10 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad for Students

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I know what you are thinking, only 10 reasons not to buy an iPad for students? The author was probably just trying to keep this short by narrowing it down to ten. :D

By this point, you should have the tools to totally demolish your child's hopes and dreams of being the cool kid on campus. That's fine, because as we think we've made clear: The iPad is an accessory — and an expensive one at that. It's not a "productivity tool" and it's certainly not a laptop replacement.
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:) I love how [H] is the anti Engadget and Gizmodo. Its apparent in the news posts, and even more by your real reviews of hardware and software that you aren't bought out by our supposed overlords.
 
Boy do I relate to this.

I am that parent right now.

I would never get my daughter what is essentially a giant iPod for school. She got a nice laptop for graduation......I still think a pencil and paper work just fine.

iPad is a very poor idea unless the school demands one, I could see it stolen or broken within the first week, especially with my daughter.:eek:
 
I can argue a few of the statements but overall I do agree with most of those points...
 
eldertru said:
:) I love how [H] is the anti Engadget and Gizmodo. Its apparent in the news posts, and even more by your real reviews of hardware and software that you aren't bought out by our supposed overlords.
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Not so much anti-Apple as we are pro-common sense. :D
 
Most of the reasons seem like they'd apply even more to 'Don't buy your kid a laptop either!'

I mean, look at those reasons, #3 - it's too distracting with over 500,000 apps in the app store. Wouldn't that be even worse if you were talking about a laptop? Or #4, it's just too portable so somebody will want to take it with them more often. Better buy them a 17" super laptop then I guess - that'll teach them for wanting portability!

If you don't have a tablet I don't think you realize to what degree it can replace a laptop. Even for typing you can get bluetooth keyboard cases that act as a screen cover too for like $35.
 
Ualdayan said:
Most of the reasons seem like they'd apply even more to 'Don't buy your kid a laptop either!'

I mean, look at those reasons, #3 - it's too distracting with over 500,000 apps in the app store. Wouldn't that be even worse if you were talking about a laptop? Or #4, it's just too portable so somebody will want to take it with them more often. Better buy them a 17" super laptop then I guess - that'll teach them for wanting portability!

If you don't have a tablet I don't think you realize to what degree it can replace a laptop. Even for typing you can get bluetooth keyboard cases that act as a screen cover too for like $35.
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Someone feeling a little sensitive about their iPad purchase for school?
 
Steve said:
Not so much anti-Apple as we are pro-common sense. :D
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No, its pretty much hardcore anti apple. Lets call a spade a spade here.

But everyone loves differing viewpoints, so truck on I say.
 
Some of the points are good, some are bad but all of them can be summed up in a single point.

It's a Status Symbol, Plain and Simple
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Point 8 sums up the entire bit completely.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Some of the points are good, some are bad but all of them can be summed up in a single point.

Point 8 sums up the entire bit completely.
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+1

That's why they're still selling at the price they are. Lemmings will continue to be lemmings. :rolleyes:
 
Trepidati0n said:
Someone feeling a little sensitive about their iPad purchase for school?
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No, I'm an adult who purchased their own iPad back when they first came out. It's the only Apple device I have, so you can't exactly call me an Apple fanboy either. In this particular case though Apple came out with something that nobody else could match (much less beat) in price and come anywhere close to the same functionality. It's completely replaced laptop usage for me, and frankly I could see a college kid getting by with just an iPad. The only hangup is he'd need a wireless printer to print to. Everything other than that it can do. It has a word processor, browser, and entertainment. What more does a college kid need?

As far as it being a status symbol as some people are saying - nobody but us techies even knew what an iPad was when I bought mine, so you can't really say that's why I got mine. I just got tired of buying laptops that claimed 'UP TO 9 HOURS!' then got 3 in light, light usage (I'm looking at you Asus). I got tired of having to use a laptop stand with fans or listening to a laptop's jet engine fans (while simultaneously seeming to remain hot enough to cook an egg on). Now I can sit there, not have to worry about vent holes, not have to worry about heat, and know I can actually count on something to work the full 10 hours it's suppose to.
 
Wolf-R1 said:
+1

That's why they're still selling at the price they are. Lemmings will continue to be lemmings. :rolleyes:
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What about in the Enterprise world? Blackberries are now being replaced by iphones and iPads. I'm sure those guys just want to look "hip" and "cool" while using their Apple devices instead of doing real work. Is it a status symbol for them as well?

http://www.good.com/news/press-releases/110721.php
 
I like my iPad2 but I would never recomend it as a replacemnt for
any real computer.

The author leaves out the fact its NOT advertised as a computer anyways.
But we all know we dont use our Androids or iPhones as a computer,
thats just common sense comparing the iPad to computer.

The only point I take serious issue with is #7 on digital textbooks.
Paper textbooks could easily excede the cost cost of an iPad over
the length of a school year.
 
The iPad isn't the only tablet on the market right now. The article should be about, 10 reasons not to buy a tablet. By just attacking the iPad, it shows that the author is anti-Apple.
 
Haiku214 said:
The iPad isn't the only tablet on the market right now. The article should be about, 10 reasons not to buy a tablet. By just attacking the iPad, it shows that the author is anti-Apple.
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Ya, I got the sense of that also.
Hes got an apples to oranges argument.
All tablets suffer.

He also doesnt mention you can get a keyboard for it
and a clamshell case to protect it.

He leaves a lot out, its ignorance on his part.
 
The argument this guy makes applies to ALL small devices including
phones.

So, college kids should not have phones either, with apps and internet?

Hes an idiot.
 
Ualdayan said:
What more does a college kid need?
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Gong to college is about breaking your limits and not being defined by them. An iPad completely limits what you can do with technology. Everything I did in college that was worth while did not utlize "the standard stuff". I understand if you have made the choice to pick a device which limits you because you are willing abide by those limits, but a college student should not.

The next generation of awesome will not be discovered by developing on an iPad.
 
Ualdayan said:
No, I'm an adult who purchased their own iPad back when they first came out. It's the only Apple device I have, so you can't exactly call me an Apple fanboy either. In this particular case though Apple came out with something that nobody else could match (much less beat) in price and come anywhere close to the same functionality. It's completely replaced laptop usage for me, and frankly I could see a college kid getting by with just an iPad. The only hangup is he'd need a wireless printer to print to. Everything other than that it can do. It has a word processor, browser, and entertainment. What more does a college kid need?

As far as it being a status symbol as some people are saying - nobody but us techies even knew what an iPad was when I bought mine, so you can't really say that's why I got mine. I just got tired of buying laptops that claimed 'UP TO 9 HOURS!' then got 3 in light, light usage (I'm looking at you Asus). I got tired of having to use a laptop stand with fans or listening to a laptop's jet engine fans (while simultaneously seeming to remain hot enough to cook an egg on). Now I can sit there, not have to worry about vent holes, not have to worry about heat, and know I can actually count on something to work the full 10 hours it's suppose to.
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Ok, sorry gonna call bs. An iPad is not a replacement for a laptop for a college kid. Is it a neat device that has some uses in very specific situations? Yes it is. However the notion of typing regular papers on it is simply laughable. You need a regular keyboard to do that and an iPad doesn't provide that. Also if you are going to slam laptops for their faults, consider the average not the one bad example. I am typing this on an Asus K52, it gets 4 hours of battery under normal use. Likewise it doesn't get overly warm and I can't even hear the fans. Actually i rarely encounter a modern laptop that gets crazy hot or is overly loud, not that there aren't any they just are the norm.

Is the iPad useful? yes it is.
Is the iPad a computer replacement for a college kid? Not by a long shot.
 
Hell, I won't by my wife a tablet let alone a child. Kids needs have gotten way out of hand in relation to price over the past decade or so. Going back to school went from a couple hundred (including clothes and such) to a grand or so. And if this article is directed towards college students, like myself you should work for what you want.
 
Trepidati0n said:
Gong to college is about breaking your limits and not being defined by them. An iPad completely limits what you can do with technology. Everything I did in college that was worth while did not utlize "the standard stuff". I understand if you have made the choice to pick a device which limits you because you are willing abide by those limits, but a college student should not.

The next generation of awesome will not be discovered by developing on an iPad.
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I went to college over 30 years ago, I had no laptop or computer, and we
all did just fine.

So if you really want to break "your limits" throw all the gadgets away
that think for you.

Dont just pick on one.
 
Ualdayan said:
No, I'm an adult who purchased their own iPad back when they first came out. It's the only Apple device I have, so you can't exactly call me an Apple fanboy either. In this particular case though Apple came out with something that nobody else could match (much less beat) in price and come anywhere close to the same functionality. It's completely replaced laptop usage for me, and frankly I could see a college kid getting by with just an iPad. The only hangup is he'd need a wireless printer to print to. Everything other than that it can do. It has a word processor, browser, and entertainment. What more does a college kid need?
Click to expand...

A real, physical keyboard so it doesn't take twice as long to write your reports compared to just using pen and paper? Also a lack of auto-correct that inserts random profanities into your essay when you try to use difficult words that are not in the dictionary of the device..

The iPad was never intended to replace conventional laptop or desktop computers. Not even Apple themselves market it that way, because they have this other product called the Macbook. The iPad is designed for passive content consumption. You can listen to music/audio books, browse web sites, watch movies and read ebooks. You *can* write on it, but that's not what it was designed for.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Ok, sorry gonna call bs. An iPad is not a replacement for a laptop for a college kid. Is it a neat device that has some uses in very specific situations? Yes it is. However the notion of typing regular papers on it is simply laughable. You need a regular keyboard to do that and an iPad doesn't provide that. Also if you are going to slam laptops for their faults, consider the average not the one bad example. I am typing this on an Asus K52, it gets 4 hours of battery under normal use. Likewise it doesn't get overly warm and I can't even hear the fans. Actually i rarely encounter a modern laptop that gets crazy hot or is overly loud, not that there aren't any they just are the norm.

Is the iPad useful? yes it is.
Is the iPad a computer replacement for a college kid? Not by a long shot.
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There are keyboards for iPads.

Search amazon for:
"ipad keyboards"

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_s...eywords=ipad+keyboards&sprefix=ipad+keyboards

The idiot failed to do his research.
 
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The article rightly uses the iPad as the tablet market. Why? iPad IS the tablet market. Further, there are cheap tablet alternatives that cost 1/3 as much in some cases.

Tablets are still best as magazine/app supertoys. Real work requires a physical keyboard. There's no way to argue around that unless you're super fast at typing on a glass screen.
 
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Ualdayan said:
I just got tired of buying laptops that claimed 'UP TO 9 HOURS!' then got 3 in light, light usage (I'm looking at you Asus). I got tired of having to use a laptop stand with fans or listening to a laptop's jet engine fans (while simultaneously seeming to remain hot enough to cook an egg on). Now I can sit there, not have to worry about vent holes, not have to worry about heat, and know I can actually count on something to work the full 10 hours it's suppose to.
Click to expand...

My 2 year old Acer Timeline gives me 4-6 hours on a charge (4 hours playing movies, 6 hours reading email, etc) and runs so cool I rarely hear the fan.

I've never owned a laptop or had one at work that needed a cooling stand. Any laptop that needs one is a bad design.
 
chrispycrunch said:
The article rightly uses the iPad as the tablet market. Why? iPad IS the tablet market. Further, there are cheap tablet alternatives that cost 1/3 as much in some cases.

Tablets are still best as magazine/app supertoys. Real work requires a physical keyboard. There's no way to argue around that unless you're super fast at typing on a glass screen.
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ALL tablets not just an iPad, but he doesnt say that.
 
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chrispycrunch said:
...further adding $71 to the cost of the device. Meanwhile you can buy a netbook for 1/3 the price to do what you'll spend most time doing: writing, taking notes, inputting.
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Agreed, do it on a regular computer, just pointing out he didnt do
some simple research.

The points are valid for any small device, not just an iPad.
 
Dekoth-E- said:
Just because it has a keyboard, doesn't mean it works worth a crap. My wife has an ipad and the keyboard and the kb is worthless. As mentioned, the iPad is for passive content consumption. For that purpose it does an amazing job, anything beyond that it wasn't designed for.
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Never said it was a computer, just AGAIN, pointing out the articles
errors.
 
Why is it "iPad", instead of "tablet"? And almost all of those arguments apply to laptops. Not really sure I get what the point was for this article, other than to slam Apple.

Anyway I'm willing to bet within the decade colleges will require them, mainly because of reason 7. Just like game companies are trying to kill the secondary market, textbook companies want to also.
 
If I had a kid begging me to buy them a tablet or computer for school, I'd get them a netbook by Sylvania. It's $150, and has Windows CE on it. It's good for web browsing, media playing, word processing, and little else. Otherwise they can work for their own stuff. I've been working since I was 11 years old, and when I have a kid, he can learn the value of hard work too.

Now, if they were saving up for something, I wouldn't be opposed to kicking in a few bucks, but seriously, iPads and tablets are NOT school related products.
 
Why is it "iPad", instead of "tablet"?
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Why is it "kleenex" and not facial tissue.

Just use iPad as tablet and the article is dead on.:D
 
All the ipad defenders seem to be missing some important things.
Most college majors require certain specialized software for some classes, and that software will not work on an ipad, period. You need either a full blown mac or pc laptop or desktop. For an engineering student for example, there is no way you are going to get CAD software to work on an ipad.
Other majors have their own industry specific software, again typically not designed for an ipad.
For real work, you just need a real computer, and if money is tight, why have multiple devices? Focus on one that will do what you need...in other words a laptop...and be done with it.
 
Koolthulu said:
Why is it "iPad", instead of "tablet"? And almost all of those arguments apply to laptops. Not really sure I get what the point was for this article, other than to slam Apple.

Anyway I'm willing to bet within the decade colleges will require them, mainly because of reason 7. Just like game companies are trying to kill the secondary market, textbook companies want to also.
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I made these points earlier, glad someone else got that also!
 
If you can't afford to buy both, then get a laptop as the Ipad isn't a full replacement for a pc.
However, a desktop + ipad is an amazing combo. Who really likes lugging around laptops(other than netbooks) anyway?
 
magoo said:
Why is it "kleenex" and not facial tissue.

Just use iPad as tablet and the article is dead on.:D
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Why not call your mother board "motherboard" and not an EVGA, ASUS,BIOSTART
ect? We ALL know waht that means, right?

would that be acceptable to any [H] member when asking for help in the
hardware forum?

Bet NOT!
 
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