Apple's Schoolwork 2.0 app is coming soon, with distance-learning focus [u]

There is a niche for something that is simpler than the Blackboard/Canvas level and more robust than Google.  Google still has that bug where a student can "submit" an empty entry in an assignment that uses attached documents.  It started life as a wrapper for their docs and has progressed little.  Any solutions should be BYOC (credentials) so you do not need to tie to a doc ecosystem or OS.  Also, universal interop LMS<>SMS would be nice.  Right now it's mostly carting csv files around.  Seems like a small thing until you need to do that at the end of the term for lotsa students and courses.  

GeorgeBMac said:

I'm glad to see them rolling this out.   But I fear that they may be showing up too late for the party:   Microsoft and Google have pretty much captured the school market with combinations of cheap hardware and (at least partially) effective software that has been developed, implemented and used by the majority of schools.   Teachers and school districts are not going to quickly abandon something they have invested time, money and extensive training in.   (And the training is not just for school IT personnel but for teachers, students and even parents).

Apple will need to provide a very compelling case to break into that market at this point.

The current pandemic has demonstrated that, despite apparent market dominance, Google’s offerings have been poorly deployed and understood by teaching staff.  Perhaps it’s bad product design (the usual culprit) but something is definitely lacking which gives Apple an opportunity. That said, I know supposedly iPad-based schools which try to use Google services and wonder why things don’t work well - completely blind to tech-politics.  

I can’t vouch for schools but Microsoft-based businesses I work with are similarly uncommitted with cursory implementations of SharePoint beyond recreating network drives and most really wishing they’d implemented InTune/Autopilot for digital onboarding.

whilst Google & MS have market dominance there’s definitely an opportunity for Apple to deliver better products, services and CX in both business and education.  Good luck to them.

Y’know, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch for Apple to extend the capabilities of this app to turn it into a project management and scheduling app for businesses. Just a little more tweaking and they’d have a “WFH” (Work From Home) solution.

mcdave said:

GeorgeBMac said:

I'm glad to see them rolling this out.   But I fear that they may be showing up too late for the party:   Microsoft and Google have pretty much captured the school market with combinations of cheap hardware and (at least partially) effective software that has been developed, implemented and used by the majority of schools.   Teachers and school districts are not going to quickly abandon something they have invested time, money and extensive training in.   (And the training is not just for school IT personnel but for teachers, students and even parents).

Apple will need to provide a very compelling case to break into that market at this point.

The current pandemic has demonstrated that, despite apparent market dominance, Google’s offerings have been poorly deployed and understood by teaching staff.  Perhaps it’s bad product design (the usual culprit) but something is definitely lacking which gives Apple an opportunity. That said, I know supposedly iPad-based schools which try to use Google services and wonder why things don’t work well - completely blind to tech-politics.  

I can’t vouch for schools but Microsoft-based businesses I work with are similarly uncommitted with cursory implementations of SharePoint beyond recreating network drives and most really wishing they’d implemented InTune/Autopilot for digital onboarding.

whilst Google & MS have market dominance there’s definitely an opportunity for Apple to deliver better products, services and CX in both business and education.  Good luck to them.

Yeh,  I'm sure that Google & Microsoft have left lots of room for quality products to step into the cyber world -- not only for schools but for business and healthcare.

I think all three industries:  education, business and healthcare have been irrevocably altered toward remote and cyber paradigms.

-- In education, I see cyberschooling becoming an integral part of education and complimenting classroom, in person, learning.  It can be both better & cheaper.

-- In healthcare, telemedicine offers an opportunity to better serve underserved areas and populations.  It also unchains patients from dependence on local providers while potentially reducing costs significantly (although the healthcare industry always finds ways to increase costs)

-- In business places like FaceBook have already committed to largely remote workforces.   Facebook has told qualified workers they can leave the San Francisco area and pretty much live and work wherever they want.

All of that has opened a lot of doors to technical solutions.   But, AWS, Microsoft and Google are already well established in those areas.  Will Apple be able to both catch-up and break in?    It will, I think, be hard.  But, if they can do it, there is immense, long-term opportunity waiting for them.   Essentially, it is the future.