10 Reasons Not To Buy an iPad for Students

[roadbloc]

Believe it or not, their are good students out there.

Never claimed there wasn't. I'm friends with many of them.

Where is the proof they aren't?

Re read my post. I'm 18, pretty much all of my friends and the people I know are going to uni. An iPad is the last thing on their minds.

Same thing.

It's not the same thing at all. I wouldn't buy a playboy mansion, but I certainly wouldn't say no to it if one was being given to me for free.

"Are students buying iPads?" is actually the wrong question to ask, since it will be moot in due course. They won't necessarily need to.

So you are no admitting that what you previously posted about students buying iPads is wrong?

 

[*LTD*]

Re read my post. I'm 18, pretty much all of my friends and the people I know are going to uni. An iPad is the last thing on their minds.

roadbloc's survey, performed by roadbloc, sponsored by roadbloc.

Well I'm convinced.

So you are no admitting that what you previously posted about students buying iPads is wrong?

I'm admitting that it doesn't actually matter. It's moot.

 

[roadbloc]

roadbloc's survey, performed by roadbloc, sponsored by roadbloc.

Well I'm convinced.

I believe my observations more than I believe your out of touch opinions and biased links.

 

[*LTD*]

your out of touch opinions and biased links.

Reality isn't biased. It just is.

Here's another:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2011/07/22/apple-ipads-will-dominate-back-to-school-sales/

“The iPad is the best tablet out there today that we’ve seen reviewed,” said John Connolly, technology director for Chicago Public Schools, during the TechWeek conference this afternoon at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago.

The iPad’s market dominance will translate to dominance in schools as educators adopt tablet computing this fall, experts agree. The iPad accounted for 90 percent of tablet sales in the third quarter, according to the research firm IDC.

Chicago had 700 iPads in 23 public schools during the past school year. This fall it will add 4,500 iPads in about 50 schools.

CPS purchased the 4,500 iPads coming to Chicago classrooms this year with Illinois state grant funds. Its current iPads were published through a federal grant.

 

[steviem]

You can, but it's a huge pain in the butt compared to a laptop for things that require a lot of typing. Especially this point :



That sure helps portability right there... dragging a whole keyboard along with your iPad.

I've never used my iPad with a Bluetooth Keyboard, but damn, I just want to show you how much you're dragging along by adding a keyboard!

 

[roadbloc]

Reality isn't biased. It just is.

That link has nothing to do with the topic in hand. Well done, tried to change the topic... again.

What I'm seeing and experiencing in my life is reality. If every student I knew, or the majority, or even just a minority were buying iPads, I wouldn't deny it. Why would I? I like Apple's products, and even though I do dislike their hostile decisions at times, their products tend to impress me.

You on the other hand, seem to have got it into your head that Apple is the be all and end all. Posting links that suit your opinion do not make it a reality at all. Neither does tactfully twisting the debate or just simply claiming that a topic doesn't matter anymore.

I know what is a reality and what isn't if I claim it. If I didn't know, I wouldn't claim it. You would claim the sky was green and provide a wall's length of links proving it if it suited Apple.

In other words; I don't believe you. And I'd like to think not many posters here do, although, I have no right to speak for them.

 

[*LTD*]

I've never used my iPad with a Bluetooth Keyboard, but damn, I just want to show you how much you're dragging along by adding a keyboard!

Not even.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/keyboards/keyboard/devices/fold-up-keyboard-ipad

What I'm seeing and experiencing in my life is reality.

It's anecdotal.

 

[KnightWRX]

I've never used my iPad with a Bluetooth Keyboard, but damn, I just want to show you how much you're dragging along by adding a keyboard!

Plus the iPad, all loose in your backpack. I'd rather just have a laptop that's an all in one device. That was my point about portability. Not to mention the dock required to keep the iPad upright as you type using the keyboard...

The laptop is all integrated. Way to miss the point.

 

[whooleytoo]

Plus the iPad, all loose in your backpack. I'd rather just have a laptop that's an all in one device. That was my point about portability. Not to mention the dock required to keep the iPad upright as you type using the keyboard...

The laptop is all integrated. Way to miss the point.

Yup, if you have to carry a separate keyboard, a small laptop/netbook is a better bet. (Of course, if you already have a lot of Apple gear/iOS apps, that might not be an attractive option).

The ideal for me would be if someone could engineer a Smartcover with a built-in BT keyboard (i.e. so when you're using the Smartcover as a stand, the keyboard is sticking out the front, like a laptop). If you want to switch to a tablet, just pull it off as with a standard Smartcover.

 

[KnightWRX]

Yup, if you have to carry a separate keyboard, a small laptop/netbook is a better bet. (Of course, if you already have a lot of Apple gear/iOS apps, that might not be an attractive option).

MBA 11".

The ideal for me would be if someone could engineer a Smartcover with a built-in BT keyboard (i.e. so when you're using the Smartcover as a stand, the keyboard is sticking out the front, like a laptop). If you want to switch to a tablet, just pull it off as with a standard Smartcover.

All the weight and girth of a laptop, none of the power. Yeah... Clamcase has what you want :

http://clamcase.com/

The iPad just isn't made for long winded typing sessions like a classroom requires.

 

[tjb1]

I got one...tried it and not for me. Pretty much no Microsoft Office killed it. I dont want to use iWork then convert to Office format to send.

 

[ppilone]

Apple doesn't market the iPad for education for a reason: it's not meant for it. It's an entertainment device. It runs a mobile OS.

If you're on a budget, buy a nice Windows laptop, install Linux on it if you hate Windows. Those are around the price of an iPad.

http://www.apple.com/education/ipad/

I'm pretty sure Apple is marketing iPad for education.

 

[palpatine]

using the ipad with a bluetooth keyboard gives a student the ability to:

1. carry about the same amount of weight and bulk as an 11" MBA.
2. enjoy about twice as much battery life as the 11" MBA.
3. pay a little more than half the price of the 11" MBA (depending on what model you get)
4. use the ipad as an ereader, thereby completely emptying your backpack of books

if most of your time is spent reading, writing, or taking notes, then i think the ipad is ideal for a classroom environment. obviously, it is limited, and lacks a lot of the flexibility of a clamshell computer. if you have to choose one or the other, the MBA is the obvious choice. but, if you have the money for both a computer at home (to do some of the heavy lifting) and a portable device, then i would definitely recommend the ipad (as a supplement rather than a replacement for a computer).

because it lacks the ereader capability and has such a short battery life, i think the MBA is actually a lot less desirable for students than it would appear at first glance.

 

[KnightWRX]

using the ipad with a bluetooth keyboard gives a student the ability to:

1. carry about the same amount of weight and bulk as an 11" MBA.

But not as conveniently in a single package that fits inside a single protective sleeve and does not move around.

2. enjoy about twice as much battery life as the 11" MBA.

With half the usable computing power and flexibility.

3. pay a little more than half the price of the 11" MBA (depending on what model you get)

MBA was a Apple eco-system based solution. There are other notebooks that are priced less or similar to an iPad that still fit the bill quite nicely.

Not to mention the iPad still remains a tethered device requiring another computer. A MBA 11" does not.

4. use the ipad as an ereader, thereby completely emptying your backpack of books

Which a MBA 11" or any other laptop can do really.

if most of your time is spent reading, then i think the ipad is ideal for a classroom environment.

Fixed that there for you. For writing and taking notes, a keyboard attached to a laptop without requiring 3 seperate parts is a much more convenient and superior solution.

 

[InuNacho]

#3 It's Too Distracting

iPad in class + back of the class = porno during class

 

[villicodelirant]

I guess many schools and universities do so to gain a "hip factor". An iPad is clearly not necessary.

That's a good point.
And, I fear, kind of true.
And kind of scary, too.

----------

roadbloc's survey, performed by roadbloc, sponsored by roadbloc.
Well I'm convinced.

Well, he's attending uni.
I deem him to be a somewhat credible source, actually.

 

[Rodimus Prime]

iPad in class + back of the class = porno during class

While true it also means being escorted out by campus police. I have seen more than one person escorted out for watching porn on there laptop using the school's wireless.

But yeah iPad for in class for I will say 95% of the students it is used to screw around and not pay attention. I try to leave my laptop in the bag since I noticed I tend to surf when I have it out and looking around a class room that is pretty much the norm.

 

[tjb1]

Considering there is pretty much 0(ZERO) file management abilities on the iPad, I think a laptop would be much better for a college student.

 

[Heilage]

Can I program and compile code on an iPad?

Didn't think so. Useless then. And I'm not even doing a complicated degree.


EDIT: I observed a couple of guys in my HCI course the other day, taking notes on an iPad. Didn't look too comfortable.

 

[boss.king]

The question is, who or what is the arbiter of a "good solution"?

It seems we're moving in a particular direction.

Your attempt to equate iPads with cigarettes is priceless.

That's a good point, I guess it's up to individuals to find what works best for them.

I didn't equate an iPad to cigarettes, I used that to illustrate that just because something is backed my a strong representative (education institutes/surgeon general) doesn't make it good.

 

[*LTD*]

Considering there is pretty much 0(ZERO) file management abilities on the iPad, I think a laptop would be much better for a college student.

Wrong.

There are plenty of file managers for the iPad. Additionally, you can open files and view/edit them either within those file managers or with a target app, and you can transfer them back and forth.

A simple Google search will turn up some good results.

 

[tjb1]

Wrong.

There are plenty of file managers for the iPad. Additionally, you can open files and view/edit them either within those file managers or with a target app, and you can transfer them back and forth.

A simple Google search will turn up some good results.

Ok...so I can save something from pages and find it? Then put it to a flash drive? Yeah...no. Of course you can with jailbreaking it can be done but thats a pain.

 

[*LTD*]

Ok...so I can save something from pages and find it? Then put it to a flash drive? Yeah...no. Of course you can with jailbreaking it can be done but thats a pain.

I use it in conjunction with MobileMe/iDisk. Super easy. No need for any flash drive. Just use the cloud and work from that. Cut out physical media entirely.

 

[tjb1]

I use it in conjunction with MobileMe/iDisk. Super easy. No need for any flash drive. Just use the cloud and work from that. Cut out physical media entirely.

Do you go to college? MobileMe cost money...

 

[bizzle]

I could save you all a lot of time and just give you one reason why not to buy iPads for students.

The iPad is dumb.