If you are like us, you kinda want an iPad. Or really want an iPad. But is it a justifiable purchase or just fun? How about as a study abroad necessity? Will the iPad even work for study abroad? Finally, we're just going to come out and say it:
I want an iPad! Will it work for study abroad and travel?
With all the buzz surrounding the release of Apple's iPad, we’ve gotten curious about how it would work for our students while they are studying abroad. Is it a functional piece of equipment that can replace a laptop or just a toy? Also, how does it compare to the Kindle for traveling? We’ll try to answer your questions and more!
At just 1.5 pounds, the iPad is seriously smaller and lighter than most laptops. Always looking for a way to pack lighter, faster, and more efficiently, this seems like a great advantage, especially for study abroad students who may be packing for weeks or months abroad. See our blog for great study abroad packing tips or download our free e-report, AmeriSpan’s Guide to Packing. It is certainly a bit larger and heavier than the Kindle, but perhaps the iPad’s functionality makes it worth it. The iPad has an excellent battery life, far more than laptops, which can be a boon for long international flights and waiting around in airports.
The iPad is a great device for someone that wants to write text, send emails, surf the web, watch movies, read e-books and newspapers, play games, and lots more while traveling. As an in-flight companion, it far outweighs both the Kindle and a regular laptop. The Amazon Kindle
simply cannot provide as much entertainment as the iPad. While a regular laptop can do most or all of these things, its weight, bulk, and especially battery life stack up poorly compared to the iPad, especially if you invest in a Bluetooth keyboard to make typing and surfing even easier.
How about those apps? For travel, the iPad has an impressive arsenal of apps, many of which are free. There are apps for teaching you phrases in foreign languages, translation, unit conversions, currency exchange, live flight updates, maps, weather, finding restaurants, travel guides, and more. And this is just scratching the surface!
Connectivity:
All iPads come WiFi equipped, and the big decision to make is whether you want the one with 3G capabilities or not. This will depend a lot on where you live, travel, and study abroad. The standard iPad allows you to get online wherever there is a WiFi signal. No WiFi means you can’t get online. The iPad with 3G allows you to get online worldwide on AT&T’s 3G network. You do have to purchase a data plan for this, though they are offering plans with no contract for pretty reasonable rates ($14.99 – $29.99 per month at this time).
Drawbacks:
- No USB port. A bit mystifying, Apple has not included a USB port on the iPad. However, with the release of the iPad Camera Connection Kit, you may connect USB devices to your iPad, which solves the problem of how to get your great new pics and videos onto the iPad’s beautiful screen.
- No Photoshop, etc. While the iPad does not support bigger programs like Photoshop, it does allow remote desktop connectivity. If this will be sufficient for use while out of the country remains to be seen. If you need to use Photoshop or a similar program on a daily basis while abroad, bring your laptop. If you might need to access it once in a while, we feel its worth a shot to go fast and light and try the iPad.
- No Flash! It’s true. The iPad does not support Flash. This means websites like Hulu.com will not display video on the iPad’s screen. At first, it looked like the iPad may someday have this capability, but it doesn’t look like it will for now, or any time soon.
Overall, we feel the Apple iPad can be a significant device for general travel as well as study abroad. It comes down to what your technical needs are, where you are going, and for how long. The iPad pretty much blows the Kindle out of the water, but it IS more expensive. If all you want is to be able to read some e-books and newspapers without color, the Amazon Kindle
may work for you. You’ll still have to lug around your laptop though.
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