Skip to main content

Apple awarded $30m contract to supply LA schools with iPads, Microsoft not happy

touchscreen tablet fingerApple has scored a lucrative contract with the LA Unified Schools District to supply every student with an iPad.

According to an LA Times report this week, the district’s Board of Education awarded the $30 million contract to the Cupertino company after testing a number of devices. It said the iPad was chosen as it was considered “both the best in quality and the least expensive option that met the district’s specifications.”

Recommended Videos

Students across 47 campuses in the district, which happens to be the second-largest school system in the country, will receive the tablet later this year.

At $678 per iPad, the district will be paying more than the store price for the device. However, each one will be pre-loaded with a number of third-party educational apps together with various Apple software. A three-year warranty will also be included.

As you might expect, competitors such as Microsoft are not happy about the deal.

Robyn Hines, senior director of state government affairs for the Redmond-based computer giant warned that considering only one device and limiting itself to a single platform could prevent the schools district from benefiting from future price reductions and innovations. Hines added that students should be given the chance to experience a range of platforms and machines, such as those from Microsoft, as the workplace is not just limited to Apple products.

Several Board of Education members also voiced concerns, with Richard Vladovic wondering if the board had collected enough detailed information regarding costs.

But the contract is signed and sealed now, and Apple is of course just fine with that, with the tech giant announcing on Wednesday that it’s “thrilled” with the deal.

“Education is in Apple’s DNA and we’re thrilled to work with Los Angeles Unified public schools on this major initiative as they plan to roll out iPads to every student across 47 campuses this fall,” Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said in a release.

Contracts with education boards are, of course, a big deal for computer companies. Apple claims to have 10 million iPads in schools around the world, with educational establishments from elementary schools to universities taking an interest in the Cupertino company’s tablet.

[Image: ebayink]

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
My main computer is an M4 iPad Pro, but a 2021 iPad still surprises me
Rear shell of 2021 iPad Pro.

This might sound controversially ridiculous, but for the past few years, my primary computer has been an iPad Pro. I first got interested in pushing tablets this way when the M1 version came out, and I’ve kept using them all the way up to the newest M4-powered model. 

A few weeks ago, I went back to my M1 iPad Pro to see how well it handles next-gen apps that are pushing the boundaries of graphics and AI on a mobile device. So, the big question is whether the four-year-old slate can still serve as a reliable workhorse in 2025?

Read more
The $999 iPad Pro M4 is discounted by $100 at select stores today
Writing in Arabic script using the ESR Geo Digital Pencil on the M4 iPad Pro.

If you want one of the best tablets, it is only natural to gravitate towards the iPad Pro line. It is the top of the iPad line, and we compare the iPad Pro M4 and Microsoft Surface Pro side by side. These are intense products. And right now you can get the 11-inch version of the iPad Pro M4 for just $899. That's $100 off its usual $999 price. Tap the appropriate button below to jump to this deal at the retailer of your choice or keep reading to see why we like it so much.

BUY AT AMAZON

Read more
You could be folding your iPad as soon as next year
A person holding the 13-inch iPad Air (2025).

The iPad Fold, as it's being touted, could arrive as soon as next year.

A new report suggests that the first folding iPad could be on track to land in 2026.

Read more