The iPad Pro with the Pencil is almost a perfect device. I use GoodNotes rather than Notability, but I think the capabilities are roughly the same. It's great to be able to write by hand most of the time, type when I need to, paste images, insert snapshots of white boards, etc...

The OCR is very good too and even my handwritten notes are indexed. I'm not sure if it indexes the text in images though. I used to use Evernote and it did an amazing job of that.

I used to use text files exclusively, then I moved to Microsoft Word so I could paste in images and other non-text items. I missed the handwriting part of it. Something about using those muscles and going slow helps me absorb the material better.

What size of iPad are you using (you and parent post)? I've been considering getting a pro+pencil for this purpose. I like to scribble on paper, but I'd really like archived, searchable copies that don't take up physical space.

I have the 10.5" one.

The rumor for next year's model is that it will get face id and that's something I definitely want.

The one big downside to note taking with an iPad is that it turns itself off frequently. Having to authenticate frequently with the home button is a pain and I think face id would be a lot less intrusive.

FWIW, I still scribble on paper, but that tends to be for very ephemeral things (like a number I need to remember for the next 5 minutes).

Thanks, I ended up going with the 10.5" one. It's the size of the steno pads I scribble on and weighs less than the bigger on. Not a lot of space on my desk either.

I'm gonna give Notes a try for a while and also Notability, because it appears I purchased it years ago.

I use the 12.9" (?) whatever the bigger size is. The screen is just about as big as a sheet of paper.

For what it's worth, I don't think notability has OCR. GoodNotes appears to though. I might have to give it a try.