| Maine picks laptops – but not Apples |
| Posted by: Susan Einhorn |
| The Maine Department of Education has chosen Hewlett-Packard as its preferred contractor to purchase tens of thousands of laptops for middle school students, even though the company was not the cheapest option or the top choice in terms of quality by a multistate committee appointed to study the matter. Laptop delay stalls Maine school plans The decision, announced Saturday by the office of Gov. Paul LePage and the Department of Education, also ends the state\'s long-standing exclusive contract with Apple, which has provided the state with equipment since Maine\'s school laptop program began in 2002. Jef Hamlin, technology director at RSU 34, which includes Old Town, Alton and Bradley, praised the decision. He said the HP option is cheaper once the hidden costs that come with Apple products are added in. For example, Apple iPads do not come with keyboards, so the district would have to buy them in order to use the devices to administer standardized tests, he said. \"In general, the consensus is the iPad is a kind of a \'gee whiz\' thing, but there is a lot of stuff you can\'t do with an iPad,\" said Hamlin, who added that his district already uses Hewlett-Packard computers in some of its elementary schools. |
| Source: Portland Press Herald (ME-USA) | Published: May 1st, 2013 |
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