Gadget Reviews, Product News, Electronic Gadgets

For fans of Apple products there is no greater way to pass the time than to try anticipating what the company may announce and release at their next event. This is no less true as we head toward January 19, 2012.

With the news from Apple indicating that the fast-approaching event carries an educational theme we are wondering what exactly that might mean. Most are speculating it is related to the digital delivery of textbooks, and this seems fair but what else might there be?

If Mike Elgan over at Cult of Mac is correct, Apple is poised to make the moves necessary to dominate the educational market. Not from the perspective of hardware or devices persae, but rather the control over information: how it is created, how it is delivered and how it is consumed. If Apple controls the information, then the need for everything else the company has to offer will fall into line auto-magically.

Why try to compete with the like’s of Amazon selling digital versions of cheap paperbacks and discounted versions of the latest new releases? Amazon is an established market leader in this regard and would strike back in full force if Apple openly tried anyway. Apple is already capturing a small piece of that pie with their iBookstore and in time that business is likely to grow, but the reality is that Apple does best when they pioneer. Not to mention that the publishing and sales of textbooks is big business; big dollars and an even bigger audience. And let’s not forget that Apple has a history of successfully romancing schools and scholars.

The big question is whether a 10″ iPad at the current price-point can succeed as a integral part of our school supply lists or does Apple need to release a 7″ version of the tablet? Analysts are really divided but I stand firm on my prediction that we won’t see a smaller form-factor iPad anytime soon. In the grand scheme of costs associated with furthering your education (particularly if Apple can somehow partially offset the immense cost of textbooks), the price of an iPad is pretty minor and with students used to hauling around 25lbs of books and a laptop computer besides, a 10″ tablet will seem to weigh nothing at all.

The side benefit for Apple in addition is that if you need an iPad for school anyway why wouldn’t you full-on adopt Apple products? Grab that iPhone so you can seamlessly sync? Buy that MacBook Pro to do the stuff that’s just a little too much for the iPad to handle? Plus your mother/brother/spouse is probably going to grab an Apple product too because heck, you have one and it’s nice for everybody to have the same thing. Apple leads the game when it comes to brand loyalty and you can guarantee these are all things that they have considered.

Now, could this be paired with the launch of the iPad 3? Absolutely. In fact it might make a really nice Steve Jobs’ style ‘One last thing…’ if they can round up a textbook announcement with a little drum roll and some excitement over using the iPad 3 as the device of choice in this regard.

As we have learned many (many) times in the past, Apple has a tendency to define their own beat to which they will dance so until Thursday it really is anybody’s guess as to what they will announce.

Do you think Apple has it in them to corner the educational market? Do you think Android has a chance to even compete in this arena?

Via:Padgadget