Israel has banned the Apple iPad over concerns about it hogging wireless bandwidth. More articles came out with potential bans on top university campuses this fall, also due to networking issues. However, by and large, the Apple iPad is not an ideal computing solution for anyone hitting the books this fall.
Multitasking Is a Must
Ask anyone who has ever written a paper for college and he or she will tell you, multi-tasking is a must. You need a browser open with tabs dedicated to research sources, a tab explaining how to cite everything, and a tab or two open to your favorite social media where you can procrastinate and complain about writing said paper. That's just one application. You next need a word processing application open, and unless you are part of the select few who work best in silence, some type of motivational music playing. The Apple iPad lost you at music and one other application open.
Ergonomics Please
You type a lot in college. From emails to friends and families, to captioning all sixty of the shameful pictures you took at the party last night, typing is the new handwriting. Aside from math, most of your classes will require typed assignments. Professors gave up on reading handwriting last decade. Typing on the Apple iPad is fine for short bouts, but prolonged typing on such a small keyboard will wreak havoc on your joints. Carpal tunnel is only appropriate for jokes in college, not actual visits to the university health center.
Plug Ins A Notta
Without even a simple USB connection, the Apple iPad is severely limited in how much it can play well with others. Other peripherals you may have that is, such as a camera, printer, or even a web cam for those late night college humor video sessions. Sure, you can pay for an adapter, but the odds of having the said adapter when you want it in the mess of a standard dorm room? You'll be lucky to find your iPad!
Bottom line, for the money get a decent laptop or one of the slightly larger net books (some have a nearly standard sized keyboard) for the $500-$800 you would spend on an Apple iPad. Toshiba has some great economy priced laptops, personal testing of the Satellite series survived two plus years of moving across country and international travel. My husband even dropped his Toshiba Satellite down a submarine hatch, and it lives to tell the tale (with a broken plastic corner). Oh, and to save yourself some more change when it comes to college computing? Don't buy any student package of software until you check for free open source alternatives (www.openoffice.org).
