Mac in everyday school life


Innovative teaching with powerful computers – at school, at home or on the go.

Teach more effectively with Mac and iPad

More comfort, more power – for creative, efficient teaching.


Modern tablets deliver impressive productivity. Still, some tasks are more comfortable and easier to handle on a desktop computer or a laptop. Screen sizes of up to 27 inches make it possible to view the smallest details, and complex school projects like video and audio editing are no problem thanks to powerful processors.

If peripherals such as printers or backup solutions are also used for administrative tasks, a desktop computer or notebook is likewise recommended.

A MacBook Air is therefore the ideal companion to the iPad. It lets teachers design lessons in an innovative and varied way, share knowledge creatively, and inspire their students.

10 REASONS Why teachers should
work with a Mac

REASON 1

Mac is user-friendly

Mac's high usability is legendary. And anyone who has already worked with an iPhone or iPad will feel instantly at home in Mac's intuitive user interface – no thick manuals required. Existing teaching materials transfer easily from an old computer to a new Mac, and connecting peripherals (printer, monitor) is child's play – missing drivers are a thing of the past.

REASON 2

Mac unlocks creative potential

Built-in creative and productivity apps such as Pages, Numbers, Keynote, GarageBand or iMovie are intuitive to use and let every user produce professional-looking documents and media with the help of built-in templates. And for anyone wanting more, the Education category on the App Store offers over 100,000 apps, sure to include a favourite creative app.

REASON 3

Mac combines the best of both worlds

Microsoft Office programmes (PowerPoint, Excel, Word) run smoothly on Mac too. For teachers, this means they can keep working in a familiar environment and continue using existing teaching materials on Mac exactly as before. Conversely, documents created on Mac can be exported to a wide range of standard file formats, making them easy to share with colleagues. And if it's ever needed, a Mac can run Windows too.

REASON 4

Mac helps you work flexibly

The tools of the Apple platform work seamlessly together, giving you comprehensive mobile productivity: wherever you are, and whichever Apple device you happen to be using, all your files are always up to date and can be edited or added to at any time – during a free period, on the go, or from home. Mac helps you get your daily tasks done more easily and flexibly.

REASON 5

Mac makes collaboration easier

With AirDrop, you can easily share large documents, photos, videos and webpages wirelessly with other nearby Apple devices. Thanks to cloud sync, all documents are available on every device at all times, and can be shared with other users via the Collaboration feature to work together on shared teaching projects in real time.

REASON 6

Mac is stable and secure

Thanks to the tight integration of hardware and software, Apple devices are far less vulnerable to malware and viruses than other operating systems. Stored data is encrypted automatically, and new apps are checked for known security issues before they run. And thanks to the excellent synergy of hardware and software, maintenance effort is kept to a minimum.

REASON 7

Mac offers hardware and software from a single source

Apple offers a complete ecosystem of hardware, apps and services for education. High-quality devices combined with macOS, the modern operating system, and specially developed apps make Mac a powerful and reliable companion for teachers. This applies especially to mobile devices, which are ready to use within seconds and, thanks to extremely long battery life, last a full working day.

REASON 8

Mac holds its value well

Thanks to high-quality hardware that still looks good after years of use, and long-lasting relevance through software updates, Apple devices lose comparatively little value – which works in your favour when buying a new Mac: with Apple Trade In, you can trade in your old device for credit towards a new one, saving real money.

REASON 9

Mac is sustainable

The materials used in the new MacBook Air and their manufacturing process are designed with sustainability in mind: the enclosure is made from 100% recycled aluminium, keeping environmental impact as low as possible, without compromising on quality. The longer a device is used, the better it is for the planet. And old devices that no longer work are recycled free of charge to minimise the amount of newly mined raw material.

REASON 10

Mac takes data protection seriously

Apple places great importance on data protection and the privacy of its customers – a significant factor, especially in a school setting! This technology is built into devices from the ground up and is continually developed further. Apple focuses above all on data minimisation, anonymisation and encryption: for example, the Safari web browser prevents user data from being shared across multiple websites, making it harder to build personalised user profiles.

Switching from Windows to Mac: a teacher shares his experience

Digitalisation poses major challenges not just for parents and children. Teachers, too, are expected to work with the latest technologies and teaching methods.


Children have plenty of imagination. They want to be taught creatively and productively. Our experience has shown that they enjoy the intuitive, easy handling of Apple devices. But what does that mean for teachers who work with Windows?


We spoke to T. R., a teacher from Zurich.

Why did you choose a Mac?

For a long time, I decided against buying Apple products for cost reasons. However, more and more people among my friends and family switched from Windows to Mac, and they all raved about how efficiently they could work with their Apple devices. So it was time for me to get to the bottom of this myth too.

Productivity, efficiency and compatibility are also a priority for me. I thought switching from Windows to Mac would be complicated and time-consuming. But the most important applications, like Microsoft 365, work exactly the same on both machines. I also have to admit I significantly underestimated the performance. For data transfer and setting up the key basic functions, I turned to DQ Solutions for help. Put simply: the switch was no problem at all.

How has your working day changed with a Mac?

As someone who wears glasses, screen resolution is an important factor for me. When I'm sitting in front of the device all day, I get tired less quickly on Mac. I also work considerably faster and more efficiently. I prepare lessons at home on my iMac in a relaxed way, then transfer all the data to my MacBook Air, or directly to the children's devices, using the cloud. That saves extra effort and time. There are no limits left on creativity. The children and I have a lot more fun in lessons as a result.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ

What particular advantages does the 24" iMac with M-series chip offer for education?
With its flat, compact design, the 24" iMac is ideal for use at school. Multiple users can work with it, and the Magic Keyboard with Touch ID enables fast user switching, so everyone can access their personal desktop with a fingerprint. The 4.5K Retina display is designed perfectly for everyday school use, and offers the best camera, along with the best microphones and speakers, ever built into a Mac. That makes the 24" iMac excellent for video calls too. With the M-series chip, the 24" iMac handles even the most demanding tasks. It wakes quickly from sleep, and apps launch and run at the highest speed.

What particular advantages does the 24" iMac with M-series chip offer for education?Collapse

How do the iMac and iPad complement each other?
The iMac and iPad complement each other well. With features such as AirDrop, Handoff and Universal Clipboard, users can start their work on iPad and continue it later on iMac. Even iPhone apps can run on both iMac and iPad.

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What advantages does the M-series chip and macOS offer compared with Windows and Intel?
The deep integration of hardware and software, thanks to the M-series chips and macOS, delivers even more performance for everyday tasks such as browsing the web or running professional applications.

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What does performance per watt mean, and why does it matter?
Performance per watt refers to the amount of performance a chip can deliver for a given amount of power. Thanks to superior manufacturing methods using the smallest possible process nodes, M-series chips offer the best CPU performance per watt in the world. At a given power level of 10 watts, the M-series chip can deliver up to twice the CPU performance of the latest PC laptop chip. That means M-series chips can match the peak CPU performance of PC chips while using as little as a quarter of the power in some cases. This is what gives Mac notebooks their excellent battery life too.

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What is unified memory?
M-series chips feature Apple's unified memory architecture. This combines high-bandwidth, low-latency memory into a single pool within one chip package. This lets every technology in the SoC (system on a chip) access the same data without needing to copy it between separate memory pools, dramatically improving performance and energy efficiency.

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Do I need a laptop if I already have an iPad?
A laptop can serve as a central workstation at home or in the classroom, while the iPad serves as a mobile companion.

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Can I share data with my iPad?
Thanks to Continuity, you can switch seamlessly between Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV devices. Each Continuity feature has specific hardware and software requirements.

More here.

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How long does the battery last?
A MacBook's battery lasts up to twice as many hours as a PC notebook's.

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Can I connect an external display?
Yes. Depending on the model, you can connect several, at resolutions up to 6K.

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What software is included?
Mail, Notes, FaceTime, Photos, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, GarageBand, iMovie and more.

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