There's a lot of disconnect these days between Apple's talk and reality. If only Apple could apply their talk and produce the same results.
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Apple Losing Out to Microsoft and Google in U.S. Classrooms
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In my school we buy pc's and install linux. For the price of an iPad mini, we get two computers.
I am very surprised Chrome OS is this popular. I thought computers at schools were meant to run software to learn like programing, designing like photoshop, and office work like Microsoft Office (Maybe Google Docs does this?).
I thought Chrome OS was more of an internet browsing OS
I thought Chrome OS was more of an internet browsing OS
My kid's school system was going to go with iPads but instead opted for chrome books
You're pretty much right.
The only saving grace is you can use Office.com on them, and still get a more functional set of programs than what Google Docs offers.
It's troubling that these are the things that are starting to dominate schools. You want a kid to function in the real world someday... and the real world is dominated by Windows, Office, and a host of actual programs. Not websites. There's cloud solutions in each space, but they don't hold a candle to the full fledged programs. SAP and Oracle don't need to worry much about WorkDay and Wall Street Systems (and the guys that made Oracle make Workday)... they simply aren't as capable. We should want to provide our children with a knowledge base that provides the broadest foundation for the future... instead we're giving them an incredibly narrow one, because people are cheap.
Especially since Apple dropped the Pro market and there is not any gee-whiz to drive people to Apple products because it gets then on the ground floor for professional use. Yes, Apple pays a couple of high visibility people to make iPhone videos, but the pros are all moving away and today there is no reason to learn the Apple infrastructure, even if it is the best.
Top end apps, games, and professional software are only on the Apple platform sporadically.
Laptops/pc used to be luxury items at home or school now there a must have tool for all
No, it’s still crippled. Just like a lot of Macs. It may still do what I want it to do but it doesn't stop apple underclocking, (crippling), something and charging you a premium to do so.
What an odd situation, they actually charge you more to give you less.
As a rule - no. Photoshop, Programming, and advanced Office usage is pretty much High School and University level. And even then; you only do that stuff in specialised courses that most students don't take.
Even then, the level at which these courses operate in - advanced software is not necessarily helpful for the learning process. For programming for example, advanced IDEs are only a distraction for the types of problems you'll face when just learning the basics of programming. Worse, they can cause you to become overly reliant on that particular IDE, which can cause major problems when transitioning to other languages, other IDEs, or other platforms.
Advanced Office usage also doesn't apply - the way you use office programs in a workplace simply doesn't correlate with how and what for you use them for in school. Furthermore, if you are in academia you're using LaTeX anyway.
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This doesn't surprise me at all. Apple's support for educational institutions (outside of Stanford, I guess) has been minimal at best. There is also still an ingrained bias against Macs by many IT departments (most of whom are Windows-certified). There's also still a perception that Macs are too expensive, even though it's been shown that over the long run they're cheaper to operate and maintain. In higher ed, Macs are still my first choice; iPads wouldn't cut it for what we do in our curriculum. But Apple has continued to make it more challenging to work with them.
That's kind of too bad, my love for Macs started in middle/high school in the 90-00s thanks to those multi-colored iMacs, but Chromebooks are probably the more fiscally responsible option now
Right, because you can do so much more with ChromeOS, right? Good thing you aren't the one actually making student recommendations.
This has almost entirely to do with cost. Why buy an iPad when you can get $150 disposable Chromebooks? I'd bet a large percentage of school districts are looking at that first.
Not hard to understand why Chromebooks are taking the market in the U.S.. They're very cheap (much cheaper than an iPad). They're locked down, alot less to mess with than a Windows PC. They have keyboards so you can teach typing that doesn't really work with an iPad).
Apple is both too professional and not professional enough.
Too professional in that they can't and won't offer a low-market-segment device, refusing to make a cheaper and lower quality device.
Not professional enough, in the sense that if macOS was light years more efficient to use and preferred for tasks, schools would pay regardless for it. Right now, it seems to be preferred but not 2-3 times the cost preferred.
Too professional in that they can't and won't offer a low-market-segment device, refusing to make a cheaper and lower quality device.
Not professional enough, in the sense that if macOS was light years more efficient to use and preferred for tasks, schools would pay regardless for it. Right now, it seems to be preferred but not 2-3 times the cost preferred.
My kids' school still uses iPad but dropped all MacBooks for ChromeBooks. They simply could not justify the cost of Mac. That is too bad since having kids exposed to Mac early will easily keep them in the same platform ehen they grow up. My kids hate Windows but Mr. Cook doesn't care that now they will get used to it and will grow up as Windows users.
As Apple always says, vertical touch surfaces don't make sense. So it's only natural to wish for a trackpad while the iPad is being used with a physical keyboard.
Can you do so much more on a chromebook? Probably not. Can you do the same things on a Chromebook? Yes.
Sure cost plays a big part cuz in the real world budgets are an actual thing. The best bang for the buck often wins. But to focus solely on cost does a disservice to the other important aspects that make Chromebooks attractive.
"The strong combination of affordable devices, productivity tools via G-Suite, easy integration with third party platforms/tools, task management/distribution via Google Classroom and easy device management remains extremely popular with US teachers and IT buyers alike."
Google made a concerted effort to provide the platform and resources the education market wanted. We can question their motivation, but it's hard to deny they've done a much better job of reaching out to the .edu market.
School districts are facing the same dilemma that some of Apple's pro userbase is facing:
Do they knowingly pay extra for an Apple product when there are alternative products on the market now that are significantly less expensive that can do what they need to do just as well as (or in some cases, better than) the Apple product?
It's no surprise that many school districts (and some pro users) are saying "no" to Apple right now.
Do they knowingly pay extra for an Apple product when there are alternative products on the market now that are significantly less expensive that can do what they need to do just as well as (or in some cases, better than) the Apple product?
It's no surprise that many school districts (and some pro users) are saying "no" to Apple right now.
Driven by the IT department. Chrome and Windows are better enterprise systems for management, ability to restrict access, costs, and IT's experience and training. Especially Chrome, essentially no IT intervention required for the OS part of the equation. Mac and IOS a whole new set of tools and expertise required.
I swapped out my IPad for a Chromebook a few years back. Big advantages I saw were the expandable memory on the Chromebook via the SD card slot, multiple USB ports and the keyboard. It was a very nice machine given the price point was so low. Not sure, but I believe I bought it for under $300. It didn't do everything I wanted, but it did enough.
Even though I'm an Apple fan myself (obviously) I always found it a bit backwards that school systems were dominated by Apple products. The vast majority of the professional world is based around Windows so why not prepare (educate) kids for the most likely environment they will face when they enter corporate America (for those in the USA of course)? Chromebooks are an even sillier choice.
I do feel like Apple has drank too much iOS koolaid.
I'm not saying the iPad needs to be a Mac, but they need to figure out what the iOS version of working between apps is. Without a file system or windowing, there needs to be something to be the glue. Extensions and the little sidebar multitasker isn't enough.
I'm not saying the iPad needs to be a Mac, but they need to figure out what the iOS version of working between apps is. Without a file system or windowing, there needs to be something to be the glue. Extensions and the little sidebar multitasker isn't enough.