[ad_1]
Apple @ Work is brought to you by Kandji, the MDM solution designed exclusively for organizations running Apple. Kandji is a modern cloud-based platform for centrally managing and securing your Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV devices, saving IT teams countless hours of manual labor with features like as one-click compliance templates and over 150 pre-built automations, applications and workflows. Request access.
As we continue with our back to basics series of Apple device management, choosing the right devices is certainly an important part of the process. This week, I’m going to take a look at the different devices in Apple’s hardware lineup and make recommendations on which ones are ideal for your Apple K-12 and enterprise deployments.
About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been managing a corporate IT network since 2009. With his experience in deploying and managing firewalls, switches, mobile device management system, professional Wi-Fi, of hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will highlight the ways in which Apple IT managers deploy Apple devices, create networks to support them, train users, stories from the trenches of IT management and ways in which Apple could improve its products for IT services.
The best Mac for K-12 and business
At the time of publication, the best Mac for K-12 and enterprise deployments is the M1 MacBook Air. Going forward, I don’t advise schools or businesses to buy non-Apple silicone laptops until you have a specific requirement like virtualization that isn’t fully ready yet.
Macbook Air
The M1 MacBook Air was the Apple 9to5Mac Product of the Year in 2020, and when I was describing why, I said the following:
I have been using Mac since 2005 when I bought the PowerBook G4. It was the only PowerPC computer I owned because Intel’s transition would happen a few years later. In my lifetime, I can only count on a handful of technological transitions that have seemed like real breakthroughs: Wi-Fi, SSDs, and Apple Silicon.
In just a few short weeks with the M1 laptop, I can say that I had no idea that a laptop’s battery life could achieve these results while still being so powerful. For those who wanted Apple to release a Netbook for ultra-portability, they finally did. Apple Silicon is as important to Apple’s future as any consumer product they’ve released in their history.
For the majority of customers, the original MacBook Air will deliver enough power. Unless you have specific reasons to upgrade to 16GB, I wouldn’t recommend it when buying wholesale. 8 GB of RAM on Apple Silicon works very differently than 8 GB of RAM on an Intel laptop.
The main question will be the storage needs specific to each organization. Apple offers a Special Edition when buying in bulk that starts at $ 799 and only includes 128GB of storage.
For my purposes, that won’t be enough, but for many organizations that rely on cloud services, 128GB will be enough. You can upgrade to 256GB for just $ 100 more, and when buying a computer for personal use, it’s an easy choice. If you buy hundreds and potentially thousands of laptops at once, saving $ 100 on each one can add up to a considerable amount.
Mac mini
For the desktop, I would recommend the Apple Silicon Mac mini as it is the only desktop Mac with the M1 chip. Until Apple moves the iMac to Apple Silicon, I would only advise buying the Mac mini. The same advice for RAM and storage follows here for this computer as well.
The best iPad for K-12 and enterprise deployments
The iPad lineup is a much more difficult discussion to have compared to the Mac. With the Mac it’s either Apple Silicon / M1 or nothing, in my opinion. On the iPad, there are several device options to suit your needs.
“Ordinary iPad”
The 10.2 ″ iPad is Apple’s cheapest iPad, and it’s reduced to $ 299 for schools and businesses for the 32GB Wi-Fi model. If you need an iPad for mobility (hospital, retail, etc.) is the perfect iPad. It will likely be supported for another six years with iOS updates. It also includes support for the first generation Apple Pencil.
iPad Air with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil
The next step from here would be the iPad Air. Since it’s almost double the cost of the 10.2-inch iPad, I would recommend this device only for K-12 and enterprise deployments if it’s the only device you’re deploying and you need support for Apple Magic Keyboard and second generation Apple Pencil. . Adding these products certainly increases the cost, but they turn the iPad into a device that rivals the functionality of a Mac.
Do you need AppleCare?
AppleCare is a frequent question I get about corporate wholesale purchases and Kindergarten to Grade 12. For cheaper items like a MacBook Air, Mac mini, or iPad, I generally don’t recommend buying AppleCare. When buying roughly 100 base MacBook Air models (sold in sets of five) in bulk, the total rises to almost $ 77,900 depending on the discount Apple is giving your organization. I base my numbers on the company’s education prices. AppleCare for these computers would cost over $ 24,000.
Instead of purchasing AppleCare, an organization could actually purchase 25 additional MacBook Airs to keep as spare parts for repairs not covered by the initial one-year warranty. Statically, most organizations won’t see a 25% break rate after the first year. Even if an organization doesn’t want to buy additional laptops, it can easily have a repair budget to use in case the machines get damaged.
Recap the best Apple devices for K-12 and enterprise deployments
When considering the needs of your organization and deciding on the best Apple devices for K-12 and corporate deployments, it’s important to consider how each upgrade will affect your budget. As I mentioned earlier, an additional savings of $ 100 per machine can add up when purchasing hundreds of thousands of devices. Keep in mind that you will always need to purchase accessories such as additional chargers, holsters, etc., so factor this into your budgeting process.
FTC: We use automatic income generating affiliate links. After.
Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more information on Apple:
[ad_2]
Source link