I'm 17 and am interested in buying an iPad. What should I worry about long-term?

I'm 17 and will be going in to my senior year in high school in a few months. I am considering the iPad as a possible solution to taking notes, writing papers, etc as I finish up high school and start attending the local community college.

I have an iPod Touch and I'm quite happy with it; however, I don't know if I should even be considering an iPad as a viable alternative to a laptop or notebook computer. What are things I need to consider further in terms of school usage/flexibility?

ipad school college

asked Jun 24 '10 at 15:19

Flanery
46●1●2●3

7 Answers:

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When I used to take notes on my iPod touch in class, I was accused of text messaging, because of the size of the device. So get the iPad, since it's larger, you won't be hassled as much by your instructors.

answered Jun 24 '10 at 15:43

refrwfrwgrfd
(suspended)

edited Jun 24 '10 at 15:43

Wouldnt the big and shiney look of the Ipad make it more of a target of theft, schools are kind of bad in my area :)

(Jun 24 '10 at 15:49) Connor

THis is in credibly true. My summer school teachers don't care at all if I use my iPad in class. Yet if I take out my iPhone, I'm usually asked to put it away. It all depends on the form factor of the object. The iPod touch looks like a phone. THe iPad... well I don't know but it certainly doesn't look like a phone. It's almost easier to "hide" in a binder than a phone.

(Jun 24 '10 at 17:25) Peter Murphy

There are a few things you should know about the ipad before getting one.

The battery is not user replaceable so when it no longer holds a charge, you will have to pay apple an arm and a leg for a new battery.

You cant type long messages on it

Wifi range is not very good compared to other wifi enabled mobile devices.

Apple is quick to drop support for old devices so when the next gen ipad comes out, support for older ones is already in the process of committing seppuku.

Ipad apps are generally more expensive even though they are not really any harder to make (it is more based on if you can afford an ipad then you can afford more expensive programs )

You are better off getting a laptop. especially if you are on a tight budget.

I helped a few friends who were starting college get a laptop and for the dorm room, a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and some speakers. so when they come back from school, they connect the laptop to the rest of the equipment and they can get a decent desktop experience.

For the price of an ipad, you can get a laptop that has a bigger screen, actual keyboard a screen that wont be obstructed with millions of finger smudges, USB ports, the ability to run the OS you want, including the mac OS if you are willing to spend the day installing it, and best of all, more memory and a CPU thats vastly faster.

answered Jun 24 '10 at 17:22

Razor512
15.5k●34●80●242

Good points, all.

Current MacBook & MacBook Pros don't have user replaceable batteries, either. I have an early 2009 MacBook Pro with a user replaceable battery, so he could buy a refurb (if Apple still carries them; unlikely probably) or used one (eBay, Craigslist.)

I'd stick with a real computer... it'll be a lot easier to hook up to the school LAN (no Ethernet port on an iPad), print documents, work on long reports, play the occasional game, etc.

(Jun 28 '10 at 21:40) ageekmom ♦

1	I would wait until the newer gen comes out later this year if you can answered Jun 24 '10 at 16:11 Zbob750 2.6k●6●13●38

Well the IPad could be considered as the apple notepad. I haven’t got one but from user reviews they are great for taking notes (a process in all my school life I have never done) and also for storing data are typing up quick pieces of work.

I would personally stick to the best laptop/netbook for you price for school work as the IPad needs apps to run and if you are used to a windows environment with office I don’t believe it is supported. Macbook or Macbook pro would be more suited however most students like me can only dream of having such nice things. I run Dell's and have never looked back, I think they are great and customer service for broke parts is good to. Since being in school/ collage it will get knocked and bumped around a good customer service is important.

My opinion you may get an Ipad and love it or you may hate it, just like marmite. GoodLuck

answered Jun 24 '10 at 15:26

Connor
146●5●8●16

Thanks for the response. Durability is another thing I was thinking about in a high school/college environment. I don't know how Apple is with support and pricing (I've never had to replace or repair anything from them) but I don't want to have to re-buy or pay to replace the entire device if something breaks on it.

(Jun 24 '10 at 15:39) Flanery

Well Apple I cannot comment on, once my Ipod became an outmode I found support from Apple difficult to obtain (in the sense of questions rather than faults) I may of not looked hard enough to find the answer. Should of asked on here but it wasn’t around. If I have a problem with my Dell and the part is user replaceable I get it the next working day and sometimes get a follow up. With me saying this tough it dose admittedly say that Dells break a lot but that would still be my choice for a school laptop.

Perhaps spend a few weeks observing what your peers use in your lessons. Observation is key.

(Jun 24 '10 at 15:47) Connor

0	I have an iPad myself. My God, it is great for taking notes! I suggest taking a bluetooth keyboard or keyboard dock with you if you are going to be typing long term, but it is still fine if you do not have a keyboard. answered Jun 24 '10 at 16:17 GadgetSuperhero 1.1k●32●41●50

0	That it'll mature a lot in the next iteration and that you might regret it answered Jun 28 '10 at 22:03 FilipinoPower 13.0k●135●219●313

In my opinion, long-term, I believe most people will regret buying the first generation iPad because of the fact that the next gen will be along shortly with a plethora of new features for a couple of hundred dollars less. Right now I just don't personally feel like the utility is there for the purchase to be worth the relatively steep price.

answered Jun 28 '10 at 23:11

Angelwork
561●36●37●50

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