While sales of tablet computers continue to grow worldwide,
many college students still prefer to go the PC route. In its annual back-to-school
survey, Deloitte found that while 82% of college students own a personal
computer and 80% have a smartphone, just 18% bring a tablet to campus.
“Unless you’re shooting for a degree in Angry Birds,
tablets are a horrible back-to-school purchase,” said Louis Ramirez, a features
writer for DealNews.com, in a MarketWatch article.
“You can’t write a 10-page research paper with an iPad.”
Most of functions that make a tablet computer so
popular for home use—playing games, surfing the Internet, checking social media
sites, and e-mail—can be done just as easily on a student’s laptop. Students
also find taking classroom notes using their laptop or desktop keyboard much
more convenient, while a bigger screen and better audio makes watching a movie
or listening to music a better experience on a laptop.
Another PC selling point for students is price,
particularly during the back-to-school sales push when manufacturers offer
special incentives on desktop and laptop models, making desktop PCs available
for as low as $200.
“The desktop PC is simply a wiser, more realistic
investment for any student this fall,” Ramirez said.
