The buzz about the Apple launch of the new iPad has swarmed the nation and the VSU campus since its launch this past Saturday. Though some VSU students consider the new iPad to be entertaining, many are concerned with it being overpriced and some say it may even be unnecessary.
According to Tech Shop manager Jed Brogdon, the station where the iPad is held has been full with students testing the product since the Tech shop opened Monday. However, “approximately only ten iPads have been sold.”
With the iPad offering many of the same features as the Mac and iPod Touch, some students feel they do not need the device.
“I have a Touch and a laptop, not really looking for anything in between . . . I’ll go play with it but that is all,” VSU sophomore Tucker Hardy said.
The iPad, like most Apple products, is completely touch-screen which may make it difficult for some people to type emails or work applications.
“I am more of a PC person and have become adapted to the keyboard; I may go check it out but besides that my money is kind of tight,” Keith Jones, sophomore marketing major, said.
Some students may even feel the iPad is just not what they expected it to be and are not willing to sacrifice so much money on something that is not interesting to them.
“I am completely disinterested in the iPad,” Richard Lee, Assistant Dean of Students, said.
iPads are priced starting at $499, and excess financial aid checks have largely been used up by this time of the semester, so many students may not be able to afford the new device.
Brogdon admitted that he is not expecting to sell many iPads until fall semester, when more excess financial aid is available and Apple has created more features designed solely for the iPad.
“There are rumors about textbook publishers, selling to the Apple iBook application, where textbooks could be downloaded instead of bought,” Brogdon said.
The iPad features applications such as Safari, an Internet browser, iBooks, an e-reader, and Photos, which allows users to view pictures in a digital picture frame.
“I am interested in iBooks evolving on the iPad because it would be easier than taking books to class. I would like to buy one within the next year just to make sure there aren’t any errors in the product,” Unique Williams-Brown, sophomore early childhood education major, said.