If you’ve read this blog post, you should know that I’m part of the my school’s FMS program, which requires we students to get Macbooks. Of course, the school self-proclaims itself that they are the only one that does this type of program in the region. Because, as we all know, bringing a Windows laptop to school for study counts for nothing.
There are actually a few problems which must be ironed out before we actually see the sci-fi classroom everyone imagines about. Here are a few of the main issues the school must tackle.
1. Games
You would think games are non-existent on the Mac, right? Well, you are wrong! With the rapid increase of Mac games, students has plethora of games to play. Right now as I’m sitting here, almost everyone is playing games. How would a completely windows computer work in a class like that? Don’t forget boot camp. There are plenty people running windows(which is against the rules), and the guy in front of me is playing Mousehunt.
The games are rampant. Mousehunt, for example, is played everyday, and even in class, people secretly take their Macbooks out to sound the horn. It’s like playing a Rubik’s cube behind your table, but this time, is a huge fricking computer you are trying to hide.
Recess or lunch break? LAN. Lessons? Keep on sounding the horn. It’s a non-stop cycle.
Ok, I admit it. I blog, tweet, and Facebook during the school curriculum. But I find that all these make me more productive. According to a study, it’s proven that those who surf Facebook and YouTube at work are often more productive.
2. Surveillance
Remote desktops have been around for a while, and it’s being used in almost every company. However, because this school has one hand on Apple’s shoulder, the Californian-based tech giant gave them one of the worst remote desktops of the generation. For those who don’t know what’s remote desktops all about, they are programs designed to track other computers, most of the time giving you direct control to that computer via screen sharing.
Guess what? Apple’s remote desktop cannot track WINDOWS. Thus, the real hardcore which are gaming cannot be caught. Another issue is that people are modifying their settings so it can’t be seen. Of course, the school raids the class once in a blue moon, so those people rarely get caught.
3. The Costs
Most of you should know the cost of laptops. Forget using netbooks, it’s just simply too small and clumsy to use. So, we get stuck with mid-level laptops, costing around SGD $2000. Now throw in all the essentials, it becomes SGD $2400. Of course, a fun fact is my Mac came with a low quality EHD (external hard disk) which is now corrupted. In fact, that was automatically bundled into the package. $100 more for Ishop! Then give me a stupid anti-theft software which you cant even change the password without emailing them, another $50! Now add in Microsoft Office, and you get a grand total of $400 extra!
Well, my school isn’t a private one, and it’s government-aided (almost every school is in Singapore). The government helps out with most of the school fees, and we get an “edusave” fund, whereby we have a small account the government puts money in, and use it for school-related stuff, like a bowling ball you need for extracurricular activities.
My point is, even if you’re poor, your basic education is pretty much covered, and parents sometimes may not be that rich to drop 2.4 thousand Singapore Dollars for a laptop. It may be half of the parent’s monthly wages, or worst, almost all.
We also know how much corporations love money. Apple is no exception, neither is Microsoft. They will not easily give in to schools. Let’s face it, the school has a budget to keep to, and can’t keep on dropping bombshells on Airport Routers for every classrooms. An Apple Airport cost S$286, and a classroom needs at least 2. There are 9 classes for each level, and 4 levels. In total, the school requires $20,000 for just the infrastructure. What’s more is that it’s pretty impossible for Apple to sell them to schools for anything less then $200.
Did I mention the monitor of a Mac cost SGD$1177 to replace if broken? Many monitors has been broken in school.
The school still has a llllooooonnnnnngggg way to go before it is the paradise people think about. But its a huge first step. Now, if they can stop shooting themselves in the foot whenever they take a step forward….