One of Apple's largest education deals in history has had a huge set-back after a judicial ruling in a Georgia court. The deal would have seen 63,000 iBooks provided to students and teachers in an Atlanta-area school district.

The school district was taken to court after opponents of the plan alleged that voters weren't sufficiently informed that a sales tax approved in 2003, clocking in at 1%, would be used to initiate the program. A judge agreed and put a halt on the proceedings.

After the meeting, the board reportedly decided not to proceed with the Apple program, though it may appeal the judge's ruling. The effort to equip all students with laptops "is no longer an option," board President Kathie Johnstone is quoted as saying in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article. The article said the district may still go ahead with plans to give laptops to teachers since school officials already had promised them a "computing device" in the materials they distributed before the sales tax passed in 2003.

An unfortunate turn of events for Apple and the proponents of the plan -- but personally, I think that kids + laptops do not mix. I've dealt with classrooms of children on computers before, and if there's one thing I know, it's that kids do not understand the proper way to treat desktop computers, let alone laptops. A quick throw of the laptop onto a hard surface while it's turned on, or slamming of a bag down on the floor, and the hard drive is shot.

Article Link: Apple's Georgia laptop deal hits snag

[ Remark ] [ Print ] [ Font: Large Standard Small ]

Last News: Magazine Leaks Additional PS3 Details? Next News: Cisco Portal Compromised