Microsoft - reduced-cost Windows 8 devices for schoolkids

Shoot, Microsoft needs to do this here in the States! Here in my home state of Idaho, we voted down a measure on referendum that would had supplied high school students with laptops (HP ProBook 4440s I believe, which is absolutely ridiculous and showed the lack of forethought in the legislation and contract as these are iffy laptops that have hard drives that will fail after a few years of high school student use, it would had been MUCH better to have Windows 8 powered TABLET PCs with SSDs to aid students both with their curriculum and learning how to use Windows with touch).

I like the idea of technology, and I'd love to see Microsoft coordinate efforts with charities and donors and OEMs to introduce the top, latest, and best of technology in our schools.

In Quebec we have more and more schools that ask students to purchase a iPad at a very good discount, the advantage is they don't need text book anymore. Since they already start with iPad and they are completely satisfy, they will not switch for Surface or any Windows 8 tablets for sure . MS is 2 or 3 years to late in my place. Especially that those iPad are using software with text push from a server, they invest to develop those apps for the iPad here in Quebec

The idea of using laptops over ipads (other than politics and money) is the fact that it can just do more than an ipad. It's simple to get a Word document typed, email it to a teacher where they can digitally mark it up with Word, and then the student can easily print out a hard copy to turn in with a wireless print server (without really needing special printers like from HP to support ios air print) or students can use their home printer through USB. There is also Flash support, which is used for online classes such as Blackboard and such.

I would had preferred that Windows 8 tablet PCs been the choice. That over an ipad is MUCH better for IT departments in schools as Windows has Group Policy management and administrative user accounts, as well as being able to reinstall Windows when needed with a custom image. I just wonder what happens with students with ipads start downloading all these apps other than for education on their devices.

Coke Robot said:

The idea of using laptops over ipads (other than politics and money) is the fact that it can just do more than an ipad.

Click to expand...

oh so you finally admit that a Laptop do more than a tablet, I'm gone keep this one in memory

How can you say IT will prefer Windows 8 tablets , IT peoples prefer thing they know working fine for a certain time, never ear that IT always wait to the release of a service pack before deploy an OS, Windows 8 tablet is too new, they will not touch that for a large deployement. Actually I don't thing many IT will deploy any Windows 8 product. I just come from a VMware training, you should see what real pro IT think of Windows 8 , IT are not the kind of peoples you meet at BB and Staple. Get excited with a new products and have to support it 40 hours a week is very different

"downloading all these apps other than for education on their devices"; you never ear of something call proxy server ?

For printing I said they develop apps, they have one witch on you can print from a iPad ( wifi) to any printer running on a Mac Servers

area 66 said:

Coke Robot said:

The idea of using laptops over ipads (other than politics and money) is the fact that it can just do more than an ipad.

Click to expand...

oh so you finally admit that a Laptop do more than a tablet, I'm gone keep this one in memory

How can you say IT will prefer Windows 8 tablets , IT peoples prefer thing they know working fine for a certain time, never ear that IT always wait to the release of a service pack before deploy an OS, Windows 8 tablet is too new, they will not touch that for a large deployement. Actually I don't thing many IT will deploy any Windows 8 product. I just come from a VMware training, you should see what real pro IT think of Windows 8 , IT are not the kind of peoples you meet at BB and Staple. Get excited with a new products and have to support it 40 hours a week is very different

"downloading all these apps other than for education on their devices"; you never ear of something call proxy server ?

For printing I said they develop apps, they have one witch on you can print from a iPad ( wifi) to any printer running on a Mac Servers

Click to expand...

When have I said otherwise? The tablet, when I refer to tablets, are Windows 8 TABLET PCs, not ipads or androids.

Now, I saw IT people will prefer Windows tablets over ipads, IF THEY HAVEN'T deployed a working solution. If a school is considering using tablets, Windows 8 would most likely be used as Windows is already running, most likely, within the school district.

Have you heard being able to take home an ipad or other school issued device and using non-regulated network resources? Even still, I don't think ios has an app available to block the app store or certain web sites like Windows does.

They also have printers that support apple's air play to print, but you need the app and the specific printer to do so. Even still, ipads are pricey for what they can do. That's why here in my state they chose laptop PCs over ipads, which they considered using, but went with HP's laptops for the education "reforms." Why? They haven't mass deployed school issues devices yet. They also know that PCs do WAY more than ipads. What if a school has a digital arts class and uses Photoshop CS5 or 6? Can't do that with an ipad. What if you have lengthy essays to be typed? You can't do that comfortably with an ipad for one, and two there aren't decent office type apps yet for ios, at least until around January. What if you're in a calculus class and you're trying to figure out a derivative at home? You can't do that with an ipad, not without at least paying for an app which may or may not be able to be installed if the ipad has been setup to lock out the app store, but you can with a Windows tablet PC with the Math Input panel. Then there is the idea that using a Windows 8 tablet PC is better over the ipad because there is the notion that Windows will ALWAYS be used in businesses and corporations. Theoretically, if an elementary aged student had the use of a touch enabled Windows 8 PC, by the time they're in the workforce, they already have years upon years of knowledge on how to use Windows with touch.