14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft continues its education offensive with very affordable hardware, and today it announced a series of new Windows 10 devices that are specifically aimed at schools looking to modernize their IT infrastructure with the company’s latest operating system and models taking advantage of it.
In a blog post announcing the company’s refreshed education offensive, Microsoft also points to new Windows 10 devices that would soon become available for educators, all of which created with hardware partners that previously launched laptops running the OS.
While the company doesn’t provide too many specifics on these devices, it does say that the Lenovo 100e, which is a laptop powered by Intel Celeron Apollo Lake, will be sold for $189 in the United States, while the upgraded Lenovo 300e will have a price of $279. The latter model, however, comes with a 2-in-1 form factor with pen support.
JP is also joining Microsoft’s education initiative with two devices, namely the Classmate Leap T303 laptop that integrates Windows Hello support and is sold for $199, and the Trigono V401 2-in-1 with pen and touch whose price starts at $299.
Minecraft updates, cheaper HoloLens
Microsoft has more news for educators, including a free Chemistry Update for Minecraft: Education Edition that will add a series of improvements for existing customers.
“[It] will enable teachers to use the familiar world of Minecraft and game-based learning to engage students of all ages in chemistry. Through hands-on experimentation, students can learn everything from building compounds to more difficult topics like stable isotopes,” Microsoft says.
And that’s not all. Microsoft has also announced improvements on the Mixed Reality front, with education company Pearson to invest in headsets and the HoloLens. Microsoft will also discount HoloLens for schools by 10 percent, the company said.
These efforts are supposed to help Microsoft remain one of the leaders in the education sector, which has lately become a top priority for other companies as well, including Google.
