Tablets and laptops have merits and disadvantages, much like any other device. College life presents a special challenge to choosing the right device, as there is no environment that is quite like college, in the way we use our devices.
College is the ultimate BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) setting, and one that is no different than the most chaotic work environment. Whichever device you choose, it will need to be hauled from class to class, plugged in, unplugged, recharged more frequently than any other portable computer, with a very heavy expected workload.
Health concerns
On an average college day, the weight that a laptop can add to a backpack can be considerable, when taking into account additional batteries, external drives, and other accessories. Granted that laptops have shed most of their weight in recent years, with the MacBook Pro weighing in less than 5 pounds, and the MacBook Air, less than 3, it's important to understand the applications and hardware required by your curriculum, and whether the additional computing power and options of a laptop is truly necessary, to avoid straining your back and shoulders between classes.
Performance
Battery power is a frequent concern in the classroom, as charging options may be limited, depending on the facilities available.
While laptops can last up to 8 hours, depending on usage, mobile power options tend to favor smaller devices, like tablets and phones, that can be charged using relatively inexpensive battery packs.
Processing speed, between laptops and tablets, is very difficult to compare. There are radical differences separating a desktop operating system, commonly found on laptops, and a mobile operating system, such as iOS or Android. Mobile apps, and web services, go a long way to mimic the functionality of desktop software and productivity applications. Microsoft Office, for example, is offered as a mobile app on iOS and Android, and is also available as a web application, providing tools for word processing, and other document editing applications. Google Drive is another ubiquitous example of a complete office productivity suite, available as an app, or through any regular web browser.
Sometimes office applications are not sufficient, especially when additional software is needed, such as graphic applications, like Photoshop or Illustrator, or web and software development environments, like Microsoft Visual C, Dreamweaver and other IDEs.
These applications require a desktop operating system, as well as enough memory and processing power to function. Data storage is also an issue, as these applications can produce very large files.
Durability
Laptops, as mentioned earlier, have many moving parts, such as optical drive decks, fans, tilting displays, and other internal components that can wear out and break down faster, when put through daily academic applications.
Tablets, on the other hand, have hardly any moving parts at all, thanks to fanlessdesign and Solid State storage drives. This is a huge advantage over laptops, as tablets don't suffer gravity or inertia, nearly as much, when transported in different positions or when shaken up.
Convenience and portability
Another big advantage of choosing tablets over laptops, is obvious when it comes to note-taking scenarios, in which the ability to write directly on screen with a stylus pen, or record audio and video (where allowed), becomes crucial during lectures. The bulk of a laptop can be obtrusive if the whole point is simply to make notes.
What's better in the end?
By now it should be obvious: it's not about the device itself. It's about careful planning. College is a complex environment in which using a device over another means the difference between "just right" and "overkill".
When a decision needs to be made between a tablet and a laptop, that decision will always have some shortcomings. Where a feature-packed laptop may seem a great one-size-fits-all choice, when used during a lecture or a regular class, it will turn into a cumbersome extension of your desk, and a distraction from class activities.
Choosing a tablet is a wise choice for a lecture, or a generic class requiring note taking or limited word processing, but when more demanding tasks require more power and a full-size keyboard, and a desktop operating system, the opposite problem occurs.
Netbooks
Netbooks, or hybrid laptops may offer a good compromise, by providing a complete desktop-like operating system, like Windows RT, or Chrome OS, at a lower cost than regular laptops, in a smaller, more lightweight package. Some of these laptops come in tablet form, such as the Microsoft Surface. These devices double as tablet, support stylus pens and do not require an Internet connection to work.
At the low-end of the price range, Chromebooks offer a good alternative at a considerably cheaper price, with the downside of requiring an Internet connection to perform most useful tasks, although there is a growing number of applications that can be used offline, on the Chrome OS.
Neither Windows RT, nor Google Chrome OS support high-end applications, beyond their separate pool of apps from their respective app stores, in which case a proper MacBook or Windows laptop is still necessary.
College is the ultimate BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) setting, and one that is no different than the most chaotic work environment. Whichever device you choose, it will need to be hauled from class to class, plugged in, unplugged, recharged more frequently than any other portable computer, with a very heavy expected workload.
Health concerns
On an average college day, the weight that a laptop can add to a backpack can be considerable, when taking into account additional batteries, external drives, and other accessories. Granted that laptops have shed most of their weight in recent years, with the MacBook Pro weighing in less than 5 pounds, and the MacBook Air, less than 3, it's important to understand the applications and hardware required by your curriculum, and whether the additional computing power and options of a laptop is truly necessary, to avoid straining your back and shoulders between classes.
Performance
Battery power is a frequent concern in the classroom, as charging options may be limited, depending on the facilities available.
While laptops can last up to 8 hours, depending on usage, mobile power options tend to favor smaller devices, like tablets and phones, that can be charged using relatively inexpensive battery packs.
Processing speed, between laptops and tablets, is very difficult to compare. There are radical differences separating a desktop operating system, commonly found on laptops, and a mobile operating system, such as iOS or Android. Mobile apps, and web services, go a long way to mimic the functionality of desktop software and productivity applications. Microsoft Office, for example, is offered as a mobile app on iOS and Android, and is also available as a web application, providing tools for word processing, and other document editing applications. Google Drive is another ubiquitous example of a complete office productivity suite, available as an app, or through any regular web browser.
Sometimes office applications are not sufficient, especially when additional software is needed, such as graphic applications, like Photoshop or Illustrator, or web and software development environments, like Microsoft Visual C, Dreamweaver and other IDEs.
These applications require a desktop operating system, as well as enough memory and processing power to function. Data storage is also an issue, as these applications can produce very large files.
Durability
Laptops, as mentioned earlier, have many moving parts, such as optical drive decks, fans, tilting displays, and other internal components that can wear out and break down faster, when put through daily academic applications.
Tablets, on the other hand, have hardly any moving parts at all, thanks to fanlessdesign and Solid State storage drives. This is a huge advantage over laptops, as tablets don't suffer gravity or inertia, nearly as much, when transported in different positions or when shaken up.
Convenience and portability
Another big advantage of choosing tablets over laptops, is obvious when it comes to note-taking scenarios, in which the ability to write directly on screen with a stylus pen, or record audio and video (where allowed), becomes crucial during lectures. The bulk of a laptop can be obtrusive if the whole point is simply to make notes.
What's better in the end?
By now it should be obvious: it's not about the device itself. It's about careful planning. College is a complex environment in which using a device over another means the difference between "just right" and "overkill".
When a decision needs to be made between a tablet and a laptop, that decision will always have some shortcomings. Where a feature-packed laptop may seem a great one-size-fits-all choice, when used during a lecture or a regular class, it will turn into a cumbersome extension of your desk, and a distraction from class activities.
Choosing a tablet is a wise choice for a lecture, or a generic class requiring note taking or limited word processing, but when more demanding tasks require more power and a full-size keyboard, and a desktop operating system, the opposite problem occurs.
Netbooks
Netbooks, or hybrid laptops may offer a good compromise, by providing a complete desktop-like operating system, like Windows RT, or Chrome OS, at a lower cost than regular laptops, in a smaller, more lightweight package. Some of these laptops come in tablet form, such as the Microsoft Surface. These devices double as tablet, support stylus pens and do not require an Internet connection to work.
At the low-end of the price range, Chromebooks offer a good alternative at a considerably cheaper price, with the downside of requiring an Internet connection to perform most useful tasks, although there is a growing number of applications that can be used offline, on the Chrome OS.
Neither Windows RT, nor Google Chrome OS support high-end applications, beyond their separate pool of apps from their respective app stores, in which case a proper MacBook or Windows laptop is still necessary.
