“Claiming progress in his campaign to get American schools wired for the future, President Barack Obama is announcing commitments from U.S. companies totaling about $750 million to connect more students to high-speed Internet,” The Associated Press reports.
“Apple is pledging $100 million in iPads, computers and other tools. AT&T and Sprint are contributing free Internet service through their wireless networks. Verizon is pitching in up to $100 million in cash and in-kind contributions. And Microsoft is making Windows available at discounted prices and offering 12 million free copies of Microsoft Office software,” AP reports. “Also in the pipeline: an addition $2 billion that the Federal Communications Commission is setting aside from service fees over two years to connect another 20 million students to high-speed Internet.”
“The White House hopes the pledges will help fulfill a goal Obama set last summer to have 99 percent of students wired at high speeds within five years,” AP reports. “At the time, Obama said only 1 in 5 American students had that access, compared with 100 percent of students in places like South Korea.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related article:
Obama thanks Apple Inc. for ConnectED work – January 29, 2014
And the political comment start now.
Yuk, Maobama!
Sounds like a great initiative. Apple is smart to get on board, because iPads and other Apple products and software in students’ hands mean more adult Apple fans in the future. And these contributions actually help education in America without using tax dollars (if you ignore the tax write-off aspect).
Oh, I’ll bet there’ll be a lot of hand-wringing here over this one…
Keep bending over for the worst president in history, Timmy! Bring plenty of lube!
Oh boy, is Timmy coming over?
While this smacks of a way to get on the good side of Obama, I fear that it won’t help. Why? I’m sure Amazon promised $500M Kindles, and Google promised $1B Chromebooks to the same program.
Microsoft has a lot of Surfaces to donate…they will get more for the tax write-off than they can ever get by attempting to sell them at retail.
Will they be pumping Obama inspired communist diatribe down the interwebs to kids now? Way to indoctrinate them. Even Uncle Joe Stalin didn’t have this delivery mechanism.
@Nut
Way to criticize — make up something and then criticize Obama for it. Jeezus — try to stay in reality.
I didn’t see anything too wrong with BLN’s comment, but Apple would do a lot more for education if they’d concentrate on something like Super HyperCard and put the “power of Apple” back in our hands since they don’t seem too interested in it anymore.
Actually, I personally would like to see Apple do more for education. This is a good start. The key is that it is voluntary, not compulsory.
At the same time, we’ve seen over and over that money doesn’t raise GPA and test scores. Just tossing an iPad and/or a Mac at a kid and saying you now have 100Mb/s download doesn’t create the respect and love for learning that has all but vanished in our culture. We live in a world now that emphasizes using genderless pronouns over Algebra skills.
I don’t know how ConnectED works, but I’d rather see Apple creating their own initiatives than getting into bed with the Federal Government.
Some sanity at last.
I can’t believe some of the comments on this board. So “my team” all the time! Government is not the NFL or NBA. Democracy is Democracy, why all the vitriol? Just vote.
“Why the vitriol?”
Maybe because the current President says he does not like America, rejects the Constitution, and uses the raw power of the Federal Government to destroy these things and attack his opponents. Maybe hearing Nancy Pelosi who refused to read the law she rammed through, say she is not responsible for the ObamaCare website being a complete failure and the “reform” now causing people to be laid off, hours cut and thousands in extra costs. This was her idea and she is not responsible.
So just VOTE them out! It’s that simple.
We will, as soon as we can figure out how to overcome the 150% voter turnout of urban Cleveland and Columbus and Philadephia precincts where 100% of all voters vote for the same candidate. Interesting that the same voting patterns existed in the Soviet Union.
Don’t forget Florida then. Where blacks were denied their votes for….I think it was …..being black.
Yes, except your story did not happen.
Please. Which party is the one trying to make it harder to vote?
Name a single thing the Republican Party is doing to make it difficult to vote.
Obama refused to prosecute the Black Panther members who stood at voting places with tire irons and billy clubs in their Black Panther goofy costumes threatening all who might vote Republican.
Read: “Common Core” ramp-up and bribe attempt payment to get government off the lower backside of Apple Corporation. Will it remove the DOJ rulings against Apple? Doubt it.
Yes, homage to the Tyrant.
All hail, the man who never did anything in his life before being anointed Leader. (what is a community organizer anyway?)
As a stockholder I object to giving away valuable merchandise to idiot union hack government bureaucrats who don’t know their lower orifice from a VGA input.
I’m certainly no fan of the President but as near as I can tell he hasn’t molested any children in the Oval office and is at least deserving of the respect that goes with the Presidency. I disagree with him often, but outside of anything illegal or harmful to innocents, I’d follow any order the man gave me because he is, painful though it may be, my President.
We’ve got less than 3 years left to create a civil dialog before the next election. I for one am going to try. If I can virally spread civility to 10 people, and they can each spread it to 10 more, and so on…
he deserves the respect of what he is: zero.
Thank you for bring civility and class to this echo chamber of political trolls.
He has only molested anyone who used to have a good health care plan.
He did sit idly by while his ambassador was raped and killed.
He did order the Justice Department to give thousands of automatic weapons to drug cartels in Mexico who then killed over 200 Mexicans and two US govt employees with these weapons.
He has encouraged every American who can have an abortion to do so. And he will force Catholic nuns to pay for them because he hates nuns so much.
Other than these things and about 1000 others he is a swell guy.
When the President orders his IRS to attack political opponents he should not be followed, he should be convicted. He is a pure criminal.
That was debunked so long ago that I forgot all the details. Just look it up yourself. Otherwise… I guess you can keep vomiting lies, if that’s your thing, not much I can do stop you.
No, actually the only one to debunk it is the President who ordered it done. It was admitted in Congressional testimony by the people running the IRS. They said they gave “special treatment” to conservative groups. The IRS head guy in charge of non-profits had to resign. Lois Lerner resigned. And it is still going on. Of course, you like your President to use illegal methods against people you don’t like. Nixon of course had to leave office for much less.
Great effort, TMac! You cannot overcome the mindsets of the “kent-like” among us, but there is a far larger number of non-extremists who are much more in tune with your more reasonable and moderate perspective.
If Tim Cook spent $100 million advertising $100 iPhones that cost just $50 and would have a free cell phone plan and would include free downloads of Lilyhammer every day, and then the phones were released. And the real phone cost $500, not 50. And the cell phone plan was not free, but double current cost. And Lilyhammer the show was canceled. What would happen to Tim Cook? After lying to America and the world like that? I guess the people at this site would say, “way to go Tim, we love to be lied to!”
Most sane people hate liars. And a CEO who commits fraud in private industry goes to jail (except Jon Corzine).
Outstanding. Mr. T. Mac. An educated and intelligent position. It is sometimes best to lead by example.
Yes, “lead by example”. What if the President who spends a lot of time ripping and insulting people who have built businesses and built wealth, stopped spending millions in taxpayer money living as if he were Jackie O. Three weeks in Hawaii, two weeks in Martha’s Vineyard, safari in Africa with 500 toadies paid to care for his personal needs. He lives like a Roman Emperor and rips the people who actually earned their money.
Also, lead by example. What if he didn’t sell his Obamacare by lying about what was in it? Of course, the lies are what sold it. How about we spend some time criticizing the guy who lied to change the entire country’s health plan, destroying freedom and our economy in the process, instead of complaining about someone posting something you don’t like.? Or do you whiners simply not care if you are lied to about one of the most important services our economy provides.
Sorry, Pal. all nonsense.
1. All presidents can be accused of similar excesses. (and are they actually excesses or just spun by their detractors?)
2. Affordable Care act? I have at least a dozen friends who now have health care that they could never have because of this act. – and frankly inviting the insurance companies in was the GOP idea and will prove to be a problem in the future. but for now … It’s the best thing..
3. The ‘economy’ should not provide health care. It’s far to important to lay at the feet of a frivolous and fickle thing like the ‘economy’ which has no brain or ethics or morals. Only people have those things and flawed as we are, we are far able to deal with things of a moral or ethical nature than the ‘Free Market’.
Well, you are simply ignorant. It is an objective fact that Obama spends roughly double the number of vacation days as other Presidents and does so at much more expensive resorts. Most President have often vacationed at their own homes. Obama goes to the most expensive places, spends three weeks, and takes an entourage of hundreds of people. All while attacking the wealthy, he lives like King Midas.
Regarding Obamacare, obviously you are doing a good job ignoring the news. Most people spent a couple of months trying to even get information on any of the systems. The few who did succeed later found their information was wrong. The website have been built with zero security for end user information and all security experts say it would be irresponsible to put your financial or other personal information there. Most report much higher costs. You obviously hang out with people who don’t work and want to be fully subsidized. If you like the low quality but low price of socialism (Cuba’s health care) you will love Obamacare.
What if we offered government designed computers at prices and contracts (thousands of pages) written by bureaucrats and sold through a website that was run by Belarusian mobsters, and with pricing different for everyone? All decision made in Washington? Obviously you would love that, as compared with what Apple is now offering with no government input of any significance. In other words, what Apple has done in the free market. I will take Apple and you can have the computer from the Department of Homeland Computing.
Actually, I’m not ignorant. I think I’m quite well read. I spent 10 years at University and feel qualified to speak on economic theory as well as practical business economics.
One thing I try to do is to avoid US news. (though it is difficult) I prefer my news from international sources. It’s much more accurate and less biased.
You are wrong about the vacation days. George W has the record.
I live in Canada and love the health care system. The half-truths and outright lies that I see in the US media (mostly Fox) would be laughable if they weren’t so damaging. And frankly, most economists believe that if the US hadn’t embargoed Cuba for the last 1/2 century, Cuba would be democratic and capitalist by now instead of suffering economic collapse and misery.
The free market is a wonderful thing. I am a capitalist by nature and practice, but having unfettered capitalism is like living next to the Ocean: Most times it’s easy to get your food if you work hard, But from time to time the big waves wash out everything you’ve worked for. But if you build a wall to protect yourself …. Only governments can build those ‘walls’.
I’m signing off now and won’t respond further. I have far more important things to do. Be well.
Well, if you spent 10 year at “University” that is part of the problem. The most ignorant people are at “University”.
If you like capitalism, you hate Obama, and you hate his health plan because both are anti-capitalism. Obama is a leftist Marxist. He was raised by Marxists and his voting record in the senate was to the left of Bernie Sanders, our only Socialist senator. He is currently in the process of putting the government in charge of all industries via regulatory control.
We see millions of Canadians coming to visit in Cleveland, Detroit and across the US to get operations and to use our health care. I am unaware of any Americans going to Canada for healthcare.
These are all realities. It is what it is. I don’t want Canadian health care or American Obamacare. They are both collectivist systems. The UK, which may be further along than you, is a bankrupt system in which people die waiting for basic services.
Anything, everything but sticking to the knitting. Cook is a fuckup … go kiss Obama’s ass, go kiss Gay community ass, kiss invester ass, be a do gooder, but don’t innovate new shit.
Dump this asswipe.
“..And Microsoft is making Windows available at discounted prices”
They’re kidding right? Windows? and not even free buy a “discounted price”???
Microsoft, if you want to make a contribution to education, stop misleading people with your false advertising. that would be your best contribution.
If anyone wants to see how far this site has fallen, go check out the non-political comments on this subject at macrumors.com
If we are to ever get an actual qualified President again we will have to endure political comments that explain the damage being done by the current President, who was voted in by people who get their news from Comedy Central, TMZ and SNL. This may be amusing but it produces Presidents who are pretty much retarded about the way America works.
Wow, it’s just one person posting over and over and over again.
Yeah, kind of like a dead voter in Chicago or Cleveland voting 50 times for Obama.
Thanks troy, I’m going to Macrumors from now on. This site is too infested with haters, conspiracy theorists, political trolls, people who hate presidents and America. They only think in an obstructive, one-sided manner and don’t care about the common good for all but just for the privileged and misguided few.
Like this President, Apple stands for what is good for all and is progressive. We can’t change the minds of those that oppose progress and insist on using fear and intimidation to get their way. No, we just move forward and let them stew away in their own bitterness.
Yes , this President sold Obamacare on a complete pack of lies. Now, everyone is losing jobs, losing their plans, and getting worse care. He is a pure liar.
And you voted for this loser. Instead of going to another site maybe you should start thinking before you vote.
No need to abandon ship. Simply abstain from participating in the melees that accompany any headline with trigger words from the world of politics or religion.
Those headlines attract the attention of crawlers, and trolls emerge at the scent of a political pheromone. This is meme warfare in action.
Just choose to be a noncombatant. Everyone who does so — persists in everyday activities, unintimidated by unsavoury elements infiltrating the neighborhood— fosters free exchange of ideas, unpolluted by ideological subterfuge.
Thanks for your departure. If you want hate, you might look up liberal blogs and TV shows, like SNL, and see how Sarah Palin was treated. David Letterman suggested Alex Rodgriguez rape her 16 year old daughter. A lib journalist bought the house next door so he could go through her garbage and find news. She was attacked with about 30 totally meritless lawsuits as governor which all produced nothing. Pure hate by the left. Go see the left and the remarks about Bush. See what he was accused of. See Scooter Libby, jailed for nothing to satisfy liberal hate, but no crime.
The things that have been said about Obama are facts, and they are crimes and lies and abuse of power. But liberals don’t care about such things. Hanna will go to a site of her cohorts and dream up the ways in which Sarah Palin should be raped and then killed. Then Hanna will complain about the hate of the right.
Wasn’t talking to you, kent, but to MEES. I advocate withdrawal from the fray for those fatigued by contentious debate.
But since you brought it up, I do remember SNL making fun of Sarah Palin. Personally, I found that distasteful. But she can take care of herself all right. We haven’t seen the last of her.
My sincere apologies then Hanna. The problem is we are on a fast track to a socialist or communist system here and if we don’t bring up how this anti business and anti freedom system destroys great companies like Apple and the freedom of its own citizens then uninformed doofuses will keep electing corrupt politicians who sound good but destroy the country to serve their own needs. The harassment of Apple by the DoJ is just one example of thousands where private businesses are robbed of money and their freedom to make their own decisions by bureaucrats who know nothing and have never produced anything but are drunk with their power to tell people what they are allowed to do. This state tyranny did not exist when I was beginning my career in the early 80s. Now it is accepted as OK because people have lost the knowledge of how rare freedom is and they don’t know you can’t get it back once you give it to smooth sounding Utopians. Before long at this rate the government will manage most of the big decisions at Apple. They already have converted the entire banking system into an obedient industry that simply follows millions of pages of directives from Washington. Do we want Apple to be run that way? If not we had better start accepting that each of us must argue every day for the return to the principles of freedom. Our Founders would never have tolerated an NSA that spied on every citizen all day long or an IRS that was a pure instrument of political punishment against those who opposed certain policies. That is where we are today.