After ballyhooed debut, some schools see problems with iPad


Some schools say their networks will be ready for the iPad this fall, despite early connection problems.
Some schools say their networks will be ready for the iPad this fall, despite early connection problems.

The euphoria that greeted the Apple iPad on college campuses has waned somewhat in recent weeks, as technology officials at a handful of universities have issued warnings that the much sought-after eReader might not be compatible with school web networks or could overwhelm campus bandwidth capabilities.

Education technology officials on campuses that can’t currently support the iPad say their networks and internet security will be iPad-friendly by next school year. Meanwhile, some other institutions—such as Rutgers University, George Fox University in Newberg, Ore., and North Carolina State University—embraced the popular eReader just days after its release.

George Fox’s incoming freshmen will receive a new iPad when they come to campus next fall, and North Carolina State students and faculty can rent the device for four-hour intervals from the school’s library.

Despite some technical troubles at George Washington University and Princeton University, eReader experts said higher-education officials will find ways to incorporate the iPad into their campus curriculum, partly because college students trust Apple’s brand name enough to make the eReader a surefire hit among 20-somethings.

“Schools are looking at them and saying, ‘We want to be cutting-edge,’” said Jay McGoodwin, CEO of Study.net, an online learning service used on campuses nationwide, including the University of California, Berkeley. “It has all the attractive features that Apple is so well regarded for—great, crisp graphics, nice size. It’s what makes the iPad the flavor of the day.”

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