Greene County, NC School District to Upgrade iBooks Early and Save US$1M

Students in the Greene County, North Carolina school district will receive new 12-inch iBooks when they return from their winter break next month. Teachers will get new 12-inch PowerBooks. Both upgrades actually save the district US$1 million because it is trading in the laptops six months early.

The schools have been using the laptops for two-and-a-half years. Free Press reporter Michael Abernethy quoted superintendent Steve Mazingo as saying: "Our test scores are up and more kids are staying in school. Now, weire looked at with respect -- because of 21st-century teaching and learning."

Mr. Abernethy wrote that the school district will trade in the old laptops "before [Apple] announces its new product lines Jan. 9, 2006," a statement that led some Mac news Web sites to speculate that Apple will introduce new iBooks with Intel processors next month. However, nothing else in the article gives any impression that students will receive anything other than the latest iBooks currently available. Apple last refreshed the iBook line on July 26, 2005.