iPads are in trouble, period!
There was a time when iPad dominated classrooms all over the US; however times have changed and Chromebooks are considered a better, more feasible option now. As the country enters the last month of the Gregorian calendar for the year 2014, Chromebooks is rapidly replacing iPads all over the country.
This is a blatant victory for Google, a company which has been competing headstrong with Apple forever it seems. First Apple came out with the iPhone, and Google hit it with its Android system, which too has dominated the market share all over the world, including the US. Now, Chromebooks have done something similar, by kicking out iPads from classrooms.
The reason why Chromebooks are being preferred instead of Apple’s iPad is its feasibility. Where Apple provides a tablet for $400-$500, Google provides a fully functional laptop capable of performing all office functions. Chromebooks are also sturdy, just like any other Google product. Though the Apple iPad also ranks high as far as suitability in classrooms is concerned, it simply cannot beat a laptop like Google Chromebook.
According to a report released by the Financial Times, Google was able to ship over 715,500 Chromebooks to classrooms all over the country, beating out its competitor the Apple iPad by a small margin of a couple of thousands. The Apple iPad, once the dominant force in this regard, now stands in second place on the ranking scale, delivering only 702,000 iPads to schools all over the country in the past year.
What is commendable is the time-frame. iPad has been around for more than five years now. As it was an innovative product then, the first of its kind in the market, it was supposed to own a large chunk of the market by now. Whereas, Google Chromebook, which begins from a humble $190, has been around for only 2 years now, and for a product to dominate an already well dominated market is news worthy to say the least.
Growth rate for Apple iPad has been substantial in the past, as well as now. Last year, in a statement given to the press, Apple’s post-Jobs CEO, Tim Cook, said that iPads demand in the educational framework is so high that over 94% of all tablets acquired for educational purposes in schools are all Apple iPads. Although there has been great debate about the suitability and the actual productivity by the use of tablets within classrooms, no one denies the benefits of having laptops available for students in a learning environment.
Google has been working for the educational setting for quite some time now. With its free service Google Apps for Education Suite, Google has provided the market with apps well-suited for an academic environment.
By the end, it all comes down to the cost. iPads are twice as expensive as the Chromebook, which make them a less feasible option for schools. In a place where hundreds of devices will need to be ordered to cater to needs of all the students, purchase of Chromebooks will definitely be the more feasible option now.
