14 DAY TRIAL // After using iPads for a while, the Seton Hall University has decided to make the move to Windows 8 because it offers students a great mix between a laptop and a tablet.
According to TabTimes, the private and Catholic New Jersey university has 450 full-time faculty members, 5,200 undergraduates and 4,400 graduate enrollments. All will benefit from Microsoft’s new operating system and tablet device.
Paul Fisher, associate CIO at Seton Hall, said his university decided to go for Microsoft products especially because the school was already using software developed by the Redmond-based technology company, so choosing Windows 8 was the only way to go.
“We were the first institution to deploy 450 Windows tablets to students in June of 2012 and then another 500 or so in September when the Juniors returned to class,” Fisher was quoted as saying by the source.
“With Windows 8 our students have that one device that really joins a laptop and a tablet. The student takes it out of their dock, walks to class, it’s pen-enabled and they can do all the tasks they need to accomplish. They go back to their room and put it in the dock and they have a keyboard and mouse and all the power they need for the 20-page paper they need to write.”
Seton Hall initially used Windows 7 on Samsung Series 7 laptops, but due to a limited touch experience, the university has decided to make the move to a completely touch-optimized platform.
This is the second big win in just a few days for Microsoft, as the company has recently signed a deal with the US Department of Defense to offer its latest products, including Windows 8 and Office 2013, to 75 percent of the personnel.
According to the terms of the deal, the three-year agreement is worth $617 million (€467 million), but it would help the Department save approximately $70 million (€53 million) each year.