Usable keyboard, multiple logins, gDocs collaboration, low replacement cost, etc etc etc.
The fact that the iWorks collaboration was highlighted in an education talk tells me a lot.
Kits like Osmo are a great example of this.
iPads are great for certain purposes like the Osmo. They're a relative failure when it comes to typing up a book report or creating a group slide presentation.
Osmo, one of the best and most funded education software startups, doesn't even make Android versions.
Probably the higher up you get the less students are using "educational software" and more just common productivity programs and I'd suspect the gap between platforms fades away there for general purpose reports, presentations, etc.
Given that advanced CAD software nowadays run inside a browser, I think the chromebooks will work just fine even the higher up you go.
I think they did the right choice, in this context chromebooks are significantly better than tablets, phones or even "real" laptops.
The iPads had iWorks pre-installed, so I imagine they'll be using this feature.
If they had forced us to "learn to code" in kindergarten I would probably be a truck driver now.
This idea that every kid must learn to code is stupid and harmful.
These are definitely not the best laptops Lenovo has designed. Pretty much the bulkiest 11" laptop you can buy with the worst display, the worst keyboard I have ever touched and the crappy battery life and the fan noise are legendary...
But in the end, both were better than anything I had when I grove up. So yeah, basically "kids today..."
There have been issues with the touchpad as well, although my daughter's has been fine.
So, yes I wish they used Chromebooks. We could at least just buy a new one, log in, and have everything there ready to go.
One of the biggest problems with Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's laptop division is their constant dilution of the ThinkPad name. Initially, in the first few years after the acquisition, Lenovo introduced a line of budget devices under the 'E' series and these were not marked with the ThinkPad identity because they were of significantly poorer construction and did not come with the same warranty and service options. In the years since, though, they've started slapping the ThinkPad name on these and a number of new low-cost product lines.
In practice, it's only really a ThinkPad if them model number starts with a T, W, or X. Unfortunately Lenovo itself is working hard to eliminate this distinction, positioning ThinkPad as another Dell or HP instead of as a high-end enterprise and luxury product line.
I've had a bunch of ThinkPads over the years and two are still in use.
I have a T520 that I now use basically as a terminal. It's a very creaky, heavy, machine that never gave me more than about 3 hours of battery, and the keyboard was terrible. But it sits there and keeps working (I use an external keyboard, monitor, and mouse).
I also have a ThinkPad Yoga 12.5. I really like the keyboard, but again the battery life isn't weak (4 hours). I occasionally think about getting something a little bigger, but the small size is pretty nice for traveling.
You buy thinkpad for the great keyboard the red-dot-whatsitsname-thingy. And the fact that it can stop bullets. But not for the battery life.
Too little too late. Our switch to chromebooks took place last year and the planning probably started a year or so before that.
I also don't see where iOS' "Shared iPad" feature lets you log in to any iPad anywhere like a Google Apps account would.
You can certainly log into any iPad in the school.
Regarding other devices, AFAICT you log into Shared iPad with a 'Managed Apple ID', which you could probably also log into on icloud.com or use natively from personal Apple devices you have, though since macOS and iOS currently only support one iCloud account configured at a time (per user account in the former case) the utility would be limited, as you'd probably also have a personal Apple ID.
If for no other reason, that Google Apps is the default office suite on Chromebooks, Google Apps for Education is free, and Google Classroom is included with that. Most schools don't have much in the way of a technology budget, so they win by default.