“Apple is losing its grip on American classrooms, which technology companies have long used to hook students on their brands for life.,” Natasha Singer reports for The New York Times. “Over the last three years, Apple’s iPads and Mac notebooks — which accounted for about half of the mobile devices shipped to schools in the United States in 2013 — have steadily lost ground to Chromebooks, inexpensive laptops that run on Google’s Chrome operating system and are produced by Samsung, Acer and other computer makers.”
“Mobile devices that run on Apple’s iOS and MacOS operating systems have now reached a new low, falling to third place behind both Google-powered laptops and Microsoft Windows devices, according to a report released on Thursday by Futuresource Consulting, a research company,” Singer reports. “‘Apple is struggling,’ said Mike Fisher, an education technology analyst at Futuresource.”
“The rise of Google’s Chromebooks has disrupted the momentum of Apple, which has been marketing its computers to schools for some 40 year,” Singer reports. “Chromebooks run apps through Google’s cloud-based Chrome operating system, making them cheaper — and often faster to boot up — than traditional laptops that rely on hard drives.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: While we lose the next generation of personal computing, can we interest you in a high-priced, backwards-looking coffee table book instead? No? How ’bout an effing Christmas tree?
Actually, it’s not quite that dire, but Apple needs to address the issues their products are facing in education posthaste. Shortsighted sticker-price buying has always plagued the education market and, as we all know, competing on sticker price is not Apple’s strong suit. Newsflash: Apple makes premium products at premium prices for premium users. Apple must continue to ensure that the highest quality schools are choosing and using Apple products, not cheap Chrome junk.
As we wrote last May: The cream-of-the-crop schools, like the cream-of-the-crop consumers and corporations, deploy Apple Macs and iPads, not cheapo plastic Chromebooks.
Unfortunately, too many U.S. public schools, unionized in the worst possible way, are broken through and through.
As we wrote back in January 2016: There is no easy answer for a company dedicated to quality to compete in a market that’s hellbent on shortsightedly wasting taxpayers’ money on cheap, shitty junk.
SEE ALSO:
Google’s Chromebooks outsold Apple’s Macs in the U.S. for the first time – May 20, 2016
Why iPads are losing to Chromebooks in education, and what Apple needs to do about it – January 13, 2016
Should Apple make a ‘CloudBook’ for the education market? – January 12, 2016
Can education give Apple’s iPad a much-needed sales boost? – January 12, 2016
Apple delivers multi-user support for iPad – in schools only – January 11, 2016
Apple loses more ground to Google’s Chromebook in U.S. education market – January 11, 2016
Why Apple devices are losing share to Chromebooks in U.S. public schools – December 23, 2015
Apple CEO Cook on Google Chromebooks in U.S. schools: We’re not interested in making ‘test machines’ – December 11, 2015
Apple pivoting iPad education strategy to regain its footing in face of Google Chromebook surge – December 5, 2014
