IT News on October 2nd: Technology media AppleInsider reported yesterday (October 1st) that, against the backdrop of soaring memory prices, Google Chromebook's advantage in the US education market is gradually diminishing. Some school districts in Texas, USA, have switched to using Apple MacBook Neo and iPad.

The report indicates that the Board of Education of the Beaumont Independent School District in Texas has approved a four-year lease agreement totaling $11.19 million ($IT Note: Current exchange rate is approximately 75.136 million RMB) for the purchase of 14,585 Apple devices. The school district expects to pay about $2.8 million (current exchange rate is approximately 18.801 million RMB) per year to replace the outdated equipment currently in use by teachers and students.

The agreement includes 4,085 units of iPad for use by students from preschool to grade two; 9,500 units of MacBook Neo are allocated to older students; and an additional 1,000 units of MacBook Neo are distributed to teachers in the school district.

Deputy Superintendent Rachel Hara pointed out that the current main equipment in the school district is Chromebook. Hara stated that the difficulty of maintaining these devices is increasing, and the unit cost for replacing some parts exceeds $100 (which is approximately 671.5 yuan at the current exchange rate).

Nearly two-thirds of the equipment in this school district has exceeded its recommended service life. Last year, there were over 6,600 repairs, and the cumulative cost of repairs and support over several reporting periods amounted to nearly $470,000 (which is approximately 3.156 million RMB at current exchange rates). After comparing this school district's equipment with models from MacBook Neo, Lenovo, and ASUS, it was determined that Apple's solution results in lower total costs over a four-year period.