Unless you have been locked away in an underground bunker for the last six months, you will have probably heard about the Apple iPad. This new lightweight portable "slate computer" from Steven Jobs, is viewed by many critics as just an over-sized iPhone suffering from critical delusions of grandeur.

However, all kidding aside, is the iPad the ultimate or perfect student laptop? A close examination of the iPad's features could answer this question. What the iPad has or doesn't have, will explain if the iPad is a suitable device for students or not?

First, lets examine some of the iPad's main selling points which will bring out the student in most of us. It is lightweight and extremely portable at around a half-inch thick and weighing in at about 1½ pounds, so the iPad can be easily carried anywhere. You won't even notice it is in your backpack or bookbag and with over 10 hours of battery life the iPad will probably outlast your longest school day.

Second, it has a 9.7 inch touch-screen color display which all iPhone and iPod users have been properly weaned on. This touch-screen will be very convenient especially in a quiet classroom or lecture hall. The color display will also make reading magazines and books much more enjoyable.

Third, the iPad is also handy for browsing the web, watching videos and even playing games. But it is the book-reading function which could possibly make the iPad a virtual "replacement" for all textbooks. Just imagine, rather than lugging 5-6 heavy textbooks to class every day, you could have them stored in your iPad - ready for access. But what about highlighting all that important text with a big red marker - there's probably already an App for that.

Now lets examine certain features the iPad doesn't have that could discourage various people from bringing this apple to school. Probably, among the major drawbacks has to be the lack of multi-tasking. If there is anything a young student has learned, it really is how to do multi-tasking. A number of youngsters have even perfected it into an artform. They understand how to watch a video, text a message, send an email, download a movie and browse the web... even while doing their homework.

Second, the iPad doesn't have a keyboard which could make it difficult to type or take long notes. While this handicap will mostly depend on the dexterity of the user, bear in mind, young individuals are easy adapters of any new technology so using the touch-screen keyboard might not be a major problem for them.

Third, the iPad also doesn't have many common features that you would see on a laptop or even a netbook. There is no Flash which will make viewing webpages less enjoyable. There isn't any USB port which will not necessarily please many individuals, but you should use a dock connector. There is also no SD card slot, no HMDI out and no full GPS. There's no camera or webcam... which pretty much rules out sexting, parents will be relieved but seriously, a genuinely portable communication device should have included a webcam. Maybe future models will sport them or maybe Apple gave several serious consideration to privacy complications in the classroom and the school environment. A cameraless device may be more welcomed by school officials if the iPad does become the ultimate virtual textbook.

Furthermore, various techies have criticized the iPad for having a 4:3 ratio display that makes it relatively square; rather than a 16:9 ratio which would be more ideal for watching widescreen movies. Since you probably want students reading textbooks, rather than watching movies, this is not really a design flaw.

The last consideration for most students will be price. The iPad is more expensive than a netbook but a little more affordable than most laptops; of course that could depend on the size and brand of the laptop in question. The prices for the iPad stretch from ?499 to ?829. The most expensive iPads will have more storage for all those music and video files - although the storage is in the low span, only offering 16, 32, or 64GB.

Overall, the iPad does have many good features which turn it into a very suitable student laptop: it is extremely portable, it has long battery life, it is small and lightweight and its touch-screen color display makes reading books, textbook and magazines a virtual pleasure. Plus, browsing the web, answering emails, watching videos and even playing a few games on this device makes it more of a "slate computer" than an ordinary e-reader like the Amazon Kindle. While the negatives: no flash, no multi-tasking, no camera, no USB, no full GPS and limited storage of only 16, 32 or 64GB, which will leave several buyers cold. Even so, the iPad will have many more takers, especially in the student laptop market.