“At a Tuesday event in Chicago, Apple announced a new version of its iPad in an effort to make inroads in the US education space, where the company has trailed competitors like Microsoft and Alphabet,” Bill Maurer writes for Seeking Alpha. “While the new tablet is certainly better than the older version it replaces, the company may not have done enough to make the progress [for which] many were looking.”
“Apple has been well behind Google in the US school race, primarily because of device pricing,” Maurer writes. “There were many that were expecting a lower priced iPad could help reverse this trend, with the new tablet perhaps starting as low as $259.”
“As expected, the new iPad was again a 9.7 inch screen version, and it does contain support for the Apple Pencil. The A10 chip that currently is on the two Pro iPad models also comes over, a nice upgrade from the A9 chip in the previous 9.7 inch model. The company is also giving students 200 GB of iCloud storage for free, a substantial increase from the 5 GB given previously,” Maurer writes. “However, Apple did not meet expectations when it came to price. The new iPad goes for $329 for consumers and $299 for schools, the same pricing that the old model contained. While the new version obviously has some hardware upgrades and Pencil support, the price point is likely a disappointment for those who thought Apple was moving down the price ladder.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote back in December 2015:
Why are Apple devices losing share to Chromebooks in U.S. public schools? Because U.S. public schools are cheap, underfunded, and/or extremely shortsighted. There’s nothing at all new about that, unfortunately.
Check out the best schools: Apple Macs and iPads dominate.
SEE ALSO:
Apple unveils new 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support starting at $329 – March 27, 2018
Apple unveils ‘Everyone Can Create’ curriculum – March 27, 2018
Apple’s iWork update brings drawing, book creation and more to Pages, Numbers and Keynote – March 27, 2018
MacDailyNews presents live coverage of Apple’s March 27th ‘Field Trip’ event – March 27, 2018
Newsflash: Apple sells premium products at premium prices to premium customers – October 23, 2012
