Microsoft announces seven new low-cost Windows 10 devices for education, and a new Classroom Pen
Chromebooks have found a welcoming home in the education section, muscling in on what has traditionally been Windows territory. Naturally, Microsoft is fighting back, and at this year’s annual BETT conference in London, it announced that 1 million Windows 10 devices are being used by students in K-12 and higher education every month.
The software giant also took the opportunity to introduce a raft of new Windows 10 devices aimed at students, including two brand new 2-in1 devices from Acer and Lenovo that are priced from under $300.
Making the announcement, Microsoft says:
With Windows 10 devices, schools can get the best prices without having to compromise on features like inking. Inking in particular has proven to increase student scores by as much as 38 percent, compared to only using a keyboard. These devices are also a great way to use our free accessibility technology like Learning Tools in Office 365, which has been shown to improve reading comprehension by 10 percentile points for students of all abilities. Plus, with S Mode for Windows 10, schools can reduce the risk of bloatware and speed up boot times, improve battery life and enjoy better device performance.
The seven new devices showcased today are:
- Lenovo 100e -- Priced from $189
- Lenovo 300e (2-in-1) -- Priced from $289
- Lenovo 14w -- Priced from $299
- Acer TravelMate B1(B118-M) -- Priced from $215
- Acer TravelMate Spin B1 (B118-R/RN) -- Priced from $299
- Acer TravelMate B1-114 -- Priced from $319
- Dell Latitude 3300 for Education -- Priced from $299
-
- Acer TravelMate B1-114
-
- Dell Latitude 3300 for Education
-
- Acer TravelMate B1(B118-M)
-
- Acer TravelMate Spin B1 (B118-R/RN)
-
- Lenovo 100e
-
- Lenovo 300e
-
- Lenovo 14w
The Lenovo 300e 2-in-1 comes with a garaged stylus, but if the stylus gets lost, students can write on the screen with a regular No. 2 graphite pencil.
The new devices are available to browse here.
Microsoft is also introducing the Classroom Pen, an all-new pen designed specifically with K-8 students and schools in mind, that has been optimized for use with Surface Go. It features a durable, hardened pen tip and a replacement tip for each pen included in the box. Plus, a built-in slot at the end for tethering to students’ device cases, so it doesn’t get lost.
This new pen will be available exclusively to education institutions and sold in packs of 20 for a $799.80 USD (approximately $39.99 per pen). Availability starts next month.