A chromebook in the educational setting I feel is the most detrimental experience for that child's education pertaining to technology.
In some respects it's not a bad idea at all. They are cheap, and mostly the files are not stored on the device. So, if the device is stolen or crashed, you don't lose your data.
In most jobs, needing to know how to use an Office product is a prerequisite that should be known.
But experience with any word processor and any spreadsheet will assist you. If you know how to use others, learning MS Office really wouldn't be that big of
The beauty of Google docs is simplicity, cross platform support, and ability to collaborate. Nothing has to be installed. Why do you think that MS even created the free web apps?
RT tablets are not suitable here. They don't run real Windows software. And even though you say it's possible to make one for $300, nobody is yet. I don't think RT has enough of a footprint to determine it's security and likelihood of viruses and malware.
I think it's so stupid for so many reasons. First off, ios isn't manageable through Group Policy or through the Windows Azure service like Windows RT or Windows Phone can be, so what ends up happening are time wasting things being allowed on said devices.
Well, let me tell you something. Enterprises are bending over backwards to support iOS devices...and it seems many don't care about their inability to manage them. 5 years ago I would have said no business in their right minds would have Mac's, iPhones, iPad's, or Androids as none could be managed. Well, my company has all of those things and they are only getting more and more popular.
There is a lot changing in the computer industry these days. Apple has always done a good job figuring out products of the future and introducing them before the people even knew they needed them.
Third, the serious potential of wireless network congestion of all these devices trying to share and send and receive all sorts of files through the Cloud because there isn't a simple USB port to easily transport a file to some other device
I don't really think this is a big issue.
I've known Office my whole life and used it my whole life. I was asked by someone a while ago how to fix a format issue in OpenOffice, I was TOTALLY and COMPLETELY lost to the point where I needed a GPS. Yes, a very basic grasp of the inputting data is one thing, but actually interacting the with program itself becomes a whole different issue. I know how to do a Word document or a spreadsheet, but my knowledge of Office doesn't translate into a working knowledge of OpenOffice, and the same goes the other way around.
Yeah, Microsoft made the Web Apps because of google docs, but what they offer is right now a lot better than google docs. That's the beauty of the Office Apps, it's free, cross platform, can be used in the cloud and locally on the PC, and able to collaborate easily, even with the locally installed software as well. It has a proper amount of simple and slightly advanced function that google docs, from what I've seen, can't do. Not everyone is simple.
It's strange that the enterprise is bending over backwards to support ios, I feel it's mostly because if a network and usage scenario can be set up where the vast majority of people that are using an ios device at home can then take that device with them to work, it's less hassle for an IT staff to deal with, which means lower costs in the long term. It's popular because that means the workers can do whatever they want on the device they use and like without being restricted by an anally uptight IT department. But then that leads to the issue of data security with sensitive information, which right now seems like android and Windows Phone seem more ideal than ios in that respect. As I see it, the iphone is the reverse of the Blackberry: a consumer device can't work properly in the enterprise space and an enterprise device can't succeed in the consumer space.
Now, about Windows RT, you can't run traditional Windows software on it, of course. But you obviously can't with a chromebook, which makes it even more of an issue. Windows RT offers Office Home and Student, not a stripped down text editor and formatter online. And again, this goes back to not knowing HOW to use Office. The enterprise doesn't adjust rapidly to new software standards, unsurprisingly. Going from Office to google docs or whatever isn't going to happen for a good lengthy time. Yes, in the future, probably more companies and corporations might use something else other than Office, but it will probably be a majority using Office. This will depend on things like cloud technology and incorporation of it into the software, and licensing fees. For example, Office 365 is what Microsoft is pushing as it's the actual Office software, but on subscription basis. A few government agencies and I think a few companies have switched to using Office 365 and will be rolling it out later this year as they've found, like in the city of Chicago for example, a savings of I think 14 million dollars in the short term just for using Office 365.
Anyways, I'd rather rollout Windows RT in the educational setting as one, it has a good Office suite that isn't present with google docs. Two, it's the new Windows that will be adopted for sure in the future and is the new interaction method with touch computing on the PC. There is a difference between using a PC with a touch screen and using a smartphone based tablet with touch. Three, potential low cost devices that need to be there for this to work, why this hasn't happened baffles me as some OEMs have made low cost android tablets and low cost laptops but yet can't figure out how to make a low cost Windows RT tablet. There is also the fact that local storage can be used versus purely cloud based. Just this past Friday I think, Outlook.com was down for maintenance. What if the google cloud was down for maintenance? What was once safely secured data that won't get lost now becomes data that can't even be retrieved due to no fault on that student. Which then ties back to a point I was going to make earlier, what if your data was saved on the cloud and it was down and a presentation or essay had to turned into a certain time? You can't use the excuse that the cloud was offline and that's that, that is YOUR personal responsibility to make sure your important data is backed up and saved on something else other than just one basket per se.
