Washington -- It's not every day that a new category of computer hits the market, which explains some of the hype over Apple's new iPad. It's not quite a laptop (because it doesn't have all the features of a standard personal computer), not exactly a giant smartphone (because it's not a phone), and not quite an e-reader (because it can play video and do other things those machines can't). On campuses, the question is: Will this new type of mobile device help teaching and research?

George Washington University's campus bookstore was one of many across the country to start selling the devices today, and just about every student who walked by the iPad display here stopped to give it a look, and to flip around the device's shiny touch screen.

"I wanted to see if I could actually type on it," said Vince Kooper, a freshman who tapped out a sentence or two. Several students said they would love to have one but could not afford the price, which ranges from $499 to $829. "It's hard to afford that kind of stuff when you're in college," said Matt Weitzfeld, an undergraduate who also stopped to look.

While the iPad is certainly good enough to take notes on in class, Mr. Weitzfeld said that several professors ban laptops for fear that students would poke around on Facebook rather than listen to lectures, and that iPads would most likely face the same restrictions.

The devices were not exactly flying off the bookstore's shelves. Zach Dunseth, computer and software coordinator, said 15 iPads went to students who had preordered them, but that the store had more in stock. Nationwide, Apple officials said they sold more than 300,000 iPads on the first day, though stores are not reporting widespread shortages.

Eric Weil, managing partner at Student Monitor, which studies student buying habits, said a survey last month found a growing interest in e-reading devices (which is how the group categorized them), and a stronger interest in the iPad than in the Kindle or other e-readers.

"Better than three in 10 students said, 'I'm somewhat interested in purchasing a wireless reading device,'" he reported.

Several professors spent the past few days sparring on blogs and Twitter feeds over whether iPads will send big waves over the academic and media landscape or something closer to a ripple.

"It's actually been a fairly interesting debate online," said Dan Cohen, director of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University. Scholars profess either love or hate for iPads, he said. "There's no gray area here."

Opponents of the device argue that it is not open enough and sets a bad precedent for how computers and software are sold, since Apple, by controlling access to its online store of apps, controls what iPad software is allowed to be sold. Some fans, though, including some artists and writers, are excited by what they see as a machine that simplifies the experience of reading and viewing multimedia.

It will take months before the potential of these new pad-style computers becomes clear, Mr. Cohen said, because developers are still working out what a light, nine-inch computer can do that laptops, netbooks, and smartphones can't.