When Apple launched the iPad, it was clear that this tablet would change things. But, nobody was exactly sure of what most people would end up using the magical device to do. Now, a few years and several generations of the iPad  later, it's clear that consumers can rely on their Apple tablet to do just about anything. 

With the release of iTunes U, Apple made it easier to take classes right from your screen. The program allows accredited colleges and universities to share the resources of some of their best professors with the entire world, providing numerous public, open-enrollment courses. Thousands of closed-enrollment classes can be found on the service as well, but they are open only to members of a certain college, university or school-system. 

After just a few years, iTunes U recently passed a major milestone: one billion downloads. This represents a major sector of the population that has decided to pursue additional education using this easy-to-work-with platform. The combination of free, factually-accurate content, well-organized course materials and the ability to take your own notes within the platform seem to have made iTunes U a real winner. 

"The interest my iTunes U course receives from non-college students is overwhelming," said Ohio State University Professor Stoltzfus, in a press release. "I've been working with high school teachers who use my iTunes U material to prepare to teach their own classes, high school students all over the world who are leveraging the course to tutor their fellow classmates, even retirees who download my iTunes U course to stay intellectually active."

Of course, if you can't access the library, you won't be able to have this fun. Contact an expert at PortableOne about setting up a customized laptop of iPad perfectly suited for this.