A spark has been lit at Belmont Hill as many are now questioning whether students should use iPads or laptops. Most high school students across America use laptops for their school work, though some students prefer iPads, and some schools even require iPads instead of laptops.
Laptops have been the industry standard for schools across America since the 2010s and as technology advances, it would seem that the industry would shift towards the more portable, convenient, touch-screen-based iPads.However, the iPad and other tablets have many faults, putting laptops in first place as the most student-friendly device. Many different reasons are factored into why the laptop excels over the iPad in almost every category, such as user interface, software, browsing, research, accessibility, power, and creativity. The only two categories where the iPad may reign supreme over the laptop are creativity and accessibility. The Apple pen and touch screen of the iPad allow for the iPad to become a creative landscape, for drawing, editing, and even notetaking. Furthermore, the accessibility of the iPad at any location to take it out and power it on quickly is far better than laptops that take longer to boot up and promptly get to your objective. The laptop excels in all other categories by being more navigable, with more excellent storage allowing for the download of various software and programs that an iPad can not. The laptop also excels in long work such as research as the more powerful and easily navigable tool with a larger screen can do many more things at once than an iPad can, paving the way for more efficient research and any work in total. With the laptop, you easily have multiple windows running which you can switch between easily or line up side by side. Additionally, the processing power of the laptop can allow for faster work and more advanced work on 3d modeling and other softwares that the iPad cannot handle. The laptop’s success in the various categories ultimately allows for more efficient work and lifestyle, and establishes the laptop as a foundational tool for American education.
In response to the possibility of Belmont Hill switching to iPads instead of laptops, three iPad-using Belmont Hill Students gave similar answers.Jai Somani, ’26, stated robustly, “If we end up switching to iPads, all of the tools that students use at this school will be severely limited due to the lack of various software and navigability on an iPad that the laptop excels in.” Another iPad user, Jayden Chen, ’26, said, “There’s nothing an iPad can do that a laptop can not do, but there are many things that a laptop can do that an iPad can not do.” Noah Gleason, ’26, a daily iPad and laptop user, also stated profoundly, “The iPad is an assistive tool rather than a core tool.” All three students expressed that they will continue to use iPads as assistive tools in class rather than foundational tools.
In the end, the choice between iPads and laptops all comes down to what the student wants, and what the student needs. Some people may not need the software and processing power that comes with a laptop, and prefer the creativity and notetaking elements of the iPad. Some may even choose to use both.
