Apple Education special event

Apple had its big education event yesterday, held at the Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois.

With it came the welcome news of a new 6th Gen iPad. As this was an education event, it’s key that students and schools will have a specific price point of $299 instead of $329 that the general public will pay.

The iPad has a 9.7-inch Retina display that features a higher-resolution touch sensor to enable support for Apple Pencil, which itself will come in at $10 lower for students and schools at $89.

It also comes with mega additional storage of 200GB instead of 50GB, the new A10 chip and a 40% faster processer. Apple said that both front and rear cameras provide HD video recording for everything from document scanning to FaceTime calls.

One of the main applications aimed at the new iPad is augmented reality, fueled by the device’s Retina display, powerful chip, enhanced cameras, and advanced sensors with a gyroscope and accelerometer. The tablet was built for mobility and durability for students, sporting an aluminum unibody construction.

Apple also increased Free iCloud Storage for Students to 200GB, Logitech Announced a $49 Crayon Stylus and $99 Rugged Combo 2 Case for the new iPad, and Apple will also now sell standalone Space Gray Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse 2, and Magic Trackpad 2.

Also welcomed is a reduction in price for AppleCare+ to $69 for 9.7-Inch iPad and iPad Mini Models.

On the software side of things, Apple introduced new tools for education, including a Classwork app for assignments, an “Everyone Can Create” curriculum that’s focused on creative pursuits like photography, video making, music, and art, a ClassKit API for creating educational apps with Classwork integration, and new Apple Pencil capabilities for iWork.

Apple also announced that, in partnership with Northwestern University, it will establish a Center for Excellence at Lane Tech College Prep in Chicago, which will serve as a hub for teachers at Chicago Public Schools to learn and subsequently teach Apple’s Everyone Can Code curriculum, a free program designed to help students learn how to code, as well as being trained on App Development with Swift.

From the Sauce, Apple CEO Tim Cook:

“Teachers make a world of difference in their students’ lives, and we owe so much of our own success to their creativity, hard work and dedication. At Apple, we believe every student should have the opportunity to learn to code and we are thrilled to help provide new learning opportunities for Chicago-area teachers so they can bring coding into their classrooms.”

You can now watch the whole thing in the events app on Apple TV!

Special Apple in Education event planned

Apple has just announced an event focusing on the all important arena of technology in education. The event will take place on Tuesday, March 27 at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago, with the keynote, centered around “creative new ideas for teachers and students”, commencing at 10:00 a.m. Central Time.

The last time Apple held a similar event was in New York City in January 2012, where it announced iBooks 2 with interactive textbooks, iBooks Author, and a new version of iTunes U for iPad.

So what should we expect this time around? There’s a bunch of rumors swirling already about possible hardware and software announcements that could be made during the event, including :

iOS 11.3 availability with ClassKit
A cheaper 9.7 inch iPad for education for $259, currently it’s price point is $329.
A cheaper MacBook Air for $799 to $899, currently it’s price point starts at $999.
The AirPower charging mat

We can look forward to hearing the facts on March 27th!

Apple to release an even bigger iPhone?

Apparently, Apple will release three new smartphone models this year, to be announced in the Fall.

What could they possibly be?

Well, we’re essentially, probably, maybe, looking at a more affordable iPhone X, an updated iPhone X, and one high-end model that could be the largest iPhone ever, featuring a nearly 6.5-inch edge-to-edge display. The body of the device will be roughly the same size as the iPhone 8 Plus, but the display will be about an inch larger.

The updated iPhone X will reportedly  feature a next-generation processor, maybe a gold color option, and maybe a dual-SIM card capability. Here’s hoping?

The cheaper iPhone X model would have an LCD screen, a glass back, and aluminum edges.

All of this, obvs, is rumorific. But, it always is. We kind of like the ideas in this particular batch of rumors, though.

New Deals from T-Mobile and AT&T

This week, from T-Mobile, we have a limited time offer to ‘Share the Apple Watch experience.‘

If you buy one Series 3 Apple Watch, you get a second one for half off.

Small Print—>  Via 24 monthly bill credits with qualifying DIGITS™ plan. If you cancel wireless service, credits stop and remaining balance is due.

AND! Also from T-Mobile, and offer to Get 4 lines of unlimited for just $35 each. PLUS 2 screen Netflix.

Small print —> For new customers only activating 4 lines of service. Capable device required. Limited-time offer; after bill credits with AutoPay. Receive Netflix Standard 2-screen (up to $10.99/month value) while you maintain 2+ qualifying T-Mobile ONE lines in good standing. 

From AT&T, you can get a new 32GB iPad for $49.99 when you buy a new iPhone on AT&T Next.

Small Print —> Get a 32GB iPad for $49.99 on a 2-year agreement* when you buy any iPhone on AT&T Next(R) *Svc activation req’d on both devices. Fees, charges & restr’s apply.