For one thing, it would be much easier to do hagba on an iPad than on a sefer torah.
Many people have expressed discomfort with the idea of using technology in order to learn Torah, and I really don't see what all the fuss is about. The more access people have to Torah, the better - assuming that they know how to learn and integrate what they learn into their life.
There is a nostalgia to the old way of learning - with a book. There is a comforting feel to a page of gemara, or an old book with yellowed pages. If this enhances your personal learning, then use it. Other people may be turned off by an old smelly book with hard to read print. Let them learn from what attracts them. The content is the same, and "great is Torah learning that leads to action".
Shabbat is another incredibly important part of this conversation. This is the day when we have the most free time, and when many people especially encourage Torah study. Traditional observance of Shabbat prohibits use of electricity, which would make it impossible to learn Torah from an iPad. Books allow you to read as long as there is light. But most places we learn (schools and batei midrash) will have electricity and if so, I see no issue using one over the other.
Do you think that students should have to read Torah out of the original book a certain number of times? Or is it okay to just show them the original and then use the iPad for all future learning? I'm intrigued by your point that learning Torah on an iPad on Shabbat is not possible for those observing Shabbat. I hadn't thought of that- I was just thinking about Torah on the iPad in the school world, so its interesting to think about outside of the school.
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