What's The Best Tool For College -- A MacBook Or iPad? And Wait...What About Windows 8?

I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now:  computer sales have been plummeting and it’s forecast that sales of tablets will outpacePCs as soon as 2015. Is this the end of the PC as we know it? Far from it. In fact, for evidence, just ask today’s high school seniors.

This week, all three of my kids are graduating high school (no, they’re not triplets. But close. Two are twins. The other is only eleven months older). It’s a bittersweet and exciting time for our entire family. We’ll miss them when they all leave for their respective colleges in August. But then again we’ll be coming home to a clean house. So there is an upside. At least until Thanksgiving break.

As a graduation gift from a combined group of people in our family, each kid was given enough money to help subsidize the purchase of a college computer this summer. And so I asked each one of them: what will you buy: a MacBook or an iPad? The answer was unanimous. What do you think it was?

I know you’re very excited for the answer, but before I reveal that, I need to first make note of Apple AAPL -0.7%. All three of my kids, like most of their generation, have grown up on Apple products. In fact, two of them (the twins) were given free MacBooks to use for their entire four years of high school, a program initiated by our local school district. My older child, who attended a private school, bought his own.

This is the next generation. In just four years those completing high school this month will (hopefully) be entering the workforce or going to graduate school. This is a generation that will be demanding Apple products. They will expect their technology to be as user friendly, fast, and reliable as their MacBooks, iPads and iPhones are today. They will not be accustomed to Windows. They will not tolerate poor quality. Then again, by the time they hit their stride it may not matter much anyway as most of what they’ll be doing will be on the cloud. But companies must be prepared for this reality. If this trend continues and, subject to lots of other unforeseen factors, it appears obvious to me that Apple’s share in office technology is poised to significantly grow over the next decade if only to accommodate the expectations of the next generation of workers who are now and will soon be arriving.

So without question my kids all plan to use their graduation cash for an Apple product. Getting a Windows 8 computer never even entered into the conversation. In fact, they tell me that arriving at their new university with a Windows 8 device would raise eyebrows among their fellow incoming freshman. “Why would you buy that?” they would likely be asked, according to my daughter. Maybe she’s right. Maybe not. But the very fact that this would be a concern for an 18 year old should also be a concern for Microsoft MSFT -0.62%.

Enough about that.  Let’s assume that, for a college student, it’s an Apple world.  Which brings me back to the original question: assuming you could afford both, which one do you take with you to college? A MacBook? Or an iPad? It’s the same question that’s being asked now by millions of employers and employees around the world. Do I ditch the laptop? Do I get a tablet? The answer is important, particularly for those that manufacture these computers. And if you manufacture laptops, particularly MacBooks, you can breathe a sigh of relief.

All three of my kids, without fail, plan to purchase new MacBooks. They might not be able to afford the higher end MacBook Air. They’ll definitely take advantage of the discounts offered by their colleges. They may even consider something used. But they are buying MacBooks. Not iPads. And the reasons are obvious.

Laptops, like the MacBook, are work devices. They are used to do essays, write papers, surf the web, perform analysis and submit assignments. And it doesn’t matter what your specialty is. All three of my kids are taking history, math and science classes and I’m predicting that they all will wind up focusing on either business or science. Whatever the curriculum, they will need a computing device that’s a work device. Sure, they’ll want it to provide entertainment too, access to Facebook FB +4.5%, an option to send the occasional tweet, the ability to watch movies and stream music. But first and foremost they’ll need a computer.

And a tablet is not a computer. It’s a recreation device. It can be used to type out the odd email or quick status update. But take a look around you. People are using their iPads for reading books, perusing magazines, watching videos, surfing social media. Future employees, particularly those that need to be filling out forms like purchase requisitions, time sheets and workorders will be using their iPads and other tablets as data input devices. But those that will be writing reports, creating spreadsheets, responding to multiple emails and designing new products will need a work device, not a recreation device. And that will always be a laptop, not a tablet.

Laptops are faster and more powerful than tablets. Their screens are bigger. Their keyboards are better. They are becoming lighter and lighter. They hold more local data (and even in this cloud based world it’s still much faster to do work locally). They can run many productive programs that a student or employee needs to do their work and all at the same time. Many do (and will soon) offer both mouse and touch screen functionality. They are just better working tools. It seems like even a high school kid knows that.

So why the big fall in PC sales? That’s easy: up until only a few years ago a PC or laptop was our only choice. And lots of people had more than one because they needed something for when they were mobile. And that was primarily just to check email or some other non-intensive task. Tablets like the iPad can now serve that purpose for those types of users. But the student, the employee, the business owner, the professional, the tech person…they will always need a more full-functioning, productive device.

Which is why the bottom hasn’t fallen out of the PC market. It’s significantly declined as a result of other choices we now have available. But, like newspapers, books and terrestrial radio, PC sales won’t ever go away. There will always be a strong market for laptops. If you don’t believe me, just ask any kid going to college. You may think it’s all fun and games away from home. But when given the choice, they’ll take a work device over a fun device.

Windows 8 touch-compatible accessories

Some of the biggest changes in Windows 8 have been around the touch interface. You can still use a traditional keyboard and mouse should you wish, but there are a host of compatible devices that make interacting with touch even easier. Naturally, if you have a laptop the touch screen will be the first port of call when you’re on the go. However, there are other accessories that help you make the most of the new features in Windows 8 when you’re in the office or back at home.

It might not seem obvious but a touch-compatible mouse will really help you make the most of Windows 8. There’s the convenience of having traditional features like left or right click at your fingertips and the added advantage of touch compatibility there too. By far the biggest advantage to these new touch-enabled devices is that they add gesture support. You’ll be able to pinch-to-zoom, call up the Windows 8 charms and more.

The TP713 from Dell is a simple slab that allows you to interact naturally with the Windows 8 interface using just your fingers. All the gesture controls you’re used to using on-screen are available in a more comfortable setup at your desk. The TP713 takes just two AAA batteries and is much more portable than a traditional mouse given that it’s a flat square. It’s wireless too, using a simple USB dongle to communicate, so there’s no unsightly wires cluttering up your desk.

One inevitable side effect of using a touch-screen PC of any type is that eventually the screen itself will be come smeared with fingerprints. To avoid this you should invest in a cleaning kit to make sure your monitor is always looking shiny and new. There are plenty to choose from, but make sure you go for one that specifically states it’s for an LCD touch screen device.