It’s many years too late IMO but I suppose the economics only made sense once they controlled their own chipset. I imagine doing this in the intel days would have been a far worse choice
The fact that I'm not carrying a +1k USD machine all the time gives me peace of mind
I got the m4 pro when it first got out, but on restrospect I really should have gotten either:
1. A max spec max + 128GB ram for local models. 2. an air with 15 inch for max comfort.
And I settled in the middle regret land.
A few months later, they'd realize it wasn't working out, come back, scream at us, and buy something bigger and faster.
I really liked the MSI one I had, but I knew what I was getting into.
Now we don't really have mass-production netbooks anymore.
It didn't help that those screens weren't particularly good.
"Can it run google classroom, can we lock it down, and is it $300 or less" are the only things that matter.
Some districts (including my local one where I live) are now charging a "tech fee" but given these devices are still mandatory to participate, they don't withhold if they can't collect from the parents, which collection still remains a problem.
Another district near me does a keep your own device program, each student is issued a chromebook and it becomes theirs after they graduate, which seemed to have helped a little bit knowing they have to use that same device for 4 years and it becomes their own after.
edit My own solution would be just make sure the devices can't leave the classroom. Letting kids take them home is a huge part of the problem, but schools are now totally reliant on assignments being done digitally instead of just sending kids home with a textbook and worksheets.
What better way to save than to push that cost out to your students' families, all while selling it as a positive?