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Microsoft challenges Google in the classroom with new devices, Office features
Microsoft Corp. is upping the ante against Google LLC in the hotly contested education market.
The company today unveiled new devices and software tools aimed at winning over more schools to Windows 10, which is estimated to have a market share of 22 percent in the U.S. K-12 segment compared with Chromebooks’ nearly 60 percent.
The first highlight is a collection of low-cost laptops designed to check one of Google’s main advantages: price. The first two devices are notebooks, one by Lenovo Group Ltd. and the other from a Portuguese device maker called JP, with a starting price of $189 to $199. The two manufacturers have also each created a new all-in-one system priced below $300.
Microsoft said the machines run Windows 10 S, a lightweight version of its operating system specifically geared toward classrooms. The platform only supports applications from the Microsoft Store to reduce the risk of malware infections and has a slimmed-down feature set that improves power efficiency. At the same time, Windows 10 S is still powerful enough to run Office 365, which is the other focus of today’s update.
Microsoft announced several upcoming updates to the Education Edition of the productivity suite that are meant to ease learning. For students, the company is adding a new dictation feature to ease writing and an update to Minecraft: Education Edition that will enable them to carry out virtual chemistry experiments. It has also partnered with textbook giant Pearson PLC to develop learning materials for the Windows Mixed Reality headsets.
Teachers are set to receive several new tools, too. Microsoft plans to integrate OneNote with popular student assessment platforms, release mobile versions of its Teams chat service and introduce the ability to create prerecorded presentations in PowerPoint.
Google is likewise investing heavily in developing new learning tools to maintain its position. Plus, the search giant’s education efforts go beyond the K-12 level. Last week, Google debuted an online training program that promises to help aspiring techies become qualified technical support professionals over the course of eight to 12 months.
Image: Microsoft
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