Unfortunately, I think that all this will do is give the participating schools a really bad taste in their mouth for tablets of any brand. Once they start using them and find out what they can't do, the program will be cancelled and no one will stick their neck out to give it another try.
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
The difference is Apple hasn't ever given them away. The educational market does get discounts but they aren't anywhere near what Microsoft is doing. Microsoft is just trying to clear dead inventory and trying to get their foot in the door so they can force high cost server client licenses and maintenance on these poor schools. I bet most schools will take them without understanding the extremely high costs that will come to continue using them.
In my kids' high school, the photo lab had a couple dozen late model iMacs, resplendent with full licenses of Photoshop, etc. The justification was obvious.
In this case... who, in any school system, has time to waste fiddling with dead-end technology?
What the heck. They busted all that money in making lame ass surface vs iPad ads.
Shame on u Microsoft for comparing ur piece of crap no one wants with a tablet that people love.
Go back to the drawing board and re think everything that made the surface so sucky, don't come up with more marketing tricks like giving it to schools for using Bing.
For more than 10 years, people have voted... They don't want to run Windows on a Tablet!
No no no haven't you heard the softies? It's not Windows fault. It's because of "advances in tablet technology." Everyone has been waiting for Haswell. /s
This is how Microsoft thinks they can build mindshare.
Not by earning it. By buying it. Good luck with that.
They pulled the same garbage locally when they opened a new MS Store. In order to generate interest they gave away tickets to a local concert...the first 200 people in line got “meet and greet” passes to go back stage with the band Weezer (because, you know, Weezer and MS are so hip). The result was that they had some folks camped out the night before and a smallish line of people waiting outside the store for the grand opening.
MS notified the press about the excitement and "fan interest" in their new store. The press bit by showing the line of folks who apparently couldn't wait to get into the new MS Store...just like Apple! When they showed the inside of the store opening day there were more Genius clones than customers.
MS cannot in any way shape or form generate any interest in their products...by actually making products people want. It's just pathetic. Like their CEO.
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
I'd suggest that this move by MS was the brilliant brainchild of an embedded Apple employee! This should send these kids screaming to their parents to buy them something that really works...not a hand-me-down no one wants.
Today it is very much evident that this Microsoft thing can never bring in innovatation that capture people mind. They are a bunch of hypocrites see for instance what all lies they said about surface tab trying to project it as a superior gadgets inspite of being a third rate below standard products with lot of hidden cost where the consumer must pay an additional 100 dollars to get the keyboard cover and now the surface tab is given for free
This action has great consequence the world is populated with e-waste accounting for 900 million unwanted gadget that is absolute in term of technology, recycling would be a better option but alas Microsoft doesn't have any brain for re-engineering. Most student will throw surface tab within weeks as it doesn't have what they want today. What a pity to say Microsoft is lagging behind students and consumers 1995 is no longer going to work in favour of the greatest underdog of current century
I'm not sure whether bribing people to use Bing is sadder than the fact that they're bribing them with free SurfaceRT's. Has any school actually accepted this deal?
Note how Apple is actually SELLING the iPads to schools, not giving them away allegedly to grow some website.
I wonder if Microsoft's action could be considered "flooding" or "stuffing" in an illegal/anticompetitive way, giving away hardware at a loss, in order to try to hurt more profitable competitors. That is, *if* any schools are actually accepting the deal.
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
I don't recall Apple EVER giving away computers to schools or anyone.
I can just see the presentations to the school districts.
Tech: "We can either go with free Microsoft Surface's or pay $329 for an iPad mini."
School District: "I think the solution is rather obvious isn't it?"
Tech: "Yeah, I'll put the order in for the iPads. We could however use the MS surface for some of our portable classrooms. Some of the foundations are sagging and we could stack a few surfaces underneath the portables to level them off"
Comments
What amazes me is that Bill Gates' college roommate still has a job.
Baller: "But how?"
Foisting their crap on poor, defenseless students with no say in the matter... despicable.
Not by earning it. By buying it. Good luck with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djames4242
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
The difference is Apple hasn't ever given them away. The educational market does get discounts but they aren't anywhere near what Microsoft is doing. Microsoft is just trying to clear dead inventory and trying to get their foot in the door so they can force high cost server client licenses and maintenance on these poor schools. I bet most schools will take them without understanding the extremely high costs that will come to continue using them.
Find a customer who is budget strapped and desperate.
NASA?
I don't want a spectacular crater in the ground with Microsoft's name. Try again.
Um.. public school districts?
Bingo. Operation "Inventory Exodus" is GO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsmythe00
that was just wrong. Funny as hell though
What was "wrong" about allenbf's comment?
In my kids' high school, the photo lab had a couple dozen late model iMacs, resplendent with full licenses of Photoshop, etc. The justification was obvious.
In this case... who, in any school system, has time to waste fiddling with dead-end technology?
Shame on u Microsoft for comparing ur piece of crap no one wants with a tablet that people love.
Go back to the drawing board and re think everything that made the surface so sucky, don't come up with more marketing tricks like giving it to schools for using Bing.
Bing yeah might aswell improve on that aswell.
No no no haven't you heard the softies? It's not Windows fault. It's because of "advances in tablet technology." Everyone has been waiting for Haswell. /s
Quote:
Originally Posted by SockRolid
This is how Microsoft thinks they can build mindshare.
Not by earning it. By buying it. Good luck with that.
They pulled the same garbage locally when they opened a new MS Store. In order to generate interest they gave away tickets to a local concert...the first 200 people in line got “meet and greet” passes to go back stage with the band Weezer (because, you know, Weezer and MS are so hip). The result was that they had some folks camped out the night before and a smallish line of people waiting outside the store for the grand opening.
MS notified the press about the excitement and "fan interest" in their new store. The press bit by showing the line of folks who apparently couldn't wait to get into the new MS Store...just like Apple! When they showed the inside of the store opening day there were more Genius clones than customers.
MS cannot in any way shape or form generate any interest in their products...by actually making products people want. It's just pathetic. Like their CEO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djames4242
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
I'd suggest that this move by MS was the brilliant brainchild of an embedded Apple employee! This should send these kids screaming to their parents to buy them something that really works...not a hand-me-down no one wants.
This action has great consequence the world is populated with e-waste accounting for 900 million unwanted gadget that is absolute in term of technology, recycling would be a better option but alas Microsoft doesn't have any brain for re-engineering. Most student will throw surface tab within weeks as it doesn't have what they want today. What a pity to say Microsoft is lagging behind students and consumers 1995 is no longer going to work in favour of the greatest underdog of current century
It's like the neighborhood dealer - "I'll be your friend". "The first hit's free".
Note how Apple is actually SELLING the iPads to schools, not giving them away allegedly to grow some website.
I wonder if Microsoft's action could be considered "flooding" or "stuffing" in an illegal/anticompetitive way, giving away hardware at a loss, in order to try to hurt more profitable competitors. That is, *if* any schools are actually accepting the deal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by djames4242
That worked fairly well for Apple a decade or two ago. Many schools had Macs knowing that if that's what kids grow up learning, that's what they'll want to stick with when they buy (or ask their parents for) their own computers.
I don't recall Apple EVER giving away computers to schools or anyone.
I can just see the presentations to the school districts.
Tech: "We can either go with free Microsoft Surface's or pay $329 for an iPad mini."
School District: "I think the solution is rather obvious isn't it?"
Tech: "Yeah, I'll put the order in for the iPads. We could however use the MS surface for some of our portable classrooms. Some of the foundations are sagging and we could stack a few surfaces underneath the portables to level them off"