“According to FutureSource Consulting, Google’s Chromebooks achieved 51% share in the [U.S.] K-12 educational market,” Mark Reschke writes for T-GAAP. “Historically, Apple has long been the market leader in educational sales — which may have been a key factor in surviving Apple’s 1990’s collapse as school districts were reluctant to leave the Mac platform. ”
“Say what you will about Unions and school districts spending every dime they get, budgets for technology are simply squeezed, and Apple is feeling the blow,” Reschke writes. “Google’s Chromebooks offer a near 100% cloud-based experience, for dirt-cheap hardware prices. Chromebooks are not for music or video editing classes, but it would be silly to suggest Google does not have their eyes on a larger desktop prize.”
“Apple’s iCloud is a robust solution, that can provide the educational market with everything the K-12 space needs. Storage, office document capability, and seamless integration with OS X Macs and iOS devices,” Reschke writes. “If Apple were to create a CloudBook — void of a traditional hard drive, running an A8 processor, with direct tie-in to iCloud — it could very well be a ChromeBook killer.”
Apple’s eMacMacDailyNews Take: Bring back the eMac!
Seriously, 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.
Remember 15 years ago when every school board and PTA wanted kids to use a “real computer that the kids would have to use when they grew up and went to work in the real world.” Windows, not that new blue toy iMac all their kids loved! Well, the morons are still at it. Cheaper is always better to school administrators.
If expense is really the limiting factor for school administrators, then they must really look at the true bottom line: useful computing time, anti virus/malware software, IT costs, needed software licenses, replacement cycle times, and computer initial price.
This is a pretty bright idea – and not just for education.
There will be potential customers who can do fine with cloud computing and/or cannot afford a full computer
I would also be looking at the pre-K market where 3 and 4 year olds are more than capable of “playing” with cloud computing, with or without a keyboard.
For young learners and even older learners, there is a technology that has stood the test of time and is very low cost: Paper and Pencil. As someone who has been in the education system for years, I have seen many people try to force computers into the schools without any plan, whatsoever to create lesson plans that make better use of the computer than the textbook already in use. They have this naive view that you can take any problem in the world and just rub technology all over it and it will be solved. Try doing a search for a classroom with an effective computer use that is not word processing or computer programming. Most teachers have difficulty in keeping the class on task when computers are used. It is mostly a waste of time and money. Do we really need to teach our children how to Facebook?
Apple have the hardware components to put a low cost (not cheap) netbook together.
I think you have to look at what Google does well in the EDU market and it is basically the software integration. That is lacking for Apple and probably where they have fallen down with iPad implementation. Apple are relying on third parties to provide the apps to work in EDU and they are not up to scratch.
My wife’s company uses Google docs and it works well for them. Apple would need to replicate that but I can’t see them doing that for the low cost market.
Also note that google are selling the machines at cost or at a loss. Great for them to control a market but does not help with making money. Apple does not do loss leaders.
Seriously. Just like TPM said, 15 years ago the push behind Windows was because they wanted kids to be experienced in what they’d use as adults.
Also, I remember distinctly about 5-7 years ago hearing how Apple was doomed because it was too slow to get into the netbook game. Where are all the netbooks today? In some landfill for the most part. Chromebook’s are no different. Pieces of junk made on razor thin margins or in Google’s case probably only profit because they’re subsidized with adverting and children’s privacy.
Why would Apple ever compete in a market where there was almost certainly no way to any money, and doing so would mean sketchy privacy invasion tactics? Not Apple’s style.
I believe Apple could provide more than sufficient experience in this market. Google has overlooked a broad area for product and services in this area. Not to mention, other have as well and it seems to be a bit difficult for the mass of developers to look at the problems to see solutions. Apple could solve many problems while promoting adoption of Apple products while blending in large data. Pieces are there, just not placed together yet.
At my kids school they don’t use Chromebooks but they use Google heavily. A lot of churches do too. Although iCloud much better solution as far as the specific apps go (much more polished) Apple was late to the game of making it freely available instead of tying it to device purchases.
I cannot imagine what kind of parents allow their schools to sacrifice a kid’s creativity and future privacy for a free word processor and spreadsheet. That’s not putting technology in the hands of your children. That’s handicapping your children with limited, second-class technology, and it is completely inadequate for any creative, visually artistic kid.
Clearly, you have no idea the scope of the Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom products offered for free to educational institutions if you describe them as a “word processor and spreadsheet.” Nor do you have any idea the scope of apps available on the platform. Apple’s products are better for some creative activities, but for much of what schools and students need, Chromebooks have taken over and Apple has failed to respond, unfortunately. Schools can get entry-level Chromebooks with MDM licenses for less than half of an entry-level iPad and MDM. (I’m a 30+ year Apple fan, recent Chromebook admirer.)
No matter what .. APPLE has to regain its top position in the education market. (Cloud education tools is a fantastic direction.)
Lack of doing so will have devistating effects down the line.
Kids mindshare is uber important….
Lose the kids , lose the future!
Between chrome at schools and windows a the preferred serious gaming platform…Apple is losing a huge portion of kids mindshare !
Noticed confernaces and starbuks , halls and rooms packed with macbooks and apple logos?
These are the effects of the Mac vs Pc marketing with the cool kid as the front for apple …….. And apples dominance in schools..
People effected through those campaigns are the people in those halls and rooms.
Lose that focus Apple…and those Halls and rooms will be filled with logos other than Apple !
Apple is deffinitely dominant in schools for the blind, as Google’s accessibility offerings are not a sweet aroma to us. About kids, people know Apple as the cool gadgets, and Windows as the virus-attracting, malware-infested platform with, yes, more software, but also more cost. Apple is style, simplicity, and coolness. Sure, Google is easy and nice, but Google apps running on Apple products are fine. We aren’t afraid to mix products to get what we want or need, and that can be detramental to Apple as well. I still wish Pages on iOS was as powerful and accessible with voiceover as Docs is, or Pages on Mac. We can’t easily check for spelling errors, and adding formatting is cumbersome. But with docs, we can “Find next misspelling,” then “Correct (misspelled word,” with “Nearest matched suggestion.”
Hummm…
Someone tell dis person about dis newfangled gizmo dey call an iPad…
Remember 15 years ago when every school board and PTA wanted kids to use a “real computer that the kids would have to use when they grew up and went to work in the real world.” Windows, not that new blue toy iMac all their kids loved! Well, the morons are still at it. Cheaper is always better to school administrators.
If expense is really the limiting factor for school administrators, then they must really look at the true bottom line: useful computing time, anti virus/malware software, IT costs, needed software licenses, replacement cycle times, and computer initial price.
This is a pretty bright idea – and not just for education.
There will be potential customers who can do fine with cloud computing and/or cannot afford a full computer
I would also be looking at the pre-K market where 3 and 4 year olds are more than capable of “playing” with cloud computing, with or without a keyboard.
For young learners and even older learners, there is a technology that has stood the test of time and is very low cost: Paper and Pencil. As someone who has been in the education system for years, I have seen many people try to force computers into the schools without any plan, whatsoever to create lesson plans that make better use of the computer than the textbook already in use. They have this naive view that you can take any problem in the world and just rub technology all over it and it will be solved. Try doing a search for a classroom with an effective computer use that is not word processing or computer programming. Most teachers have difficulty in keeping the class on task when computers are used. It is mostly a waste of time and money. Do we really need to teach our children how to Facebook?
Apple have the hardware components to put a low cost (not cheap) netbook together.
I think you have to look at what Google does well in the EDU market and it is basically the software integration. That is lacking for Apple and probably where they have fallen down with iPad implementation. Apple are relying on third parties to provide the apps to work in EDU and they are not up to scratch.
My wife’s company uses Google docs and it works well for them. Apple would need to replicate that but I can’t see them doing that for the low cost market.
Also note that google are selling the machines at cost or at a loss. Great for them to control a market but does not help with making money. Apple does not do loss leaders.
Seriously. Just like TPM said, 15 years ago the push behind Windows was because they wanted kids to be experienced in what they’d use as adults.
Also, I remember distinctly about 5-7 years ago hearing how Apple was doomed because it was too slow to get into the netbook game. Where are all the netbooks today? In some landfill for the most part. Chromebook’s are no different. Pieces of junk made on razor thin margins or in Google’s case probably only profit because they’re subsidized with adverting and children’s privacy.
Why would Apple ever compete in a market where there was almost certainly no way to any money, and doing so would mean sketchy privacy invasion tactics? Not Apple’s style.
I believe Apple could provide more than sufficient experience in this market. Google has overlooked a broad area for product and services in this area. Not to mention, other have as well and it seems to be a bit difficult for the mass of developers to look at the problems to see solutions. Apple could solve many problems while promoting adoption of Apple products while blending in large data. Pieces are there, just not placed together yet.
Betteridge’s law of headlines: “No”
At my kids school they don’t use Chromebooks but they use Google heavily. A lot of churches do too. Although iCloud much better solution as far as the specific apps go (much more polished) Apple was late to the game of making it freely available instead of tying it to device purchases.
I cannot imagine what kind of parents allow their schools to sacrifice a kid’s creativity and future privacy for a free word processor and spreadsheet. That’s not putting technology in the hands of your children. That’s handicapping your children with limited, second-class technology, and it is completely inadequate for any creative, visually artistic kid.
Clearly, you have no idea the scope of the Google Apps for Education and Google Classroom products offered for free to educational institutions if you describe them as a “word processor and spreadsheet.” Nor do you have any idea the scope of apps available on the platform. Apple’s products are better for some creative activities, but for much of what schools and students need, Chromebooks have taken over and Apple has failed to respond, unfortunately. Schools can get entry-level Chromebooks with MDM licenses for less than half of an entry-level iPad and MDM. (I’m a 30+ year Apple fan, recent Chromebook admirer.)
No matter what .. APPLE has to regain its top position in the education market. (Cloud education tools is a fantastic direction.)
Lack of doing so will have devistating effects down the line.
Kids mindshare is uber important….
Lose the kids , lose the future!
Between chrome at schools and windows a the preferred serious gaming platform…Apple is losing a huge portion of kids mindshare !
Noticed confernaces and starbuks , halls and rooms packed with macbooks and apple logos?
These are the effects of the Mac vs Pc marketing with the cool kid as the front for apple …….. And apples dominance in schools..
People effected through those campaigns are the people in those halls and rooms.
Lose that focus Apple…and those Halls and rooms will be filled with logos other than Apple !
Apple is deffinitely dominant in schools for the blind, as Google’s accessibility offerings are not a sweet aroma to us. About kids, people know Apple as the cool gadgets, and Windows as the virus-attracting, malware-infested platform with, yes, more software, but also more cost. Apple is style, simplicity, and coolness. Sure, Google is easy and nice, but Google apps running on Apple products are fine. We aren’t afraid to mix products to get what we want or need, and that can be detramental to Apple as well. I still wish Pages on iOS was as powerful and accessible with voiceover as Docs is, or Pages on Mac. We can’t easily check for spelling errors, and adding formatting is cumbersome. But with docs, we can “Find next misspelling,” then “Correct (misspelled word,” with “Nearest matched suggestion.”
Sent from my iPhone
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