10 Reasons Not to Buy an iPad for Students

Hmm, the Ipad has Word Processing and Spreadsheet at $9.99 each. I already have a couple bluetooth keyboards. All I would need the Ipad to do now is support a fortran/pascal/c++ compiler and it would do everything I needed from computers during college.

Funny, my first compiler, pascal, was for my first computer my apple iic. I sometimes miss that machine. Certainly a far less powerful computer then my current or last few phones, heck the clock on my desk probably has more computational power then the apple //c.

It is funny how the apps that made apple in the beginning are no longer even good on an apple product.

Personally, the apps I care about do not work on apple products...easy choice.
 
I think anyone that has seen an Apple / PC commercial knows it will turn your kid into the most annoying douche on campus that is just asking to have his ass beaten.
 
I think anyone that has seen an Apple / PC commercial knows it will turn your kid into the most annoying douche on campus that is just asking to have his ass beaten.

:rolleyes:


I find it funny that people actually believe stuff like that, just shows a complete lack of any grasp on reality.

I've never had a single problem with taking my iPad in public, some people ask to look at it, I oblige, I don't really mind.

In the end, all the iPad really is is a device that I use for an ebook reader and something I use to browse [H] while I'm on the can.

HAH, take that Steve, I browse [H] on the iPad while I'm on the can, see it has at least ONE useful use you would agree with, since it lets me look at the advertisements which support this forum and HardOCP :p
 
Business major? Look at what it would take to be an engineer. Note, this is a small fraction of what I found with a quick google search. Here are just a few schools that require you to have a computer:

http://www.marquette.edu/engineering/students_laptops.shtml

The College of Engineering curriculum reflects engineering education in the 21st century. This means using the latest computer technologies in teaching and learning so students are prepared for a future increasingly defined by digital technology and team-based workspaces. As a result, all engineering freshmen and transfer students are required to have a laptop computer.


http://www.eng.vt.edu/it/requirement

All Freshmen and Transfer Engineering Students entering Summer and Fall 2011 are expected to purchase the following items:

A tablet pc meeting or exceeding our minimum requirement.
University Undergraduate Bundle
Engineering Software Bundle


http://www.bagley.msstate.edu/academics/computer/

After a thorough study of various methods to enhance computer skills, the College of Engineering decided that each student should have unrestricted access to his or her own computer. This computer should be available to them 24 hours a day; should be customized to reflect their preferences; and should be integrated into their everyday lives. Computer labs can not provide this type of access.
Effective with the Fall 1999 semester, all entering freshmen were required to have a personal computer that meets or exceeds certain minimum specifications.


http://www.engr.utk.edu/futurestudents/computers.html

Since the fall semester of 2003, the College of Engineering has required all sophomores in the college to have either a desktop or laptop computer.


I would run, not walk from an engineering program that requires a laptop. All of the software we needed was installed on computers in the engineering computer lab.

Not only that, but some of the people I know who never had a laptop in college are making some of the most money now. Coincidence? I don't think so.

It's only "nice" and "convenient" to have a laptop. You can get done everything you need to without one. In the end, it just ends up a distraction.

(personally, I had a laptop for about 1/2 - 2/3 of university)

I am talking about ME, but the same was for EE, ChemE, and CivE.
 
When I have to write a paper or compile something, I either go home and do it on my computer or swing by a lab and do it there. The biggest reason I bought my iPad was the huge difference in the amount of weight I have to lug around. No textbooks, no laptop, no note pads. That's 20+ pounds reduced to less than two.
 
:rolleyes:
HAH, take that Steve, I browse [H] on the iPad while I'm on the can, see it has at least ONE useful use you would agree with, since it lets me look at the advertisements which support this forum and HardOCP :p

Unless it's a Flash ad... Zing! ;)
 
The main reason college kids shouldn't have iPads in college is because their are better tablet alternatives for less. That aside...

I have a USB keyboard for my Viewsonic Gtab. I can type about 90% of my normal typing speed on it, and if I used only that keyboard instead of my home PC one and my work PC one, I would soon be at 98% as I got more used to the smaller keyboard. For taking notes or writing papers it is more than sufficient and my tablet could easily replace a laptop at college for most classes.

I can also type fast enough on the touchpad for note taking in any class that doesn't have a lot of numbers or symbols in it. For instance, I recently took a two hour class at the local library and had no problem taking good notes.

Personally if I was back in college right now I would want a desktop in my dorm/apartment and a good tablet to store my texts books on, and to use in those classes where it would be effective at taking notes. Other classes I would use pencil and paper while viewing the textbook on the tablet.

The size and weight of 10" tablet with keyboard is so small and light that it would totally be worth the minor inconveniences I would still have dealing with differing file formats and such at times. Even that isn't too big a deal thought thanks to TeamViewer. For instance, I am typing this sentence on my home PCs screen using my tablets keyboard right now. So if I was around campus and needed to open a document that was unreadable on my tablet I could send it to my home PC and read it on there from my tablet anywhere I happened to be.
 
I think anyone that has seen an Apple / PC commercial knows it will turn your kid into the most annoying douche on campus that is just asking to have his ass beaten.

Stupid response, are you 13 and want to start a fight in the schoolyard?
 
When I have to write a paper or compile something, I either go home and do it on my computer or swing by a lab and do it there. The biggest reason I bought my iPad was the huge difference in the amount of weight I have to lug around. No textbooks, no laptop, no note pads. That's 20+ pounds reduced to less than two.

These guys arent interested in a real practical approach, so stop it...;)
 
iPads, like smartphones, are devices geared for content consumption, not creation. They are not well suited for writing papers, they are good for noodling around on the web. Hence they don't replace a computer well at all. If your kids wants a toy and you wish to buy them one, by all means. However don't think it replaces a computer. Anyone who takes university seriously will get lots of use out of a computer. Doesn't have to be a laptop (though that can be convenient), a desktop works fine but a computer will be real useful. An iPad? Mostly a toy. fine, but in no way necessary and certainly no replacement for a computer. Tablets are something you get in addition to computers, not instead.
 
The main reason college kids shouldn't have iPads in college is because their are better tablet alternatives for less. That aside...

I have a USB keyboard for my Viewsonic Gtab. I can type about 90% of my normal typing speed on it, and if I used only that keyboard instead of my home PC one and my work PC one, I would soon be at 98% as I got more used to the smaller keyboard. For taking notes or writing papers it is more than sufficient and my tablet could easily replace a laptop at college for most classes.

I can also type fast enough on the touchpad for note taking in any class that doesn't have a lot of numbers or symbols in it. For instance, I recently took a two hour class at the local library and had no problem taking good notes.

Personally if I was back in college right now I would want a desktop in my dorm/apartment and a good tablet to store my texts books on, and to use in those classes where it would be effective at taking notes. Other classes I would use pencil and paper while viewing the textbook on the tablet.

The size and weight of 10" tablet with keyboard is so small and light that it would totally be worth the minor inconveniences I would still have dealing with differing file formats and such at times. Even that isn't too big a deal thought thanks to TeamViewer. For instance, I am typing this sentence on my home PCs screen using my tablets keyboard right now. So if I was around campus and needed to open a document that was unreadable on my tablet I could send it to my home PC and read it on there from my tablet anywhere I happened to be.

As a Systems Analyst, and going on the road I find that TeamViewer is a great app for
getting to my PC at the office to do remote support on our network.

Essentially this allows my iPad to do everything I need, in the real world.
It's not about PC/Apple, its about choosing the best tool to get the
job done.
 
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.

You can use a regular keyboard, the same BT keyboard for the Mac Pro and Mac Mini can be paired with the Ipad
 
I like the ending of the article. If my kid was caught saying "but (insert neighbor kid here) got one!" That'd be a guaranteed "Hell no". Let the neighbor kid enjoy their polished turd.
 
As a Systems Analyst, and going on the road I find that TeamViewer is a great app for
getting to my PC at the office to do remote support on our network.

Essentially this allows my iPad to do everything I need, in the real world.
It's not about PC/Apple, its about choosing the best tool to get the
job done.

Exactly, this is what I do with my ipad and home/work pc's and servers.
 
No, its pretty much hardcore anti apple. Lets call a spade a spade here.

But everyone loves differing viewpoints, so truck on I say.

Just calling it as we see it. Apple doesn't manufacture magic, its just overpriced gear with an obscure OS.
 
i completed my college degree without using a laptop and honestly I cant barely think of any situations in class where I was like, "Gee, I wish I had my laptop with me right now"
 
Business major? Look at what it would take to be an engineer. Note, this is a small fraction of what I found with a quick google search. Here are just a few schools that require you to have a computer:

http://www.marquette.edu/engineering/students_laptops.shtml

The College of Engineering curriculum reflects engineering education in the 21st century. This means using the latest computer technologies in teaching and learning so students are prepared for a future increasingly defined by digital technology and team-based workspaces. As a result, all engineering freshmen and transfer students are required to have a laptop computer.


http://www.eng.vt.edu/it/requirement

All Freshmen and Transfer Engineering Students entering Summer and Fall 2011 are expected to purchase the following items:

A tablet pc meeting or exceeding our minimum requirement.
University Undergraduate Bundle
Engineering Software Bundle


http://www.bagley.msstate.edu/academics/computer/

After a thorough study of various methods to enhance computer skills, the College of Engineering decided that each student should have unrestricted access to his or her own computer. This computer should be available to them 24 hours a day; should be customized to reflect their preferences; and should be integrated into their everyday lives. Computer labs can not provide this type of access.
Effective with the Fall 1999 semester, all entering freshmen were required to have a personal computer that meets or exceeds certain minimum specifications.


http://www.engr.utk.edu/futurestudents/computers.html

Since the fall semester of 2003, the College of Engineering has required all sophomores in the college to have either a desktop or laptop computer.

I'm an Information Systems major actually, which falls under the Business school. Some sort of software factors into almost every class for me (Visual Studio, SAP, MS Project, SPSS, etc) . Still, all required software is provided on lab computers.

Keep in mind, my assumptions are based on my knowledge of public schools on the west coast, and that's not complete by any means.

Even if we assume that many Engineering and possibly CS programs require a laptop, for the large majority of students who aren't Engineering or CS majors, having a tablet in the classroom would likely still be adequate for note taking and e-books, etc. Actually, pen and paper is adequate for most.
 
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.

http://www.amazon.com/Menotek-Bluet...6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311695886&sr=1-6

http://www.amazon.com/Gembox-Keyboa...8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311695886&sr=1-8

http://www.amazon.com/GSI-Wireless-...9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311695886&sr=1-9

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Keyb...?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1311695886&sr=1-10
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
You misunderstand. When he says the university "calculates [the cost of a laptop] into tuition," he means that your financial aid includes an amount to purchase a laptop. The school may provide a means to purchase the laptop, but the student is ultimately paying for it. When I went to law school 7 years ago (at a state funded university), that was the case. I imagine laptop requirements are commonplace - it's hardly a major expense when compared tuition/fees/living expenses.

Ah, I understand the intention there. I still feel that there are students I know that would have issue with even an extra $1000. This is all from the perspective of a fairly cheap school, where a 12-credit load only runs in state students $3000-4000.

But you're right, in the grand scheme of most four year educations a laptop is not a big cost. That wasn't really my intended point though. My point was that most students don't need and aren't required to have their own laptop in order to run custom software in the classroom. A tablet would suffice for in-classroom tasks that most students use a laptop for currently, such as note-taking, e-books, reference lookups, etc.
 
I would run, not walk from an engineering program that requires a laptop. All of the software we needed was installed on computers in the engineering computer lab.

Not only that, but some of the people I know who never had a laptop in college are making some of the most money now. Coincidence? I don't think so.

It's only "nice" and "convenient" to have a laptop. You can get done everything you need to without one. In the end, it just ends up a distraction.

(personally, I had a laptop for about 1/2 - 2/3 of university)

I am talking about ME, but the same was for EE, ChemE, and CivE.

I have an ME degree, graduated in 1996, and I never owned a computer myself in college, but times have changed. Just about all engineering disciplines use specialized software. Solidworks, Pro/E, AutoCAD, and minitab are just a few examples. FEA software of course too....but anyway, it just seems that these colleges are pushing the computing burden to the students. Maybe they have found that it's too hard to teach the overall subjects, plus the specialized software, in a computer lab so they want students in a classroom with laptops instead. Hard to say why this shift has occurred, but as I said, times change. It is what it is, and if you want the degree you have to do what they want.
It would be pretty nice to have a laptop with educational or trial versions of most of what I listed above. You could work on things whenever and wherever you wanted.
 
As a business person, I've tried to make the ipad a productivity tool. Tried email (not great for reading or writing messages), Calendar... works ok, not great. Logmein works OK, but again not great for the ipad.

The best thing I've found the ipad for is internet browsing and reading documentation. Works great for that... thats about it.
 
#6. "What Makes it Desirable to your Kid is What Makes it Desirable to Criminals"

Are you kidding me? With that logic I won't buy a house because a house is broken into every 14 seconds. I won't buy a car because they are broken into more often than houses. I won't buy a laptop for my kid's college because for fear it might be stolen. This article is stupid. I disregarded it when it said the iPad had "4G Capabilities" and it would "distract" the student. I'm pretty sure everyone's computer on this forum distracts them way more than some stupid little tablet. This is just a rant post from an angry PC user that is upset Microsoft is a far-behind-number-two to Apple.
 
This is just a rant post from an angry PC user that is upset Microsoft is a far-behind-number-two to Apple.

Lets see if we can find laptop owner counts versus ipad owner counts. Then we can see if Maverick's logic is based in any kind of reality other than his own.
 
Lets see if we can find laptop owner counts versus ipad owner counts. Then we can see if Maverick's logic is based in any kind of reality other than his own.

Because Apple doesn't have laptops, right? Not exactly an Apple to apple comparison.


Oh damn, look what I did.
 
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

Not so much. I work in enterprise IT and have been working with and supporting blackberries since they were nothing more than a monochrome email device and nothing else.

They arent going anywhere. Encyrption is the key. BES is also a *hell* of alot more secure than Activesync on Exchange (which ipads and iphones use to connect to an MS environment) could ever hope to be even on its best day.
 
#6. "What Makes it Desirable to your Kid is What Makes it Desirable to Criminals"

Are you kidding me? With that logic I won't buy a house because a house is broken into every 14 seconds. I won't buy a car because they are broken into more often than houses. I won't buy a laptop for my kid's college because for fear it might be stolen.

Your logic is flawed. The author is referring to "popular" items in the categories you list. To use your own example:


hot new sports car vs. a standard no frills sedan: which do you think a criminal would break into first given the same circumstances and opportunity?

The more attention you draw to something, the more likely something is going to happen to it. And having a hot new ipad 2 is going to draw A LOT more negative attention your kid's way than some standard laptop.
 
Not so much. I work in enterprise IT and have been working with and supporting blackberries since they were nothing more than a monochrome email device and nothing else.

They arent going anywhere. Encyrption is the key. BES is also a *hell* of alot more secure than Activesync on Exchange (which ipads and iphones use to connect to an MS environment) could ever hope to be even on its best day.

I can add to your enterprise part...where I am, we are now experimenting using apple and android devices to connect to our remote desktop infrastructure. That is currently the only way to use a non blackberry phone/tablet in a secure environment.

Blackberry isn't going away any time soon.
 
Because Apple doesn't have laptops, right? Not exactly an Apple to apple comparison.


Oh damn, look what I did.

Ok, I should have been more specific...but, I think we all get the point. MS operating system based laptops dominate the remote connectivity world.
 
as a student, i see other students in class using their iPads to play games and browse internets.
no productivity whatsoever!

but i have my ipod touch for iOS games and my samsung captivate for Android games/internet
no productivity either!
 
I use my iPad because it's easier to read the [H] on the crapper with an iPad vs. a laptop.
 
I use my iPad because it's easier to read the [H] on the crapper with an iPad vs. a laptop.

Same here, also it's great for reading those ebooks you buy off the Kindle store

or work .pdf's or whatnots.
 
Shizzle for no edit button, I also forgot, it's great to play Puzzle Quest 1 and 2 on!!! Great game, pretty damn addictive, and the iPad's touchscreen is perfect for it.
 
Not so much. I work in enterprise IT and have been working with and supporting blackberries since they were nothing more than a monochrome email device and nothing else.

They arent going anywhere. Encyrption is the key. BES is also a *hell* of alot more secure than Activesync on Exchange (which ipads and iphones use to connect to an MS environment) could ever hope to be even on its best day.


Not sure how you consider something with a known government backdoor to be 'secure'. I think what you mean to say is that its the best security theater available. there are lots of ways to ensure private communication, blackberry is not one of them
 
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