Hi! I want to buy the remarkable for my wife. She takes a lot of notes (handwritten) and then need to put these into an online secured platform (she’s a psychologist). She’s already an Apple user (laptop and phone) and thinks it would be an easier process to go with the Ipad.
I’ve only heard great things about Remarkable, but she does have a point: she’s already (locked) with Apple products. It’s a plug and play environment. The marketing stuff from Remarkable seems to focus on the lack of distractions (ok… ). That’s not convincing her. I think the “paper feel” and handwritten-to-text are the best-known selling points, but it’s hard to understand if you can’t try one in a store.
What am I missing? Should she really go with Apple (again)?
Thanks!
The Ipad is not a paper replacement. Yea, you can do more with an ipad, etc. But then you are buying a graphics device, not a writing device.
I tried using a 12.9” iPad Pro for work but didn’t like the writing experience or how I was forever wiping smudges from the screen, and fatigued my eyes would be at the end of the day from always looking at an LCD screen. A part of me also disliked carrying it around the office into meetings, I kind of felt like a douchebag. Part of this is likely because I was the only person in the office using a digital note taking tool.
I got the reMarkable on a whim to see if it would help and I really enjoy it. The writing experience is quite nice, the screen is matt so whilst it can be a little reflective under certain lights it doesn’t smudge too easily, the eink screen is nice to look at all day, and I don’t feel like a douchebag using it in the office or bringing it to meetings.
At the end of the day the only thing the remarkable beats the iPad at is the actual note taking experience and the screen is a big part of that. Personal opinion, but I think the remarkable feels more professional than taking notes on an iPad.
Happy to answer any questions you have.
Listen, I love my iPad Pro, and I am also fully ensconced in the Apple ecosystem, but I use and love my remarkable. Your brain works differently when using it for notes and using it for brainstorming, design, scribbling ideas… it’s really a different experience.
I’m a psych paraprofessional, and I went with RM2 for multiple reasons.
If she is using it as a psych professional. it might look and feel more respectful to the client as, bringing up an ipad for the same purpose might look a bit strange, having the client question if she is really paying attention, as ipads can serve multiple functions.
Also, it would be easier to expense such a single use device, than justify an ipad.(if she is in private practice or working for a clinic)
Depending on how far she is into her career, some clinics don’t allow digital notetaking, on most devices, for the very reason that it’s full of distractions. Also it would be single use, so she would habituate and associate her RM2 to work, where a ipad would confuse and serve multiple associations for her.
RM2 gets the job done as a custom tool to a custom use case, instead of a multipurpose jack of all trades.
Also, apple products get stolen all the time, and then she would need to recover her client data, which would be harder for ipad.
Another thing that I think would be the tipping point, is she should not be associating her personal apple id to work. (especially as a psych) mixing personal account with professional. accounts would mix and erode boundaries fast. this POINT IN ITSELF SHOULD WIN, I’m 95% SURE.
As you may or may not know, there is a 100 day trial return policy. just get it, and try it out. If you do indeed decide to get an RM2, I’d recommending maxing out the selection, going with type folio as well as a marker plus.
on the surface it looks like an efficiency issue, but it’s really about focus. If she went with an ipad, we guarantee the apps would be distractions and notifications galore. And I’m willing to bet after a little bit, she’d be watching youtube and running around on her favorite social media, and then a tool that was meant to be for productivity turns into the exact opposite.
some of my psych coworkers have Rm2 after I told them about it, and they all see the potential and like it a lot.
Social media and tech is by design meant to take us away from the present moment, and to give us the hits of dopamine, that make us hooked. If she got an ipad, that cycle would continue to repeat. we are almost 100% sure.
I am psychotherapist and use Ipad, Mac and note book for the same. I use Rm2 for a week now and love it as it is secure and have a lot of options how to organize written notes. Tomorrow i will try to export the transcript into my files.
i am fully in the apple ecosystem and love the remarkable. I take a lot of written notes and liked my iPad, but the Remarkable is another level. Considered going back to the iPad a couple weeks ago and hated the writing experience now that I have remarkable. your wife will love it