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Apple Wins Florida School Contract for 30,000 iBooks (UPDATE)

Apple Wins Florida School Contract for 30,000 iBooks (UPDATE)

by , 8:35 AM EDT, July 27th, 2005

Apple Computer announced Wednesday it has won a contract with Broward County, Fla. Public Schools to supply it with 30,000 iBook laptops to be used by its students in kindergarten through twelfth grade.

The Broward County school system is the sixth largest school district in the U.S. with a total of 272,691 students. The district has 251 schools serving students that speak 56 languages.

The school district reported a 2004/2005 budget of US$4.14 billion. Specifics of the contract and its bid were not immediately available from representatives of the school district.

"As one of the nation's leading school districts, Broward County Public Schools has long used technology to enhance teaching and learning," said Dr. Frank Till, superintendent of Broward County Public Schools, in a prepared statement distributed by Apple's public relations department. "The new iBooks are ideally suited to meet the needs of our students, and demonstrate Apple's commitment to education."

Observer Comments

Show: Subjects Only | Full Comments
Close Name:Guest
Subject: Students and Apple

As a resident of Broward County and a big Apple supporter, I am happy to hear that our school districts are taking advantage of what Apple has to offer. Between the IPods and IBooks education should take on a whole new learning experience for students.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

I don't understand why people continually insist on say IPod and IBook! I know it's not a huge deal but why!? It's iPod and iBook.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: RC, where are ya?

RC, could you please comment on Apple's most recent winning move in education? Congrats to that County for a great contract...you will not regret it!

No viruses, no malware, no Winblows, no crappy PCs...GO APPLE!

Close Name:kenaustus Posts: 602 Joined: 27 Jun 2003
Subject: RC's busy . . .

Trying to comprehend 30,000 new iLemmings all in one hit.

Then he has to find another out of date link.

View Name:RealityCheck -   Troll Posts: 392 Joined: 06 May 2004
Subject: After The Trial, They'll Switch To Dell
Close Name:Guest
Subject: Thats some good azz crack you smoke RC...

Quote
RealityCheck wrote:
Like so many other school districts, the Apple RDF hype gives way to the iBook's lack of durability and quality problems, and they'll be dumped. Check the facts:
http://www.themacobserver.com/article/2005/04/29.6.shtml


....too bad your lil fact checking still dismisses 30,000 new Mac users and more on the way. Huuuuge loss for you RC, Huuuuuge!

Close Name:NeverFade Posts: 74 Joined: 17 Mar 2002
Subject: not for 4 years they won't

not for 4 years they won't, and by then, windows VISTA will be more of a laughing stock than it already is!

Close Name:Guest
Subject: The WERE using Dells - now they've switched to Macs!

nt

Close Name:Guest
Subject: RC Has No Facts

Quote
RealityCheck wrote:
Like so many other school districts, the Apple RDF hype gives way to the iBook's lack of durability and quality problems, and they'll be dumped. Check the facts:
http://www.themacobserver.com/article/2005/04/29.6.shtml


Sadly, the article states that the switch was made due to dollars, not to an imaginary lack of iBook durbility and quality.

Close Name:Intruder -   TMO Mac Specialist Posts: 3149 Joined: 07 Jul 2004
Subject:

In fact, considering the environment they were used in, the iBooks held up surprisingly well.

I know our company flirted with Dell laptops for a while. Had a 50% (I am not making that up) failure rate. Everything from hard drives to motherboards. And those were the "higher end" laptops. The IBM Thinkpads had the best record. Apple laptops were not tried (Windows-only support contract).

I wish them luck.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: "Reality"Check Has Never Cared About Facts

But here's some funny info. on this sad, little worm.

1) Claims to be a Network Admin. That's hysterical if not a little frightening if it was actually true.

2) Has trolled TMO for a year and three months. Anyone who may have tried to coax this pathetic troll to "get a life" obviously spoke to deaf ears. Or couldn't cut through the heavy medication.

3) Three hundred and eighty-two worthless, angry, delusional lies posted to a Mac news forum and counting. That's 0.85 per day every day on average. See comments from number two on having a life. Also, I can't help but to be amazed that one company can become such a singular obsession and outlet for an incredible amount of rage, hatred, and ridicule from one sad and lonely person. Reminds me of John Hinckley, Jr. and his obsessions.

Entertaining? Maybe. Kind of like the footage of a train wreck or trash talk from a pro wrestler.

Close Name:adm58 Posts: 13 Joined: 17 Jan 2005
Subject:

Can you imagine waking up in the morning and thinking "Well, time for some coffee, then I'll read the paper, and then I'd better log onto the Internet to post disparaging comments on a Macintosh news site."

I guess a troll's life is dull, but someone's gotta do it.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: MACOBSERVER IS SERIOUSLY TURNING ME OFF BECAUSE OF RC

RC's comments were a little ammusing a year and a half ago...but now I'm so tired of reading news and then the forums when the forums have RC Mac fans asking him to comment on these articles...I've never felt the urge to switch over to another site like Maccentral before. I'm glad I didn't spend time to register to this forum. I will NOT "get my Mac news here from now on."

Macobserver, you lost a reader due to your sickening and tiresome Macobserver forum troll.

Laters. Maccentral.com, Macnn.com, Macminute.com, Macbytes.com here I come.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Trolls

If you let the trolls drive you away, then they've won.

Close Name:Biff Posts: 1479 Joined: 08 Apr 2004
Subject: TMO just lost 1 dumb guest!

Dude I spent weeks trying to figure out how to register for TMO forums. It totally wasn't worth all that time. It took so much time. And like I thought I was coming to TMO due to their constantly updating list of Apple and Mac news stories, but it turns out I was really coming here to read the user comments. So I'm gonna try to find a better Mac user comments site.

Also you should make me happy by shutting off RC's account. Cause he could never ever sign up with another name and come back. And since that's such a great solution, I won't offer a better one.

Cheers.

Close Name:Guest
Subject: To adm58

RE: "Well, time for some coffee, then I'll read the paper, and then I'd better log onto the Internet to post disparaging comments on a Macintosh news site."

THAT'S HYSTERICAL! I just spewed coffee on my keyboard. Thanks for the laugh!

: D

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Moron

You are an idiot. Broward county is over 85% Mac based with a significant investment in infrastructure and human capital resources to support their Mac based intiatives. These 30,000 iBooks are only a REFRESH. Mac's will be around in Broward for a VERY long time.

Close Name:dswoodley Posts: 14 Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Subject:

Quote
RealityCheck wrote:
Like so many other school districts, the Apple RDF hype gives way to the iBook's lack of durability and quality problems, and they'll be dumped. Check the facts:
http://www.themacobserver.com/article/2005/04/29.6.shtml


Those laptops are 4 years old and held up so well under the abuse of school kids that there is still overwhleming demand for them. Go re-check your facts
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031784093536

Close Name:Guest
Subject: YES!!!!

SCORE!!!! Finally my school district does something right, can't wait to go back to school in... 9 DAYS!!! hopefully I'll be able to get my hands on one for our tv production class so we don't have to use the extremely old crappy iMac G4's

Close Name:Guest
Subject: Intruder, what about your stats?!

684 posts, with 1.65 posts per day!

*YOU* need to get a life....

Signed,

An Apple Employee Vetran

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

"684 posts, with 1.65 posts per day!

*YOU* need to get a life.... "

Yes, but every one of HIS posts isn't a bald faced lie.

Close Name:Guest
Subject:

Quote
Anonymous wrote:
"684 posts, with 1.65 posts per day!

*YOU* need to get a life.... "

Yes, but every one of HIS posts isn't a bald faced lie.



Actually, I meant to say a few of Intruder's posts don't have lies. Most of them do. "Intruder alert!" hahaha!

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