BETT’s annual technology in education conference in London has been the launchpad for a variety of EDU Chromebooks in recent years but this year’s event has produced an unusually robust amount of new in the Chrome and Chrome OS departments. First, Acer debuted what could very well be the most durable Chromebook ever created. Next up, HP launched a smorgasbord of devices that features a wide range of processors for just about every classroom use-case.
The biggest news, in my humble opinion, is Google’s announcement that select Chromebooks launched in 2020 will receive no less than eight years of automatic updates. We’ll dive deeper into this juicy morsel later this week. In the meantime, there’s more news coming out of BETT that’s worth mentioning. Especially if you happen to be an IT admin or in charge of the budget for your school or office.
If your institution uses the Chrome Management Console for Chrome and Chrome devices, you’re familiar with the Chrome Management Console License. This annual license gives admins control of browsers and devices that are managed via the Admin Console. For as long as I can remember, the price of an individual license has been $30 per device per year. These can be purchased directly from Google or via countless resellers that handle GSuite accounts. Now that Google is extending support for devices moving forward and the fact that the Admin Console continues to evolve and upgrade, the price for a single license is being bumped to $38.
With 20+ new devices for education, extended years of automatic updates on more devices and more than 200 controls for admins and counting in Google Admin Console, Chromebooks can provide a stronger return on investment than ever before. To support this greater lifespan, we’ve increased the list price of the Chrome Education Upgrade from $30 to $38.
The Keyword
I had caught wind of this change but wasn’t sure how much the price increase was going to be until the announcement. I suspected $40 but as a friend of mine in the education field said to me, anything under $50 would have been reasonable considering the extended support and the tools available in the Admin Console. The price change is supposed to be effective immediately but looking at Google’s direct purchase page shows the old price of $30. If you’re planning on purchasing more Chrome Management Licenses and want to save a few bucks, you may want to jump on this before the price change takes effect. You can find the product page here.
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Source: The Keyword
