Is the total cost of ownership (TCO) of iPad much higher than other tablets?
The cost of ownership of tablets for schools is not only about the upfront cost. There are various costs associated with management of devices on an ongoing basis, right up to the resale of devices for upgradation of technology, which is inevitable in a few years.
Here we compare the total cost of ownership of iPads with other tablets.
Upfront cost
Tablets come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and qualities, but the good quality devices are not much cheaper than iPad. Having said that, the upfront investment in Apple devices is high.
Apps and Content
Most essential iPad apps are free and beautiful (Pages, Numbers, Keynote, iMovie). The quality and usability of paid apps is usually better than similar Android or Windows apps. Apple’s App Store has over 180,000 educational apps. Many of them are paid apps, but the average quality is better and a lot of them make fantastic learning tools.
Curriculum
Schools can use one of the several good Learning Management Systems (LMS) available in India. With iPad, they can also deploy their own content with an LMS like iGnite, which is a more affordable solution. This brings down recurring costs, and allows schools to continue teaching in their own style.
Security & Privacy
Security and privacy management is a significant cost for organizations which rely on technology. As compared to Android and Windows hardware, Apple devices are built to be more secure, and apps are verified by Apple which reduces the risk of malware. This makes Apple devices less vulnerable to security risks, thereby lowering costs associated with security measures, and resolution of malware, viruses and other security issues.
Usage training costs
New users find Apple devices much simpler to use. Native apps are easy to learn, and other iPad apps are quite smooth too. Besides, there are fewer bugs and tech issues, which makes Apple devices much more user friendly. All this brings down the cost of training. At the same time, Apple has a well developed Teacher Training Program, which ensures that teachers can hit the ground running.
Deployment & Management
Apple School Manager is a free service that helps with quick, simple and cost-effective deployment of even thousands of devices at once. There are some great Mobile Device Managers (MDM) which can help schools and teachers manage device easily. Android device management is not as streamlined and requires more manpower, time, training and resources – all of which are expensive. Similarly, data backups and restore, reassignment of devices, sharing of devices, etc are significantly less resource intensive in iPads and Macs.
Day to day issues like password resets, etc. also form a significant part of ongoing costs. Apple Device Manager makes it easy to manager such requests remotely in a streamlined, systematic manner, bringing down associated costs.
Repair & Maintenance
iPads have very low maintenance requirements as compared to other tabs. The new iPad screen is much more durable. Devices are covered under Apple’s warranty and enjoy a low failure rate of under 1%. The operating system is much more stable and there are rarely any issues. If and when there are issues, you can rely on Apples strong service network and enterprise repair programs to ensure proper resolution, including free pickup and delivery of devices. Thus, the IT costs of maintaining iPads is much lower than of most other devices.
Resale
Most devices requires upgrade every few years, as old technology becomes obsolete. Hence, it is important to evaluate the resale cost of devices before investing in them. iPad is a clear winner here as its resale value after 4 years is substantial, while that of other tabs is negligible. This brings down the Total Cost of Ownership of Apple devices much lower than most comparable devices.
Leasing
It is useful to note here that often leasing of devices turns out to be a much better option than outright purchase. Some of the advantages of leasing include potential tax saving by way of writing off rentals faster and reduced tax outflow, freeing up of capital that would be invested in depreciating assets, and reduced risk related to out of warranty devices and disposal/resale at the time of technology upgrade.
Leasing also allows schools to upgrade to better technology like the iPad, rather than having to compromise with less efficient learning tools. There are various specialised service providers like Rent Alpha which help large organisations with custom designed leasing solutions, including eventual buyout of devices.