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<p>No, but my kids are making the move to Macs for college (got Macbook pros for graduation) and I’m getting them the one-on-one tutorials in our local store. They already have iPhones and they know their way about the iPad from borrowing mine, which turned out to be an incredible family hit. My iPad now “lives” in our family room for the most part as a computer-on-the-fly for random questions that come up.</p>
<p>“I think its equal if not better than a laptop for web browsing (except for Flash), email, etc.”</p>
<p>To me, it’s not that it’s <em>better</em> than a laptop (and the lack of Flash IS an issue as far as I’m concerned). It’s that it’s more comfortable to use. I can curl up on the sofa or on my bed with an iPad in a way I can’t with my laptop.</p>
<p>I can see how the discussion slowly veers away from the original topic “10 Reasons Not to to Get for Your College Kids” and I am as guilty as the next person! So the inquiring mind wonders “who exactly is the target audience for the ipad?” and this is what I found out</p>
<p>“The iPad also appeals to a wide range of customers, with the target market falling in the 25-34 age range. But users of all age groups are interested in the iPad, with people 35-44 taking 27 percent of interest, 45-54 garnering 22 percent, and 55-and-up with 17 percent. Almost half – 47 percent – of those interested in the iPad are high earners, making more than $90,000 a year.”</p>
<p>We are who they market to, not our kids!</p>
<p>The bottom line is that an iPad can’t replace a laptop/desktop for most users - especially college students. It might be a nice additional device to have but that’s about it and if one already has an iPhone or similar smartphone the iPad’s utility is even less since the iPhone can run all the apps and do it in a much more portable package. </p>
<p>Given that, I’m sure lots of college students woud ‘like’ one, just as they’d like to have lots of things, but it certainly isn’t ‘necessary’ by any stretch and would be a poor choice if the student must have only one or the other between the iPad and a PC.</p>
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<p>I learned something new today!</p>
<h1>1 Reason not to buy an iPad for your student: so you can buy one for yourself…:)</h1>