Why we use Macintosh Computers:
The Ashford Board of Education made a decision
after a lengthy study and before the first Macs were purchased
in 1992 to be a Macintosh school. Some of the reasons behind
this decision were as follows:
Although initial purchase price may be more
for a Macintosh than a PC, the cost of ownership is less for
a Mac than a PC if used for multiple years. (And our computers
are used for many,many years.) The costs to maintain Macs
is much lower. In the business world research indicates that
a company must hire 1 tech person for every 50 PC's and 1
for every 120 Mac's. In Ashford School we have 1 part-time
tech person for over 250 Mac's.
Macintosh system operations are easier than
PC. This has become less so since the arrival of Windows OS
but at the time the decision was made, this was extremely
so. Experience has shown that teachers do need a reliable
and easy to use computer in their classroom. If they need
to rely on technical support for each fix or new experience,
the computer will spend long periods of time not being used.
Macintosh, from its beginning, set standards
for hardware and software development. As a result there are
fewer compatibility issues that require advanced technical
troubleshooting in the Mac world. Education software has not
been developed with the huge financial backing that business
software is developed with. Hence schools often find issues
with software compatibility and PC components.
Macintoshes are easy to repair and most repairs
(with the exception of warranty work) are completed by on-site
staff.
Macintosh computers do not have the same virus
and spyware issues that PC computers have. A virus for the
MAC OSX has not been successfully written and propogated.
We save a lot of money in not having to purchase anti-virus
and anti-spyware software for our Macs.
Because of maintenance, repair and support
issues, we continue to be a mostly Macintosh school. Many
years have passed since the original decision to be a Macintosh
School and we have found that experience has supported that
decision.
We have not, however remained an all Macintosh
school. We received a grant to install a PC lab in the Technology
Education area and have 23 PC computers there. All students
use both the Mac and Windows OS while at Ashford. We do believe
that technology is ever-changing and flexibility is critical.
We also have 1 PC for business functions because most of the
business world is on the PC platform.
