iPad advantages?

[paulkerton]

I don’t really get what you mean? They work fine with both G Suite and Office 365.

But that's my point. If you are having to go to Google and Microsoft to get a cloud solution in place, then why are you then going to Apple for the hardware when you may as well tie into the existing platforms and their management solutions for their OS platforms?

 

My criticism is that Apple really missed a trick by not offering some kind of corporate version of iCloud, frankly. If Apple had done that in 2013/2014 I don't think there would even be a debate as to which platform, Apple would have romped away with Education. However, I think corporate and education use with Apple has always felt like a bit of an afterthought, rather than a core (excuse the pun) part of their market.

 

Lest we forget when Steve Jobs at the launch of the first iPad was asked what if you want to share an iPad with another family member and why there wasn't profiles built in, his answer was - buy another iPad.

Edited March 12, 2021 by paulkerton

[TwistedHelixis]

My criticism is that Apple really missed a trick by not offering some kind of corporate version of iCloud

Problem with that is, whatever they created would have only worked on i devices, Google & MS's cloud is for any device so in my opinion this is a much better option for education.

[paulkerton]

Problem with that is, whatever they created would have only worked on i devices, Google & MS's cloud is for any device so in my opinion this is a much better option for education.

Well that's another issue with iPad and getting too deep into the Apple ecosystem isn't it? When it comes to interoperability, Google and MS is certainly smoother.

Though there is a web based iCloud out there, so it isn't beyond them to do something technically, it's more a policy position with Cupertino.

[dobbyit]

Esper.io sounds like a plan for andriod devices - how do you find it?

[2ilent8cho]

We have over 300 Mac's and 1600 iPads across 1 high and 3 primary schools, no issue using Office 365 for the cloud and iPads/Macs for the hardware we use each products strengths. We were 1:1 with Windows and netbooks from 2009 to 2014 and then moved to iPads, if anything using iOS/iPads in a 1:1 deployment with pupils is a much better choice than Windows based devices, based on my a decade of experience in both camps. Any of the initial iPad annoyances have now gone (such as having to manually create Apple ID's), we have Apple School Manager, with Managed Apple ID's that integrate with Office 365 for authentication, coupled with JAMF as our MDM.

 

We pay £235 an iPad, we are not going to get a Windows based device for that kind of money that will last all day on battery for lessons, and still be delivering that all day battery 4 years on and still be smooth to use. That's before we even get into the build quality of Windows devices in that price bracket.

 

Why would we choose worse windows devices just because we are using Office 365? That just seems bonkers. Office 365 supports iOS devices well, so one being Microsoft and another being Apple does not even enter the equation.

[FN-GM]

But that's my point. If you are having to go to Google and Microsoft to get a cloud solution in place, then why are you then going to Apple for the hardware when you may as well tie into the existing platforms and their management solutions for their OS platforms?

 

The idea of a cloud solution is so it can work on different platforms.

 

Microsoft or Google (or other vendors) don’t produce devices that compare to an iPad. Let’s face it the Microsoft surface isn’t a good laptop nor a good tablet. They are expensive and the battery doesn’t a last a full day. Windows still doesn’t provide a good touch screen experience. It’s average at best.

Edited March 12, 2021 by FN-GM

[paulkerton]

The idea of a cloud solution is so it can work on different platforms.

 

Microsoft or Google (or other vendors) don’t produce devices that compare to an iPad. Let’s face it the Microsoft surface isn’t a good laptop nor a good tablet. They are expensive and the battery doesn’t a last a full day. Windows still doesn’t provide a good touch screen experience. It’s average at best.

 

Yes, but trying to do it on an iPad is fine for 1:1 but a complete management disaster for shared devices. There is no overcoming that right now.

 

You see this where it's an opinion on devices. The Surfaces are a fantastic device. the iPad is great too, but there is nothing you can do on an iPad that you cannot do on another device. It's that simple really. Are we really going to take about how expensive a device is when you're talking about Apple kit? £470 for the first-party stylus and keyboard, do we seriously want to go there?