My kids school use to be all Macs. There was a room filled with iMacs used for the current AR. Did drive me a little crazy the kids fighting over colors. All gone and replaced with a room filed with Chromebases.
But it is not only the elementary but the middle and high school the same way. They teach AP CS 1 and CS 2 using Chromebooks and Crouton. AP classes are all taught in Java now.
Apple MUST get a solution with a keyboard that is somewhere between an iPad and a Mac. These kids are being trained 6 or 7 hours a day on the Google eccosystem. Basically the state is paying for their training. This is something Apple needs to get serious about.
What is kind of amazing is Cooks' own high school recently created headlines when they replaced all the Macs in the school with Chromebooks. Cook response was a shot at Chromebooks and lack of creativity.
Absolutely agree.... Apple and most commenters here either don't know or have forgotten the early history of the PC: Microsoft came to dominate that market over CPM, Apple's OS and IBM's OS (even thought both were far and away superior in every way). They did that by flooding the market with cheap copies and it became THE STANDARD.
ChromeOS is doing the same: young people are being indoctrinated and conditioned to using it and it will become the standard.
Being technically superior did not save either the Apple or the IBM OS from being relegated to obscurity by Windows.
For myself: when my 4th grade grandson needs to access his school work from home he prefers to use his father's Chromebook (which was provided to him free by his employer) rather than an Apple or Windows based product (both of which are easily available to him). Already, he has been conditioned.
Come on Apple! This is not a game. You too can go the way of OS2. Technical superiority will not save you.
But, the crazy thing is: Apple already has the infrastructure in place to produce their own version of the Chromebook. They can do it. But they choose not to.
It seems not that Apple needs to produce a chromebook, but that they need a better value computer for education use and far better out-of-the-box Mac and iPad device management solutions for teachers and people overseeing the system for their school or classroom—so far more powerful management tools with Apple ease of use re Apple Configurator and lower priced computer solutions for schools.
I suspect we are saying the same thing... Apple has to be able to compete with the ChromeBooks. The question is: can they produce a 'better ENOUGH value computer' without going to a Chromebook type format?
Plus, not only are the Chromebooks cheaper, they are cheaper to maintain because, for the most part, the functional software resides on a central server somewhere. So it saves money both on the initial investment and on ongoing maintenance.
For a school system with thousands of students, that can mount up to a LOT of money.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
We use iPads starting in 5th Grade, kids love it and I never have to deal with a virus. Apple was a game changer in education, it's not only a device that works so well, it's also the software that is fun and interesting and easy to use for children. And so easy to have homework and students work always accessible, a teacher just showed me the entire work of my child at pt conference on her iPad.
Sad, but the reality is that most schools will use what is the cheapest, not the best. My nephews use Chromebooks in school and it just pains me to see the frustrations in their faces when those cheap pieces of junk act up.
It pains me to see in classrooms these stupid apple laptops which are too thin with terrible keyboards. Why they are obsessed with laptops so thin is beyond me. As a long time shareholder I think their laptops suck.
Funny, since one of the hallmarks of Apple laptops are the keyboards and touch pads being best-in-class. And you say their laptops suck? Your BS wreaks of troll, get lost.
Apple trackpads are great, but the same cannot be said from the keyboards, specially the new ones. In my experience, Lenovo Thinkpads have the best notebook keyboard, and the SurfaceBook has a very good keyboard too.
We use iPads starting in 5th Grade, kids love it and I never have to deal with a virus. Apple was a game changer in education, it's not only a device that works so well, it's also the software that is fun and interesting and easy to use for children. And so easy to have homework and students work always accessible, a teacher just showed me the entire work of my child at pt conference on her iPad.
That's great, but most schools cannot afford IPads or Macs.
I worry about an entire generation if young being conditioned and trained on Chromebooks. Will they even consider an Apple product for college or work? Why would they if the Chromebook does what they need it to do (and it will) at a fraction of the cost?
It looks to me that the MacBooks are in a cross fire: Kids are being trained on Chromebooks and grow used to them and are comfortable with them. Plus, the IPad is infringing on their turf -- and that will be particularly true when/if Apple equips them with a cursor, file management system and a USB-C port (all of which is quite doable).
Sad, but the reality is that most schools will use what is the cheapest, not the best. My nephews use Chromebooks in school and it just pains me to see the frustrations in their faces when those cheap pieces of junk act up.
Think it started with the price but not any longer. You do not sustain just based on price. If you actually try a Chromebook think you would be shocked and most likely be hooked. They are just a better solution for today. They are poorly understood. Anything you do on any other laptop you can do on a Chromebook offline. Writing email, paper, creating presentation, spreadsheets, listen to music, watch a video, all work fine on a Chromebook offline.
My 2nd oldest son does all his Computer Science work on a Chromebook using a program called Crouton. Crouton allows you to use similar development tools you would use on a Mac. So if you use Android Studio or Eclipse or Reddit or Mongo, etc. Crouton makes the Chromebook a Linux desktop basically.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
Apple is being stupid to let the educational market go.
Apple needs to produce an iosBook. An ipad in laptop ClamShell form. It would be an iPadAir2 with attached Keyboard and TrackPad. For the education market they could build a special one out of Polycarbonate in the many bright colors of the iPhone 5C and sell it for $200-$250.
For the high end it would have a touchBar and USB Type C port with extra battery on the base and a detachable top keyboard section like the SurfaceBook. Should also include mouse support. the ipadPro version would start at $799 for 9.7 inch model and $899 for 12.9 inch model.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
Apple is being stupid to let the educational market go.
Apple needs to produce an iosBook. An ipad in laptop ClamShell form. It would be an iPadAir2 with attached Keyboard and TrackPad. For the education market they could build a special one out of Polycarbonate in the many bright colors of the iPhone 5C and sell it for $200-$250.
For the high end it would have a touchBar and USB Type C port with extra battery on the base and a detachable top keyboard section like the SurfaceBook. Should also include mouse support. the ipadPro version would start at $799 for 9.7 inch model and $899 for 12.9 inch model.
We could quibble over the details -- but I pretty much agree. Agree, except that there is no reason to lock the IPad into a clamshell design. Letting it be an IPad when in tablet form plus letting be a laptop in clamshell form would provide the best of both worlds without any compromises.
Well, there is one more issue: Unlike other vendors, Apple provides an extensive and sophisticated ecosystem that supports its devices post sale -- and that ecosystem is paid for with the selling price. That might make it hard for Apple to hit that $200-$250 windows you mention.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
High School kids don't do papers and reports?
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means... ... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
High School kids don't do papers and reports?
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means... ... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
Of course they do...you can do all of that just as easily on an iPad with a smart keyboard as you can a $200 ChromeBook and the iPad can do so much more. ChromeBooks aren't all they're hyped up to be by some people. They're just cheap dummy devices that do very little. An iPad with a smart keyboard is much more versatile.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
High School kids don't do papers and reports?
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means... ... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
Of course they do...you can do all of that just as easily on an iPad with a smart keyboard as you can a $200 ChromeBook and the iPad can do so much more. ChromeBooks aren't all they're hyped up to be by some people. They're just cheap dummy devices that do very little. An iPad with a smart keyboard is much more versatile.
Both Steve Jobs and current Apple management both say: "WRONG!" (Because, an IPad with an external keypad is a laptop with (only) a touch screen and no cursor).
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
High School kids don't do papers and reports?
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means... ... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
Of course they do...you can do all of that just as easily on an iPad with a smart keyboard as you can a $200 ChromeBook and the iPad can do so much more. ChromeBooks aren't all they're hyped up to be by some people. They're just cheap dummy devices that do very little. An iPad with a smart keyboard is much more versatile.
Both Steve Jobs and current Apple management both say: "WRONG!" (Because, an IPad with an external keypad is a laptop with (only) a touch screen and no cursor).
No where does Apple say that an iPad with a keyboard is a laptop without a cursor. Please show me where Apple and Steve are saying that. Why would they offer a smart case then that includes a keyboard if they thought this?
And I'll ask again, why are they showing the new iPad Pro ad telling people they can use an iPad as a computer replacement to write papers and such? If what you say is true, then they're contradicting themselves in this ad alone.
Offer better iPads at cheaper prices and education use will go up.
You can't easily type a paper on an IPad -- no cursor. Apple needs to fix that.
You don't need a cursor to type on an iPad. What Apple needs, is a good keyboard that isn't bluetooth connected and does't need to be charged separately. The Smart Keyboard for the iPad Pro models would be great if they could also work on regular iPads. School's aren't going to spend extra money on iPad Pro models.
The lack of a cursor isn't what's keep someone from using iPads. Thats the least of someone's issues. Thinking devices need cursors to succeed is backwards thinking.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration. To do any serious typing, you need an external keyboard which then necessitates a mouse or touchpad and cursor. Sorry, Steve Jobs said it and Apple confirmed it again more recently. It's why they developed the touchbar for the MacPro.
I'm sorry but you just don't understand the education market....What I described is all they need. K-12 is completely different from the needs of consumers.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
High School kids don't do papers and reports?
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means... ... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
Of course they do...you can do all of that just as easily on an iPad with a smart keyboard as you can a $200 ChromeBook and the iPad can do so much more. ChromeBooks aren't all they're hyped up to be by some people. They're just cheap dummy devices that do very little. An iPad with a smart keyboard is much more versatile.
Both Steve Jobs and current Apple management both say: "WRONG!" (Because, an IPad with an external keypad is a laptop with (only) a touch screen and no cursor).
No where does Apple say that an iPad with a keyboard is a laptop without a cursor. Please show me where Apple and Steve are saying that. Why would they offer a smart case then that includes a keyboard if they thought this?
And I'll ask again, why are they showing the new iPad Pro ad telling people they can use an iPad as a computer replacement to write papers and such? If what you say is true, then they're contradicting themselves in this ad alone.
LOL.... An IPad with an external keyboard and no cursor IS a laptop with only a touch screen. Actually its even worse because of the way Apple has its OS throttled back without a full browser or file management system.
If they truely want the IPad to be a computer, they will add a touchpad to its external keyboard. Because, as they say, a touch screen only computer is not viable.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration.
They did. They were talking about Laptops with touchscreens... Isn't that what you're picture shows? Oh! Wait! No! It's touchscreen with a keyboard! So how is a touchscreen with a keyboard different from a keyboard with a touchscreen?
iPads are nice to have. But most young kids need basic laptops so they can learn to be productive on a computer. So they can type. So they can look up things.
Since Apple has no sub-$500 laptops, Chromebooks are just fine. As a taxpayer I don't want the school boards wasting money on more capability than the students need. Give every student a Chromebook. If the parents can afford it, they can get their kids an iPad.
I could have picked any number of comments on this thread to reply to, your being just one of them.
This is a really crappy situation our schools have found themselves in. I'm a taxpayer as well, but I don't find that the seemingly cheapest solution is always the best. There are a lot of costs. As others have mentioned, there are IT/support costs, and these are NOT trivial! Adding technical staff salaries, plus benefits, is expensive. As others have also mentioned, cheap hardware tends to die much sooner, so there are replacement costs and environmental costs.
But the biggest cost of all, is something that can't be undone or recovered from. The luring and training of kids to use "spyware", putting their personal documents into the cloud, managed by and analyzed by a data-analysis company like google.
Lest anyone think this is just my opinion, our very large school district, in a very tech-savvy and highly-educated city, evaluated all kinds of tech tools for students a year or so back, including Apple hardware, chromebooks, cheap windows laptops, pretty much everything. The chromebooks were quickly dropped from the list because google would not agree to very basic privacy policy terms. This was a legal department analyzing google's policies and history, ready to potentially work with them, but ultimately saying: No, we will not sell our kids to save a few bucks.
I wish more school districts (and more people at large) considered this more seriously. Districts are selling their students to save a few bucks, and inculcating the notion of cloud-based, zero-privacy notions into our children!
iPads are nice to have. But most young kids need basic laptops so they can learn to be productive on a computer. So they can type. So they can look up things.
Since Apple has no sub-$500 laptops, Chromebooks are just fine. As a taxpayer I don't want the school boards wasting money on more capability than the students need. Give every student a Chromebook. If the parents can afford it, they can get their kids an iPad.
I could have picked any number of comments on this thread to reply to, your being just one of them.
This is a really crappy situation our schools have found themselves in. I'm a taxpayer as well, but I don't find that the seemingly cheapest solution is always the best. There are a lot of costs. As others have mentioned, there are IT/support costs, and these are NOT trivial! Adding technical staff salaries, plus benefits, is expensive. As others have also mentioned, cheap hardware tends to die much sooner, so there are replacement costs and environmental costs.
But the biggest cost of all, is something that can't be undone or recovered from. The luring and training of kids to use "spyware", putting their personal documents into the cloud, managed by and analyzed by a data-analysis company like google.
Lest anyone think this is just my opinion, our very large school district, in a very tech-savvy and highly-educated city, evaluated all kinds of tech tools for students a year or so back, including Apple hardware, chromebooks, cheap windows laptops, pretty much everything. The chromebooks were quickly dropped from the list because google would not agree to very basic privacy policy terms. This was a legal department analyzing google's policies and history, ready to potentially work with them, but ultimately saying: No, we will not sell our kids to save a few bucks.
I wish more school districts (and more people at large) considered this more seriously. Districts are selling their students to save a few bucks, and inculcating the notion of cloud-based, zero-privacy notions into our children!
Yes, security, that is an excellent point -- and the same one that caused me to avoid anything Google. But yes, the kids ARE being conditioned. My 4th grade grandson has an IPad, a couple WIndows PCs and a ChromeBook available to do his homework on. He is convinced that he has to use the Chromebook because that's what they use in his school (which, by the way, is one of the highest rated in the state).
Apple has the resources to address this problem and I think that they should -- not because of any concern for the kids (although that would certainly be a valid concern), but for their own well being. What's going to happen when the current crop of grade-school, middle-school and high school students, indoctrinated into using ChromeBooks for everything go to college and into the work environment? I suspect they will stay with what they know and are comfortable with. Good Bye Apple! It was a journey! ... Apple needs to recognize the ChromeBook for the threat that it is to their survival.
An IPad with a keyboard is nothing more than a laptop with a touchscreen and only a touchscreen -- no mouse of touchpad. Apple already said that that was not an effective configuration.
They did. They were talking about Laptops with touchscreens... Isn't that what you're picture shows? Oh! Wait! No! It's touchscreen with a keyboard! So how is a touchscreen with a keyboard different from a keyboard with a touchscreen?
Its very different from a usability perspective. Its MUCH easier to type on an a physical keyboard such as Apple's Smart Keyboard vs physically on the touchscreen. If you think its the same thing you're very mistaken.
Bottomline is...I don't care what Apple did or didn't say in the past, they're currently pushing this model. They wouldn't offer a smart keyboard if this was the case and they wouldn't have just ran an ad about how an iPad Pro with a keyboard can replace your Windows PC. Speaking of the ad, you STILL haven't answered my question about why Apple just ran an ad about doing the very thing you said they'd never do.
Comments
Plus, not only are the Chromebooks cheaper, they are cheaper to maintain because, for the most part, the functional software resides on a central server somewhere. So it saves money both on the initial investment and on ongoing maintenance.
For a school system with thousands of students, that can mount up to a LOT of money.
I worry about an entire generation if young being conditioned and trained on Chromebooks. Will they even consider an Apple product for college or work? Why would they if the Chromebook does what they need it to do (and it will) at a fraction of the cost?
It looks to me that the MacBooks are in a cross fire: Kids are being trained on Chromebooks and grow used to them and are comfortable with them. Plus, the IPad is infringing on their turf -- and that will be particularly true when/if Apple equips them with a cursor, file management system and a USB-C port (all of which is quite doable).
My 2nd oldest son does all his Computer Science work on a Chromebook using a program called Crouton. Crouton allows you to use similar development tools you would use on a Mac. So if you use Android Studio or Eclipse or Reddit or Mongo, etc. Crouton makes the Chromebook a Linux desktop basically.
Here this might help.
How to Install Ubuntu Linux on Your Chromebook with Crouton
https://www.howtogeek.com/162120/how-to-install-ubuntu-linux-on-your-chromebook-with-crouton/
With the new Android app support you should now get X11 on a Chromebook with Linux running in the back.
Apple is being stupid to let the educational market go.
Apple needs to produce an iosBook. An ipad in laptop ClamShell form. It would be an iPadAir2 with attached Keyboard and TrackPad. For the education market they could build a special one out of Polycarbonate in the many bright colors of the iPhone 5C and sell it for $200-$250.
For the high end it would have a touchBar and USB Type C port with extra battery on the base and a detachable top keyboard section like the SurfaceBook. Should also include mouse support. the ipadPro version would start at $799 for 9.7 inch model and $899 for 12.9 inch model.
Well, there is one more issue: Unlike other vendors, Apple provides an extensive and sophisticated ecosystem that supports its devices post sale -- and that ecosystem is paid for with the selling price. That might make it hard for Apple to hit that $200-$250 windows you mention.
Also if what you said is true, then why is Apple pushing the ad below...which is exactly what I just described.
While you could type a full report on an IPad screen, it would not be my first choice by any means...
... For that, give me a Chromebook. No, give me 3 Chromebooks for the same price as the IPad -- just case one breaks.
And I'll ask again, why are they showing the new iPad Pro ad telling people they can use an iPad as a computer replacement to write papers and such? If what you say is true, then they're contradicting themselves in this ad alone.
If they truely want the IPad to be a computer, they will add a touchpad to its external keyboard. Because, as they say, a touch screen only computer is not viable.
This is a really crappy situation our schools have found themselves in. I'm a taxpayer as well, but I don't find that the seemingly cheapest solution is always the best. There are a lot of costs. As others have mentioned, there are IT/support costs, and these are NOT trivial! Adding technical staff salaries, plus benefits, is expensive. As others have also mentioned, cheap hardware tends to die much sooner, so there are replacement costs and environmental costs.
But the biggest cost of all, is something that can't be undone or recovered from. The luring and training of kids to use "spyware", putting their personal documents into the cloud, managed by and analyzed by a data-analysis company like google.
Lest anyone think this is just my opinion, our very large school district, in a very tech-savvy and highly-educated city, evaluated all kinds of tech tools for students a year or so back, including Apple hardware, chromebooks, cheap windows laptops, pretty much everything. The chromebooks were quickly dropped from the list because google would not agree to very basic privacy policy terms. This was a legal department analyzing google's policies and history, ready to potentially work with them, but ultimately saying: No, we will not sell our kids to save a few bucks.
I wish more school districts (and more people at large) considered this more seriously. Districts are selling their students to save a few bucks, and inculcating the notion of cloud-based, zero-privacy notions into our children!
goo.gl/wWm58s
Apple has the resources to address this problem and I think that they should -- not because of any concern for the kids (although that would certainly be a valid concern), but for their own well being. What's going to happen when the current crop of grade-school, middle-school and high school students, indoctrinated into using ChromeBooks for everything go to college and into the work environment? I suspect they will stay with what they know and are comfortable with. Good Bye Apple! It was a journey!
... Apple needs to recognize the ChromeBook for the threat that it is to their survival.
Bottomline is...I don't care what Apple did or didn't say in the past, they're currently pushing this model. They wouldn't offer a smart keyboard if this was the case and they wouldn't have just ran an ad about how an iPad Pro with a keyboard can replace your Windows PC. Speaking of the ad, you STILL haven't answered my question about why Apple just ran an ad about doing the very thing you said they'd never do.