Last week at Chicago’s Apple Event, the company launched the 6th generation of iPad, rolling it out with software to make it suitable for classroom environments.The new hardware includes a 9.7 inch iPad with A10 Fusion Processor and Apple pencil. Earlier, the pencil was only usable with iPad Pro which costs almost twice the price of the entire hardware, even with the school discount.

Currently, the price has been set to $329, which is exactly the same as that of the previous model with an additional cost of $99 for Apple pencil. In its attempt to make the device more feasible, and possibly ubiquitous in education, the company is offering $30 discount to educators and students.

The availability of the Apple pencil is the chief contributor in making the device more appropriate for education. The classroom software published alongside the hardware is a proof of that.

This remarkable step by Apple reignites the original purpose of the iPad and the dream that inspired Steve Jobs, who considered the role of Apple in the education sector of utmost importance. It also brings Apple back into the competition with Google, whose Chromebook has become a huge success in classrooms, due to its economical hardware and limited specifications.

Earlier, in the education event ‘Learn What’s Next’ held in May 2017, Windows also made an attempt to gain dominion in the education sector with the launch of Windows 10 S. The operating system, though it was a bit convoluted, was offered as a solution to Chrome OS. The idea was to strip down some of the functionalities of Windows 10 OS and offer a sort-of-mode to the students, which filters down the elements as per the discretion of the educators.

To support the introduction of the new OS as a viable education solution, Windows has even inaugurated a new range of PCs at the inexpensive starting price of $189. To make its motive clear, the accompanying press material even stated that the hardware is“the same price as Chromebooks, with none of the compromises.”

For Google, the Chromebookis already seen as a game-changer, but to keep things from becoming stagnant, it too has announced the launch of its first Chromebook tablet, a day before the education event where Apple revealed theirs. The new tablet is launched in association with Acer and it costs $329 at present, not taking into account any sort of school discount. So as far as the pricing is concerned, Apple is still in the lead, unless Google decides to join forces with other hardware partners for more competitive prices.

Resources:

https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/27/comparing-apple-google-and-microsofts-education-plays/
https://www.engadget.com/2018/03/27/apple-needs-more-than-apps-to-win-over-educators/
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/apple-takes-google-fight-into-classrooms-with-new-ipad/news-story/1f64def123342f6b9be9fe225827c085
https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/02/review-2018-ipad-with-apple-pencil-support-might-replace-your-ipad-pro
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/27/17167054/new-apple-ipad-announced-cheap-price-students-2018