Tech Trends

Report: Apple Device Adoption Increasing in K-12 Education

• By Leila Meyer
• 12/09/15

Adoption of Mac and iPad devices is increasing in K-12 education, driven primarily by the app ecosystem and user preference, according to a new report from JAMF Software.

The report, "2015 Survey: Managing Apple Devices in Education," is based on the results of JAMF Software's second annual survey of IT professionals in K-12 education organizations.

The report attributes the growth in popularity of Macs and iPads in the classroom to "Apple’s rich app ecosystem, overall appeal and user preference, native security features, and the reduction of overall costs associated with device maintenance."

Key findings from the report:

• 94 percent of respondents said their schools support Mac computers, while 89 percent support PCs and 36 percent support Chromebooks;
• 97 percent of respondents said their schools support iPads, while 35 percent support Android tablets and 32 percent support Windows tablets;
• K-12 respondents reported an increase in the usage of Mac (42 percent) and iPad (36 percent) in 2015;
• 61 percent of respondents said Mac is easier to manage than other computer platforms and 67 percent said iPad is easier to manage than other tablets; and
• 77 percent of respondents said Mac is more secure than other computer platforms and 80 percent said iPad is more secure than other tablets.

The report is based on a September 2015 survey of nearly 500 IT professionals and managers from K-12 school districts around the world.

The reports are available as free PDF downloads from the JAMF Software site.