| Laptop |
$330- $1,000 |
2.5-6 hours |
3.5-8.8 lbs |
11.6-18.4 inches |
160-500 GB |
1.3- 2.53 GHz |
Keyboard/ mouse/ touchpad |
Millions that run on Windows and Linux |
Sleeker, less boxy than desktops. Main appeal: full-size keyboards |
| Pros: Easily best option for size and power, plus the user-friendliest keyboard. Cons: You pay for all that size and power. And if your students aren’t World of Warcraft zealots, how much processor speed do they really need? |
| Netbook |
$300-$550 |
10-12 hours |
2.2-3.2 lbs |
10-12.1 inches |
160-250 GB |
1.33-1.66 GHz |
Keyboard/ mouse/ touchpad |
Millions that run on Windows and Linux |
Leaner, more colorful than early blocky designs |
| Pros: Lightweight and affordable. Educators rave about its battery life. Can run all the software a laptop can run. Cons: Cramped keyboard, tiny screen. |
| iPad |
$499- $829 |
Up to 10 hours |
1.5-1.6 lbs |
9.7 inches |
16-64 GB |
1 GHz |
Touchscreen (keyboard available) |
Thousandsfrom Apple’s App Store |
Crisp, lush multitouch display and intuitive interface set it apart |
| Pros: Lightest, most portable. Uniquely engaging design and feel; intuitive interface. Great battery life. Cons: Doesn’t support Adobe Flash. Touch keyboard makes it a poor choice for big school projects that require heavy-duty computing. |