In education, Apple must augment the reality of the cheap notebook

Seton Hill has offered iPads and MacBooks to all its students since the iPad was first released. Each term, when I select texts for the next term’s classes, I have always given preference to texts available as ebooks. I find the convenience of e-textbooks more than makes up for the loss of tactile sensation. I use my IPad on the treadmill, in waiting rooms when my daughter is at rehearsals or my son is at the chess club. It’s also very convenient to load my iPad with papers to mark. I have noticed, however, that most of my students just use their laptops for e-reading.

The iPad, which once dramatically undercut the Mac on price, has seen more of its sales revenue extend to “pro” models that boast features such as larger screen sizes, four speakers and more PC-like file and application management. | Meanwhile, the iPad mini, the size of which was more manageable for younger children, has faded into the sunset even though Apple updated the baseline last year. Perhaps most significantly for the education market, though, Apple has allowed the iPad to diversify from its iPhone input roots by developing the Apple Pencil and offering better support for iPad keyboards, including its own. | But in that time, the education market has strongly embraced inexpensive Chromebooks.–ZDNet