jpellino

It's not so much the device per se, it's more how you implement and use them.  A 9.7" iPad with a decent, sturdy keyboard folio (FWIW Logitech's one with the white plastic case and dark fabric exterior has held up the best in the schools I've seen) is essentially a laptop, and a virtual dead heat with the sort of chromebook they're looking at. 

Schools:  use an MDM.  Carefully set iOS restrictions.  Test configs first.  Spend a week in the summer torture testing your setup with students and teachers.  it's a relatively cheap investment.  Do not install native game apps.  Filter your network inside your campus.  Do OTA updates.  Use single-app/focus ("Guided") mode.  Install native iWork, Office and Google productivity apps which will cover most everyone's home use.  (Scratch your head why Sheets can't chart, but do it anyway.)  Enroll your users into iCloud and Google domains, 365 is 365 no matter which OS you're on. Use TechSoup and the MS student/teacher discount plans.  

Use Apple Classroom.  ARD(ish) for iOS and then some.  We've been hammering the Apple reps at the Tech Updates for a few years for "ARD for iOS" 
Yes, it's at 1.1 but a good start.  It may be painfully late for Maine's LTI (which has done some great things and which Apple has been touting as a success...)

Need textbooks?  CK-12 is free and most are darn good as a text to start a course with.  

Rather laptops?  Sure - given the choice, anyone would likely choose a free laptop over a free tablet.  But a properly used iPad is closer to a laptop than many people think.  

Toys?  If I did not have to do desktop network management professionally, I'd likely be iPad exclusive personally.  You can get some given teacher to say many things.  I still regularly see teachers who claim "Oh, I don't do technology."  And then don't get trained.  Perfect storm.  

Coding?  Yes, the iPad is limited.  Codea and Pythonista are impressive and completely useful, but for students on the AP track they need to be able to take the exam writing Java with the AP subset, so that's not going to happen running Java natively but there are VM/emulators.  

Stuff like this is why the aliens fly right past our planet without stopping.  

Is "dormant cyber pathogen" like "double secret probation"?