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Chromebooks Overtake iPads In US Education Market
SmartAboutThings writes In Q3 2014, IDC notes that Google shipped 715,500 Chromebooks to U.S. schools while Apple shipped 702,000 iPads. Thus, Apple's iPad has lost its lead over Google's line of Chromebook laptops in the U.S. education market as Google shipped more devices to schools last quarter. While analysts say [registration required] that this advantage for Google's Chromebooks can be attributed to their low cost, the presence of a physical keyboard has also been seen as an important factor.
When you have a device that lasts maybe 5 years of use, adding about $100 per child per year just for the device really starts to add up.
I suppose chromebooks could be used for some entry CS-like education and obviously word processing, but I have no idea what educational aid an iPad contains besides maybe text books, but if that was the case, I'd rather have schools endorsing an epaper solution being far cheaper, energy efficient, and probably better on those poor kid's eyes (staring at screens for 8 class hours and how many home hours?).
Bye!
My nephew has one. It does everything he needs it to do for school, which is all one should expect out of a machine offered to kids through school.
Occasionally living proof of the Ballmer peak.
And good riddance to it. It can go on the ash heap next to the network computer, Windows RT and .NET everywhere.
The tablet itself is not, and never was, a fad. The fad was the really bizarre belief that tablets could and would replace PCs nearly everywhere. So in that way it is very different than the other examples you listed--in my opinion they were all true fads. But then again, what is a ChromeBook if it's not the current version of the network computer???
I love my iPad but if I had to use it as my primary tool for completing schoolwork and taking lessons, I would lose my mind.
This one is a bit of a no-brainer. There is the keyboard, the trackpad, the cost, and the screen-size. Also many sites require such niceties such as right clicking, or click and dragging.
But what is even more silly is when Microsoft pathetically tries to strongarm a school system into using its wayyyyy expensive surface technology. It is not only expensive on a per unit basis but is used by Microsoft to engage their whole licensing nightmare engine with one upsell after another of enterprise crap.
So while any school system that gets iPads is just wasting its money, any school people who get the surface should be fired for wasteful incompetence.
pieces of crap that break constantly due to horribly cheap parts
That is just as meaningless a statement about Chromebooks as it is about Android phones. . . What specific company hardware are you talking about (e.g. I have had a very good experience with Samsung and HP Chromebooks)?
/. that has not bothered to really look into chromebooks before hating them. . .
Regarding your "featureless" statement, have you heard of Crouton? Also, were you aware that an increasing number of Android apps are coming to Chromebooks? Your post seems to represent the segment of
Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
Most kids do the following:
1- write reports
2- make presentations
3- do research on the web
4- read books
Tablets stink for #1 and #2. Even for #3, things like cutting-and-pasting text for note taking is a PITA on a tablet. The only conceivable thing tablets are better for is reading books - but (at least at my kids school) they already have most of the books they use yearly in print.
In addition, everything on the chromebook is stored on line. When a kid can start something at school, work on it at home on the family PC, then continue on mom's laptop when we need the PC for something else, you really see how convenient it is, and finally turn it in by sending a link to the teacher. Yes, there are drawbacks (the internet being down, less privacy, dependence on one company), but it is so damn convenient for all parties involved. It is a case of technology making things easier.
I think of it more as a Viewmaster.
Okay, maybe LaserDisc. Either way, it's a really bad tool.
Source: IT Director who was there during the launch frenzy of iPads. Employees demanded them...I even had people in my office CRYING because they 'needed' one. Once everyone had their iPad (and it was no longer a status symbol) their actual usage was limited to email and web browsing. Both of which can also be performed on a phone.
iPads were one of the biggest wastes of money during my time of IT purchasing. They were also the most heavily demanded.
Marketing...
No reason to lie.
We've had great success with our Chromebook deployment. For most computing tasks, they are cheap and easy. They boot quickly and management is a snap.
Microsoft is now trying to duplicate this success. They are giving away Office 365 E1 subscriptions to schools and non-profits. I will grant MS this, their online versions of Word, Excel, and Powerpoint are quite good and closely mimic the desktop versions.
Now for the bad:
1. Microsoft's "version" of a chromebook is something like the HP Stream 14. It's about the same price and about the same quality. Unfortunately, these do not run a locked-down/hardened version of windows. They run the same desktop OS everything else does. This means you need AV, imaging tools....etc to mass deploy these things. Chromebooks don't need any of that stuff.
2. The OS that ships in the cheapy laptops cannot be joined to a traditional domain. User management and policies for these devices cannot be centrally managed. Google's management tools are fantastic.
3. Logins everywhere. To login to these cheapy windows devices, you need to either have local accounts, or a "live" or "microsoft account". This means you need a "live" login to get past the login screen, and an Office 365 login to do any work - it's madness.
In-short, Microsoft is jumping into cloud computing and chasing the incumbents in a half-assed way. Situation normal over at Microsoft.