According to tech experts, Apple Inc. has fallen further behind competitors Google and Microsoft in the K-12 classroom. Apple's operating systems iOS and MacOS that run on iPads and Mac computers are in decline on the education market.
Apple Falls Behind Android And Windows In Schools
According to Investopedia, the latest statistics by research firm FutureSource Consulting show that Apple's operating systems iOS and MacOS accounted for 19 percent of total devices shipped to classrooms in 2016. This figure is down from 25 percent in the previous year. While the total number of devices shipped to K-12 schools increased by 17.8 percent to 12.6 million, Apple's market share was in decline.
The entirety of increase in the number of devices shipped went to the operating system that runs on Google's Chromebooks, the ChromeOS. Its share jumped by 8 percent to reach 58 percent. The other big player in the K-12 education market, Microsoft Corporation, held steady at a 22 percent total market share in the classroom.
Successes Of Apple's Rivals In Schools
This is not the first time that Apple's devices are losing ground to Google. This situation could be explained by a couple of reasons, according to market analysts. One of them is that Google's Chromebooks are more readily available and cheaper than Apple's iPads. iPads are also affected by the limited utility and regulatory hurdles. And finally, the bad news related to Apple's iPad rollout in the Los Angeles Unified School District may also have been affected negatively its chances in the industry.
According to Computerworld, easy device management, easy integration with third-party platforms/tools, a strong combination of productivity tools via G-Suite and task management/distribution via Google Classroom are among the reasons Chromebooks are doing so well. With Chromebook prices reaching as low as $120 on certain projects, the pricing also helped. In recent months, Microsoft has also made significant progress in the education market.
The cloud-based School Data Sync, the launch of Microsoft Classroom and a large number of integrations with popular third-party solutions are among Microsoft's successes. The company also announced a tool that effectively replicates the Google Management Console called InTune for Education. The application allows IT admins to easily remotely set up large numbers of student devices.
