Much has been made of Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL) sending its iPad, quite literally, back to school this week.
On Tuesday, the world’s most valuable company unveiled the new model of its entry-level tablet to a hall full of teachers and school kids.
Users for life
The new 9.7-inch iPad includes has an upgraded, faster processor and supports the Apple Pencil – a US$100 stylus which was previously reserved for the pricier Pro models.
It is an attempt by Apple to reassert itself as the dominant force again in the education market, which is now led by Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and its inexpensive Google Chromebooks.
As the late Whitney Houston once said, the children are the future, and if you can get them through the door early – and signed up to iCloud, Apple Music or Gmail, for example – the chances are they still with that company for a long time, if not forever.
That is why Apple wants to appeal more to this market. But apart from a few tweaks on the inside, the new iPad doesn’t offer much more than its predecessor. From the outside at least, this new model is almost identical to the 2013 iPad Air.
The design isn’t the only familiar thing about the tablet either; at US$329, the price is the same as the previous model and around US$120 more than a standard Chromebook.
Price could be a sticking point
Part of the reason for the lack of a major overhaul is that Apple is not looking to get existing iPad users to upgrade, rather it is looking to get people using its product and platform for the first time.
Still, commentators have noted that, although the changes are welcome, it is far from an all-out assault on the sector.
Apple has the difficult task of convincing teachers and parents that a device which comes without a keyboard is a viable option for learning as opposed to social media and games.
The price could also be another sticking point. While Apple has never been about being the ‘value’ option with any of its products, if users wanted to buy a wireless keyboard and an Apple Pencil, the total would be around US$500 – more than double what a Chromebook sells for.
Apple shares edged 0.2% higher in early afternoon trading to US$168.77.