- Joined
- Feb 1, 2010
- Messages
- 194
This may or may not be true, but I heard from a current Cadet at an admissions briefing that the class of 2015 would be issued Ipads. It sounds far fetched to me, but has anyone else heard the same?
the reason i was doubting this is the fact that all of West Point's computers are programmed with Microsoft programming, and switching the new incoming class to Macintosh would create a mess.
Like Helo said, it's probably only a rumor
Any rumors stating that the iPad will replace new cadets' laptops are most likely false. The iPad is just not ready to handle the functions of a typical laptop. The system in place, used by the government and the military, is Windows-dependent. This is because of the programs that need to be tailored to their needs, and Apple has a reputation of being a very closed system. On many of their products, simply opening up the outer shell in order to replace the stock battery or hard drive will invalidate the warranty provided by Apple.
However, if the rumors are true that iPads are being provided supplementary to cadets' laptops, as Jake suggested, then I don't see any major reasons why this couldn't possibly be true, other than cost. CAC cards don't necessarily need to be used on a piece of equipment that is meant to replace textbooks, correct?
Like what? I always figured Apple products were safer then Microsoft? Could have been mislead though.
Last I heard from a couple of cadets I know was that the IPad would be a possible replacement for textbooks. A lot of the military and leadership classes at USMA have custom textbooks printed specifically for that class so if you could get your textbooks downloaded to your issued IPad you'd have all your textbooks ready to go on the first day of class. Plus if you're assigned to read Shakespeare or Clausewitz or whatever you could download a book straight to your IPad and read it from there. It'd save space on shelves in the barracks rooms.
The cadets I talked to also said laptops would still be issued as now-- the IPad would just be supplemental.