Greene County renews iBook program
updated 02:55 pm EST, Tue December 20, 2005
School renews iBook lease
Apple has renewed its "breakthrough" one-to-one education program in Greene County, North Carolina. The County Board on Monday voted to from Apple about six months early, saving the company more than $1 million in computer costs, according to The Free Press. The report says that computers' unusually high trade-in value--estimated to bring in $450,000--along with existing wear and tear on the laptops along with a lower drop out rate and bringing technology to its students were the primary motivation to renew the school's lease. Students will receive updated 12-inch iBook notebook computers with Mac OS X Tiger, a faster processor and more memory, while Teachers will receive 12-inch PowerBooks, which include additional software and more sophisticated technology.
The new lease extends the program, but saves the school money: "Greene County Schools still had $1.6 million left to pay in its lease with Apple, with two more years of $800,000 payments. The renegotiated deal adds nearly $1.6 million to that but also saves the system almost as much, said Harvey Gay, Greene County Schools finance officer."
