If you are still thinking about iPads as oversized iPhones, this has to stop, as it’s time to seriously reconsider. With every upgrade, the iPadOS has been evolving into more and more productive tools, best for daily workflow. Whether you’re a student juggling notes or a remote worker hopping between various projects, the iPad is like your knight in shining armor.
Here’s another thing: it’s not just the software doing the heavy lifting; accessories like keyboard cases also matter. They instantly transform your tablet into a powerhouse for typing, multitasking, and other creative work. Let’s see the details of such an impressive Apple powerhouse.
Part 1. The iPad Glow-Up: An Overview
The iPadOS 18 was launched on September 16, 2024, and since then, Apple has slowly been turning the iPad into a productivity beast. With a sprinkle of some fresh features like Apple Intelligence, it’s clear Apple’s not playing around. Imagine your iPad being smart enough to summarize your notes, help you craft messages, or solve math problems on the fly. The best part is that all these updates are free to install.
Why Students & Remote Workers Are Making the Switch
There are various other reasons why students and remote workers are swapping out their laptops for iPads:
Apple Intelligence
“It’s not the fanciest of features with glowing colors around the screen, but it’s the stuff people will care about, because it saves time.”
Launched for developers and testers on July 29, 2024, in U.S. English, this excellent feature has added Writing Tools and language features that assist you in writing, summarizing large texts, and setting work priorities. It allows you to compose images, create Genmoji to be used in conversations and more. Siri is another feature you can find in Apple Intelligence in iOS 18.1, and it’s enriched with language understanding and knowledge.
Notes
The Notes were first introduced back on September 19, 2007, and they kept on adding more, like the “Smart Script” feature. You can jot down everything or record audio sessions within the notes. It can generate live audio transcriptions and has a new Focus mode that can highlight text or hide it with collapsible sections.
Due to these exceptional traits, Apple Notes is used on over 1 billion active devices, with 400 million users monthly, and note creation has tripled from 2018 to 2022.
Calculator
“This calculator blows the iPad out of the water! It does more than just solve problems—it handles integrals, binomial theorems, graphs, and shows gradients, concavity, and max/mins. Honestly, anything beyond basic schoolwork can be done better with this physical calculator. It’s more powerful and closer to real exam conditions than the iPad’s math notes feature!”
Students can really take advantage of the calculator feature as it can evaluate expressions, assign variables, and even plot graphs with Apple Pencil. Be amazed as it automatically solves the expressions inline as soon as you write an equal sign.
Messages
Installed on over 1.5 billion devices worldwide, the Messages feature has all the formatting features, including bold, italics, underline, and other playful, animated effects for letters. You can emphasize the words and emojis in iMessage and use the phrase suggestions option. Whether it’s an important task or a casual reminder for work, don’t forget anything by making a schedule message.
Safari
Did you know that as of March 2025, Safari holds approximately 17.59% of the global browser market and is the second most popular browser worldwide after Google Chrome. If you’re confused about where to look for study material, use Safari on the iPad, as it automatically detects relevant information. With a seamless table of contents, you can quickly get a gist of the article before reading it.
Part 2. The Secret Weapon? A Keyboard Case That Works as Hard as You Do
If you want to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of your iPad, a keyboard case is non-negotiable. A keyboard case doesn’t prop your iPad; it elevates it. Users can close the gap between a casual tablet and a full-blown workstation.
iPad Air 13 (2025) Keyboard Cases
“This case has everything you need in a keyboard. Good price, quality, and delivery was fast.”
While we are on the subject of choosing a keyboard case, one of the best ones you can get is the iPad Air 13 keyboard case. It has a sleek design and lightweight appearance and is built for a smooth workflow. There are various websites that sell highly advanced keyboard cases, like ESR. Users can find strong magnets that support brackets with viewing and writing modes. They can be the best for both academic and professional work, which users can adjust to landscape or portrait mode for seamless work.
Should You Ditch Your Laptop? Thoughts on iPad Productivity
With iPadOS evolving at a rapid pace and accessories like keyboard cases stepping up their game, students and remote workers know that a laptop is not enough. About 53% of iPad users are now upgrading their iPad to iPadOS 18 to get the best experience.
What do you think of all the seamless new features of iPadOS? Let us know in the comments below!
