung introduced digital stylus smartphones to the marketplace with the Samsung Galaxy Note. Apple always insisted their screens were meant for fingertips, not styluses. But the success of the Galaxy Note series has obviously made Apple change their minds. An iPad made for use with a digital stylus could be exactly what Apple needs to bring the iPad back from irrelevancy. OneNote users would certainly love to be able to search their handwritten notes. Have you tried Microsoft’s OneNote yet on the iPad? Tell us in the comments section.