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Originally Posted by markbot
Laptops are just as good as ereaders for ebooks. You don't read a textbook for hours at a time...
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That depends entirely on the subject and the reader. As a liberal arts student, you could easily have to spend several hour reading texts. Series of pauses, by the way -- e.g. cessation of reading to take notes -- is actually detrimental to the learning process, as you are constantly distracted.
E-book readers also have substantially better battery life; so you could tote it to class all day long, then to the library, then read it in your dorm room for several hours without needing to recharge or plug in.
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Originally Posted by markbot
what is the advantage of textbook on ereaders? better for eye strain and more portable. these benefits aren't enough to justify the additional cost of a dedicated device. a perfectly good laptop does the trick just fine.
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Better reading surface, better battery life, fewer distractions, and depending on how you work, better workflow. E.g. I find it's very helpful to have my note-taking device separate from my reading device (be it book or e-book reader). It's a pain to constantly switch windows between a text and an outliner or note app. (And with an e-book, I don't have to break a paper book's spine to hold it open long enough to take notes.)
Last but not least, this is not a zero-sum scenario. Some students will only use a laptop, some will use a dedicated e-reader. Some may not be able to afford both, but considering the cost of tuition these days, $500 for an e-reader that saves you on the costs of textbooks may not be quite as onerous as you currently think.