The business in educational tablet computers has been
booming for the last 12 months, particularly at Apple, which recently saw
35,000 iPads purchased by the Los Angeles School District. Even Windows 8
machines are being scooped up by schools, with 23,000 Android devices headed
for schools in North Carolina.
The surprise entry in the field appears to be the Google
Chromebook. Industry experts suggest the device, introduced in 2011, has its
limitations, but with Chromebooks available for as low as $99,
cost isn’t one of them.
Schools in Michigan, South Dakota, and Wisconsin that have
purchased both iPads and Chromebooks have found that the iPad may be best
suited for younger students. On the other hand, the Chromebook is a go-to
device for high school students, particularly for subjects such as English.
“I think Chromebooks will represent an interesting
position for some schools, given the different price points that you can
reach,” Carolina Mianesi of Gartner, the technology research firm, told
Mashable. “I would say that for schools to go Chromebook, though, might mean a
wider commitment to Google from an app perspective or, at a minimum, a deeper
commitment to developing apps. iPad might be a more off-the-shelf solution for
some.”