In the battle for laptop and tablet market dominance, Google is winning in U.S. schools with its Chromebook better than its iPad counterpart.
Latest data from IDC, a market research firm, show that for the first time, Google has overtaken Apple's lead in the U.S. market in terms of tablet sales in schools for the third quarter of this year.
According to a Financial Times report, Google sold 715,500 of its Chromebooks to U.S. schools as opposed to Apple's iPads 702,000 during the third quarter of this year.
“Chromebooks are really gaining traction,” Rajani Singh, senior research analyst with IDC, told the Financial Times. “The growth of Chromebook is a major concern for Apple’s iPad.”
So, what prompted the shift from the popular iPad devices to Google's Chromebook?
In the report, IDC told the Financial Times that the biggest factor of Google's outselling Apple boils down to cost and price. Chromebook, with all its features and capability, is priced lower compared to its rival iPad.
Google Chromebook's lowest end model starts at $199, while iPad Air is priced at $379, despite discounts students and educational institutions get from Apple.
Another factor users and schools consider is keyboard availability versus touchscreens. While the Chromebook is built on the premise of handy, easy-to-carry laptop-like unit (at least, those designed for easy online access), iPad falls short without a keyboard. Singh pointed out the growing need for keyboards an average age student has.
Although some schools provide its students with a keyboard case, the additional supply also means an additional cost for the educational institution. Also, majority of IT departments in U.S. schools prefer Chromebooks over iPads noting the user-friendly features of the former. Apparently, Chromebooks are easier to manage more than iPad's design.
In 2013, Apple burned the midnight oil and worked doubly hard to market its iPad product to U.S. schools, according to 9to5Google. However, the result of the company's marketing efforts was mixed. For instance, Apple planned to make its tablets available to Los Angeles schools, considered the second largest U.S. school district, but it did not push through as planned because of some tender controversy. Instead, the state opted to get Google's Chromebooks that are Windows operated.
Google recently introduced its Google Play for Education, an education-focused version of its app store. The new version is designed to cater to the needs of educators and students, including IT departments responsible for managing Chromebooks and other Android-based tablets.
Meanwhile, Apple has not commented on Google Chromebook's slight edge over its products. Its iPad Air 2 remains the top-selling tablet this year.
