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What educators think about Apple’s new iPad
Yesterday's Apple event showed that the company wants to make a serious push back into the education sector. This isn't anything new, though, according to CEO Tim Cook; it's just the company going back to its roots. The centerpiece here is a "new" iPad, a 9.7-inch tablet with Apple Pencil support that aims to woo teachers everywhere. There's also a redesigned iWork suite that lets students doodle and create digital books within Pages; the Schoolwork app, for tracking, well, schoolwork; and a kid-friendly tool for coding AR. Apple is hoping that will be enough to win over schools.
Apple needs more than apps to win over educators
Earlier today, Apple announced a brand-new iPad. It has a 9.7-inch screen, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 10 hours of battery life, a front-facing FaceTime HD cam and an upgraded A10 Fusion chip plus support for Apple's Pencil. But the main talking point of today's iPad unveiling is the fact that it was done in a high school, in an education-themed event that was clearly focused on the classroom. The pitch: Schools should invest in iPads.
Here are the biggest announcements from Apple's education event
That Apple would choose a massive high school in the Midwest to host a press conference was peculiar enough. Then Apple went and crafted class schedules for everyone and set up a room where people could try on Romeo and Juliet costumes, across from another room where drones were zipping around and virtual frogs were being dissected. We knew today's press event wasn't going to be business as usual, but we had no idea just how delightfully strange Apple wanted everything to be.
Apple's 'Field Trip' education iPad event by the numbers
Well, that was underwhelming. At its "Let's Take a Field Trip" education event in Chicago on Tuesday, Apple only had a nominal upgrade to its 9.7-inch iPad and some minor software updates to announce. But hey, at least Crayola's new digital crayon looks pretty cool.
The new iPad vs. the competition: Teaching tools
Thanks to its generous discount program Apple was the king of the education market for decades. Some schools even straight up gave their students iPads. However, many institutions are increasingly adopting Chromebooks as their system of choice, which offer up kid-friendly features at a much lower price. Last year gave us the first budget iPad, and today Apple gave it a slight update and unveiled a host of education-focused features. But even Pencil support and a ton more iCloud storage might not win over educators in right away, especially with products like Acer's Chromebook Tab 10 on the horizon. So we've stacked up the new iPad versus the Tab 10 as well another budget tablet, the Fire HD 10, to see which might be worthy of stowing in your kid's backpack this year.
How the 'new' iPad compares to the rest of Apple’s tablets
The iPad line has diversified a bit the past few years, with Apple introducing two sizes of its "Pro" model in addition to a more basic 9.7-inch device. But, while last year's tablet offered some decent specs at a friendly $329 price point, it lacked few of Apple's more modern flourishes. Apple's "new" 9.7-inch iPad rectifies some of that by upgrading to an A10 processor and (most importantly) adding Pencil support. The hope here is it can go toe-to-toe with affordable Chromebooks that have taken over classrooms. It helps that schools can buy an iPad for $299, but the price hasn't budged for consumers -- you'll still need to cough up $329. So, how does it compare to its iPad siblings? Check out the table below to see all the most important specs.
Apple iPad hands-on (2018): It's all about the apps
Apple's new iPad isn't actually that new: It was heavily leaked, for one, and, importantly, it's just about the same as the basic iPad it replaces. The company unveiled the device today at what was billed as an education-focused keynote. Indeed, it was held at a Chicago high school, with frequent cameos from teachers, the most important group this device is being marketed to. As you'd expect of Engadget at an Apple keynote, my colleague Chris Velazco and I had a brief chance afterward to handle the new tablet. Whereas Apple-product unveilings are typically showcases for shiny new hardware, this time the physical trappings are mostly an afterthought. What we have here is a revised version of Apple's existing 9.7-inch iPad, with the biggest change being support for the Apple Pencil. (It's still sold separately.) I could tell you about the aluminum enclosure, available in several colors; how light it is, at one pound; the 8-megapixel camera; and the A10 Fusion Chip borrowed from the iPhone 7. But that's all beside the point. What really matters is how teachers use it.
Apple sneaks art lessons into curriculum with 'Everyone Can Create'
At its "field trip" event in Chicago today, Apple launched a new 9.7-inch iPad with Pencil support, as well as a slew of new software for classrooms. That includes a training program for teachers and retooled iWork apps to help stay on top of homework. There's plenty of focus on using Apple's stylus in these programs, which makes the company's new "Everyone can create" curriculum less surprising than you might think.
Apple's Swift Playgrounds will let kids code for AR
At Apple's educational event in Chicago today, the company announced that Swift Playgrounds -- Apple's coding app for kids -- is getting an AR module. Though not much has been said about it, it looks like an extension of an Augmented Reality challenge that Apple implemented last year using ARKit (which basically overlaid the Swift Playground world onto the real one). Seeing as Apple is pushing augmented reality to be part of the overall educational experience, it's not surprising to see AR being integrated on the coding level as well. That way, you won't get just AR apps, but also the next generation of coders creating AR apps as well. No word on when the AR module will be in the app, but we expect it to be soon. Catch up on all of the news from Apple's education event right here!
Logitech built a $49 digital crayon for the new iPad
Apple's new starter iPad is designed to make drawing more accessible, but the $89-plus it takes to buy the official Pencil for that iPad is a lot to swallow for cash-strapped educators. That's where Logitech might help: it's introducing a $49 Crayon accessory for the new iPad that should put art and handwriting within the reach of more schools. It promises low lag, tilt support and sub-pixel precision with an 8-hour battery life, and won't need pairing to get started. The most glaring omission is the lack of pressure sensitivity -- this isn't for pros. Still, it's evident that Apple is comfortable allowing Pencil alternatives if it means getting more iPads into classrooms.
Apple's retooled iWork suite includes Pencil support
Today, Apple announced that it is releasing new versions of its iWork suite of apps -- Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- that supports Apple Pencil. A variety of new iPad apps (including the Microsoft Office Suite and Notability) will support the Pencil, many of which were previously only available on iPad Pro. The Pencil is intended to be used for note taking, illustration and other detail-oriented purposes. Advanced sensors within the Pencil measure pressure and tilt, which helps with accuracy.
The new entry-level iPad works with the Apple Pencil
Apple's education-focused event is underway in Chicago and, as expected, the hardware star of the show is a new iPad. VP Greg Joswiak just announced the "new" iPad, an update on the model introduced just about one year ago. The rumor mills predicted a new iPad keeping the traditional 9.7-inch form factor intact, and that's what Apple is showing off this morning. Indeed, Apple said that last year's 9.7-inch model has been the most popular iPad in education "by far."
Live from Apple's 'education' keynote!
Apple apparently has some news to share so it's holding a big keynote in sunny... Chicago? That's right, the company says it has some education-focused announcements in store and to mark the occasion, it chose a school in the Windy City as a backdrop. That means all of you, dear readers, best be setting your clocks to Central Time. I'll be reporting live from Chicago on Tuesday the 27th, joined by my colleague, senior editor (and prolific iDevice reviewer) Chris Velazco. The rumor mill indicates we might see a new, inexpensive iPad, and maybe even a new laptop, but there's really only one way to know for sure: Follow along with our liveblog and stay tuned afterward for hands-on impressions, video and analysis (you know how we do). You'll want to bookmark this link and tune in at 10am CT (that's 11am Eastern and 8am Pacific -- woof). See you then!
Apple won't livestream its March 27th education event
Apple's education event next week is a break in tradition in more ways than one. Not only will it take place in Chicago instead of the company's usual homestead in Northern California, it will also not be livestreamed. Instead, the video will only be available on the site after it's over. It's unclear just what Apple hopes to show off at this mysterious "field trip," though signs seem to indicate that it plans to unveil computing devices aimed at students. You can read more about what to expect at the event in our preview, and since there isn't an official livestream, we highly encourage you to bookmark our liveblog link and check back on March 27th. Catch up on all of the news from Apple's education event right here!
What to expect from Apple’s education-themed ‘Field Trip’ event
Normally, when Apple goes to the trouble of putting on an event, it's somewhere near the company's home base in sunny Cupertino. Not this time! After deciding not to hold a March keynote last year, Apple now has plans to hold court in Chicago's prestigious Lane Tech College Prep school. This "field trip," as Apple's calling it, is far from business as usual, but with days to go before the event kicks off, we've got a few ideas about what you can expect Apple to unveil in the Windy City.
