Google crushing it in classrooms

Google crushing it in classrooms

In the endless cage match between Google, Apple and Microsoft, Google is quickly carving out a niche in one clear area – schools.

International Data Corp. this week reported that Apple’s sales of its Mac personal computers in the third quarter dropped 13 percent from a year ago.  In comparison, Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, reported a decline of just 3.9 percent year-over-year. Personal computer sales in general have been declining as buyers transition to the increasing array of specialized devices such as tablets and smartphones. Alphabet’s losses were less steep because of Chromebooks, the stripped-down laptops that run on Google’s Chrome operating system, which have become the laptop of choice for schools nationwide.icon-techlab

It’s not just the $200 price tag per Chromebook that is luring budget-conscious school districts. As of the end of 2015, more than 50 million students were using Google’s Apps for Education to collaborate on and share documents, submit research, and complete homework projects. Chromebooks come to districts with just a small management fee, with teacher-approved apps and books and let administrators share work with entire schools, entire classes or just a few individuals with a few clicks.

In 2012, Alphabet had less than 1 percent of the U.S. Classroom market, according to Futuresource Consulting. By the third quarter of 2015, Alphabet had 53 percent of the market for K-12 devices bought by schools and school districts. Every day, more than 30,000 new Chromebooks are activated in schools. As the students brought up in this ecosphere move into the workforce they are more likely to default to Google G-Suite rather than Microsoft Office, if given the choice.

Thinker Tech Lab can provide managed information-technology services or help you develop a long-term IT business plan. Because of the cost savings, security benefits, and workstation flexibility, Thinker’s advice for most organizations is to move all core apps to the cloud, then replace all workstations with inexpensive Chrome devices that take eight seconds to upgrade instead of up to an hour, normally taken by Windows desktops.