Cheaper iPads Can’t Solve Apple’s Education Problem

The Particle Debris article of the week is by the awesome Shara Tibken at CNET.

• Apple’s ‘field trip’ event aims iPad at Chromebook territory

This tour de force article explains, chapter and verse, how Apple lost the major part the education market through neglect, incorrect product design and pricing, and failure to address the smart competition from Google. Apple was outmaneuvered and out hustled.

If you doubt the scope of the problem, listen to this Colorado academic director of a charter school explain how schools are thinking. Or this: “A Maine School District Struggles with Apple’s Notebook Pricing.”

Now, Apple’s “Field Event” is Apple’s first salvo in its return fight for the education market. Author Tibken writes:

Bloomberg reported Friday that Apple will show off a new version of its cheapest iPad that’s likely to draw attention from the education market, plus some new software for the classroom. It also said that Apple has a new, cheaper MacBook in the works, along with a revamp of its iBooks app, but that it probably won’t be ready in time for Tuesday’s event

The real question in my mind is whether this event is merely the opening salvo in a concerted, deeply thought out, all embracing plan. That would entail not only a less expensive iPad and MacBook Air for schools, but also a plan to identify what schools really need in terms of hardware (including real keyboards), maintenance support, cloud support, networking, pedagogical tools, iBooks, teaching aids and, perhaps most importantly, pricing. It also involves abandoning the religion that the iPad is the only, modern path forward for students. Author Tibken points out:

Despite all of Apple’s efforts, Google and its Chromebook momentum will be tough to slow down. Even if Apple drops iPad pricing further, makes the Apple Pencil cheaper and introduces other changes, it could be hard to convince some schools to give its products another try. That’s especially true as teachers and students become more used to the Google technology they already have.

In other words, education (just as with technical professionals) is a market that requires constant attention, SVP authority to act, ongoing initiatives, frequent product updates, sensitivity to the competition’s evolving tactics, smart product design to support pedagogical needs and pricing that may not be reflected in the primary product lines. What won’t work is hubris and an ill-conceived effort to force fit some of Apple’s other products, like the Apple Pencil, into service as glitz factor. That leaves educators unimpressed.

This analysis by author Tibken is the best diagnosis I’ve seen of Apple’s education problem. The prognosis has yet to be written.

Next Page: The News Debris For The Week of March 19th. Facebook loses face.

Page 2 – News Debris For The Week of March 19th

Facebook Loses Face

• The recent scandal involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica is all over the headlines. But there were two articles that stood out for me.

• Digital Trends: “Facebook was always too busy selling ads to care about your personal data.” It explains the how, the why and the impact.


• Quartz: “Steve Jobs tried to warn Mark Zuckerberg about privacy in 2010.” This is good analysis of of Apple’s core values and business model. It includes powerful video from AllThingsD as Walt Mossberg asks Steve Jobs about privacy. Mr. Jobs explains, in some technical detail, how the iPhone’s iOS design preserves the user’s privacy. Quartz reports that Mr. Zuckerberg was in the audience at the time, but “Zuckerberg should have heeded what he heard from the late Steve Jobs.”

Facebook watches, reports. Image credit: Wall Street Journal.

From Digital Trends:

Cambridge Analytica wasn’t the only organization bending Facebook’s privacy policies. A previous employee of Facebook spoke to The Guardian, saying that ‘My concerns were that all of the data that left Facebook servers to developers could not be monitored by Facebook, so we had no idea what developers were doing with the data.’

Of course, Facebook doesn’t have the luxury of a hardware line like Apple, a company that can well afford not to leverage from user data. The only thing Mr. Zuckerberg has to sell, to the tune of billions of dollars, is information about its users. We’re seeing how that plays out.

More Debris

• The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), in early 2015, published a good article, “Protecting Yourself on Social Networks.” In light of the ongoing Facebook scandal, you may wish to review it. It reminds us of some good practices as well as how to be mindful of our Social Graph.

• Consumer Reports has published a remarkably astute and comprehensive article about the pros and cons of cord cutting. I was pleased with the comprehensive nature of the discussion: “Why Cord Cutting Isn’t Right for Everyone.”

• The Chairman of the FCC is Ajit Pai. He’s forced through a ruling that undermines the provisions of net neutrality. Why? It’s one thing to understand the value of net neutrality and size up anyone who’s against it as either corrupt, misguided, or just plain evil. But if you’d like to obtain some insight into how Mr. Pai really thinks, this is a very interesting article. “Ajit Pai says net neutrality was the top threat to broadband deployment.” You may conclude, as I did, that his reasoning is defective, but at least you’ll come away with an understanding of how the man thinks.

Think Different campaign – physicist Richard Feynman.

• Finally, and best, Apple’s legendary “Think DIfferent” ad campaign was launched in 1997. It was created by the Los Angeles office of advertising agency TBWA\Chiat\Day. But just exactly what was the thinking by Steve Jobs that drove that campaign? In this video, which I’d never seen, Steve Jobs explains the problem Apple had in terms of image and telegraphing its core values to customers. As his monologue evolves, you’ll see his thought process as he developed the marketing concept behind the campaign. Then he shows the ad. It’s both fascinating and powerful. See: “Steve Jobs on Marketing.” You’ll love it.

What is Apple doing these days to make us feel that way?

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Particle Debris is a generally a mix of John Martellaro’s observations and opinions about a standout event or article of the week (preamble on page one) followed on page two by a discussion of articles that didn’t make the TMO headlines, the technical news debris. The column is published most every Friday except for holiday weeks.

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