Apple CEO Tim Cook has dismissed the growing presence of Chromebooks and other affordable PCs in the education sector.
In its native America, Apple has ceded its position in the classroom to Google’s ultra-affordable Chromebook range. However, Tim Cook says that his company has no intention of following the lightweight Chromecast philosophy.
Speaking to BuzzFeed News recently, Cook claimed that such cheap and cheerful machines (he didn’t actually mention Chromebooks by name) were “test machines,” implying that they were merely being used as affordable ways for students to take online assessments.
Apple has much grander plans for the education space, it seems.
“We are interested in helping students learn and teachers teach, but tests, no,” said Cook. “We create products that are whole solutions for people — that allow kids to learn how to create and engage on a different level.”
Related: Toshiba Chromebook 2 review
That may be so, but it’s difficult to argue with the numbers – or the simple fact that your average Chromebook is half the price of an iPad Air 2. Back in September, Google CEO Sundar Pichai claimed that there would be more Chromebooks in schools than every other device combined by the end of 2015.
Cook was speaking as part of the annual Hour of Code event, which has seen Apple turn 400 of its US stores into classrooms to start teaching kids how to code.
Next, take a look at our iPad Air 2 review video:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
