Mobile Computing | News

Report: Nearly 1 in 10 K-12 Teachers and Students Worldwide Will Own a Mobile Device by 2017

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 12/10/13

Nearly 10 percent of all K-12 teachers and students will have a mobile device by 2017, according to a new report from Futuresource Consulting. In 2012, just three percent of K-12 teachers and students owned mobile devices, according to the company.

That growth comes, at least in part, at the expense of notebooks and netbooks, which were the devices of choice in K-12 through most of 2012. At the end of last year and through 2013, uptake of tablets "has been enormous," according to Futuresource.

"The range of devices available to educators is manifold, and it's often difficult for governments and educators to know which device offers the biggest benefits to students," said Phil Maddocks, market analyst at Futuresource Consulting, in a prepared statement. "Apple's iPad has been highly successful in K-12 education, particularly in the United States where Apple holds a commanding lead. However, other options are coming to market, such as Android tablets and Google Chromebooks, which are both offering lower cost alternatives to the iPad."

The Americas lead the way in 1-to-1 deployments, with the United States at number one in terms of total number of devices deployed, in part on the strength of large rollouts such as Los Angeles Unified School District's iPad initiative.

Uruguay leads the world in terms of penetration, with more than 80 percent of K-12 teachers and students owning mobile devices in 2012.

Despite that, the company said it expects the Asia-Pacific region to be the leader in K-12 mobile device deployments by 2016.

"In 2013 and 2014, we are seeing significant tender activity in the Asia-Pacific region, with several large volume roll outs such as Uttar Pradesh in India, Chromebook roll outs inMalaysia, as well as a large uptake of tablets in Thailand," said Kate Russell, Futuresource research analyst, in a prepared statement. "In addition, there are several other government funded programs still being discussed, which are yet to deploy. This could further increase the uptake of devices within the Asia-Pacific region."