Comparing the iPad with Chromebook and Windows Options

At $299 for students, Apple’s 9.7” iPad has many features that are both familiar and useful. It is wildly popular, and has a fantastic design. But how does Apple’s iPad compare to Google’s Chromebook and Windows laptops?

Let’s take a general look at a few technical specifications of each:

Apple iPad

• Price: $299 for students
• Screen: 9.7 inch
• Storage: 32 GB
• Weight: 1.03 pounds
• Ports: 1, only for recharging

Coming in at only 1.03 pounds, the Apple iPad is extremely lightweight, which is a huge benefit when being carried around campus. Apple iPads also run on the same operating system as the iPhone, which helps with familiarity. The screen has a beautiful high resolution 9.7” LED screen, which is great for watching Netflix and YouTube videos.

However, if you want to add an external keyboard (the iPad has no keyboard), and Apple’s accessory pencil, you are looking at a price tag near $500. It also may be difficult to connect to an external source with no HDMI port. Many schools use software that is not compatible with the operating system that Apple uses.

Chromebooks

There are many Google Chromebooks available in the $200-$300 range. For the sake of comparison, let’s choose the Acer Chromebook.

• Price: $197
• Screen: 15.6 inch
• Storage: 16 GB
• Weight: 6 pounds
• Battery: 12 hour
• Ports: HDMI and USB 3.0 ports.

While having less storage space than the Apple iPad, the Chromebook keeps most of its storage online, allowing you to access all of this data flawlessly. There are less applications that can be downloaded to the Chromebook, but they are improving year after year.

Windows

There are a wide variety of Windows laptops, tablets and desktops to choose from. The prices for these can be anywhere from $250-$1000+. For the sake of this comparison, let’s look at a laptop that is close to the price range that we are comparing to. The Lenovo 22-in-1 N24 combo laptop/tablet:

• Price: $279
• Storage: 64 GB
• Weight: 3 pounds
• Screen: 11.6 inches
• Ports: SD memory card reader, HDMI and USB 3.0.

This laptop/tablet has more storage space than the Chromebook and iPad in its price range, but is heavier than the iPad. It has more compatible software that is often used in classrooms, and has a SD memory card reader for easily removable storage. An HDMI and USB 3.0 port are great for connecting to an external projector or peripheral.