<p>Some ipad observations. </p>
<ul>
<li>It is a glorified ipod, and as others have pointed out, this is a great benefit to 50 year old eyes. Especially love the double tap auto-zoom feature.<br></li>
<li>I think its equal if not better than a laptop for web browsing (except for Flash), email, etc.<br></li>
<li>Some of the apps are terrific. My primary news source is becoming Flipboard. I can check most major news outlets in an interface tuned to exploit the ipads features. </li>
<li>For me, it travels wayyyy better than a laptop. I addition to being easier to get through security, the smaller footprint makes it much easier to use on a plane.<br></li>
<li>I would think the biggest drawback for college students would have to be the inability to have 2 windows active simultaneously. No way to have a browser visible while working in a document for example. Makes copy/paste cumbersome. For me, this is a deal breaker for using the ipad for work/school projects. That said, the more I use it, the more I get used to the keyboard.</li>
</ul>