Summary: A new IDC report claims that more laptops based on Google's Chrome OS were shipped to schools in the third quarter than Apple's tablets, thanks in no small part to the notebooks' low price.By Sean Portnoy for Laptops & Desktops | December 2, 2014 -- 23:24 GMT 
The education market has long been Apple's to dominate, from the early days of its first computers to today's iPads. Challengers have tried to encroach over the years, but the company may have met its match in Google's Chromebook platform.
The cheap laptops running Google's Chrome OS got off to a slow start, with schools ironically being one of the first places the devices were embraced. But 2014 has seen a rapid adoption of the machines, to the extent that Microsoft shifted its strategy and started offering low-cost licenses for Windows 8.1 in order to offer inexpensive Windows laptops to compete against Chromebooks.
According to a report from market research firm IDC and cited in the Financial Times (paywall site), more Chromebooks were shipped to schools in the third quarter than Apple iPads. While the difference in sales was pretty slim (715,000 Chromebooks to 702,000 iPads), it was still a breakthrough performance considering how trendy it's been for school districts to hand out Apple's tablets to students as part of a technological "revolution" in education.
But it's not too hard to figure out why this happened. IDC speculates that the low cost of the Chromebook laptops -- often $200 -- is half the price of a new full-sized iPad. It also obviously comes with a built-in keyboard, which can make it more productive out of the box for students to use for typing documents, though IDC points out that the iPad's touchscreen has advantages of its own (especially for younger students).
With their cloud-based apps, Chromebooks are fairly easy to deploy and manage, and Google has developed tools for educators (like Classroom) to use to get the most out of the devices, which is why ZDNet's Ken Hess called Chromebooks and education "a perfect match" earlier this year. Intel has started paying close attention to the platform, revealing a reference design for Chromebooks specifically tailored towards education.
While momentum for Chromebooks in schools is substantial, this is still only a single quarter where they outsold iPads, so Apple is a far cry from flunking this latest test to its educational hegemony. Chromebook makers also need to show similar success outside of the classroom to meet analysts' lofty sales projections. But one thing's for sure: This new (tech) kid in school is looking pretty cool right about now.
Topics: Mobility, Apple, Google, iPad, Laptops, Education![Sean Portnoy]()
Sean Portnoy is a former executive editor at Computer Shopper magazine and editor at CNET Networks.
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View the original article here
The education market has long been Apple's to dominate, from the early days of its first computers to today's iPads. Challengers have tried to encroach over the years, but the company may have met its match in Google's Chromebook platform.
The cheap laptops running Google's Chrome OS got off to a slow start, with schools ironically being one of the first places the devices were embraced. But 2014 has seen a rapid adoption of the machines, to the extent that Microsoft shifted its strategy and started offering low-cost licenses for Windows 8.1 in order to offer inexpensive Windows laptops to compete against Chromebooks.
According to a report from market research firm IDC and cited in the Financial Times (paywall site), more Chromebooks were shipped to schools in the third quarter than Apple iPads. While the difference in sales was pretty slim (715,000 Chromebooks to 702,000 iPads), it was still a breakthrough performance considering how trendy it's been for school districts to hand out Apple's tablets to students as part of a technological "revolution" in education.
But it's not too hard to figure out why this happened. IDC speculates that the low cost of the Chromebook laptops -- often $200 -- is half the price of a new full-sized iPad. It also obviously comes with a built-in keyboard, which can make it more productive out of the box for students to use for typing documents, though IDC points out that the iPad's touchscreen has advantages of its own (especially for younger students).
With their cloud-based apps, Chromebooks are fairly easy to deploy and manage, and Google has developed tools for educators (like Classroom) to use to get the most out of the devices, which is why ZDNet's Ken Hess called Chromebooks and education "a perfect match" earlier this year. Intel has started paying close attention to the platform, revealing a reference design for Chromebooks specifically tailored towards education.
While momentum for Chromebooks in schools is substantial, this is still only a single quarter where they outsold iPads, so Apple is a far cry from flunking this latest test to its educational hegemony. Chromebook makers also need to show similar success outside of the classroom to meet analysts' lofty sales projections. But one thing's for sure: This new (tech) kid in school is looking pretty cool right about now.
Topics: Mobility, Apple, Google, iPad, Laptops, Education
Sean Portnoy is a former executive editor at Computer Shopper magazine and editor at CNET Networks.
Kick off your day with ZDNet's daily email newsletter. It's the freshest tech news and opinion, served hot. Get it. (function(a,b,c,d,e,f){a[d]||(a[d]= function(){(a[d].q=a[d].q||[]).push([arguments,+new Date])}); e=b.createElement(c);f=b.getElementsByTagName(c)[0]; e.src='https://s.yimg.com/uq/syndication/yad.js';e.async=true; f.parentNode.insertBefore(e,f)}(window,document,'script','yad')); yad('06189959-3cf4-3976-8002-367a1439f9f9');
This white paper will discuss the evolution, benefits and challenges of data protection for virtual environments and how a modern data protection solution can enable both virtualization professionals and storage managers to perform successful backups.
Customers are ubiquitously connected via their mobile devices, plugged into their social network and doing their own research to solve problems. In a world where buying decisions are made before you can even engage, salespeople must adapt. Read more
No longer just for early adopters and innovators, desktop virtualization has become a mainstream IT strategy for companies of all sizes. This white paper is about the value of desktop virtualization for users, businesses and IT.
This white paper will discuss the evolution, benefits and challenges of data protection for virtual environments and how a modern data protection solution can enable both virtualization professionals and storage managers to perform successful backups.
This white paper will discuss the evolution, benefits and challenges of data protection for virtual environments and how a modern data protection solution can enable both virtualization professionals and storage managers to perform successful backups.
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Collaborative development and continuous testing help a business idea evolve into a high quality software solution by applying lean principles, collaboration among stakeholders, and striking the optimal balance between quality and time to market. So in this session, we will share how establishing a solid development and testing strategy can help organisations remove unnecessary project risk, reduce costs and ensure teams stay productive.
If you want to deliver quality software faster by streamlining development and accelerating testing, don't miss this webinar.
View the original article here
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