Apple to host educational event in Chicago on March 27

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited March 2018
Apple on Friday sent an email to AppleInsider and other press outlets, inviting them to an educational event in Chicago scheduled for 10 a.m. local time on March 27.




"Let's take a field trip," the email reads. "Join us to hear creative new ideas for teachers and students." The event will happen at the Lane Tech College Prep High School.

Apple has yet to provide other details, but the custom logo used in the invitation resembles the sort of pen stroke an iPad Pro owner might make with an Apple Pencil.

In December, the company announced a partnership with Chicago Public Schools and the City Colleges of Chicago, intended to introduce Swift programming curriculae to the city. That program is due to launch this spring, and indeed the March 27 event could be meant to kick it off.

Though it's now open-source and has other uses, Swift was developed primarily by Apple for use with iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS. Encouraging its adoption may mean more apps for the company's platforms, and possibly better recruiting opportunities.

Apple could conceivably use the event to announce one or more new iPads. While new Pro models are more likely to ship towards the summer, the company could revamp its $329 "budget" iPad, often aimed at schools. The current model lacks Pencil support, which would be a natural addition for the educational market.

An updated iPad app for teachers -- Classroom 2.2 -- is in beta testing.

The company has also been rumored as preparing a 13.3-inch Retina MacBook, possibly intended to replace the aging MacBook Air.

A 2012 educational event in New York City saw Apple introduce iBooks 2 for the iPad, but no new hardware.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 37
    Cesar Battistini MazieroCesar Battistini Maziero Posts: 339member
    That was unexpected!

    But I'm happy about it!
    peterhartdoozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 37
    tipootipoo Posts: 1,141member
    Not the March event I was expecting! 
    Hopefully the 259 iPad isn't a school exclusive, I was looking forward to that. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 37
    herbapouherbapou Posts: 2,228member
    Low cost macbook
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 37
    greenmeeniegreenmeenie Posts: 91member
    If i was going to read into that Apple poster for the event with the flowing calligraphy like graphic, i'd say it looks like it was created with an Apple pencil. Hmm. I would therefore further speculate that Apple will announce that the rumored new low cost ipad will now be able to use the apple pencil. Think about it. Whats more synonymous with education than pencil and paper? Students taking notes on their ipads. Teachers correcting student papers on their ipads. Etc etc.

    I think it's about time too. I've always felt that being able to use the apple pencil should not be exclusive to pro models. A pencil is such a universal tool. And Think of how many more Apple pencils Apple would sell if they could be used on all their ipads.

    As an ipad mini user, i have always wished to be able to use the apple pencil on my ipad mini. It would be the perfect portable sketchbook and notetaking device. I've heard no rumor about an ipad mini update, but if my above guess about the apple pencil and new low cost ipad is true, i hope Apple also updates the mini as well. 

    Guess we'll find out if i was right in a couple weeks.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 5 of 37
    TEAMSWITCHERTEAMSWITCHER Posts: 113member
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    That "marzipan" project to integrate iOS apps and the macOS desktop has me curious.  Running iOS apps on a mac without a touch screen is a horrible experience.  I can't help to think that having an iPad that can also run macOS (A MacPad if you will) is a much better solution.  This would provide exciting new capabilities for the iPad - including popular mac apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Xcode.  MacOS also has some exciting new benefits - High refresh rate displays with Apple pencil support and an extremely portable solution with LTE capabilities.  Maybe this event will be the unveiling ... I know they claimed they would never make such a product but I think it would be foolish not too.  The iPad needs to grow beyond the "Big Phone App" experience .. and macOS is the logical next step.
  • Reply 6 of 37
    chrisbklynchrisbklyn Posts: 21member
    I think any hardware announcements would be incidental and might even happen in a press release before the actual event. It's a little too commercial for Apple to directly hawk selling their new hardware at an education focused event. Probably something more along the lines of - Look at these wonderful Swift development tools for education and oh, it just happens that we have this wonderful new hardware to support it in the classroom.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 37
    KuyangkohKuyangkoh Posts: 838member
    Chicago? 
  • Reply 8 of 37
    shrave10shrave10 Posts: 47member
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    ARM Macbook perhaps? Kind of co-incides with KGI's statement today that Macs may grow 15% this year.
  • Reply 9 of 37
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    shrave10 said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    ARM Macbook perhaps? Kind of co-incides with KGI's statement today that Macs may grow 15% this year.
    That would be great, but would this sort of event be the place to reveal some a tremendous technical hurdle?
    doozydozen
  • Reply 10 of 37
    Cesar Battistini MazieroCesar Battistini Maziero Posts: 339member
    chrisbklyn said:
    I think any hardware announcements would be incidental and might even happen in a press release before the actual event. It's a little too commercial for Apple to directly hawk selling their new hardware at an education focused event. Probably something more along the lines of - Look at these wonderful Swift development tools for education and oh, it just happens that we have this wonderful new hardware to support it in the classroom.
    They are a company, it's going to be comercial anyways. This is the perfect event to present a cheap iPad. And also talk about software.
    doozydozencaladanian
  • Reply 11 of 37
    78Bandit78Bandit Posts: 238member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    Chicago? 
    They want to show how bulletproof the new iPads and Macs are.
    patchythepiratepatchythepiratefluffhead
  • Reply 12 of 37
    PabloTresUnoSeisPabloTresUnoSeis Posts: 114member
    Apple needs to come out with cheaper hardware for schools. Macs especially..
    GeorgeBMacAMcKinlay21
  • Reply 13 of 37
    chrisbklynchrisbklyn Posts: 21member
    I think any hardware announcements would be incidental and might even happen in a press release before the actual event. It's a little too commercial for Apple to directly hawk selling their new hardware at an education focused event. Probably something more along the lines of - Look at these wonderful Swift development tools for education and oh, it just happens that we have this wonderful new hardware to support it in the classroom.
    They are a company, it's going to be comercial anyways. This is the perfect event to present a cheap iPad. And also talk about software.
    You've got it backwards from how Apple would do it - "This is the perfect event to present software. And also talk about a cheap iPad."
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 37
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Kuyangkoh said:
    Chicago? 
    Home of political machines, Al Capone and current murder capital of the US.
    edited March 2018
  • Reply 15 of 37
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,808member
    Soli said:
    shrave10 said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    ARM Macbook perhaps? Kind of co-incides with KGI's statement today that Macs may grow 15% this year.
    That would be great, but would this sort of event be the place to reveal some a tremendous technical hurdle?
    If its for education only, why not? Makes no sense to me to have a keynote for something the general public can't purchase.
  • Reply 16 of 37
    urashidurashid Posts: 127member
    TEAMSWITCHER said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    That "marzipan" project to integrate iOS apps and the macOS desktop has me curious.  Running iOS apps on a mac without a touch screen is a horrible experience.  I can't help to think that having an iPad that can also run macOS (A MacPad if you will) is a much better solution.  This would provide exciting new capabilities for the iPad - including popular mac apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Xcode.  MacOS also has some exciting new benefits - High refresh rate displays with Apple pencil support and an extremely portable solution with LTE capabilities.  Maybe this event will be the unveiling ... I know they claimed they would never make such a product but I think it would be foolish not too.  The iPad needs to grow beyond the "Big Phone App" experience .. and macOS is the logical next step.
    MacOS on iPad will be a horrible user experience.  Desktop apps are designed with small targets, cursor position awareness, keyboard+mouse combinations etc.  That is the entire reason iOS UI was designed for touch input from the ground up (even as it shares the kernel with MacOS).  This experiment has already been tried by MS tablets with epic failure.  Apple will never do that.
    watto_cobraRayz2016
  • Reply 17 of 37
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,699member
    TEAMSWITCHER said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    That "marzipan" project to integrate iOS apps and the macOS desktop has me curious.  Running iOS apps on a mac without a touch screen is a horrible experience.  I can't help to think that having an iPad that can also run macOS (A MacPad if you will) is a much better solution.  This would provide exciting new capabilities for the iPad - including popular mac apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Xcode.  MacOS also has some exciting new benefits - High refresh rate displays with Apple pencil support and an extremely portable solution with LTE capabilities.  Maybe this event will be the unveiling ... I know they claimed they would never make such a product but I think it would be foolish not too.  The iPad needs to grow beyond the "Big Phone App" experience .. and macOS is the logical next step.
    There's a difference between running iOS apps on the Mac desktop vs iOS-class apps on a Mac desktop.  Think code convergence but with the UI optimized for each device.
    fastasleep
  • Reply 18 of 37
    canukstormcanukstorm Posts: 2,699member
    "Apple could have all the fancy software in the world for education, but without hardware that's affordable for the majority of classrooms around the U.S., Google and Microsoft will continue to keep Apple a marginal player."

    http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2018/03/a-major-apple-event-will-be-held-later-this-month-in-chicago-related-to-the-education-market.html#more
    patchythepirateGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 19 of 37
    jdb8167jdb8167 Posts: 626member
    canukstorm said:
    TEAMSWITCHER said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    That "marzipan" project to integrate iOS apps and the macOS desktop has me curious.  Running iOS apps on a mac without a touch screen is a horrible experience.  I can't help to think that having an iPad that can also run macOS (A MacPad if you will) is a much better solution.  This would provide exciting new capabilities for the iPad - including popular mac apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, and Xcode.  MacOS also has some exciting new benefits - High refresh rate displays with Apple pencil support and an extremely portable solution with LTE capabilities.  Maybe this event will be the unveiling ... I know they claimed they would never make such a product but I think it would be foolish not too.  The iPad needs to grow beyond the "Big Phone App" experience .. and macOS is the logical next step.
    There's a difference between running iOS apps on the Mac desktop vs iOS-class apps on a Mac desktop.  Think code convergence but with the UI optimized for each device.
    Interesting thoughts. A ARM MacBook meant for education. Runs MacOS not iOS but with the Marzipan changes, many iPad apps will be quickly ported to MacOS. Apple could cut the price of a MacBook to under $500. Probably not happening at this event but not impossible to imagine.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 37
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    macxpress said:
    Soli said:
    shrave10 said:
    herbapou said:
    Low cost macbook
    ARM Macbook perhaps? Kind of co-incides with KGI's statement today that Macs may grow 15% this year.
    That would be great, but would this sort of event be the place to reveal some a tremendous technical hurdle?
    If its for education only, why not? Makes no sense to me to have a keynote for something the general public can't purchase.
    We’re talking about effectively making macOS a fat binary hat will support x86_64 and AArch64. That’s neither an “education only” endeavour nor undertaking. It would result in lower cost Macs, but that’s an effect of using ARM and home-grown designs idealized from for the platform, not the catalyst.

    Like I said, I’d love to see that happen, but that feels more like a WWDC announcement since there will have to be an IDE, frameworks, APIs, etc. all designed to make it easy for developers to support this multi architecture fat binaries.

    I suppose that could be too difficult to do, but Apple does have a lot of experience and success with doing exactly that over several decades so I don’t think it’s impossible for them.
    fastasleep
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