Best Apple Devices for K-12 and Enterprise Deployments

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As we continue our “back to the basics” series of Apple device management, choosing the right devices is certainly an important part of the process. This week I’ll be reviewing the various devices in Apple’s hardware range and making recommendations on which ones are ideal for your K-12 and Apple business deployments.

About Apple @ Work: Bradley Chambers has been running a business IT network since 2009. Through his experience deploying and managing firewalls, switches, a mobile device management system, enterprise-class Wi-Fi, hundreds of Macs and hundreds of iPads, Bradley will point out ways Apple IT executives deploy Apple devices, build networks to drive them. support, educate users, stories from the trenches of IT management, and ways Apple could improve its products for IT departments.

The best Mac for K-12 and enterprises

Apple @ Work: Best Apple devices for K-12 and enterprise deployments

As of publication, the M1 MacBook Air is the best Mac for K-12 and business deployments. Going forward, I don’t recommend that schools or businesses buy non-Apple silicon laptops unless you have a specific requirement, such as virtualization, that is not quite ready.

MacBook Air

The M1 MacBook Air was the 9to5Mac Apple Product of the Year in 2020, and when I described why I said the following:

I’ve been a Mac user since 2005 when I bought the PowerBook G4. That was the only PowerPC computer I owned since Intel’s transition happened a few years later. In my lifetime, I can count on just a handful of technological transitions that have felt like real breakthroughs: Wi-Fi, solid-state drives, and Apple Silicon.

In just a few weeks with the M1 laptop, I can say I never knew a laptop’s battery life could achieve these results while remaining so powerful. For those folks who wanted Apple to release a netbook for ultra portability, they finally did. Apple Silicon is just as important to Apple’s future as any consumer product they have released in their history.

For the majority of customers, the standard MacBook Air provides sufficient power. Unless you have specific reasons to upgrade to 16 GB, I wouldn’t recommend it for large purchases. 8 GB RAM on Apple Silicon performs very differently from 8 GB RAM on an Intel laptop.

The main question is the storage requirements that are unique to each organization. Apple offers a special edition when purchased in bulk that starts at $ 799 and includes only 128 GB of storage.

That won’t be enough for my needs, but for many organizations that rely on cloud services, 128 GB will be enough. You can go up to 256 GB for just $ 100 more, and buying a computer for personal use is an easy choice. Buying hundreds and possibly thousands of laptops at once, saving $ 100 on each laptop can go a long way.

Mac mini

For 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 recommend buying the Mac mini. The same advice for RAM and storage follow here for this computer too.

The best iPad for K-12 and business deployments

The iPad lineup is a much more difficult discussion compared to the Mac. With the Mac, it is Apple Silicon / M1 or nothing in my opinion. On the iPad, multiple device options will meet your needs.

‘Regular iPad’

The 10.2 ″ iPad is Apple’s cheapest iPad, discounted $ 299 for the 32GB Wi-Fi model for schools and businesses. If you need an iPad for mobility (hospital, shop, etc.), this is the perfect iPad. It will likely be supported with iOS updates for another six years. It also includes support for the first generation Apple Pencil.

iPad Air with Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil

The next step up would be the iPad Air. Since it is nearly double the cost of the 10.2 ″ iPad, I would only recommend this device for K-12 and business deployments if it is the only device you are deploying and needs support for the Apple Magic Keyboard and the second generation Apple Pencil. Adding these products certainly adds to the cost, but they turn the iPad into a device that rivals the functionality of a Mac.

Do you need AppleCare?

AppleCare is a frequently asked question I get about large enterprises and K-12 purchases. I generally advise against purchasing AppleCare for cheaper items such as a MacBook Air, Mac mini or an iPad. When we consider a bulk purchase of 100 base-model MacBook Airs (sold in packs of five), the total comes to nearly $ 77,900, depending on the discount Apple offers your organization. I base my grades on the company’s education fees. AppleCare for these computers would cost more than $ 24,000.

Rather than buying AppleCare, an organization could actually buy another 25 MacBook Airs to keep as spare parts in the event of repairs not covered by the original one-year warranty. Statically, most organizations will not see a 25% fraction rate after the first year. Even if an organization doesn’t want to buy additional laptops, they can easily have a repair budget in case machines get damaged.

Seal yourself off on the best Apple devices for K-12 and business deployments

When considering the needs of your organization and deciding the best Apple devices for K-12 and enterprise deployments, it’s important to consider how each upgrade will impact your budget. As I mentioned earlier, an additional $ 100 in savings per machine can go a long way when buying hundreds of thousands of devices. Keep in mind that you’ll still need to buy accessories such as extra chargers, cases, etc., so keep that in mind during your budgeting process.