What if Steve Jobs started with Apple Education?

"visionary leaders in education with the same innovation, vision, and tenacity that Steve Jobs possessed. "


This is a quote from, visionary, Mike Mathews' article he wrote on a vision he had about Steve Jobs and education, had the two began together

The article can be found here

I want to explore a thought for a second. Apple has staggering statistics in the Consumer market from their top selling iPhone and iPad Lines. No one would argue that these devices have significantly changed the way that we go about our lives.

Since 2007

Apple has sold over 500 million phones.

The Apple App Store has 1.4 million apps.

The Apple App Store has felt 75 billion app downloads. (800 apps are downloaded every second)

Candy Crush is currently the leading revenue generating app in the Apple App Store.

11% of all apps in the store are educational. There are 75,000 educational apps.

Educational apps are not appealing in todays app market. I think that as virtual reality becomes more useful in classrooms that Educational apps will be in the running for most downloads.

Back to the Article.

With respectable influence with applications, Apple could of easily changed education. The adopting of an EPS (Educational Positioning Device) would have become the center of focus for any student or family.

The value of having a device that takes all of your experiences/social media/grades/etc. and tells you who you are and who you could be is a no brainer. It shows clear career direction and suggestions the same way a social network would.

How much time is spent wondering where someone should go to school? What about what career would be best for you or your child? How does one start seeing the path they could go on? The EPS shows the path someone else took and makes it available to anyone so that it can be emulated.

The question remains, what would education look like if it was Apple's main focus?

I think it would look like 

- a more personalized education. 

- virtual reality would be king in k-12 and most college courses

- career counselors would use EPS for all students

- the iPhone would come with an EPS

- flipped classroom design as standard

- gamification as a standard in every work environment

- Google Glass might actually work for consumers since Apple sets the standard

- VR and AR equipped reading

- no more text books 

So what?

As a human living today you owe it to yourself to think how can I make this better? Then pursue change. Then we will see the change in education we want to see.

Comparison of Popular Virtual Reality devices

Comparison of Popular VR Devices

Written by guest writer Brian Boyd

Consumer Virtual Reality has exploded over the past few years, as technology has seemingly caught up with what was expected from the VR craze of the 1990’s.  Currently, it seems as though everybody and their brother is coming out with a new device as people continue to hop on the VR bandwagon.  How can a consumer decide which device is right for them?  Three of the most popular devices today are Gear VR, the Oculus Rift, and Google Cardboard.  In an effort to make the decision for you a little easier, here is a brief comparison of those three devices.

Price: $200 plus cost of the phone (around $700 by itself, or around $300 with a contract)

Field of View: 96 degrees

Display: Super AMOLED 1440P from the Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Pros: Uses the Note 4 as the screen, so it is very mobile.  Easy to use, just strap it on and you’re set to go (no wires!).  Has a built-in trackpad on the device, allowing for easy menu navigation and input.  Speakers on the phone also mean no extra headphones are required.

Cons: Relatively expensive, as the Gear VR device itself is $200.  Still requires the phone to use, not a standalone device.  Distinct lack of content, only available downloads are demos.

Price: $350

Field of View: 100 degrees

Display: 1920x1080 per eye, OLED

Pros: More content available than alternatives, including support from full games and other pieces of software.  Positional tracking with included IR camera allows for moving and tracking within a physical 3D space.  Latency and lag is unnoticeable thanks to a low persistence OLED display.

Cons: Not consumer ready, current purchasable version is a developer kit.  Difficult to set up and use, depending on previous tech experience (easier for some people, hard for the average person).  One of the more expensive options available currently.  No built-in input device, requires keyboard/mouse or Xbox controller for some software.  Room for improvement in terms of specifications, display, eye tracking, etc.  Wired, requires a computer to run software.

Price: Free (downloadable instructions to DIY) – ~$20 plus one of many modern smartphones that fit in it

Field of View: Unknown, users report it being less than 90 degrees

Display: Depends on the phone used

Pros: Cheapest option available.  Mobile, no wires required.  Easy to use, slide the phone in and you’re good to go.  Built-in speakers on the phone, no additional headphones required.

Cons: No positional tracking (which can lead to VR sickness).  Poor specs, lack of ergonomic design result in uncomfortable usage for extended periods of time.  Requires it to be held up to the head constantly, no straps.  Highly noticeable latency.

At the end of the day, your choice of VR device depends on what you can afford.  Smartphone-driven devices are cheaper (if you have the phone) and easier to use, at the cost of a lack of content and worse specs (leading to less immersion).  Standalone devices like the Rift are more expensive, require powerful enough computers to render everything, but lead to more immersion.  Consumers are advised to wait until the Oculus Rift consumer device is released to have an additional comparison point, but as for now, these three are probably your best bet.