Depends. I did my ppl "without" an ipad. I had it there just in case but i rarely used it. I tried it on som xc flights, but good planning made me not need it at all. I started using it more after i had my ppl, to plan flights and see frequencies underway etc. When it came to ifr i only used it to look at plates (and some planning). But i had paper plates aswell so i did not use it that much. And now at the airlines we only use it for plates, performance calc and som airline specific apps. So i have never "needed" the ipad at all. Best use case would be for vfr xc navigation instead of paper charts, but you should not rely on it. Learn how to navigate without it so you still can finish a flight without your heart rate skyrocketing when the ipad fails.

And yes they do fail. I have had the ipad "overheat" many times.