Disclaimer: I like most of Apple’s products, in fact I use a MacBook for 90% of my work.
Yesterday, the blog-o-sphere was buzzing with the news of Apple’s newest product updates. There are definitely some nice improvements to the Mac line of products. The entry level MacBook now comes in an aluminum case instead of plastic and the display has been improved. The MacBook Pro will have vastly improved graphics display as compared to the current MacBook Pro. All of the Mac laptops now have multi-touch track pads which is cool, but not a difference maker for me when choosing a laptop. Read more about the Apple product updates here, here, or here.
What Apple didn’t reveal yesterday was a rumored $800 MacBook. However, Apple did announce that the retail price for the entry level MacBook has been reduced by $100 to $999. Unfortunately, the education discount for students, according to Allen Stern at Center Networks, is now only $50 instead of $100. This still represents a $150 decrease in price over the old pricing structure. As of this writing the Apple Store website has been down for over 16 hours so I have not been able to confirm Allen’s report.
I like most of Apple’s products and I use them a lot and I think that Apple does some very good things for the education community. However, the prices of their products put the products out of reach for many school districts and for many students. As long as PC makers continue to offer lower cost products, students and schools in less affluent areas will continue to use computers operating on Windows and Linux. Unless Apple begins to offer lower cost laptops or netbooks they’re not doing anything to shrink the digital divide between the “have’s” and “have not’s” of school districts. Then again, maybe Apple likes the divide.
What are your thoughts about Apple and the digital divide? What needs to happen to shrink the digital divide? Do computer manufacturers have a responsibility to help shrink the divide or is it purely the responsibility of state departments of education and local school districts?
Update: The Apple store is back online and I have confirmed that Allen Stern was right, the education discount for teachers and students is now only $50 on the basic MacBook.
