Apple Unveils New iPad to Catch Google in the Classroom<br />Of the $5.4 billion spent on school devices last year in the United States, Apple’s iPads<br />and laptops accounted for about $2.1 billion, followed by Chromebooks at $1.95 billion and Microsoft Windows devices at $1.35 billion, according to IDC.<br />But as the American market for classroom devices matures and school districts prepare to replace the basic Chromebook laptops they purchased, analysts said Apple was well positioned to take advantage of growing interest among school districts for more sophisticated technologies<br />that encourage student creativity in fields like robotics and computer-assisted design.<br />Of the 12.4 million tablets and laptops shipped to primary<br />and secondary schools in the United States last year, Chromebooks accounted for 58 percent of the market, compared with a negligible share in 2012, according to IDC.<br />Mac laptops and iPads were once the dominant devices in American classrooms,<br />but Google has shot past Apple with inexpensive laptops called Chromebooks.
