Back to School: here's what to buy

So you've bought the perfect laptop. The perfect cellphone. The perfect tablet. You've filled them all with the best apps on the planet. You're pretty much set to dominate this school year.

But where are you going to put all that stuff? What are you going to listen to music with, because your laptop speakers inevitably suck? Plus, there's a lot more to school than just the classroom, and you need to be equipped for everything. So we've rounded up some of the essentials, the gadgets and accessories you need to get that A up to an A+ — or at least get that A in style.

Apps are the wave of the future, man. Soon every classroom will be filled with apps of all shapes and sizes, replacing your books, and maybe even your friends. But until then, you need apps on your computing device to succeed this school year. Whether you're reading, taking notes, annotating photosynthesis PDFs, or typing up a long paper on the juxtaposition of thing A and thing B, here are the best apps to get your schoolwork done. Of course, it's still up to you to actually do work, but with these apps tucked into your iPad, Zenbook, One X, or MacBook, your work's cut out for you.

Yes, you probably need a laptop more than you need a tablet for school this year. But a tablet can also be an indispensable tool whether you're reading for class, writing papers, drawing when inspiration strikes, or (because this really is required for school sometimes) watching Netflix. Tablets are a great, easily-accessed hub for your reading, your schedule, your notes, and your to-do list; they're also a great way to force yourself to focus on a single task when you've got real work to do.

Most tablets may look the same, but they're not all good at the same things. So here's the best one for each of a variety of school-related tasks, or for when you just don't feel like dealing with school anymore.

Textbooks, pencils, new clothes... and apps? That's right: no new school year is complete without a new smartphone to match, and we've got you covered with updated recommendations on all the major carriers at different price points. Obviously, the impending launch of Apple's next iPhone is casting a bit of a pall on the situation — but that doesn't necessarily mean you need to keep your money locked away.