Dive Brief:
- A new Futuresource Consulting sales report projects the use of convertible devices, which are notebooks equipped with full keyboards or detachable tablets, will increase by 11% in K-12 schools by the end of 2016.
- That increase would serve to double the market share for convertible ("2-in-1") devices.
- At the same time, the report says, worldwide PC sales are on the decline, which may be in part attributed to the increase in 2-in-1 use.
Dive Insight:
Although the projections are positive for 2-in-1s, states like Maine have recently begun to roll back student use of touchscreen tablets like iPads. That's because many students viewed iPads as devices better suited to recreational video games than learning. And Maine's not alone: Schools in Virginia, California, Texas and North Carolina have also seen problems with the use of iPads as educational tools.
Maine's statewide survey found widespread resistance to iPads also existed among teachers. One district in particular, Auburn, saw 88.5% of teachers and 74% of students expressing a desire to replace their iPads with laptops. Apple agreed to replace classroom iPads with new Apple MacBook Air laptops at a reduced price of $217 per student.
