The iPad 2 was designed with fun in mind. In some ways its a cross, between a game console and a movie viewer. If you are looking for a way to entertain yourself on a long journey or during a work break the iPad 2 scores big time. If you are modeling macro economics, it sucks.
There is still a lot of computing power in a tablet PC, though. The new generation Android tablets with Honeycomb OS and Tegra 2 chips are very powerful indeed. The Xoom is certainly quicker than the iPad 2 when it comes to browsing the internet and it is better at multitasking and game play. The ASUS Eepad Transformer has similar power with a better price tag.
Ipad Keyboard
Android Apps for College
Can a Tablet PC Get You Through College? Can the iPad or Xoom Deliver?
There are plenty of Android apps for college students already. Most of the older ones were designed for smart phones using Android 2, rather than the newer, purely for tablets, Android 3.0 and up.
Two of the best Honeycomb productivity apps are Quick Office and Docs to Go. You can create or edit all of the best Microsoft Office files like Word or Excell as well as reading PDFs.
GDocs, gives you useable spread sheets and word processors that integrate with Google's cloud based docs. These are not as powerful as Word or Excell of course and if you are majoring in economics, you might need the real deal, industry standard spreadsheets! For most courses, they will probably get you through.
There are plenty of organizers so you get to class on time, complete essays when required etc.
Voice recording apps are great for getting lectures down. There are printing apps to get hard copies with mobile or desktop printers.
iPad 2 for College
Apple offer the iWork office suite, and of course iBooks if you have the WiFi or 3G model. There are also organizers and the ability to airprint documents with the latest 4.2 iOS. The 'Pages' App and the 'Numbers' App are powerful word processing tools and spreadsheet tools, respectively.
The Drawbacks of Tablet PC's at College
The biggest disadvantage of a tablet PC versus a laptop is the lack of a physical keyboard. Virtual keyboards of the kind tablets offer won't let you type as fast as most people want. If you are rushing through a piece of work, picking away at virtual keyboard can drive you crazy. Also the keyboard will take up a third of the screen.
One way out of this is to get a portable Bluetooth keyboard that will synch with the Tablet. There are many available for the iPad 2- including keyboards that incorporated into an iPad case. Motorola are offering very good, if overpriced, keyboards for their Xoom too.
The Asus Transformer has a fully integrated keyboard.
A second issue is that not all college WiFi systems are compatible with the iPad whilst laptops are more likely to mesh. This is something you will need to check for each college.
My own feeling?
The original iPad with its limited connectivity (no USB, no Bluetooth document transfers) is not ideal for college. The iPad 2 is lot more business and study orientated. The new Android Tablets offer a real alternative to a laptop with plenty of connectivity and power.
Can a Tablet PC Get You Through College? Can the iPad or Xoom Deliver?