14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent feature article written by Jack Kenny for The Times Eductational Supplement (TES), the author is talking about the platform of choice for schools in the Isle of Man.
The article highlights many of the key concepts that make Apple computers the preferred choice for teachers and students, however the most interesting and baffling part of the article is the part where support and maintenance for the computers is discussed.
"To be honest our technical issues are limited. The hardware is very reliable and general failure rates are very low. The hardware failures I see are down to wear and tear. My personal view is that it's down to good build quality and the tight integration of hardware and software. Each computer is robust and well designed for its purpose. We have a very high percentage of machines that have been in the field for 2 or 3 years and never had to be repaired by an engineer! This says it all. We never have compatibility issues with hardware and software," said Graham Kinrade, school improvement adviser at the Isle of Man Department of Education, who is responsible for technical issues across the island.
The above quote may not seem like much, but when looked at in light of the number of machines that are being supported, it speaks volumes about the way Apple makes its computers. Graham Kinrade is responsible for 3,900 client computers (desktop and laptop), as well as 115 servers, 40 networks, 300 wireless access points (Apple Base Stations) and numerous other pieces of equipment. This is all done with just two technicians.
The Total cost of Ownership (TCO) has often been invoked as a counter argument to the statement that Macs cost much more than other similarly configured PCs, but never has it been as clear as this.