Apple lectures Europe on improving IT in education

There was an air of frustration at Europe's reticence to invest ineducational IT at Apple's Education Conference in Brussels last week

It is hard to be upbeat about the yawning gap in IT provision between US and European schools. It's even harder to persuade cash-starved European teachers that investment in technology is worthwhile.

That is unless you are Marco Landi, Apple's chief operating officer.

And Landi did just that in front of some 450 international delegates at Apple's Education Conference in Brussels last week.

'Today, the Americans build more computers than cars. But we have a problem.

In Europe, we are less prepared for the information revolution,' he told the delegates.

The under-resourced education market is hard to crack. But Apple has the edge over rivals because it has invested heavily in a sector which many vendors prefer not to touch.

This year, the company launched two ventures, the Apple/Acorn Exemplar project and the European Apple Classroom of Tomorrow (Acot) initiative - Acot-sponsored schools get free kit, support and training.

Like most educational projects, Acot started as a US research project 10 years ago before finally filtering through to Europe. Around $20m (u12m) has been invested in Acot since 1985.

Apple is currently signing up telecoms, software and hardware companies to form an European Education Task Force. According to Apple's European education director Nigel Turner, this is a collaboration between industry and education, where member companies 'add cash to a pot to fund projects in a bid to prevent individuals struggling along with disparate education projects'. Landi also promised to launch education conferences in all major European countries from next year.

His bullishness was to be expected as the company's annual results are published at the end of this month. So, will Apple break even next year?

'Let's say I'm not unhappy with the results,' answered Landi cautiously.

Apple will unveil a 'educational network computer' in the US at the same time as its annual results. Code-named Shay, it is a compact, robust, and lightweight portable computer for children and students, based on Newton technology.

Larger than a palmtop and smaller than a laptop, it resembles a small black satchel with a handle. It also has a nifty dual stylus pen and keyboard input.

But will parents and schools fork out between $750 and $800 for Shay?

The delegates appeared to be convinced they would as it comes with basic word processing, Internet and email applications.

Shay is now in production in the US, but marketing it in Europe may be troublesome. In the past, Apple has been slow to deliver new products.

Clearly, the company must work quickly to adapt Shay and define its marketing strategy for sceptical Europeans if it is to launch a European version next summer.

While Mac users may not understand the company's unpredictable product strategy, they remain fiercely loyal. Adrian Vranch, academic development manager at the University of Plymouth, said: 'We all hope Apple pulls back into profit. It's what users want, but the company must work hard and listen to its customers.'

Roger Broadie, director at Broadie Associates and education consultant to Apple, called on governments to bridge the US/European IT gap. While Jan Larson, Apple's European general manager, saw the wildly varying syllabuses as a barrier to IT take-up in European schools. 'In Germany, for example, there are problems tailoring software to different regional curricula,' he said.

British film producer David Puttman addressed the delegates via a video link from Labour's conference in Blackpool. He warned that fear of failure was thwarting progress in Europe and that technology was still regarded as a threat to teachers. 'I don't blame teachers for being nervous of technology,' he said. 'They are the battered wives of the economy. But the teachers of the 21st century will be very different.'

Landi reiterated his frustration about Europe's lag behind the US and Japan: 'We don't want to be driving Japanese and US cars on the information superhighway,' he concluded.