IPads Expected to Outnumber Computers in Schools Within 5 Years
Kids these days sure are lucky. With iPads quickly replacing textbooks and other learning materials, those heavy, spine-breaking backpacks loaded with books will soon become a relic of the past.
A recent survey of 25 technology directors in U.S. school districts revealed that every single one was testing or using the iPad in schools. Within five years, they expect to have more tablets per student than computers – a total of one iPad per six students, compared to the current 10 students per computer.
The survey, presented by Analyst Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray, found that while all of the technology directors were currently working with iPads in schools, none of them were testing or planning to use Android-based tablets. This is likely the result of the lack of a competitive Android tablet, giving Apple a “first mover advantage.” In schools, tablet has become synonymous with iPad.
Why are iPads replacing computers? According to the tech directors polled, the iPad allows for a tailored, individualized learning experience that is harder to provide with a computer. Of course, schools are not aiming to phase out the computer – the iPads will be used for supplementation.
Apple’s head of retail, Ron Johnson, mentioned recently that this year’s students could be “the last generation with backpacks,” and earlier this year, Tim Cook revealed that iPad demand among educators was on the rise.
Furthermore, schools have made headway towards adopting the iPad. Back in February, Georgia state senator Tommie Williams suggested a plan to replace printed textbooks with iPad versions in middle school classrooms. The senator met with Apple to put together a plan to make the iPad a major component in the state’s classrooms, marking a shift towards educators adopting the iPad as an instructional tool.
[via Apple Insider]