The iPad Air releases worldwide today.
Many students at Florida A&M said iPads have created new ways to study and take notes in the classroom.
Otis Averhart, a senior criminal justice student from Orlando, said he thinks Apple products make note-taking a breeze.
“Everything with Apple is simple,” Averhart said. “All of the apps and the operating system are so simple and efficient. It makes taking notes and studying easier.”
The new iPad Air’s prices start at $499. It will have an updated processor, retina display and 10-hour battery life. It will also come with 16, 32, 64 or 128 gigabytes of memory.
Phillip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said the iPad Air will be revolutionary.
“The iPad created an entirely new mobile computing experience, and the new iPad Air is another big leap ahead,” Schiller said in a press release. “It is so thin, light and powerful, once you hold one in your hand you will understand what a tremendous advancement this is.”
Ivory Leonard, a junior theater student from Pensacola, Fla., said iPads have a large influence on the student body.
“Apple’s innovations have changed the concept of technology,” Leonard said. “I see more and more students bring iPads or Macs to class to take notes.”
Best Buy Mobile employee Jon May said iPads are convenient, and he sees as many as 10 iPads sold daily.
“Students use iPads for everything,” May said. “From simple note-taking to complicated formulas and designs. Students even use it to register for classes with the iRattler app.”
However, Kyaisha Jenkins, a sophomore pre-med student from Dallas, said Apple does not produce the best tablets despite having lots of apps.
“I like that Apple has a lot of apps, but I don’t think they are cutting edge,” Jenkins said. “They’re very convenient but not always reliable. I’ve seen better products out there.”
Some students, such as Brian Boyd, a junior music theater student from Fort Lauderdale, said Apple products are solely purchased because of the brand name.
“Most people don’t even know what they are buying,” Boyd said. “They just get excited and buy it because it says ‘Apple’ and because it’s new.
Andrew Palmer, a junior health information management student from Atlanta, said Apple products are in a league of their own but have been declining recently.
“Apple is in their own lane with their innovations,” Palmer said. “But they have tarnished their name by simply modifying their products instead of releasing new ones.”