<p>Saw this referenced on the National Merit bulletin board of CC.</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about the Ipad to know if it will be an upgrade/downgrade from the current Dell. Anybody know the reason for the change?</p>
<p>This is new info…</p>
<p>Maybe so many kids have laptops already that they don’t need a new one???</p>
<p>Or maybe there was a demand for the iPad? </p>
<p>Or they think that an iPad will be more useful taking to class (few kids take laptops to class).</p>
<p>I imagine that this will be one of the top iPads (the $700+ ones), but it will still likely cost less than the Dell.</p>
<p>Looks like a downgrade to me! Maybe trying to save money?</p>
<p>Yes, it will save money…but better this way then to reduce an annual aspect of the pkg…like not covering Honors housing. Auburn has always charged a 1300 per year upcharge to NMFs if they want honors housing. That adds up!!!</p>
<p>Agreed, M2CK.</p>
<p>i would think it is because kids either already have laptops or they want to choose their own. my daughter had gotten a laptop before her senior year so she could get used to it and learn it while she was till here. she wouldn’t have needed or wanted a new one at the start of college.</p>
<p>I think they had been getting a lot of complaints from kids who already had a laptop or wanted to choose their own (like an Mac Pro). </p>
<p>Since most kids do want the latest iPad, they probably thought that this was a good altenative…and they are much easier to take to class. And, I think you can load textbooks onto them.</p>
<p>Sadly, no Flash ever on IPads.</p>
<p>But the NMF Scholarship package is still a heck of a deal!</p>
<p>Some NMFs were asking for MacBooks instead of the Dells, so UA compromised and chose a different Apple product. </p>
<p>I was always surprised that UA was purchasing NMFs expensive laptops. For $700, I purchased a laptop that had most of the same capabilities, a warranty, and it’s had better reliability than many of my friends’ NMF laptops [knocks on wood.] The NMF laptops also didn’t include a number keypad, which was a major oversight, IMHO.</p>
<p>While an iPad is better than nothing, there are many who feel that UA should give a technology allowance (cash) rather than a one size fits all electronic device that doesn’t do flash.</p>
<p>I saw this change on the Academic Elite scholarship page too…</p>
<p>As a prospective student i’d much rather have the ipad.</p>
<p>Sure it’s cheaper, but I’d definitely rather pick what laptop I have to use.</p>
<p>NMF’s already have a great scholarship package- stop complaining that the ipad is a lower value than the laptop</p>
<p>Plus… iPads are neat</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s being done to save money. I think it’s because ipads (tablets) are the biggest thing going right now and are easier used in the classroom.</p>
<p>Most kids already have a laptop or a desktop pc they can use in their dorm room. I think more kids will be excited about getting a top of the line ipad than they will be about getting another laptop.</p>
<p>Also, Apple has been working closely with textbook publishers to produce textbooks in e handed digital format just for the iPad, with extra interactive information: click on a link to go to a video, quizzes, all sorts of neat stuff.</p>
<p>If you have an iPad, iPhone, or iTouch, check out the Inkling software. you can download sample chapters of many textbooks. Another similar app is Textbooks by Kno. I’m sure there are others as well. With the apps you can also highlight, add notes to the book, and so much more. With Inkling, if your professor is only going to use some of a book’s chapters, you have the option to download only the chapters you need at a reduced cost. </p>
<p>I tried to convince D to get at least one textbook on her iPad this year, but she wanted hard copies. Her chem and bio books come with a separate online version (not iPad related), and she’s really enjoying that now that she’s using it.</p>
<p>If the universities get fully on board with the iPad version of textbooks, I’m sure she’ll switch over if that’s what her professors recommend.</p>
<p>I have had an iPad for several years and while I enjoy some of the functionality of the iPad along with its portability, I really do not like reading any books on it. I am much too diehard a “book person” to enjoy a good book this way. Personally, even if the professor wanted an e-copy of the text, I would still prefer a hardcopy. Besides the glare from the screen makes reading difficult and is very distracting. However, it is an interesting adjunct to a laptop</p>
<p>IPads rule, rock, and are totally, totally cool. Ever since I saw SIL’s IPad “in action” during a visit to Louisville this summer, I have coveted an IPad. So, this may be technically a downgrade, but it sounds pretty darned cool to me!</p>
<p>robotmom, I hate, loathe, and despise Flash, so I wouldn’t miss it. 
</p>
<p>However, I hear that Adobe is developing Flash for the IPhone and that IPhone 5 will have it. Maybe IPad will follow.</p>
<p>There are also workaround apps that will allow Flash to play on the iPad, basically by streaming from your laptop or another online server. Personally, I very rarely encounter any Flash stuff that it really bothers me not to be able to see on the iPad.</p>
<p>I’ve never had a problem with eye strain reading on mine. I usually use the sepia setting as the brown tones aren’t as harsh as pure black and white. I also manually adjust the brightness level quite a bit.</p>
<p>I can manage to read in all but the brightest direct sunlight.</p>
<p>One weird thing is that you can barely see the screen at all in portrait mode when wearing polarized sunglasses, but you can see just fine if you switch to landscape orientation.</p>
<p>I love my iPad!</p>
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<p>Who complained? What’s with the attitude?</p>
<p>I kind of wish we had been given an iPad instead of a laptop my year. I would have liked to pick out my own laptop model and features. But hey, I’m not complaining! I’m extremely grateful for the computer Bama gave me! I’ll just have to buy my own tablet sometime soon.</p>