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Apple unveiled its newest tech toy, the iPad, on Jan. 27. The iPad is a travel-sized tablet that features the same operating system applications as the iPhone and comes in WiFi and 3G-enabled models.
The iPad comes with its own version of Apple’s iWork suite with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation functions. This capability along with the ability to read e-books, newspapers, magazines and other Web sites, gears the iPad toward professionals on the go.
But what do Loyola students think of the flashy gadget? Reactions are mixed.
Junior Justin Ray wasn’t impressed with the iPad.
“To me, they appear to be the same exact device as the iPhone except without the calling feature,” he said, “and it’s an awkward size for carrying around. I feel that if I wanted an Apple product with the functioning the iPad has, I would buy the iPhone.”
Junior Jake Wrobel agreed.
“It’s nothing more than an enlarged iPhone,” he said, and it has “no Flash support, no camera and it can’t multitask.”
Critics of the iPad have pointed out these as well as other flaws in the tablet, including that it has no USB ports and that the 3G-enabled models are $130 more expensive than the WiFi models, and require the purchase of a data plan.
The price alone is a barrier to students purchasing the iPad. 3G models run from $629 to $829, and the cheaper WiFi models run from $499 to $699.
Sophomore Dillon Dabbs agreed that the iPad is a high-end product.
“I think that they are definitely a luxury gadget, but I want one very badly,” he said.
Sophomore Max Lopez was ambivalent toward the device.
“I’m sure it’s convenient and practical,” he said, “but I would never buy one myself. It seems a bit extravagant.”
Junior Leiram Rivera-Soto also had mixed feelings.
“I read [British actor] Stephen Fry’s blog on it, in which he talks about how it’s a completely different situation when you play with it than when you hear about it,” she said, “but personally I think it has the worst name ever and is just a glorified iTouch.”
Some textbooks companies are trying to make the device more appealing to college students. Macmillian, Harper Collins, Pearson, McGraw-Hill and others plan on creating virtual textbooks specifically for the iPad.
Applications such as videos, dictionaries, quizzes and study guides will accompany the texts, and some companies will include features that give students the option to record lectures, search the book for words or phrases and take notes in the margins of their e-texts.
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