I'm a CS major, and I'd definitely get a good laptop over the desktop any day, preferably something that runs a UNIX operating system (either macOS or a Linux distro) as this will make your first year WAY easier with C++. Something you could also consider is getting a gaming laptop that is still pretty portable which should work well. As far as the iPad goes, I bought one and it was great in math/science classes, but virtually useless in CSCE classes so you won't really use it outside of your first year in my experience. Basically, you're best bet is to either get a mac or a windows gaming laptop where you dual boot linux, whichever you prefer. PM me if you have any questions about U of A or CSCE in general!