By: Tony DePrato | Follow me on Twitter @tdeprato

In 2008, I would have said Apple is the best BYOD solution for any school or family that could afford the platform. Then Apple started to change. I think it could be argued, they quietly have abandoned the education market.

Event the recent iPad and classroom management software changes barely address most of the issues. In fact, in many parts of the world, managing Apps legally and efficiently is not even possible.

Aside from oddly developed apps like Swift Playgrounds, iPad App development eventually falls into two categories:

1. A Focus on Consumer Consumption over Learning
2. A “Make it the way the App Says” Philosophy

There is no ability for students to go beyond the rules of the iPad, to change the rules of the iPad, or to create anything that was not predicted. The iPad experience is shallow compared to the opportunity to take a blank slate, and build it to a specification or idea(like an opportunity found on a laptop/desktop computing platform).

Microsoft has made amazing strides recently. Specifically, Microsoft products such as the Surface.  However, the Surface products are expensive considering their feature set. There are also security issues involved in running Microsoft products. The Microsoft hardware does not reflect the actual cost of ownership, when much of that cost is used for defending the organizational ecosystem.

It is difficult to recommend a Surface product to a family, because they can spend less for an Apple product.

The rest of the market is too fragmented to build a stable long term platform plan. Unless a school directs students to only by a specific make a model every year (and every year it will change), there is no hope to establish a level playing field with BYOD students.

But. Maybe there is hope. An unplanned, and possibly accidental partnership. Google Chromebook + Amazon.

Google has been a big education player for some time. Their services and branded hardware are dependable and flexible. The hardware changes often, but the Chrome OS is consistent.

Chrome OS is a solution for any school that has reliable internet access. Chromebooks can make an excellent hardware platform, yet have some reasonable opposition among many EdTech leaders:

1. The platform cannot run powerful applications like Photoshop, Video Editing Packages, Etc.
2. The platform is slow when working outside the core Google products
3. Chromebooks have one official browser, and are not fully compatible with all websites/applications
4. Although it is possible to code and create software on a Chromebook, the development options are lacking compared to those of a traditional laptop (This is important for schools developing computer science and/or app development curricula.)

What if these four issues were eliminated? Would the Chromebook be a better choice for most BYOD families or for schools buying hardware for students?

Enter Amazon Workspaces.

I tested Amazon Windows 10 Workspaces last year. I liked the experience, but had no reason to use the service. It occurred to me recently that if Amazon Workspaces supported Chrome OS, then I could create a flexible platform for BYOD that used Chromebooks.

Guess what? There is a Workspaces Client and App for Chrome OS.

I have tested this platform for the last 6 weeks using the new Samsung Chromebook and an Apple Laptop. I wanted to compare the performance of the Workspace’s Client service on two hardware platforms. Here is what I have found:

All four issues above were resolved. I even installed Photoshop and used it at the office.

Although Chrome OS is free, Workspaces is not free. They do have a seemingly affordable educational package. The downside to the Chromebook+Amazon combination is the entire process, of getting signed-up and calculating the price, is very convoluted. Amazon for Enterprise Business is mature. Amazon for education seems like a discount coupon, not a well directed initiative.

The next issue is setting up management for the Workspaces. The cost of doing this at scale is currently not clear. The cost is clear online, but the actual bills do not match the flat rates. I regularly ask for my costs to be explained. I send scenarios to people at Amazon to get pricing, and then I wait for the bill. The bill never matches the predictions.

I am close to having what I would consider an affordable and reasonable deployment model for Workspaces with Chromebooks.

Keep in mind with Amazon you pay for what you use. How many schools pay for a campus level licenses for Adobe Creative Cloud, yet only use a fraction of the licenses in any one semester?

How many schools give all students a license for Windows 10, just in case they take one or two courses where Windows is required for the curriculum?

Imagine only paying for what is needed, when it is needed.

Part two of this topic is pending until July, when I receive my next bill. 🙂