As I'm sure all of you already know, tomorrow is Apple's highly anticipated education event, and many are expecting a new, more affordable iPad. However, it seems Google is attempting to beat Apple to the punch. This morning, the company announced its very first Chrome OS tablet, complete with educational focus.
Called the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, the tablet features the same operating system as its already-established line of Chrome OS laptops, desktops, convertibles, and all-in-ones and is aesthetically similar to existing Android tablets on the market. Like with other Chromebooks, users of the Tab 10 will have access to a wide variety of native and Android apps, including those for note-taking, browsing, illustrating and creating, reading, learning, and more.
Specs-wise, the Tab 10 has a 9.7-inch, 2048 x 1536 display, just like the iPad's. It also boasts a pretty impressive battery life — around nine hours — just like other Chromebooks, and features a fairly powerful OP1 processor. In addition, users will get 32GB of native storage, 4GB of RAM, Bluetooth 4.1, and 2×2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi.
Externally, the Tab 10 has a 2 megapixel front-facing camera, a 5 megapixel rear-facing camera, a USB-C port, a microSD card slot for storage expansion, and a headphone jack. Perhaps coolest of all, it comes with a Wacom EMR stylus that you can stow right in the body of the tablet, and unlike the Apple Pencil (which costs an additional $99 on top of the cost of the iPad), it doesn't need charging, so you can whip it out and use it whenever.
Though Google's new tablet will cost the same as an introductory-level iPad at $329, it may have a leg up on Apple education-wise. Chrome OS devices are already pretty widely used in schools due to their affordability, ease of use, and powerful cloud management capabilities. Plus, having stylus support with a stylus that's built right in is a pretty attractive prospect no matter what you're using the device for, and would cut costs even more in situations where a writing or drawing utensil is necessary.
The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is expected to officially launch in North America in April, and will be expanding to the rest of the world in May.
Thoughts?
Do you feel that the new Chrome OS tablet has what it takes to combat with Apple? Debate freely in the comments!
