Apple event to focus on education

Chicago launch will not be streamed, but Gulf News will be reporting live from the event

Apple’s event today is looking to be slightly unusual. It will not be in California. It will not be streamed live. And there will be no new iPhone, unless the analysts and internet rumour-mongers are wrong.

Today’s event will focus instead on education and is even being held at Chicago’s Lane Tech College Prep High School. The invitation read “Let’s take a field trip.” Ars Technica is reporting the school has previously taken part in Apple’s Learn to Code programme.

Apple is not saying anything official yet about the event, but Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will be offering both software and hardware launches that are educationally focused.

Software

According to the Ars Technica report, this includes software that teachers can use to assign homework, monitor tests and conduct other classroom activities.

On the hardware front, Apple is expected to launch a newer, cheaper iPad. Bloomberg is reporting Apple’s event may be part of a move to regain lost ground in the classroom. Apple’s share of the kindergarten to Grade 12 market is only 17 per cent, which is slightly behind Microsoft and massively behind Android tablets and Chromebooks, which command 60 per cent market share. Apple’s entry level iPad price is $329 (Dh1,208). Chromebooks can be had for half that price.

The new iPad is expected to work with the Apple pencil, although there are rumours Apple will drop the price on that too. The Pencil is a wireless stylus that currently retails for $99 (Dh367).

There is also the possibility of an MacBook Air update, but details are scarce whether this is an update or a redesign.

Did we say no iPhone? Well, most analysts are saying this is only an outside possibility, but we might see them release an iPhone SE2. The SE is the smallest of the iPhone line, which comes with a 4-inch screen.

Regardless of what gets launched, Gulf News will be attending the event and posting live updates.