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can I avoid buying an ipad?

T

tabletee

Lurker
the local college has mandatory ipad purchases for students, as the course works include audio/video material and presumably pdf files or whatnot, which are 'optimized' to work with an ipad (or mini).

I wish I could avoid buying an ipad and get an android tablet instead, but is there any way to 'emulate' the ipad on android if the course works are 'optimized' for ipad?

I don't have information on what kind of files or apps I would have to run. obviously, you can open a pdf file with android too, but what if they are ipad-specific apps?
 
They probably say iPad as a generalization. I don't know what apps they would have in mind.

Now, if this is in the United States, the accounting major in me is going to give you some valuable advice. Whatever you end up buying, if it is required by your college, it is a qualified education expense for purposes of the American Opportunity Credit. If you are in your first 4 years of undergrad study, you can qualify for this tax credit and receive up to 40% of your school expenses back as a refundable credit. This credit covers up to $4,000 of expenses annually. The first $2,000 is 100% applicable and the next $2,000 is 25% applicable. This gives you a $2,500 AOC. 40% of that is refundable(meaning you could get up to $1000 back as a refund, while the other $1,500 would only go towards paying taxes due).

Just a little friendly advice from somebody who spent February through April filing student tax returns.
 
Excellent point by bjacks12!

The scenarios are:

- They may be referring to tablets in general.
- They may be referring to apple tablet apps specifically that they are creating or requiring. If they are talking about apple tablet app(s) specifically - you will not be able to use them on Android.
- They have specific apple tablet apps in mind and don't know there are Android equivalents. i.e they may be saying PDF reader, and they are uninformed and think only apple can do that.

I would find out more if I were you and before I ran out and spent way too much for an apple tablet.

(If they are requiring apple tablets, let me know what school you attend. I'll see if I can get my alma mater come in a wipe them in football.)
 
When I started at UNC it was required to have a laptop. I qualified for a complete discount due to our family's financial situation.
However, it was only if I graduated. Since I left early to transfer, they demanded payment or to return the laptop.
Just an FYI. :)
 
My guess is that if it says iPad, it actually means iPad. A friend of mine runs IT for a school and they're heavily bought into the whole Apple infrastructure - I'm guessing the college probably is, too.

Of course, the best thing to do would be to contact the college and ask if they actually mean an iPad or just a tablet.
 
my college required a laptop (was before tablets were anything but Pocket PCs and Microsoft Tablet PC, most used only in medical fields at the time)

i bought a used 486. i was a heavy advocate for old tech at the time, and used to use the mantra 'You can graduate Harvard with a 486'

as for the question, most educational places are addicted to Apple. they are buying the snake oil that Apple 'excels at education' bit. Hell it goes farther back than that. my elementary school only had Apple //e and IIgs computers.
 
thanks for all your answer. they really mean Apple iPad. I know also because I called the course professor, the IT dept, and the course director of CSUN (the Northridge college, Los Angeles) to protest that they were even making it mandatory to buy a 32GB model, even though you can get a 16GB model plus a 100GB something external hard disk for less money than the 32 GB iPad model.

It is true they are technologically illiterate (from the director to the IT dept. people I talked to), however they specifically said that with no iPad you cannot attend the course.

Supposedly, they have 'optimized' course work for iPads, which may well be on a proprietary app which only runs on iPad, or it may be standard files which would run on an android tablet. good luck finding out before it's too late as the course has already started.

You should read their 'press release' garbage justification of the 'opportunity' given by using Apple products. I'm sure it was written by the Apple representative who went there to strike a deal (they sell iPads in the college store of course)

as for the tax advice, thank you, but who's going to college is my wife, who already has 4 years of undergrads. The only thing I can do I believe is ask for a tax deduction next year, for my expenses in sending her to college. I think there's a limit of about $4000 there, which you can take on top of the standard reduction even without itemizing (I understand).
 
Do you guys have a law school? I would consider talking to someone about this.

Seems like mandating a specific model (and the most expensive one at that) is a sign of possible collusion between a private company and a public school. I doubt that your school wants to get caught up in the middle of those legal possibilities.
 
while in principle I would agree about law action, in practice do you really think that it would be feasible to take to court a University? It would cost money worth many iPads, it would possibly put my wife in trouble, the University would probably have some 'reasonable' explanation, and even if they'd lose, it'd probably result in no penalty whatsoever to the University officials.

the law suit would probably get thrown out of court in the first place. after all you have no obligation to study there.
 
tabletee said:
while in principle I would agree about law action, in practice do you really think that it would be feasible to take to court a University? It would cost money worth many iPads, it would possibly put my wife in trouble, the University would probably have some 'reasonable' explanation, and even if they'd lose, it'd probably result in no penalty whatsoever to the University officials.

the law suit would probably get thrown out of court in the first place. after all you have no obligation to study there.
Click to expand...

Not you the person. Large organizations take up causes like yours. Think ACLU and all the lawsuits it does. Think class action. Lawyers love going after deep pockets with minimal risk.

And no, you are not required to study at the University. But the University and private corporations are required to fairly disclose reasonable business practices. Think about it, if your University is getting a kick back from a private for profit corporation - they will panic with the first contact from a legal entity asking for disclosure. If there is anything nefarious going on here, this will be over in the discovery phase.
 
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