iPad: A POOR CHOICE for Education -- Myths and Facts

I am getting really, truly fed up of having to educate people who like to spread propaganda and sales pitches about Apple products. Are the masses really that easily brainwashed?

Here is one that I hear over and over again:

MYTH: "The higher cost of Apple products is worth it because they are more reliable and last longer."

FACT: Macbooks have been on the market for about 4 years, so the longest you can say they last is 4 years -- you can't possibly know beyond that point. Likewise, it has been noted that iPods (the technology on which iPads are built) last about 4 years before dying (usually due to battery, which can be replaced but, of course, you have to let Big Brother Apple do it for you to the tune of $50 for an iPod or $100 for an iPad. Meanwhile, I have a still-functioning IBM ThinkPad that is 12 years old (although the screen and battery have died, so it has to be used like a desktop), as well as a Toshiba tablet laptop that is about 7 years old with no problems whatsoever. However, my iPod just died after exactly 4 years of ownership.

The durability argument for Apple products just doesn't ring true, but what about the "reliability" and the argument that you have fewer technical problems? Also false. A survey of 43,000 laptop computer users conducted by Consumer Reports found that Apple was the third most reliable brand (19% reported serious technical problems) -- Windows-based PC laptops by Toshiba and Acer tied for the least amount (17%) of reported technical problems.

Like the above popular myth, such misconceptions also like to spread their seed regarding the iPad. I find it unfathomable and unforgivable that people in positions of authority in public education somehow think iPads are the best investment for students. The fact of the matter is that these people are wasting taxpayer dollars and unnecessarily stressing already-thin budgets. And for what? Not even a defensible improvement to education.

MYTH: The iPad is a computer.

FACT: The iPad is NOT a computer. For one thing, the iPad is not a stand-alone device. You have to plug it into a real computer in order for it to work. This means iPad is a peripheral device -- not a computer. Just like iPod. For another, it cannot do the same things a computer does. Even if you wanted to argue for it being a simple web browser, it fails at this task: iPad does not run common multimedia engines (Flash, Java, Shockwave, etc.) that are already installed on 99% of computers and used for millions of websites. How can you call something a web browser when it breaks half the usability of the web?? As one blog so succinctly shows with screenshots of multiple inaccessible websites on iPad: "Millions of websites use Flash. Get used to the blue legos."

MYTH: You don't need those multimedia tools like Flash anyway, because you can get any of the same things as an app, and HTML 5 is going to make Flash obsolete.

FACT: There are millions of rich internet applications that rely on Flash. Many of them are free. Companies are not going to invest the time and money to create Apple App versions when the vast majority of users out there are still not using iPads. And HTML 5 is not a replacement for Flash. It could make the need for Flash video obsolete, but FLV, or Flash Video, is a relatively new development and use of Flash -- it's not even what Flash was designed for. Flash was designed for scalable vector animations and interactivity. HTML 5 will not support the vector graphics and level of interactivity that Flash uses for things like games, simulations, and business applications.

MYTH: iPads are the most affordable multi-purpose solution.

FACT: iPads are a more affordable multi-purpose solution than Macbooks. Then again, Macbooks are actual computers that can do things like run on their own without being plugged into a computer, and can access Flash-enhanced websites. iPads are also more affordable than PC laptops, though those in turn are more affordable than Macbooks and can do the same things (or more, since there is more software supported on Windows). iPads are more expensive than eReaders, so if all you want is an eReader, you'd save a lot of money getting a Nook or Kindle... but to be honest, education is about more than just books, so why would you waste the money on something that isn't a multipurpose device?

The actual most affordable multi-purpose solution: netbooks. Netbooks are smaller laptops which are slightly less powerful but much more portable, affordable, and efficient. In other words, they are like iPads except they are actually computers. Like iPads, their batteries last for 8 hours of continuous use. Like iPads, they do not have a built-in CD/DVD drive; unlike iPads, you can plug in an external one if you really need it. Unlike iPads, they have USB ports for attaching peripheral devices. Unlike iPads, they have a built-in keyboard (it's pretty hilarious that people said "It's better not to have a keyboard" and then, lo and behold, Apple produced one for the iPad anyway because, guess what? It's still the most efficient means of getting text into a device, and people tend to like to be able to do that efficiently). Unlike iPads, they can use the entire extent of web pages and rich internet applications -- many of which do the same things as Apple Apps, except for free.

I was pretty skeptical of netbooks when I first saw them -- they seemed too small to feel natural to work on, and I doubted what kind of power/performance you could get for that price. But I was wrong. The Acer netbooks my students use in the classroom run not only the Internet, but also multimedia and 3D applications -- Photoshop, Google Earth, Google SketchUp CAD software -- and even 3D games with no problem. And, as I mentioned, Acer scored higher for technical reliability than Apple in the Consumer Reports survey. So what does this mini-laptop cost? About $250 each... HALF the price of an iPad. And when the battery eventually dies, you can buy your own replacement and pop it in for $30. Apple charges you $100 to replace the iPad battery when it dies (which it will -- this is true for any electronic device).

So what do you miss out on? A touch-screen and motion/angle sensors. But I have yet to hear anyone explain to me why these are necessary -- or even beneficial -- in education. There are a few musical and artistic apps that can benefit from it, but for online research, document creation, collaboration/communication, and most educational games... it's simply not necessary. (And you can even get tablet netbooks which allow you to use a stylus on the touch screen monitor, for still less than an iPad)


MYTH: "iPads are the way of the future, so even though the infrastructure is not really there for them at this time, it will be soon because all of that Flash, Java, and other interactive multimedia software will be made iPad-compatible."

FACT: We don't have a crystal ball and don't know what is going to be the future, so we have to focus on the present and the immediate future, things that we know are in the pipeline. You cannot purchase a device that doesn't have the underlying infrastructure and support it needs on a universal basis when the thing has only been out for 6 months. Ever heard of Betamax? HD-DVD? They, too, claimed to be "the wave of the future." How about Tesla? A very cool, all-electric car but missing an infrastructure that allows it to be charged or battery-swapped at stations along the road, rendering it impossible to travel long distances.

What we do know is this: iPhones and iPod Touch have been out for years now, and they still do not support Flash, yet multimedia/RIA developers are still choosing to develop Flash... so it doesn't look like the near future is going to look a whole lot different than the present. Don't gamble taxpayer dollars that it will, just so you can boast to have the newest flashy gizmo.