Laptops v/s hand-held devices in B-schools-Studies on usage, preference and behavior patterns

Today's market has so many gadgets that consumers are almost spoilt for choice. Also a bulk of the consumers who are students have difficulty in choosing between laptops or handheld devices like smart phones and tablets for their day to day activities. In this paper attempt has been made to highlight how education and technology have evolved hand in hand over the years. We also have conducted an exhaustive research on the usage patterns of laptops and handheld devices among students to find their preferences and behavior patterns. We have restricted our research to Business school students because they are widely exposed to various gadgets as part of their academic learning and daily activities. This study helps us to gauge, compare and to an extent even predict the future of different gadgets in the higher education sector. The survey showed that though the current usage of laptops is highest for academic and leisure activities, their preference are more towards tablets. There are various business schools that have already adapted tablets as a substitute for laptops and books. With the rapidly increasing advancement in technology, the usage of tablets for education is expected to become more widespread across various educational institutions.