What a cheaper iPad 2 means for Education

The New iPad (or iPad 3 to some) is here and Apple has decided to leave the iPad 2 16GB WiFi and iPad 2 16GB WiFi + 3G  in its portfolio of iPads while dropping the prices of these to make it their entry level range starting from £329 (approximately £274 ex. VAT) at time of writing. This can only be seen as a means of cornering the ever competitive tablet market since the introduction of the 1st Generation iPad. But what does it mean for education? Is the iPad 2 still a capable tablet for education? Would schools be missing out on new features if they opt to go with iPad 2?

What a Cheaper iPad 2 Means for Education?

The iPad 2 no doubt is still a very capable tablet. Price drop is certainly a great welcome for education where cost and sustainability is a factor in every IT procurement. Early adopters have certainly reaped the benefits of such devices in schools but not many were able to afford it until now. Such devices were exclusive to senior management with a limited number to share between classes.

With the price drop, this places the iPad 2 in the same price bracket as some of the more capable netbook or cheaper entry level laptops. This allowed schools to begin investing in such devices for all its teaching staff as oppose to netbooks and laptops. Suddenly, even schools with one to one device access programmes for its students driven by netbooks and iPod Touch are also seeing iPad 2 as a viable option.

Is the iPad 2 Still a Capable Tablet for Education?

Soon after the iPad 2 was launched we wrote a review on it particularly in the context of education. Indeed, with its dual core processor, ample storage space, reliable OS, quality controlled apps from the App Store and not to forget the shear number of educational Apps available, makes iPad 2 very attractive and capable tablet. If you are thinking of an upgrade path for the device in two or three years time, look no further, the 3rd Generation iPad would be on offer as the affordable iPad in very much the same way the iPad 2 is now. Remember, iPhone 3GS and 4, iPhone 4 and 4S,  such cycle can only be repeated for every generation jump. Soon we will see the iPhone 5 (or new iPhone) and price dropped iPhone 4S and the very same pricing strategy for iPads.

Next Page: Let’s Look At the Details >

Quick Jump

• Page 1: Cheaper iPad is Great for Education [You Are Here]
• Page 2: Let’s Look At the Details
• Page 3: Fast Forward to Today
• Page 4: Closing the Application Gap
• Final Thoughts: Benefits of iPad 2 for Education