APPLE WATCH
CEO Tim Cook expected at Lane Tech High School campus today to deliver ‘Keynote’ product unveiling
Security guards in forest- green jackets scanned the front lawn of Lane Tech High School Monday, on the lookout for the too- curious, the uninvited.
Hastily built fences, wrapped in black tarps, hid all but the pointy top of a large white tent.
And electric drills growled as men in hard hats put the finishing touches on strange, gray sculptural forms taking shape outside the front of the North Side high school.
It looked as though crews were preparing for the arrival of a head of state or perhaps a superstar. And in a way, they were.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to be on campus Tuesday for the what folks at the California- based company call an “Apple Keynote,” or a product unveiling. But they almost always happen on the tech giant’s campus and almost never outside of the Bay Area.
The company wasn’t giving anything away Monday. A Bloomberg story, citing “people familiar with the matter,” said Apple plans to unveil the latest version of its cheapest iPad, aiming to make gains in the education market.
The Bloomberg story points out that while Apple had an education focus early on, it has shifted away from that in recent years, allowing Google and Microsoft to capture a growing share of that market.
AChicago Public Schools spokesman did not respond to an email seeking more information about Tuesday’s event. Two weeks ago, the school sent out an email telling students what to expect, calling Tuesday’s event “educationthemed.”
“Apple tells us they chose Chicago Public Schools and Lane Tech because of our reputation as a leader in incorporating technology into our classrooms and curriculum,” according to the email. “… Though the event will take place during spring break, you’ll see some activity around the school next week as preparations begin. Apple is making some great upgrades to our facilities, like updating the auditorium, refinishing areas inside and out, replacing lighting, touching up paint, and more. And the great news is that they’ll leave behind all of the improvements they make.”
One Lane Tech student said disruptions had been minimal during the week before spring break, noting that an area in front of the school’s iconic clock tower had been cordoned off.
“We had people going up in the clock tower and doing stuff,” said senior Jacob Berry, 18. “We weren’t allowed to see what they were doing.”
On Monday, men could be seen pushing wheelbarrows to and fro, heaped high with mulch to cover bundles of cables. Visitors without the proper ID were directed to a side entrance, where a woman with a platinum- blonde bob sat behind a table covered with Apple laptop computers.
The woman, who would not give her name but said she worked for an “external vendor,” told a Chicago Sun- Times reporter she couldn’t find his name in the system, so he wouldn’t be allowed on the Lane Tech campusMonday.
“If you had special privileges to walk around, I would have seen you in the system,” she said, adding that the school is “a secure area.”
Tuesday’s event is expected to begin at 10 a. m. inside the school’s auditorium.