I want your opinions on this

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yesterday, on a forum that is entirely populated by my close friends, I made a somewhat flippant comment about how Woot had an iPad for $459, and how I was bummed that I couldn't quite justify buying one for school. I had no idea how controversial this comment would turn out to be.

One friend said "why the hell would one *need* an ipad for school? that's ridiculous."

I said "I don't need one, that's why I said I couldn't justify buying it, but a lot of students buy them as an affordable alternative to notebook computers."

He then made a comment about how he gets annoyed by Apple cultists who have to have the latest version of every new gadget (not relevant to my situation), and another friend mentioned that you can get a Windows laptop for pretty cheap. Yet another person jumped in with "Don't buy anything for school; technology won't make you a better student, and at some point you'll probably have to use a website or software in college and I can guarantee that it won't be compatible with a tablet or even a Mac". He also said "The largest technological change in education has been online courses; I took half of mine on an old desktop". (He was an accounting major.)

Another student who has an iPad explained what she liked about it, what she uses it for, and said that so far it's been compatible with everything at her school (same school I'm transferring to, similar program) and got, essentially, called stupid.

I commented that it seems arrogant to me for anyone outside of their program to tell a student what tools will and won't be useful for them, and in response was told (by a former art student who dropped out about ten years ago) "It's not arrogant, it's called "advice".

Since I wasn't really expecting, when I made my original comment, to be informed about what I do or don't need, it took me a bit aback that people had such strong opinions about it. (I was also taken a bit aback by the fact of having so many friends who seem to think I'm too stupid to figure out what I need for myself, or ask for advice if I need it.)

However, now I'm curious; since there are a lot of current and recent students here, I would like to get your input on the usefulness of having a notebook or tablet computer. To me, the use seems completely obvious; however, evidently quite a few people just don't see it at all. Opinions?

[Cainad (dec.)]

My opinion, as a lifelong user of Apple products ("before it was cool," if you will), is that the Cult of AppleHate is as fanatical, if not far more so, than the Cult of Apple. If Apple products sucked, I would stop using them and not shed a single tear.

From this account, it seems more like your friends are more interested in appearing edgy and smarter-than-thou than in actually providing helpful input.

Everyone I know who has an iPad claims to get lots of use out of it and seems to enjoy the device. Of course, the same can be said for everyone I know who has a netbook.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Yeah, I was a little surprised by the implication that I'm an Apple cultist or that I rush out to buy the latest Apple products. I don't have the financial resources to be an Apple cultist, and it would be pretty irresponsible of me to spend my money on fun gadgets instead of, say, the electric bill.

I do have a couple of friends who do that, but they're software developers who write Apple programs so it seems justified.

I know that I could buy a Netbook for about the same price as an iPad, and that's certainly a possibility. I am a little leery of super-cheap notebooks though, as I have gone that route before and barely got two years use out of it, as opposed to the 5+ years I normally get from an Apple computer. Plus, my desktop computer is a Mac, and to me it makes very little sense to buy a propane appliance when you already have natural gas, you know? Especially because they crippled cross-platform networking in the latest version of Windows.

But that's a digression... I think that portable computers are incredibly useful for college students, and am a little baffled by why anyone would think otherwise, let alone vehemently argue against purchasing one. I mean, they aren't necessary, but something that allows you to record lectures and do research wherever you go is pretty handy, IMO.

[East Coast Hustle]

As much as I am otherwise a full-fledged member of the Cult of AppleHate, even I want an iPad. And I also try not to be an arrogant annoying prick who feels the need to tell other people that they should hate Apple.

[Cuddlefish]

Well, I find that I have little need for any more than just a regular home computer for my studies. I am a high performing student, I've made the deans list each semester I have attended classes, I maintain a 3.7ish GPA with little effort, and I never carried a computer with me to school (well, not for anything school related, anyhow.)

This may be more of an indicator, however, of my personality and learning style than of the usefulness of said technology. I do not feel that having any type of tablet computer would noticeably enrich my educational processes, though, I can see it's usefulness and I wouldn't mind owning one, but I would likely get most use out of it in non-academic areas.

My final thought would be that, while potentially useful, such a thing would not be necessary for success.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am baffled by the fact that so many people seem to think that the statement "it would be useful" = "it is necessary". What's the deal with that?

I imagine their usefulness depends a great deal not only on your learning style, but also on what you're studying. For instance, I have a hard time imagining what use my accountant friend would have had for one in his classes, but on the other hand, my biologist friend uses hers all the time, and law student friend says that Macbooks are a ubiquitous tool in his school. It would serve no purpose for my math class, but be totally handy for my sociology class. It would also be nice to have my textbooks on it instead of carrying them around getting them ruined in the rain.

[Cuddlefish]

I am baffled by the fact that so many people seem to think that the statement "it would be useful" = "it is necessary". What's the deal with that?

I imagine their usefulness depends a great deal not only on your learning style, but also on what you're studying. For instance, I have a hard time imagining what use my accountant friend would have had for one in his classes, but on the other hand, my biologist friend uses hers all the time, and law student friend says that Macbooks are a ubiquitous tool in his school. It would serve no purpose for my math class, but be totally handy for my sociology class. It would also be nice to have my textbooks on it instead of carrying them around getting them ruined in the rain.

I didn't mean to make the indication that useful=necessary. Thing is, I don't need one, but I see where it would have it's uses. I'm in full agreement that subjects of study would have an impact on the usefulness of any type of study aid. It seems to me that you would find it useful, so, I would say grab one if you find it's a justifiable purchase.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

iPads are a huge potential source of distraction, which could be a problem if you're thinking about using them for school. That's really the only criticism I have for them, though. Netbooks are not a great idea because the keyboard is a lot smaller than a standard keyboard, but still works basically the same. That means either you're going to have 8 million typos when writing on the netbook, or you get used to that keyboard and fuck up every time you type on a full size keyboard. The iPad's on screen keyboard is so different from a normal keyboard that it doesn't really occupy the same brainspace as your normal typing skills (at least in my experience). It's also a lot lighter and easier to carry around than a laptop, and the battery life is pretty awesome.

My kids get a lot out of it as a learning tool. I was a little freaked out when I found out they'd gotten a frog dissection app on there, but they've definitely learned as much from that as they would have doing a dissection in school, and they can go back to it as many times as they want without the whole "amphibian murder" aspect.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I am baffled by the fact that so many people seem to think that the statement "it would be useful" = "it is necessary". What's the deal with that?

I imagine their usefulness depends a great deal not only on your learning style, but also on what you're studying. For instance, I have a hard time imagining what use my accountant friend would have had for one in his classes, but on the other hand, my biologist friend uses hers all the time, and law student friend says that Macbooks are a ubiquitous tool in his school. It would serve no purpose for my math class, but be totally handy for my sociology class. It would also be nice to have my textbooks on it instead of carrying them around getting them ruined in the rain.

I didn't mean to make the indication that useful=necessary. Thing is, I don't need one, but I see where it would have it's uses. I'm in full agreement that subjects of study would have an impact on the usefulness of any type of study aid. It seems to me that you would find it useful, so, I would say grab one if you find it's a justifiable purchase.

At some point I will be able to justify either a notebook or an iPad, but I can't yet (which is why I didn't buy that screaming deal on Woot).

But yeah, one of the things that was mystifying me about the whole conversation on my board was that an accountant who graduated in Maryland two years ago, and a guy who went to art school twelve years ago in Rhode Island, seemed to think that the fact that they hadn't found a portable computer useful in their studies was somehow proof that nobody finds them useful anywhere. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

iPads are a huge potential source of distraction, which could be a problem if you're thinking about using them for school. That's really the only criticism I have for them, though. Netbooks are not a great idea because the keyboard is a lot smaller than a standard keyboard, but still works basically the same. That means either you're going to have 8 million typos when writing on the netbook, or you get used to that keyboard and fuck up every time you type on a full size keyboard. The iPad's on screen keyboard is so different from a normal keyboard that it doesn't really occupy the same brainspace as your normal typing skills (at least in my experience). It's also a lot lighter and easier to carry around than a laptop, and the battery life is pretty awesome.

My kids get a lot out of it as a learning tool. I was a little freaked out when I found out they'd gotten a frog dissection app on there, but they've definitely learned as much from that as they would have doing a dissection in school, and they can go back to it as many times as they want without the whole "amphibian murder" aspect.

There's a guy who sits next to me in math who is always fiddling with his iPad and it annoys me. I am not in school to laugh at funny pictures on the Internet, thanks! Also, I wonder if it occurs to him that maybe he makes stupid mistakes on tests because he's always rushing through them so he can fiddle with his toy.

The keypad issue is one that I've been wondering about. I had more or less concluded that I don't want a netbook because of the tiny keyboard, but was wondering how the ipad stacks up. One of my friends (who doesn't have one) seems convinced that it would be useless for writing papers, but another friend (who does have one) uses hers to write papers and likes it. Plus, the whole electronic textbook thing... it seems like more and more textbooks are available in electronic format, and that could really take some weight off my back.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

There's a guy who sits next to me in math who is always fiddling with his iPad and it annoys me. I am not in school to laugh at funny pictures on the Internet, thanks! Also, I wonder if it occurs to him that maybe he makes stupid mistakes on tests because he's always rushing through them so he can fiddle with his toy.

The keypad issue is one that I've been wondering about. I had more or less concluded that I don't want a netbook because of the tiny keyboard, but was wondering how the ipad stacks up. One of my friends (who doesn't have one) seems convinced that it would be useless for writing papers, but another friend (who does have one) uses hers to write papers and likes it. Plus, the whole electronic textbook thing... it seems like more and more textbooks are available in electronic format, and that could really take some weight off my back.

If you're thinking about writing papers on it, I would add the cost of a keyboard to your calculations. I don't mind the on screen thing, but I couldn't write anything more than a page or so on it without getting really frustrated. You can always go without for a month or two and see if it's comfortable enough for you.

[East Coast Hustle]

I have a leather case for my android tablet that comes with a USB-powered keboard built in, as well as a stand that folds out to prop the screen up. I imagine they must make something similar for the iPad.

Also, the swype app is your friend, for taking quick notes.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

I have a leather case for my android tablet that comes with a USB-powered keboard built in, as well as a stand that folds out to prop the screen up. I imagine they must make something similar for the iPad.

Also, the swype app is your friend, for taking quick notes.

They've got one of those, but it has the same small keyboard problem as a netbook.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

There's a guy who sits next to me in math who is always fiddling with his iPad and it annoys me. I am not in school to laugh at funny pictures on the Internet, thanks! Also, I wonder if it occurs to him that maybe he makes stupid mistakes on tests because he's always rushing through them so he can fiddle with his toy.

The keypad issue is one that I've been wondering about. I had more or less concluded that I don't want a netbook because of the tiny keyboard, but was wondering how the ipad stacks up. One of my friends (who doesn't have one) seems convinced that it would be useless for writing papers, but another friend (who does have one) uses hers to write papers and likes it. Plus, the whole electronic textbook thing... it seems like more and more textbooks are available in electronic format, and that could really take some weight off my back.

If you're thinking about writing papers on it, I would add the cost of a keyboard to your calculations. I don't mind the on screen thing, but I couldn't write anything more than a page or so on it without getting really frustrated. You can always go without for a month or two and see if it's comfortable enough for you.

I use a Mac at home, along with accompanying USB keyboard (which cost about $12).

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

To clarify, this thread is not about shopping for a portable computing device. I'm not buying one right now or even probably within the next year. Nor are the pros and cons of each brand/variation relevant, because obviously people will have different wants and needs.

This thread is about this:

I would like to get your input on the usefulness of having a notebook or tablet computer. To me, the use seems completely obvious; however, evidently quite a few people just don't see it at all. Opinions?

Having just been more or less totally scoffed at (on my own board) for even pondering whether a portable computing device would be a useful addition for my academic work, I was wondering whether finding the idea utterly laughable is a popular conclusion among other college-goers. I am particularly interested in the opinions of people who are currently in school or very recently graduated, because of how rapidly the use of computers in universities has changed in just a few years. Input/observation from people who are not in school are also welcome, just potentially less directly relevant.