I C T M AT T E R S
THE RISE OF REFURB
TECHNO GEEK The Rise of the Refurb
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Year on year, as budgets in schools shrink and costs rise, it becomes harder to maintain an up-to-date and reliable estate of IT devices. This month, NIGEL MILLIGAN investigates the rise of refurb and why it may be a good option for you
he subject of device selection has always been quite contentious, as many IT providers prefer schools to stay with onsite Windows Servers with Windows desktops and laptops in use for teachers and students. Many of these lower cost Windows devices need to be changed every three years. Over the last 16 years I have actively encouraged schools to think out of the box and look at alternatives. The most recent alternative ideas are to seriously consider buying refurbished devices rather than new. APPLE IPAD Let’s start with Apple’s iPad - a popular choice for many schools who have realised that this device is a fantastic alternative to traditional laptops in many ways. The main point to keep in mind with iPad is the Operating System, iPadOS. iPads are excellent in supporting the latest versions of iPadOS for many years before rendering an iPad useless. For example, the
latest Apps for iPad now require a minimum OS version of iPadOS15 or later. This means that the oldest iPad at this time that supports that version is the iPad Air 2 first released in 2014. As you can see, that’s a 10-year-old device which is still more than capable of supporting the apps you use in school. The main issues with devices of that age are usually the limited storage of 16gb that many of them had as standard or the batteries failing. The longest time I would suggest keeping an iPad in general use would be six years to support the latest iPad OS version. You can keep them another year or two longer if the budget is so bad. Hopefully from this introductory explanation you will see where I am heading! This year there are many 32gb 8th Generation iPads coming available from ex lease/rental programmes in schools etc. The cost to buy these - complete with a case and a warranty - can be anywhere around £120 +VAT per device, and it’s best to shop around various refurbished resellers. This is less than half the cost of a new iPad. The 8th generation iPad should be capable of running the latest version of iPad OS for at least another 3 years. At these lower prices it shows how quickly you could head towards a 1:1 roll out. CHROMEBOOKS The next option is Chromebooks. New Chromebooks vary on price but on average, with a new Google Management licence assigned, come in at around £275+VAT each. Google has had an amazing option available for free for some time now called Google Flex. This is a simple upgrade option for old Windows or Mac computers (Desktop or Laptop) which converts them into a Chromebook.
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September/October 2024