iPad Question

Whoah, that's the antihistamines talking. At the risk of posting further while dealing with a cold, I didn't mean to imply that the discount is the only reason (other computer manufacturers offer student discounts, too). Nor for that matter is the average college student's susceptibility to trendiness, just to get that out of the way. The consensus among those who work on both OS X and Windows is that the former* is a better overall experience - and Apple hardware is much more reliable than the average computer manufacturer's.

As for the OP's question, although many students have adopted the iPad - Stanford Medical School has issued them to all incoming students this year, to name only one example - it is still regarded as a complement to a laptop or desktop computer, not a substitute.

* Edit: I mean former, not latter. (I really shouldn't attempt computer advocacy while zoned on Theraflu.)

Get a notebook for school. As an iPad owner, I can tell you it's great for reading and walking about to do things (reference notes while working in the field), and the battery life is really good, but for long typing it really isn't an optimal configuration. Maybe the BT keyboard or dock helps, but at that point you've got all the disadvantages of a notebook.

However, regardless of whether you have a notebook or iPad etc, always remember to BACK UP YOUR STUFF.

Otherwise if your stuff gets stolen or your machine dies or you get a virus, you need to have a good valid backup somewhere. This means that you are not hooped if something bad happens.

Yeah. I've done some further research and a number of friends, friends-of-friends who all have iPads, and of course the guys at Best Buy, have all said that it's not that great in terms of being a smaller, lightweight laptop or netbook (basically, what most everyone's said here).

As far as looking at Macs in general, I tried one once in a graphic design class....weirdest. thing. ever. Took me a good 10 minutes to figure out how to work the stupid mouse. Plus, as you can tell I'm a gamer, and there's still a lot of games (old and new) that are PC only.

And let's not forget the price tag.

It's the smug tax.

What? You don't think the Reality Distortion Field pays it's own power bills do you?

And Steve is ALWAYS in need of a new turtleneck.

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The so-called Apple Tax is a holdover from the 90s OS Holy Wars, back when Macs ran a different operating system on a different chipset. Even if people insist on trying to compare systems, the actual price difference is negligible - and when total cost of ownership is factored in, Macs are the better bet. Really, most of the debate comes down to consumer preference. Some people want to get a bargain personal computer, and that's just not a market Apple targets.

For what I'd use an iPad for (which would basically be as a fun electronic toy I'd want to load up with lots of media) the current version was simply a combination of too expensive/not enough memory/not flexible enough for me. Since we all know Apple loves to bring out new generations of these devices every 6-12 months I decided to wait at least until the second generation for some of these problems to be resolved first. I guess we'll see what happens next.

Of course you're going to get ripped off if you buy a pre-built machine.

There are some brave souls who assemble their own Frankenmacs, but those require extra maintenance to stay current with OS X updates. Really, why not build a Linux (or Darwin) box if you're going to go to the effort?

Apple's implicit marketing message is that their products "just work", and "right out of the box" at that. The iPad is the natural extension of this: an unmatched, utterly self-contained computing device that requires minimal setup and maintenance. Even as it pushes the boundaries of existing tablets, it shouldn't be mistaken for a notebook or a smartphone.

Translation: If you use it within the narrow range of functions it's built for, it's all gravy. It's when you start getting outside of that purview is when it starts falling over.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.