A little bit about anything
No to Macs…The Right Decision
Since I work in “education” I am always interested to read or receive articles dealing with technology in K-12 education I am always looking to see how others are using technology in their districts, schools or classrooms. Mastermaq sent me this article this morning that made my day.
The Toronto District School Board decided late last year to stop purchasing Mac computers as a cost saving measure. I must say that the TDSB made the right decision no matter that one of their school board trustees has now come out and questioned the decision.
The Yellowknife Education District #1 (YK1) made the same decision 4 years ago and it is a decision that I have to manage and defend on an almost daily basis as the Manager of Information Technology Services. What Lee Stem, the general manager of IT services at TDSB, talks about with cost savings with the current trend of applications moving to the web is right on the mark. Mac computers cost roughly double what an equivalent or even higher level PC costs. Since both platforms can do the same things and with the emergence of web based applications anyway, the hardware is becoming less important every day. Having an internet connection with a computer running a browser is all you need for much of what people need to do.
At YK1 we started to take it even one step further. In one of our schools we set up a lab of PCs running virtual desktops that will cut costs even further and if successful (as it has been so far) we will look to implement it district wide. The virtual desktops will allow us to get away from PCs or Macs in the labs and use dumb terminals when we evergreen our existing labs. It will also allow us to use our existing equipment longer that we currently do. Why? Because all that is needed to run the virtual desktop is a network connection. The computer will boot to a virtual desktop hosted on the server and the students will be given a Windows desktop with all the applications they need.
This will save additional money because computers can be used much longer, and instead of having to update and upgrade operating systems and programs on each computer we just have to create an image and make sure that one image is up to date and in a matter of seconds we can push that out to the server for use in the lab. A student can log off, for example, having just used a Windows Vista desktop and login in again and get a Windows 7 desktop. Absolutely the greatest thing. As an IT department we will just have to make sure a computer turns on and has a network connection; no more problems with software installations or problems.
Another great thing is that our students will be able to access the virtual server from home using a browser (again there is no need for it to be a PC, Mac or even Linux computer specifically) their login using their AD credentials and get the same desktop at home that they get in the school. This allows them to start work or projects at the school and finish them at home without having to worry whether or not they have the same software.
Unfortunately we live in a time of increased cuts to funding in education (but that is a subject for another post) so we are all looking for ways to cut costs whether it is by using free or inexpensive web applications, standardizing to a less expensive platform or using virtual systems. I can say from 4 years of experience that the TDSB made the right decision and are on the road to cutting costs which in the long run will benefit the students.
Technorati Tags: toronto district school board – information technology services – tdsb – yellowknife – YK1 – computers – virtual desktops – education
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about 2 years ago
When the students start experiencing random pop-up ads while working on a project in Microsoft Word, they’ll know why the school opted for Macs in the first place.
When the school is forced to hire technical support to deal with all of the crashes, errors, constant upgrades, and patching Windows users receive, they’ll understand why the school opted for Macs in the first place.
When teachers, students, or the administration must spend hours removing preinstalled trialware, installing a worthy web-browser, and spending loads of money on keeping their security subscription up-to-date, they’ll know why they opted for Macs in the first place.
A lot of the benefits from Apple computers are difficult to measure empirically. Although, despite these benefits, a true feature-by-feature analysis comparing Macbooks to the latest Toshiba, HP, or Dell should show fairly even price options.
The Macbook remains the best option for the AVERAGE computer user, including students, who simply want their computers to work (and work for a long period of time).
about 2 years ago
Spoken like a true Mac user Jeff.
I have been doing IT work for 15 years now and I have yet to see a pop-up ad in a Word document. The problems that you mention with patches, installation of browsers, upgrades, bloatware etc. are only issues on individual machines. Most schools, school boards, businesses etc. run networks that handle all of those problems. Our network handles all the updates to all the computers on our network every day while the user is working away on their computer. Our antivirus/anti-spyware etc is controlled and updated at a central location. We can push programs out to groups or individuals with a simple policy push. I can purchase a computer and have it up and running with everything a student, teacher or administrator needs in an hour…and with our imaging server I can do an entire lab of 30 computers in about 2 hours.
As for cost. When I can purchase an HP desktop for $900 and have more RAM, larger hard drive, and faster processor than a MacBook Pro that costs me $1800 then yes we have a problem. You as a single user might want to spend the extra money to buy a Mac, that is your choice, but with limited funds, and the fact we have better control over our computers by using either Windows or Linux, Macs are no longer the choice. While they dominate schools in the 90′s this is no longer the case and more and more schools and districts are moving to a less expensive alternative and since a school needs the ability to control what is going on, Windows is the choice. Not the best by far but if it is set up properly then it is a less expensive way to go.
And like I stated, with more and more applications becoming available on the web and systems like our virtual desktops starting to pop up, the management of the computers will become even easier. Throw a windows desktop image up on a thin client and run it on all the computers. Nothing to worry about at the local machine level other than the network connection. And we can push out a new desktop image when ever we want with all the latest updates and programs that our users need. It is also independent of the hardware. Macs can connect and get a WINDOWS desktop through any browser along with all the programs they need. What could be easier?
about 2 years ago
Bravo Martin! I must applaud you and your efforts to rid your district of high priced Macs. I am the IT head of the Formosa school district in Upper East Maine. A few years ago we went down the same road as you and Toronto have. And we are so much the better for having switched.
The Apple products are so overpriced. We can purchase 2 or 3 PC’s for the price of an Apple computer. And don’t get me started on repairs. Repairing an apple laptop can easily cost the price of purchasing 2 PC’s.
All those iHippies see the world through rainbow coloured glasses. They’ve all bought into the Apple TV commercial kool-aid. Macs are creative… Macs are for graphics… Macs are for video. That’s all Steve Jobsian sliced bologna. Once our district began phasing out the Macs, the naysayers faded away, and at the moment we have savings on technology of 40% compared to before our initiative.
Though, Formosa has gone even further Martin than you have suggested. We did discuss virtual labs. The idea though, of spending up to $100,000 to turn a real computer lab (which already cost $30,000 to buy), into a virtual lab didn’t make economic sense to us. It would not save enough.
We went in another direction. Our students now all have the iPod touch. Our Labs have bluetooth keyboards with iPod docks connected to monitors. There students dock their iPod and do word processing with the wireless keyboards while viewing the work on the monitors. All from the iPod Touch. No PC’s to buy at all (or to fix). We have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Then, we took it even further. I have A Modest Proposal for you, so bear with me and think a little different. Follow our lead. We farmed our network out to the cable company. They brought in modems and everything we do is wireless. NO wires to run. What a timesaver. Our e-mail is saved/administered off-site, as is our web-site.
And wait… wait for this one…, we have no servers! What an idea, networks are old tech. Students and staff save files in their e-mail. What a cost and time saver that one has been.
Of course, we then realized we did not need IT staff. There was nothing for them to do. Studies confirmed that IT spent most of their time driving around from school to school anyway, and with the price of gas… well you get the picture. And IT tended to buy themselves high priced equipment while students and staff had to do with the cheap stuff that didn’t work.
Hey, doing away with the IT department saved enough money to buy each of the district teachers and staff an iPhone.
The only downside, from my point of view… is, I am out of a job. Don’t suppose you have anything up your way do you Martin? Anyone running a PC network must have a ton of work that needs done, right?
L. Gulliver
about 2 years ago
This seems like an absolutely riveting discussion and I would like to add something. Having worked in the IT industry for many years, going on 22 now I believe, I’ve found this topic of discussion to be one of particular interest.
There always seems to be a line drawn in the sand when it comes to Apple computers and PC’s. Although I’m unfamiliar with an educational environment I’m sure it’s similar to the environment found in the standard office space.
It always seems that IT professionals boast the benefits of working with completely PC-based infrastructures. This movement is sometimes very narrow-minded in my experience and Apple machines are rarely given a fair chance. Anyone who is well versed in both business and technology would note that higher initial purchase prices could save capital in the long run.
That being said, Apple computers do have higher initial price tags. For arguments sake, let’s throw some numbers out here. The average mid-level PC costs ~$1000. When you factor in maintenance time and virus recovery for the duration of the PC’s life, we could round that up to say ~$1800.
An Apple on the other hand (similarly specc’d), costs roughly ~$1600 off the shelf. Factoring in maintenance costs and labor costs for its’ lifetime, let’s round to the same ~$1800.
Roughly the same cost for both in the long run? The primary difference seems to be the amount of time spent working on the Macintosh. What would an IT Department do with all that extra time? Maybe they could downsize their department, or develop a plan for new and innovative technologies to be implemented. Innovation is paramount in the pursuit to success, regardless of industry.
Apple’s are all about innovation aren’t they? They must be, it’s not like they dictate what it is their users should and shouldn’t be using on their machines – right? I mean let’s be honest here; I’ve just saved countless hours of labour time by switching to Apple’s shiny ‘toys’. But where is the time savings really coming from? In the best of circumstances the time is saved because the Macintosh simply WON’T do what industry needs it to do. This makes it very simple for an IT department; they could simply create an auto-reply to their email addresses that says:
“Sorry, your shiny apple ‘toy’ doesn’t do that. But it plays music and is sexy… focus on that… bling!”
Time Saved!!!
Let’s get back to the budget shall we. Not only have we saved ourselves time as an organization by switching to Macintosh computers (fancy calculators), we’ve removed headaches from our employees. No one will ever have to do work again!! Millions, if not billions, of dollars would be saved if the entire world switched to Apple’s far inferior product. I wonder why industry hasn’t caught on to this yet… It must all be a conspiracy developed by the evil people at Microsoft. I mean it’s not like a free-thinking society would choose PC’s at large over the Apple – right?
Mr. Apple fan-boy, please understand that you are not alone. There is slightly over 7% of the WORLD behind you… well probably more like 1% as the other 6% are already regretting purchasing a piece of fruit to do their work. If you ACTUALLY worked in the IT industry you’d realize how Apple has blinded you with bling and far too OVER-simplified the ability to complete simple tasks (those work thingy’s). And as for a completely wireless network, right…
Cost Summary
PC – ~$1800
Apple – ~$1800
Ridding the world of Apple users – $$$ Priceless $$$
about 2 years ago
I am sorry it took so long to respond to you Lemeule but your ideas were so absurd and idiotic that I had to sit back and fully digest the unbelievable idea that you were in IT. I must commend you for cutting costs in your school district…in fact you cut costs so much with your silly ideas that your school board no longer exists. I guess you went overboard with cutting the IT department to the point that nothing could get done any longer and the schools in your district quit your district and joined another district just so they could survive your forward thinking technology solutions.
Also, I really feel sorry for you. Not only did you lose your job but you have had to go through life with the same name as the character in Gulliver’s Travels, albeit the first name is spelled slightly different but still most people would not know that. The teasing must have been torturous which obviously led to you demented ideas.
I will keep you in mind next time I hear a job open in IT where the business is interested in going out of business.
about 2 years ago
Comparing an HP Desktop to a MacBook Pro seems a very odd thing for a computer expert to do. I don’t want to drop a lot of time on this so here is a quick comparison of a Dell and an iMac. The price difference is not double though it is higher for the iMac. The higher price is somewhat offset by the generally better system offered by Apple, wireless mouse and keyboard, bigger hard drive and more memory. This is Apple Education price. Even with fine tuning, it calls into question the credibility of your statements about double the price etc. You also skirt the question of viruses disabling the machines. Of course, by admitting it is a costly problem for Windows users, it subverts your argument further – please don’t pull out the obscurity argument, it has been debunked as the cause for the differential in such problems. If you insist, I can send along credible information supporting this point of view. By credible I mean sourced from a company that actually does not sell virus protection etc.
Dell OptiPlex780 $987
21.5-inch iMac Total Before Tax US$1,269
dell-32 Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E7500 with VT (2.93GHz, 3M, 1066MHz FSB)
Apple-3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
dell-3 Year Basic Limited Warranty and 3 Year NBD On-Site Service
Apple-3.06GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Applecare + $120
dell-2GB DDR3 Non-ECC SDRAM,1066MHz, (2 DIMM)
Apple-4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM – 2x2GB
dell-250GB 2.5 SATA 3.0Gb/s and 16MB DataBurst Cache™
Apple-500GB hard drive
dell-Integrated Video, Intel® GMA 4500
Apple-NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
dell-8X DVD+/-RW SATA, Roxio Creator™ CyberlinkPowerDVD™
Apple-8x double-layer SuperDrive
dell-Dell All-in-One Height Adjustable Stand(VGA/DIsplayPort) with Professional Wide 19″ Display
dell-Video Cable, DisplayPort-to-Single link DVI(1920×1200), One DVI Connection
Apple-21.5″ Monitor 1920 x 1080 resolution
dell-Dell USB 2-Button Entry Mouse with Scroll, Black
Apple-Apple Magic Mouse
dell-Dell USB Entry Keyboard
Apple-Apple Wireless Keyboard