A new research claims Google has, for the first time ever, succeeded in gaining a lead over Apple, with its Chromebooks leapfrogging Apple’s iPads in terms of adoption rate in US schools.
According to marketing research firm IDC, Google shipped around 715,000 Chromebooks to educational institutions in the third quarter of 2014 as compared to Apple which shipped 702,000 iPads to US schools during the same time period.
Explaining the reason behind Chromebook’s success, IDC says price is one of the major factors that has worked in favour of Google’s tablet. The $199 Chromebooks are found to be more lucrative to educational institutions as compared to Apple’s iPad Air which costs $379 with educational discounts applied.
The research firm also claims that a large number of schools prefer opting for Chromebooks with full keyboard support instead of the touchscreen found on iPads. It is found that schools that use iPads, supply their students with an extra keyboard case which only further increases the cost of iPads compared to Chromebooks.
“Chromebooks are really gaining traction. The growth of Chromebook is a major concern for Apple’s iPad. As the average age of the student grows the need for a keyboard becomes very important” commented Rajani Singh, an IDC analyst, on the shift to Google over Apple this quarter.
IDC though noted that the Cupertino still accounts for a better as well as a larger selection of educational apps than Google, with more than 75,000 educational apps available in the App Store. Apple’s iTunes U app, which allows professors and teachers to create custom courses and share lectures, is among one of the most downloaded educational apps.
