“This spring, Texas-based Dell Inc. beat out Apple Computer Inc. to supply laptops to Henrico County high school students and teachers. And if Dell has its way, Henrico won’t dish out Apples to middle school students and teachers next year,” Olympia Meola reports for The Richmond Times-Dispatch. “Until this fall, Henrico high school students toted Apple iBooks. Middle school students still use Apples. In June, that contract is up for grabs.”
Meola reports, “When making a pitch for the $17.9 million, four-year high school contract, Dell offered to provide at least 14,000 middle school machines for $20 less per unit than the high school laptops. The school system has until Nov. 1 to sign on. The Henrico school system purchased 15,800 Dell laptops at $1,131 apiece for the high school program, compared with Apple’s offer of $1,386 per unit. Joseph P. Rapisarda Jr., county attorney, said the School Board can accept Dell’s middle school offer without seeking other proposals. But if the county issued a request for proposals for the middle school contract, Apple could bid again. A lease for the majority of the iBooks expires in June.”
“School technology officials are still waiting to see how the Dells perform now that a vast majority of high school students are using them. So far, only a few issues have been reported,” Meola reports. “Meanwhile, little has been said about the iBooks, which have been in use in the middle schools for the past three years.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: For some reason, we’re not hopeful that Apple Macs will be chosen for Henrico’s middle school students and teachers next year. Expect more Henrico County women to wet themselves standing in line for $50 Apple iBooks in the future.
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