According to a fact sheet released today by the White House’s Office of the Press Secretary, Apple Inc. (AAPL) has pledged to provide $100 million worth of iPads, MacBooks, and other advanced electronics to American schools as part of President Barack Obama’s ConnectED program. ConnectED is a push to bring the United States’ K-12 educational system up to date, aiming to give broadband wireless access and cutting edge information technology to 99% of classrooms by the end of 2018.
This sizable commitment is part of an overall $750 million package of products and services that various major tech firms are making available to the American scholastic system. The project’s intention is to bring America’s education up to the level of other nations, such as South Korea, and mirrors similar plans in the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, and various other countries around the planet. The announcement was made during the president’s 2014 State of the Union address, and was soon confirmed by a statement from Apple Inc. (AAPL) representatives.
According to The Loop, Apple declares that they are “proud to join President Obama in this historic initiative to transform America’s schools,” and that their contributions will range from technical know-how to software, MacBooks, and iPads. This is likely an offshoot of the firm’s recent drive to bolster its educational presence globally, bringing a useful suite of tools and content to the international community to produce enhanced scholastic outcomes for the next generation.
Two tools which are likely to see considerable use in Apple Inc.’s (AAPL) ConnectED participation are iBooks Textbooks and iTunes U Course Manager. The number of books available through iBooks Textbooks is currently close to 25,000, and includes works published by such prestigious organizations as Oxford University Press. The devices will also grant American students access to cutting edge interactive learning tools developed by firms in the U.S. and abroad. The move appears to be part of a larger pattern of Apple expanding its sales aggressively into the global educational market during the first months of 2014.
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