A new iPad comes out Friday, and Ball State's Technology Store is selling its iPad2s for a reduced price before starting to sell Apple's latest product.
Students can buy an iPad2 from the store located on the first floor of Bracken for $399 and up, a $100 discount from regularly priced versions.
The discount was announced after Apple released details on their new version of the device. Nathan Neely, communications and support services manager for University Technology Support, said the discount doesn't pose problems for the store.
"We have a price protection for that $100," he said. "We apply for the protection and Apple responds with the amount we are allowed to discount the items."
The tablet market at Ball State is not particularly large, said Michael Hanley, an associate professor of journalism and director of the school's Institute for Mobile Media Research.
"I've seen reports that 25 percent of students in the nation own tablets," he said. "I think that may be a little high, but there's no doubt the market is increasing."
He said tablets are popular because they've created their own niche in the technology market.
"People that have smartphones really like them and the same goes for laptops," Hanley said. "So when there's a middle ground for those users, people are going to take advantage."
The number of smartphone users has also grown dramatically, he said. In the last three years, the number of users increased from 27 to 69 percent, according to a study that was recently published by the institute.
Hanley said he also expects tablet usage to rise.
"The irony with smartphones is that so few people are making phone calls anymore," he said. "Text messaging is a good portion of what students use to communicated now, and most tablets have similar capabilities."
He said available Wi-Fi is another advantage for tablet users.
"Most tablets don't use cellular plans; they're primarily Wi-Fi," Hanley said. "It's at a much greater speed and on a campus like Ball State where Wi-Fi is available, it cuts costs down much more."
The potential for tablets is still evolving. While the uses of tablets are still unsure, one use in particular has become apparent: entertainment.
Whether someone is using their tablet to browse Facebook or watch a movie on Netflix, a better resolution offers much more value for entertainment than a smartphone.
Jonathan Huer, director of Emerging Technologies and Media Development, said the increased resolution on the new iPad will only increase their entertainment value, while improving other uses as well.
"It puts [the iPad] in a little better professional realm, because with better resolution even the medical field will be able to use it much easier now," Huer said.
As an application developer, he said the times when new devices come out are some of the busiest.
"We learn about them when they're announced," he said. "It's a mad dash."
Read More
IPR: Indiana Michigan Power extends Tillotson Avenue road construction project
By Indiana Public Radio / December 19, 2024Originally, the project had a November completion date. In a statement Thursday, the company says it has found more damage to “the existing underground infrastructure.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle: New revenue eaten up by Medicaid budget forecast
By Indiana Capital Chronicle / December 18, 2024Actuaries defend $1B ‘mistake’
Ball State holds 200th Commencement ceremony
By Trinity Rea / December 14, 2024Ball State University held its 200th commencement ceremony Dec. 14, celebrating over 1,200 Cardinal graduates.
