The tablet war is on as Apple launches its revamped iPad for schools, following Google’s Chromebook announcement yesterday.
Apple has revealed its latest iPad will have Apple Pencil support, with a new education service called Schoolwork, aiming to compete with Google’s latest device.
Designed specifically for the classroom, Apple has also announced a new app called Schoolwork for iPads. This will help teachers assign work and monitor the progress of students. In order for teachers to effectively store and deliver their classes, Apple student accounts through schools will get 200GB of iCloud storage for free, compared to the regular 5GB.
The company has also unveiled ClassKit, a new service that enables developers to write apps that integrate with the Schoolwork service. Teachers can use ClassKit to send students to specific parts of app to conduct classwork or access material. Apple’s iPad aims to develop more advanced and flexible working in the classroom, making documents accessible to the hands of students and give teachers the capabilities to deliver classes effectively and individually.
The new device will be adaptable to schools and homes.
Apple’s new 9.7-inch iPad features a large Retina display, an A10 Fusion chip and advanced sensors that deliver immersive augmented reality. It also offers an extended battery life. Additional features to the iPad include an aluminium unibody construction for durability and mobility, and ultrafast wireless that can deliver two times faster cellular data connections.
“This new 9.7-inch iPad takes everything people love about our most popular iPad and makes it even better for inspiring creativity and learning,” Greg Joswiak, Apple product marketing vice president, said: “iPad is our vision for the future of computing and hundreds of millions of people around the world use it every day at work, in school and for play.”
To ensure work is completed accurately and efficiently, Apple the iPad features ‘Palm Rejection’ technology, which makes it possible for users to rest their hands on the screen while using Apple Pencil.
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Other features to the iPad include advanced sensors measure pressure and tilt of the Apple Pencil and provide pixel-perfect accuracy and low latency for various activities such as note taking and illustration. The tech firm claims that low-light performance of the front and rear cameras makes them ideal for HD video recording for document scanning, moviemaking and FaceTime calls.
Apple’s new iPad will be retailed at $299 for schools and at $329 for consumers.The applications for Apple’s new product will be available from June 2018.
