An outcry from educators over the possibility of losing their Macs is causing the Antioch Unified School District in California to reexamine plans to replace Apple hardware with Windows systems.
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Deputy Superintendent of Business Services Jerry Macy has suggested that trustees hold off on a decision until a task force can present its findings to the school board at its May 28 meeting, according to a ContraCostaTimes.com article.
Last month the school board began talk of phasing out Macs and phasing in Dells. There are an estimated 4,000 Macs and Wintel systems all totaled in the district’s classrooms, offices and computer labs, but staff members are visiting each school to obtain an exact count of each type, the ContraCostaTimes reports. A group comprised of pro-PC, pro-Mac and neutral people will evaluate the pros and cons of both systems and will compare the cost of going Windows-only, going Mac-only, or mixing both operating systems together. They’ll also consider the potential effect any such decision might have on the curriculum.
Those favoring Dell system serve up the standard argument that adopting a single operating system will save the district money — something Mac consultant John Droz Jr. disputes at his Mac vs. PC Web site. Mac users argue that Apple products are easier to use and that some of their educational software is still Mac only.