California State University Offering iPad Air, Apple Pencil, and Keyboard to 35,000 Incoming Students

[coachgq]

Good for you? Keep using it then?

Sure will. Thanks for the advice.

 

[arvinsim]

So many "iPad works for me, so it should work for everyone" posts LOL.

Laptops already work as is. People are just trying too hard to justify iPads.

Maybe there is an incentive...😉

 

[jchap]

So many "iPad works for me, so it should work for everyone" posts LOL.

Laptops already work as is. People are just trying too hard to justify iPads.

Maybe there is an incentive...😉

Agreed, although I think that the form factor of tablets is more ideal than laptops for certain kinds of work and tasks...

...provided the software was "up to the task."

I'm starting to see the appeal of convertible laptop PCs lately (although I don't own one). Apple sadly does not really give users the choice—it's either macOS (no touch screen, and the keyboard is integrated with the computer except if you're running a Mac desktop machine) or iPadOS (with a touch screen, but also saddled with the multiple software restrictions that come with it).

 

[JPSaltzman]

Let's see... student hauls around Apple Pencil and Keyboard in already overweight backpack.... First to get lost will be the Apple Pencil. The keyboard will need recharging -- as will the iPad Air. Okay, and when you add all that weight and cost together, wouldn't it be cheaper and easier on your back if your just had a MacBook Air?

I've just never understood all the add-ons to the iPad. In my opinion, the add-ons show exactly what's wrong and missing in the iPads... MacOS.

 

[tridley68]

Don't worrie kids it's included in your tuition nothing in today's world is free someone has to pay for it.

 

[topdrawer]

this is great. i'll probably see a good deal on craigslist.

 

[TheDailyApple]

Let's see... student hauls around Apple Pencil and Keyboard in already overweight backpack.... First to get lost will be the Apple Pencil. The keyboard will need recharging -- as will the iPad Air. Okay, and when you add all that weight and cost together, wouldn't it be cheaper and easier on your back if your just had a MacBook Air?

I've just never understood all the add-ons to the iPad. In my opinion, the add-ons show exactly what's wrong and missing in the iPads... MacOS.

Your arguments makes no sense.

If you can’t be trusted to keep up with your belongings like an adult, you’re not ready for college.

The smart folio keyboard doesn’t need to charge, it uses the iPad’s smart connector. And are you seriously suggesting the iPad Air will need to charge but the MacBook won’t? Either way you have a device which will need to charge.

The iPad Air with accessories is still cheaper than a MacBook Air.

The iPad Air with accessories is still lighter than The MacBook Air.

You don’t understand the add-ons for iPad but want macOS on iPad? (Which would be completely unusable without said add-ons?)

 

[T Coma]

CA is expert in these expensive boondoggles that spend money they don’t have for these high-minded propositions that provide no substantive benefit for the recipient.
Oh, and equity or something.

 

[TheralSadurns]

Out of curiosity, what was your major? I know several business majors and the most they needed was an office suite that was MS Office compatible on their MacBook. They never did any serious computation, and if needed there was a computer lab they could use.

Now, for some majors, a laptop is a must if you are doing regression analysis, (partial) differential equations, serious financial analysis, etc.


I would say as long as most can navigate through an office suite they have the computational skills they need.



Yes. I never liked the iWorks moniker, since my first WP was AppleWorks on a ][+. AppleWorks, IMHO, has a nicer ring to it. Just me being cantankerous.

Now, get off my lawn...

I couldn't have done it... as an English major. In class the iPad was perfect, to take notes, or have the digital documents on. But for writing your thesis... collecting and managing citations... you often end up with 10+ concurrent windows. No way.
But then again... most of my fellow students were technologically inept to the max.
And can only use Instagram and the like.
But when faced with citations and endnotes or a TOC... they do everything by hand. Heck... they don't even use styles in Word, but format everything manually...
For these kinds of students... iPads will be fine.

 

[Mainsail]

Dumb move !

Giving them ALL an M1 MacBook Air would have been a much, much smarter decision !

I have to agree with this. If you just compare cost:

• iPad Air ($550 ed pricing) + Pencil ($130) + Keyboard folio ($179) = $860
• M1 MBA = $900 ed pricing.

Pretty darn close. So at least on the surface, cost isn't a major difference. If CSU is offering this as a supplemental computer, then I guess that's ok, but it seems like they expect it to be the students primary device and replace the need to buy a laptop.

I am nervous things will get dicey for these students when they attempt to: build a moderately complex spreadsheet, run R in a stats class (which almost everyone takes these days), perform basic multitasking like writing a paper with bibliography from references in multiple documents, and on and on and on.

 

[grad]

I never found laptops efficient, either as a student or a teacher. Yes, they are miles better than tablets in many regards but they can still not replace desktops.

Optimally, I would rather have all 3 of them, which I do. A tablet for note taking and reading documents on the go or on the couch, a laptop for presentations and light computing while traveling, and a desktop for more serious work, including programming, designing, researching, writing, and multitasking.

 

[citysnaps]

CA is expert in these expensive boondoggles that spend money they don’t have for these high-minded propositions that provide no substantive benefit for the recipient.
Oh, and equity or something.

And as a result of California's awful propositions and poor planning, the state still manages to squeak by with the 5th largest economy in the world: US, China, Japan, Germany, California, India, ...

We're doomed! Again.

 

[tillsbury]

My son just finished a double major in computers and mathematics, and an iPad/folio/pencil would have been more than enough for that. Good idea, as long as the lecturers get on board and don't use some outdated system that requires IE or similar.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

I'm an iPad fan and for me it is the ONE device, but I am still of the mind that if you are going to have just one device given to students, a MacBook Air or even a Windows PC would have been it.

This is an interesting decision and I wonder what challenges, if any, students will encounter using an iPad as a primary educational device.

I still think those challenges be fewer than most in this forum think; Mac fans here don't seem to truly grasp how capable the iPad is and some even refer to it as a toy.

I hope there is some followup down the line to see what this new generation says four years from now.

 

[timber]

"reading, writing and researching in databases and over the internet" is much easier to do on a 27" monitor. Laptops work to a degree (better with a monitor). If one wants to teach students how to work/study inefficiently, the best way to do it is to give them a tablet.

Not only that but reading, writing and researching one or two papers is fine.
The moment you go on and PDFs start pilling over and do months work on different stuff and subjects the iPad limits will drive you nuts.

 

[AdonisSMU]

As if tuition wasn't expensive enough. Those iPads aren't free and someone is paying for them.

I couldn't imagine the frustration at doing my engineering degree on an iPad. I guess it makes sense if you are there to do some useless liberal arts degree.

Lol… liberal arts arent useless. 🤦🏾‍♂️ It just doesn't have immediately noticeable business value. I’m saying this as an engineer

 

[AdonisSMU]

I have a "real world" job, and 99% of my real world work is done on a Mac, or on a Windows-emulating Mac :-D

Kudos to those who can actually make money with their tablet devices. It's impossible for me as a freelance translator—too many compromises, and the apps I need are not supported on iPadOS, unfortunately.

More than eleven years have passed since the iPad was first released, and the iPad is no more productive for me in my use case now in 2021 than it was when it was released.

Maybe you just need to learn how to use the newer technologies so you can get work done On your iPad. *shrug*

 

[AdonisSMU]

I'm an iPad fan and for me it is the ONE device, but I am still of the mind that if you are going to have just one device given to students, a MacBook Air or even a Windows PC would have been it.

This is an interesting decision and I wonder what challenges, if any, students will encounter using an iPad as a primary educational device.

I still think those challenges be fewer than most in this forum think; Mac fans here don't seem to truly grasp how capable the iPad is and some even refer to it as a toy.

I hope there is some followup down the line to see what this new generation says four years from now.

For note taking… its no comparison the iPad w a pencil is the way to go.

 

[kyeblue]

complete waste of money in my opinion

 

[chucker23n1]

iPads are fine machines but they’re not laptops. You can get stuff done with them, but if you need to consistently get real work done you are limiting yourself if you go with an iPad over a MacBook.

An iPad Air with detachable keyboard (no trackpad, alas) and pen sounds like a pretty decent choice for many students, IMHO. In class, you detach the keyboard and mostly work with finger and pen, and afterwards, you attach the keyboard again to write longer pieces of text. A MacBook Air is probably slightly awkward in class due to its size.

Now, for some subjects like SEng, CompSci, math, this may not be a great choice. But most subjects aren't that.

 

[AdonisSMU]

And as a result of California's awful propositions and poor planning, the state still manages to squeak by with the 5th largest economy in the world: US, China, Japan, Germany, California, India, ...

We're doomed! Again.

I was gonna say this. The truth is you have to try stuff out to see what works and what doesnt. CA should apply this to their housing problems but personal greed is blocking this kind of smart thinking and learning as it relates to housing crisis.

 

[AdonisSMU]

So many "iPad works for me, so it should work for everyone" posts LOL.

Laptops already work as is. People are just trying too hard to justify iPads.

Maybe there is an incentive...😉

Laptops dont work for everyone either and they are more expensive. Ive seen many folks getting on with their work using an iPad only. If you are going to spend thousands of dollars on an education they should at least get you started on an iPad.

 

[pacalis]

It's a great idea. The ipad will be better for ALL lectures. The laptop will be better for SOME assignments.

 

[827538]

Lol… liberal arts arent useless. 🤦🏾‍♂️ It just doesn't have immediately noticeable business value. I’m saying this as an engineer

I've yet to see a use for a liberal arts degree. My wife did a liberal arts degree at a top 5 university in the world and went back to college to get her M.D., she thinks they are useless. If it isn't STEM or law, then it's useless and a waste of money.

 

[eatrains]

I've yet to see a use for a liberal arts degree. My wife did a liberal arts degree at a top 5 university in the world and went back to college to get her M.D., she thinks they are useless. If it isn't STEM or law, then it's useless and a waste of money.

You know math, computer science, pre-law, pre-med, etc are liberal arts degrees, right?