Apple Won Henrico Deal With Smaller Laptops, Better Software

Apple may have lost out to Dell for the deal to supply laptops to Henrico Countyis high schools, but the company beat its rival in the middle school arena by focusing on the size of its computers "and the breadth of instructional programs," according to Times-Dispatch reporter Olympia Meola.

"Apple came in and was more aggressive this time," she quoted Lloyd Brown, Henrico schoolsi director of technology and selection committee member, as saying. He also said that "putting something a little bit bigger . . . in a book bag was a big issue," which became a problem when Dell submitted a proposal for a laptop that was larger than Appleis.

Linda Kirby, a health and physical education teacher at Harry F. Byrd Middle School who sat on the selection committee, pointed to iLife and iTunes U, a free service with 24-hour access to educational content, as further reasons to select Apple. "I think the kids will just get really excited about these new programs," she said.

Thanks to MacDailyNews for the link.