“Apple is pivoting the iPad toward students to help spur sales while adding new capabilities for both students and teachers. But some analysts and education experts we interviewed don’t sound that bullish on its future. And the momentum around Chromebooks isn’t the only obstacle,” Mark Spoonauer reports for LAPTOP Magazine. “It’s also about how the U.S. approaches education.”
“‘Apple has doubled down on its vision for learning through creativity,’ said Ben Davis, senior market analyst for education content and platforms at Futuresource Consulting. ‘Increased range support for Pencil and the provision of education focused AR tools should make for some interesting use cases in the classroom and may well entice new schools to go Apple,'” Spoonauer reports. “But that doesn’t mean schools will be abandoning Chromebooks anytime soon. For one, the price of the new iPad is more expensive than it seems at first blush.”
“‘If we consider the cost of the ruggedized accessories — the keyboard from Logitech at $99 and their Crayon at $49 — that would splace the new iPad at roughly $450, above a lot of Chromebooks playing in the space,’ said Lauren Guenveur, senior research analyst for IDC’s devices and displays team,” Spoonauer reports. “The problem for Apple is that Chromebooks have become the de facto device for many school districts. In fact, Futureshource says that Chromebooks account for 56.9 percent market share in the U.S., compared to just 10.6 percent share for iOS and 3.5 percent for MacOS. Windows is in the middle with 25.6 percent… [Beyond sticker price], another reason for the Chromebook’s success in U.S. schools is what educators are deeming most important for children. And during recent years, America has been prioritizing testing over creative solutions for learning.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: What U.S. public schools have been prioritizing, test-taking over creative solutions for learning, is wrong. Generating a bunch of people adept at memorization, but unable to think creatively and who can learn in myriad ways, is a recipe for failure.
SEE ALSO:
Google’s Chromebooks are still spying on grade school students – April 21, 2017
Apple CEO Cook on Google Chromebooks in U.S. schools: We’re not interested in making ‘test machines’ – December 11, 2015
Steve Jobs & Rush Limbaugh agree: U.S. public schools are ‘unionized in the worst possible way’ – February 20, 2007
Apple CEO blasts teacher unions, says US schools are ‘unionized in the worst possible way’ – February 16, 2007
