I love my e-ink reader. I can read anything anywhere, and when my last book is finished, the next read is just a tap away. But that's just for linear reading. When I'm studying, I might be flipping back and forth through a syllabus, or have several of them open side by side. That works poorly on a tablet. On the plus side, with a tablet or latop, students no longer have to carry an unhealthy amount of heavy books to school.
As for using a laptop for taking notes, I find that to be way more distracting than taking notes on paper, whether it's me taking the notes or someone next to me.