"Here's an interesting article comparing the cost of buying/renting physical books for school vs renting or buying them as eTextbooks. A student can save enough over four years to pay for the cost of an iPad. Another advantage of eTextbooks, not mentioned in the article, is how much easier/lighter it is to carry around an iPad versus heavy textbooks. Unfortunately, all publishers don't make their books available as eTextbooks yet.
"Can't you visualize your six-year-old daughter getting ready for her first day in school and coming up to you and saying: 'Mom, I'm going to school now. I need a new iPad!'...(grin)." This came from Jim Hamm.