Apple aims to school rivals with new iPad, education apps
CHICAGO » Apple wants to play a more prominent role in education, but it isn’t willing to cut prices to make the grade.
Instead, Apple is clinging to a thesis that has helped turn it into the world’s most valuable company: Our products are more expensive, but they’re worth it.
On Tuesday, the company introduced a variety of features tailored for teachers and students while keeping the price for its cheapest iPad tablet unchanged, even as budget-strapped school administrators have been turning to cheaper devices powered by software from Google and Microsoft.
The new iPad starts at $329 for the mass market and $299 for schools — the same as last year’s model. Apple is adding the ability to use its digital pencil to write and draw on the screen of the new iPad — something previously limited to its more expensive line of iPad Pro tablets. The pencil costs $99 extra, or $89 for schools.
By contrast, most Google Chromebooks sell for $200 to $250, though there’s no pencil option.
Apple is also rolling out a new educational app called Schoolwork to help teachers make assignments and monitor their students’ progress.
And it’s offering teachers and students 200 gigabytes of free storage through its iCloud service so they can access documents, photos and other digital content from any internetconnected device. Apple normally offers 5 gigabytes for free and charges $3 per month for 200 gigabytes.
As it often does, Apple resorted to some theatrical staging to help convey a message. In an unusual move, the Silicon Valley company held its annual springtime event at a Chicago high school to highlight its renewed emphasis on education — a niche that Apple has long focused on to get kids hooked on its products with the hope of converting them into lifelong customers.