Organizers with the famously perfectionist tech giant had thought of everything: umbrellas for the guests waiting in line in the drizzle, even heaters to drive away the chill air.
Once inside Lane Tech High School on the North Side, the hundreds of invitees were set upon by an army of sunny, determined-to-please Apple employees.
And at precisely 10 a.m., Apple CEO Tim Cook took to the school’s auditorium stage for a presentation culminating in the unveiling of a new iPad, aimed at snatching back a share of the lucrative education market. Apple’s products have been losing ground in U.S. classrooms to Google and Microsoft during the past few years.
“At Apple, we care deeply about education because we love kids and we love teachers,” Cook said. “We love creativity and curiosity and we know that our products can help bring out the creative genius in every kid. That’s why education is such a big part of who we are as a company and has been for 40 years.”
Cue the rapturous applause from an audience filled with Apple employees.
So what was all the excitement about? Apple unveiled its lowest price iPad, a model that has now been adapted for use with a digital pencil — a tool that allows for more creativity and a range of options for teaching.
The iPad is being offered at a starting price of $329, but with a $30 discount for schools. Many analysts had expected Apple to roll out a cheaper iPad to help spur sales to budget-strapped schools.
Cook and his fellow presenters mixed in a little bit of everything Tuesday.
For the techno-geeks: “We’re providing a high-resolution touch system with sub-pixel precision to this iPad. This will enable ultra-low latency, pencil support and the same tilt and pressure sensing that had made Apple Pencil such a hit,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of product marketing.
For the practical: “It’s so versatile for the things you do every day at school.”
And a little boasting: “This powerful combination of hardware, software, services and ecosystem make this iPad the very best product ever created for students and teachers.”
And mostly, they were preaching to the choir.
For Xzavier Marte, 16, a student at Amundsen High School, the biggest thrill was getting to meet Cook.
“To stand next to him, it’s sort of like standing next to a living legend. It’s almost like bone-chilling,” Marte said.
Others were dazzled by some of the new software that can be used on the iPad, including a program that allows the user to complete a “virtual” frog dissection with the use of the digital pencil.
“I had to dissect a frog and, to be honest, that wasn’t the most pleasant experience,” said Avery Harris, 14, a student at Lane Tech. “Seeing you can literally see [the inside of the] frog without actually having to take it a part, is really amazing to me. It’s super super cool.”
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Contributing: AP
