'iPad mini' event reaffirmed to highlight education uses

Posted:
in iPad edited January 2014
At its media event on Tuesday, Apple reportedly plans to make a point of showcasing how its new, smaller iPad will be particularly useful in the classroom.

Citing an unnamed person with knowledge of Apple's plans at the "iPad mini" event, Apple executives will "make a point of highlighting" the educational abilities of the iPad, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The report also revealed that Apple recently "realigned its education sales force to emphasize iPads."

The iPad has become a major part of Apple's education initiative as the touchscreen tablet has found its way into the classroom. But the $399 entry price for the iPad 2 is still seen as too high for many schools that continue to face budget cuts.

Apple's new, smaller iPad is expected to have a lower price point that will lower the barrier to entry for schools and consumers alike.

Textbooks


The report is the latest to indicate that Apple plans to focus on education for its iPad mini event set to take place on Tuesday in San Jose, Calif. Reports first began to surface earlier this month indicating that Apple would pay particular attention to iBooks in unveiling a new 7.85-inch iPad.

Apple itself even revealed an upcoming iBooks refresh last week, one one title in the French iTunes Store specified that "iBooks 3.0" was a requirement. The current version of iBooks available on the iOS App Store is 2.2.

One Apple event early this year already focused on iBooks and the role the iPad can play in education. The company held a briefing in New York City in January to unveil iBooks 2.0, which focused on interactive textbooks.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    I already said this which is why I think they'll make an 8GB model just for classroom use.
  • Reply 2 of 34
    I think this is a good idea. I visited a friend of mine recently who (unlike me!) has two small kids. We were talking about how her kids loved playing with apps on her iPhone. She said she was thinking of buying an iPad that they could use, but thought they were too big and expensive. Watch out for an announcement on Tuesday I told her!
  • Reply 3 of 34
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Steve already said so. From the bible:

    "Jobs also attacked America’s education system, saying that it was hopelessly antiquated and crippled by union work rules. Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform. Teachers should be treated as professionals, he said, not as industrial assembly-line workers. Principals should be able to hire and fire them based on how good they were. Schools should be staying open until at least 6 p.m. and be in session eleven months of the year. It was absurd, he added, that American classrooms were still based on teachers standing at a board and using textbooks. All books, learning materials, and assessments should be digital and interactive, tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time."
  • Reply 4 of 34


    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post

    I already said this which is why I think they'll make an 8GB model just for classroom use.


     


    For one textbook at a time. With a few months wait for each, as the creators have to reformat all of them.






    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post

    From the bible:



     


    Aside from the theological insult, calling that… thing… any sort of "bible" bothers me. 

  • Reply 5 of 34
    kevtkevt Posts: 195member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by EricTheHalfBee View Post



    I already said this which is why I think they'll make an 8GB model just for classroom use.


     


    Is it really worth it? On cost breakdowns difference between 8Gb and 16Gb is less than 5$. And subtract the costs of having an extra model in the range.


     


    The 'German Price leak' (if genuine) suggests you are right. But I don't think it makes much sense. Android devices specs will make 8Gb look stingy.

  • Reply 6 of 34
    Does this mean the end of the eMac?
  • Reply 7 of 34
    quinneyquinney Posts: 2,528member
    At its media event on Tuesday, Apple reportedly plans to make a point of showcasing how its new, smaller iPad will be particularly useful in the classroom.

    Maybe we will get an urban contemporary dance performance by the "Village of the Damned" dance troupe.
  • Reply 8 of 34


    Originally Posted by Suddenly Newton View Post

    Does this mean the end of the eMac?


     


    I believe they still sell the white 17" Core 2 iMac in bulk to educators.


     


    I read that… hoo… maybe four years ago, when everything they sold otherwise was already the aluminum iMac. I don't know if it's still the case.

  • Reply 9 of 34
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post



    ...tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time."


    This is one of the problems with the current iBooks. What I would like to see is an iBooks Server that would do two things. One, it would allow for less expensive iPads with smaller storage as the textbooks would come from the server. Two, it would allow the tests, quizzes, and review questions to be graded and stored on the server. It would also make reusing the iPads in the next class easier and streamline the entire Apple ID issue with shared devices.

  • Reply 10 of 34

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by kevt View Post


     


    Is it really worth it? On cost breakdowns difference between 8Gb and 16Gb is less than 5$. And subtract the costs of having an extra model in the range.


     


    The 'German Price leak' (if genuine) suggests you are right. But I don't think it makes much sense. Android devices specs will make 8Gb look stingy.



     


     


    The same can be said about the difference between 16GB and 32GB which is a few $ as well. The point of the lower level model like $8GB is to provide an entry for those who would not have bought otherwise, and at the same time avoid cannibalization of the sales of the higher margin models. 

  • Reply 11 of 34
    tbelltbell Posts: 3,146member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post



    Steve already said so. From the bible:

    "Jobs also attacked America’s education system, saying that it was hopelessly antiquated and crippled by union work rules. Until the teachers’ unions were broken, there was almost no hope for education reform. Teachers should be treated as professionals, he said, not as industrial assembly-line workers. Principals should be able to hire and fire them based on how good they were. Schools should be staying open until at least 6 p.m. and be in session eleven months of the year. It was absurd, he added, that American classrooms were still based on teachers standing at a board and using textbooks. All books, learning materials, and assessments should be digital and interactive, tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time."


     


     


    If you mean from Walter Isaacson's embarrassingly bad book on Jobs, I would find another source. Moreover, I really don't get the sudden attack on Unions. Like with every group, you can find some bad Apples (no pun intended). However, 5 day work weeks, 8 hour days, week ends, work safety rules, fair wages, child labor rules, all are attributable to Unions. Prior to the labor movement, the work conditions used to be akin to the Slave like labor in China. Moreover, you really should look at the underlying anti-union push. Republicans hate Unions because Unions contribute to worker friendly Democrats. 


     


     


    Further, everything bad going on in this Country currently can be attributed to one core happening. Namely, the North America Free Trade Agreement. In the biggest economic heyday, Republicans (and some democrats) paid off by the lobbyists convinced initially opposed to President Clinton to sign this trade agreement. We were told it would create jobs in the US, Mexico, and Canada. Instead, cheaply made good from China poured through Mexico and Canada into the US to escape tariffs that would otherwise be imposed. 


     


    Those tariffs protected the rest American workers so they didn't have to compete with countries that had an unfair labor advantage and opposing views considering humanity. The tariffs funded government programs. The protected jobs kept profit and taxes in the US. The taxes funded local governments, which in turn invested in education, road repairs, and other services. Wages feed the local economies contributing to the biggest earnings ever.


     


    Now the economy is in shambles, and people like to blame the little people for the problem. I for one want the people teaching my kids to be well paid and happy. Happy teachers make for happy kids. 


     


    Jobs by the way has it right in terms of technology. Technology has been way under utilized in schools. One of the biggest expenses schools pay is for books. Publishers charge exorbitant prices to schools and force the renewal of books by making unnecessary changes to books. Schools should contribute to the creating of public domain or low cost education books that are delivered through mediums like iBooks. I'd rather pay teachers fair wages, then pay greedy content holders' unjustified profit. 

  • Reply 12 of 34
    pt123pt123 Posts: 696member


    If the barrier is high, what about replacement cost when a student here or there drops one? Kids don't really treat their stuff very well.

  • Reply 13 of 34


    Originally Posted by pt123 View Post

    If the barrier is high, what about replacement cost when a student here or there drops one? Kids don't really treat their stuff very well.


     


    Instead of the year's book fee, there's an iPad fee. Kid drops it, he pays for it. Just like books. Heaven forbid we teach children to take care of their possessions.

  • Reply 14 of 34
    v5vv5v Posts: 1,357member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


    [...] cheaply made good from China poured through Mexico and Canada into the US to escape tariffs that would otherwise be imposed. 



     


    I'm not sure I understand. Can you give me an example?

  • Reply 15 of 34
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


    If you mean from Walter Isaacson's embarrassingly bad book on Jobs, I would find another source. Moreover, I really don't get the sudden attack on Unions. Like with every group, you can find some bad Apples (no pun intended). 


     


    Now the economy is in shambles, and people like to blame the little people for the problem. I for one want the people teaching my kids to be well paid and happy. Happy teachers make for happy kids. 



     


    Teacher unions are one of the bad apples and tenure is not required to make teachers happy.  Teacher unions have opposed any meaningful educational reforms in the US.


     


    Don't try to make this political.  Both democrats and republicans dislike teacher unions because they suck.  Rham Emanuel is a dem.  Michelle Rhee is a dem.


     


    The NY teachers union with 32M in cash, 127M in assets and $218M in revenue in 2010 is not "little people".

  • Reply 16 of 34

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Aside from the theological insult, calling that… thing… any sort of "bible" bothers me. 



    Okay... "theological insult". Nothing less.


     


    You have been trained in Afghanistan by Al Quaeda, or something?


     


    I, at least, always feel a bit upset when I discover "technophiles" making that kind of agressive stances. We're supposed to have moved in an enlightened age where people know that religions are a thing of the past... but I hope you're joking, yeah?

  • Reply 17 of 34

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by nht View Post


     Rham Emanuel is a dem.



    Interesting spelling.

  • Reply 18 of 34
    mstonemstone Posts: 11,510member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Aside from the theological insult, calling that… thing… any sort of "bible" bothers me. 



    Okay... "theological insult". Nothing less.



    Yes we all know there is only one true prophet 


    image

  • Reply 19 of 34
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    This is expected. I will be very surprised if they don't have a segment on education for an iPad "mini".

    Aside from the theological insult, calling that… thing… any sort of "bible" bothers me. 

    That's very over the top. Are you saying that the words attributed to Jobs are inaccurate? I think they are truthful and therefore can be used as authoritative which means they can surely use the informal uses of the word bible, per any dictionary, just as quotes like 'Microsoft has no taste" can surely be said is gospel as an informal truth. There is absolutely nothing Phil said that you or anyone should get offended by.
  • Reply 20 of 34
    nhtnht Posts: 4,522member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by lightknight View Post


    Interesting spelling.



    I blame por typing skills.

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