By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla
The education market has always been an important segment for makers of technology hardware and software.
Demonstrating how technology can improve learning, enable innovation and ideas as well as shatter barriers to learning is more than a great slide during a tech demo. It shows the desire to inspire new generations of technologists, or at the very least, loyal users.
The notion that students and schools use technology that they will be familiar with and will stick with in the future. If your high school had iMacs at the computer lab and used Apple software, then you will likely look to get a Mac when you go to university and beyond.
Education defines the consumer space
More importantly, the technologies and features used in education become standards for consumer grade products and help dictate the evolution of what eventually gets sold in the market. Here's how important education is to tech giants.
Apple, who is hosting its first 2018 Special Event in Chicago today, has opted to focus on education and will likely refresh its iPad line and is expected to offer cheaper MacBooks designed for education users.
Apple has always been supportive of the educational market. Providing Macs and software to labs across the US. Apple has historically done well with education specific versions of their more expensive products. Think of the eMate 300, the iBook, eMac, iMac, iPad and MacBook Air which were beloved by students and educators alike.
Microsoft is similarly bullish on the education market. Their aim is to "empower students of today to create the world of tomorrow." Its Surface products, as well as Windows 10 S are designed to be secure and easily manageable in education and the upcoming Windows on ARM devices, which offer up to 18 hours of use cater to this market as well.
Microsoft 365 for Education, the company's key advantage, puts the power of the Microsoft Cloud as well as many of its Office and productivity apps in the hands of students and educators.
Surface Laptop and Surface Pro may seem like more expensive options but they are well designed for life in education. Microsoft's Windows 10 S Mode, which is better controlled and more secure, is designed for the needs of schools and students.
Google rules education
Google, however, is currently the darling of the educational market. Thanks mostly to the success of its Chrome OS and the affordable, yet versatile ChromeBook devices which use a browser-based operating system to manage educational apps and programs.
ChromeBooks are affordable and hardy, they can be easily maintained thanks to cloud computing and they allow for multiple users. The keyboard is built-in and many Chromebooks offer touch support and access to some Android apps, so there's a burgeoning ecosystem.
Google is hoping to undercut any new iPad revealed today by offering Chrome OS powered tablets which also feature Wacom stylus and AR/VR applications. Since Google hasn't been successful at building its own tablets, it is teaming up with OEMs to come up with affordable hardware.
Apple has refocused its attention on education, a market that the iPad once dominated despite its higher price. This initiative to recapture market share in education can help the company offset flagging iPhone sales due to market saturation.
Last year, Apple introduced a more affordable basic iPad and also trumpeted the device's ability to teach the rudiments of coding via apps like Swift Playgrounds. The result was a 32% increase in iPad sales to schools.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is a huge proponent of teaching coding in the curriculum stated, "we believe coding is an essential skill that all students should learn,” he said. “We’re thrilled that over 1.2 million students of all ages are now using iPad and Swift Playgrounds to learn the fundamentals of coding, and over 1,000 K-12 schools across the United States plan to use Apple’s ‘Everyone Can Code’ in their curricula this fall.”
Today's announcements will be key to Apple's plans, their success will hinge on a number of things. Pricing will determine adoption and while Apple is expected to sell more affordable hardware, it remains to be seen if the pricing is competitive to what is out there right now.
There's also the question of what accessories and tools will ship with iPads. The Keyboard Case and Apple Pencil, which have been expensive yet necessary accessories for the iPad Pro line (pushing those tablets past the price of premium notebooks). Will these be included in the price of the iPad or at least made available at more palatable cost.
We're seeing how the battle for the educational market is, in many ways, the battle for a platform's future. With the PC market and smartphone market plateauing in terms of sales, the education segment becomes an important and profitable long term play.