Apple to Host March 27 Event in Chicago: 'Creative New Ideas for Teachers and Students'

[the johnmc]

There are two distinct markets that Apple needs to address:
2. College Students and Common Laptop Consumers: The MacBook Air has been the everyday workhorse laptop of choice for college students and many consumers. However, this model is long overdue for an update, and the other Apple MacBooks (rMB and MBP) are just not price competitive or suitable (limited ports, no MagSafe, inferior battery life, faulty keyboard) for the college/consumer market. So, Apple needs to create a college/consumer laptop alternative that is attractively priced, capable, and doesn't significantly cut into sales of their other MacBooks.

The ship has sailed on MagSafe and ports other than Thunderbolt 3/USB C. For this reason, unless someone is specifically replacing a device that requires those (e.g. logic board failure on a MacBook Air, person already had desktop setup for same), I am recommending not buying a MacBook Air. The future of Apple's laptop lineup is Thunderbolt 3/USB C. I'd imagine it won't be too much longer before the desktops switch too. Yeah, it's painful during the transition, but we'll get past it just like we got past ADB keyboards, floppy disks and DVD drives.

 

[mattburley7]

iBooks revamp and relaunch.

doubt it. one of the latest betas it was renamed back to iBooks from books.

 

[the johnmc]

A creative idea would be cheaper VGA/HDMI dongles.

There's a whole slew of both available for under $20 on Amazon.

 

[Ries]

The ship has sailed on MagSafe and ports other than Thunderbolt 3/USB C. For this reason, unless someone is specifically replacing a device that requires those (e.g. logic board failure on a MacBook Air, person already had desktop setup for same), I am recommending not buying a MacBook Air. The future of Apple's laptop lineup is Thunderbolt 3/USB C. I'd imagine it won't be too much longer before the desktops switch too. Yeah, it's painful during the transition, but we'll get past it just like we got past ADB keyboards, floppy disks and DVD drives.

90% wasn't still using the floppy and dvd drive for their purpose when they removed it. They pulled the switch way too early on USB-C/TB3. If it had one USB-A, HDMI and a SD-card reader, 95% of the port complaints wouldn't exists. But then they wouldn't be able to milk all that dongle money from Apple users.

 

[Appleaker]

One thing you don’t mention is price reductions across the MacBook lineup.

 

[Massy1989]

It seems easy to assume that an educational offering will target primary or secondary school. But...What if Apple brings to the table something that targets post-secondary? Something that improves interaction and learning in something say...college-level illustration, theatre, and even computer science. Something that could also be used in high schools...but because of it's college-level target it ends up looking like an offering of extraordinary value when offered at a high school.

From my experience in college, I found that very often you use the same tools as what is used professionally. What is different is that you have a learning framework that is commonplace among most colleges. This is where I think Apple can come in... If they give devs more of the tools to easily integrate collaboration experiences, then the direction of the offerings themselves (apps) don't have to change significantly. I hope we see this type of functionality within ClassKit to support peer-to-peer or instructor-student collaboration. An art or computer science teacher wouldn't even need to be near you to assist. I'd like to believe Apple is here to score a slam dunk when it comes to facilitating the learning. If collaboration-focused APIs are offered, I also hope they aren't hyper-focused on the classroom.

 

[8281]

Maybe they will finally have an answer to to Google....I am a teacher, and love Apple. But they are simply not an option for many schools....google is eating their lunch.

Schools need iCloud accounts with a lot of free storage, easy device management, cheaper devices (which the cheaper iPad will be), and the ability to have kids login to any iPad (which won’t come).

Came here to write something similar. Google is so far ahead of Apple with their cloud products.

 

[the johnmc]

90% wasn't still using the floppy and dvd drive for their purpose when they removed it. They pulled the switch way too early on USB-C/TB3. If it had one USB-A, HDMI and a SD-card reader, 95% of the port complaints wouldn't exists. But then they wouldn't be able to milk all that dongle money from Apple users.

Oh ho ho. Milking the dongle money. Got any other hilarious ones like that? That's complete and utter baloney because there are numerous adapters from multiple vendors available on the market now. Nobody is forced to buy any of them either. These are laptops. They are portable devices. There hasn't been an HDMI connector on a MacBook Pro since 2012. Whether it's a Mini DisplayPort adapter or Thunderbolt 3 adapter doesn't really matter, it's not a new development.

 

[PortableLover]

Mac Pro for universities?

 

[macduke]

I was going to say you were correct on the date you predicted last week. However, I think there might be an iPad update, but the SE seems unfitting for a Keynote like this. I think others are to way focused thinking this will be a major hardware Keynote and I don’t believe it will be, as Apple will keep the focus more to the education sector, maybe with some hardware.

Yeah, it's going to be a really interesting event. Probably nothing like anything else we've seen before. I can't remember a time when we had a special event that centered around discussing a specific topic. Then again, it might just be the Apple hype machine at work again where the education part is just a component of what is going on. Would be really interesting to see if they release an education-focused product that we haven't seen before. Not sure what it could be, but I've recently wondered in the forums if Apple will combine the iPad Mini and iPad 9.7" into one device that is in-between the two and replaces them. Maybe something around 8.5" that is even cheaper than the 9.7" but maybe has the same UI point size as the 10.5" model. iPad Mini is often used by students, but the keyboard is a little small for older students. But it would be really weird to not see any leaks of such a device in advance.

 

[Glmnet1]

It seems easy to assume that an educational offering will target primary or secondary school. But...What if Apple brings to the table something that targets post-secondary?

Well the event is taking place in a secondary school...

 

[ctyrider]

Get it through your thick craniums. There will be no hardware announcements at this event, period.

And when there will be.. Are you going to be back here, admitting the one with "thick cranium" is you?

 

[pat500000]

Why would they announce the Mac Pro in a high school? It's much more likely to be announced at WWDC.

For film students?

 

[JSt83]

According to Macworld "there's another [event] happening somewhere in the UK on the same date, but we haven't got the details yet."

 

[bensisko]

With “cheaper iPads” it may be that it’s “education only” and not available for the general public.

New iBook confirmed?

Just take a look at that announcement image. It's an apple logo drawn with an apple pencil on an ipad pro.

Apple Pencil Pro confirmed.

Nothing is "confirmed" until it's either coming out of an Apple Executive's mouth at a keynote, or listed for purchase on Apple's website.

 

[Dave245]

According to Macworld "there's another [event] happening somewhere in the UK on the same date, but we haven't got the details yet."

Another Apple event, I doubt it.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Apple today invited the media to an event on Tuesday, March 27 at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. The keynote will commence at 10:00 a.m. Central Time and will be focused on "creative new ideas for teachers and students," suggesting Apple has some education-related announcements planned.

Apple's invite for March 27 event via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman​

There is quite a bit of rumored hardware and software in Apple's pipeline that could fit within an educational theme, including lower-priced versions of the iPad and MacBook Air that could be targeted at classrooms. Here's a recap of everything that could be announced at the March 27 event based on recent rumors:
9.7-inch iPad for $259: Taiwanese websites DigiTimes and the Economic Daily News reported that Apple is considering releasing a cheaper 9.7-inch iPad for $259--perhaps this will be education pricing. The current 9.7-inch iPad was released in March 2017 for $329.
MacBook Air for $799 to $899: KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple will launch a more affordable MacBook Air in the second quarter of 2018. The estimated $799-$899 price range comes from WitsView researcher Yubin Qiu. The current MacBook Air starts at $999.
AirPower charging mat: A trio of reports claim Apple will launch AirPower in March. The mat can inductively charge multiple Apple devices at once, including the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, and Apple Watch Series 3. It will also be able to charge AirPods placed in an optional charging case.
Wild card -- a second-generation iPhone SE: Rumors have been swirling about an iPhone SE refresh, with speculated features ranging from a larger 4.2-inch display to an iPhone X-like design, but Kuo recently cast doubt on the device launching in the first half of 2018.
A new Apple Pencil: The artwork for Apple's invite appears to be inspired by the Apple Pencil, so perhaps we'll see an updated version of the drawing tool or support for the 9.7-inch iPad.
iOS 11.3 availability with ClassKitApple recently announced that its Everyone Can Code program will see a citywide expansion in Chicago's public schools and city colleges this spring. The curriculum will bring coding opportunities to Chicago's nearly 500,000 students. It's likely we'll learn more details about this initiative at the March 27 event.

Apple hosted a similar education-focused event in New York City back in January 2012, where it announced iBooks 2 with interactive textbooks, iBooks Author, and a new version of iTunes U for iPad.

Article Link: Apple to Host March 27 Event in Chicago: 'Creative New Ideas for Teachers and Students'

Not far from where I live. Wonder if there is a way to sneak into the event?

 

[deanthedev]

Maybe a MacBook powered by an A11X. Should be able to save money vs Intel.

 

[cajun67]

If they're hinting at an Apple Pencil update, then surely they will updated the iPad Pro series at this time, too.

 

[twistedpixel8]

Maybe they will finally have an answer to to Google....I am a teacher, and love Apple. But they are simply not an option for many schools....google is eating their lunch.

Schools need iCloud accounts with a lot of free storage, easy device management, cheaper devices (which the cheaper iPad will be), and the ability to have kids login to any iPad (which won’t come).

User accounts on iPhone/iPad would be awesome but as you say, “Apple knows best” (no they don’t) so we will never see it.

 

[jstdr1v]

My guess is apple notebook displays OR trackpads that recognize the apple pencil.

That's my guess and my hope

 

[jonnysods]

I'm thinking that this isn't going to have all those products released that we have all been waiting for. I can see cheap iPads, the MBA becoming the old entry level white plastic educational macbooks that were out 7+ years ago...

 

[Szamot]

20% thinner.

... and 75% less packaging, and I think you are going to love it.

 

[mgipe]

Maybe a MacBook powered by an A11X. Should be able to save money vs Intel.

Now this makes a lot of sense — if there is any new hardware announced at this event. I could see Apple making an A11 based chrome book equivalent with all applications and storage cloud based. It wouldn't matter if it wasn’t Intel compatible. That would keep it from competing with the Macs.

 

[deanthedev]

User accounts on iPhone/iPad would be awesome but as you say, “Apple knows best” (no they don’t) so we will never see it.

User accounts make total sense on an iPad. In school numerous students could use one device. At home you can have a "family" iPad sitting in the living room, and whoever picks it up sees their own personalized home screen when it unlocks.

It makes far less sense on an iPhone. People always say they should have a Home and Work user account for their iPhone. So what happens if you're logged in to the Work user and you get some personal text messages or phone calls? How do you handle notifications from one user to the other so you don't miss anything? The only thing I'd like to see are different "profiles" where you can re-arrange your Apps and change settings (again, say for Home or Work), but it's still all under the same user.