Windows tops devices shipments in education in Q1

Jun 11, 2018 06:40 GMT  ·  By

A new report shows that Windows continues to be the preferred choice worldwide for devices in the education sector, outscoring both Google’s Chrome OS and Apple’s iOS.

Futuresource Consulting reveals that shipments in Q1 2018 increased by 4 percent as compared to the same quarter the year before, jumping from 5.5 million units to 5.8 million units. Performance in Asia Pacific and European regions recorded the biggest boost, whereas the most substantial drop was recorded in the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America.

Windows remained the preferred platform during the quarter with no less than 44 percent of the shipments, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it managed to outclass the competition in all markets.

In the United States, for example, Chrome OS was the number one choice for the education sector with a market share of 56 percent. The research, however, shows that Chrome OS experienced a slowdown lately, “as the market shows signs of maturity and many school districts enter the replacement cycle.”

Apple’s devices only third option

Apple’s iPad and MacBooks also posted a growth of 15 percent, but continue to represent the third choice for customers in education.

On the other hand, Futuresource Consulting says that both Microsoft and Apple are making investments in the top device categories, including in the $300 price range which is a growing area of competition.

“March saw the announcement of Apple's new iPad, sporting Pencil support with a sub $300 price point for educators. May has seen shipments of the first Chrome powered tablet to the market in the form of Acer's Chromebook Tab 10. These announcements are expected to increase the number of schools considering the use of the form factor, with many using tablets for specialist use cases like robotics and the creative arts, in addition to a Notebook/Chromebook for text heavy applications,” the research reads.

Microsoft is believed to be working on a low-cost Surface model that could see daylight later this year, possibly running Windows 10 on ARM and specifically aiming for the education market.