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SmokeAndMirrors · 09-03-2011, 03:16 AM

To be completely honest, I really recommend you go with a proper laptop for school.

Tablets really aren't ready for that sort of use, from what I can tell - I've toyed around with iPads and Androids that my friends/family have (I have an Android smartphone as well). They're just not ready.

I know everyone says the netbook is dead, but far from it - you can get a netbook now that hardly weighs more than a tablet, has some pretty awesome specs, and everything it does it will do better than a tablet can. Not only that, but it will also cost you probably 100 bucks less than a tablet.

That's the thing about tablets. They do everything, but they do very little of it well. There's stuff out there that does it better. As a student myself, I can tell you I'd never trade in my netbook for a tablet for school. Just the simple frustration of how slow and inaccurate it is to type alone is reason enough to me. I can type at talking speed on a keyboard, which means I can take *all* of my notes on my computer. I don't know anyone who can go over 40wpm on a tablet - and even then, it's pretty typo-ridden.

And as far as office programs? Well, they exist, but I don't know of any *good* ones. And again, the typing issue would drive me absolutely mental. They're just not built for that.

And if they're telling you to get a laptop, chances are they have their own ideas about what they want you to run. There's a pretty good chance that whatever it is, you will struggle to get it to work properly on a tablet. Or at the very least, you will be more limited in interacting with it. Tablets are still consumption devices - not output devices.

A laptop is still a better multi-purpose tool for students, in my opinion.

.02.

09-03-2011, 03:16 AM	#2
SmokeAndMirrors Addict Posts: 280 Karma: 2064388 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: MN, US Device: Kobo Touch, Asus Eee Pad Slider	To be completely honest, I really recommend you go with a proper laptop for school. Tablets really aren't ready for that sort of use, from what I can tell - I've toyed around with iPads and Androids that my friends/family have (I have an Android smartphone as well). They're just not ready. I know everyone says the netbook is dead, but far from it - you can get a netbook now that hardly weighs more than a tablet, has some pretty awesome specs, and everything it does it will do better than a tablet can. Not only that, but it will also cost you probably 100 bucks less than a tablet. That's the thing about tablets. They do everything, but they do very little of it well. There's stuff out there that does it better. As a student myself, I can tell you I'd never trade in my netbook for a tablet for school. Just the simple frustration of how slow and inaccurate it is to type alone is reason enough to me. I can type at talking speed on a keyboard, which means I can take all of my notes on my computer. I don't know anyone who can go over 40wpm on a tablet - and even then, it's pretty typo-ridden. And as far as office programs? Well, they exist, but I don't know of any good ones. And again, the typing issue would drive me absolutely mental. They're just not built for that. And if they're telling you to get a laptop, chances are they have their own ideas about what they want you to run. There's a pretty good chance that whatever it is, you will struggle to get it to work properly on a tablet. Or at the very least, you will be more limited in interacting with it. Tablets are still consumption devices - not output devices. A laptop is still a better multi-purpose tool for students, in my opinion. .02. Last edited by SmokeAndMirrors; 09-03-2011 at 03:33 AM.