Apple Acquires Education Analytics Company LearnSprout

Apple has purchased education-technology startup LearnSprout, reports Bloomberg. LearnSprout is a company that develops software for schools and teachers to track student performance and other metrics. Apple will likely use its technology to build out its classroom tools to encourage schools to adopt iPads and other Apple products.

Apple confirmed the acquisition with the standard statement it gives on purchases: "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

learnsprout
According to its website, LearnSprout software is already used in more than 2,500 schools across the United States. It aggregates all student grades across the school, letting teachers and administrators hone in on students that may need more help. LearnSprout aims to allow schools to analyze collected data, discovering trends on attendance, college readiness, student health, and more.

To combat waning iPad sales, Apple has been making an effort to make the tablet more appealing to educational customers. In iOS 9.3, Apple is introducing a wealth of new education-oriented tools, including shared iPads for students, a dedicated Classroom app that allows teachers to guide students through app-based lessons, an Apple School Manager for easily managing student accounts and courses, and new Apple ID creation and management options for schools.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
Magic Mouse Next to Keyboard

No, Apple CEO Tim Cook Didn't Say He Prefers Logitech's MX Master 3 Over the Magic Mouse

Sunday November 17, 2024 3:03 pm PST by
While the Logitech MX Master 3 is a terrific mouse for the Mac, reports claiming that Apple CEO Tim Cook prefers that mouse over the Magic Mouse are false. The Wall Street Journal last month published an interview with Cook, in which he said he uses every Apple product every day. Soon after, The Verge's Wes Davis attempted to replicate using every Apple product in a single day. During that...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 1 Redux

'iPhone 17 Air' Rumored to Surpass iPhone 6 as Thinnest iPhone Ever

Monday November 18, 2024 1:07 pm PST by
In a research note with Hong Kong-based investment bank Haitong today, obtained by MacRumors, Apple analyst Jeff Pu said he agrees with a recent rumor claiming that the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" will be around 6mm thick. "We agreed with the recent chatter of an 6mm thickness ultra-slim design of the iPhone 17 Slim model," he wrote. If that measurement proves to be accurate, there would be ...
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

b1wils1 Avatar
115 months ago
being in the higher education sector, i would welcome ANY refresh on current course management and administrative softwares. our processes seem so archaic; my proposal for appletvs in some of my lecture halls so i could airplay to them(i teach music) were met by looks that indicated i intended to perform wizardry.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bommai Avatar
115 months ago
I think this ship has sailed. My daughter's school has adopted Chrome Books and Google for education. She can use my iMac or iPad or chromebook at school and log into her account and have instant access to all the documents that she has been working on. She can only email them to her teachers or other authorized people. She can submit her work and have the teacher notate and return it to her. The interface is fast and is not slow like icloud.com. Apple previously bought PowerSchool or some such company and let it rot and fail.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
115 months ago
Here's a 2nd chance to get it right. Here's hoping Apple doesn't half ass it like the first go round in the education market. A concerted effort focusing on getting the backend right should be the top priority if they're going to go all in again. If support and admin aren't good, this will be a waste of time. If they're not going it alone, thoroughly vet the partners. Pearson's reputation in certain circles would have been enough to give me pause. Consider the education market more of an investment opportunity than a potential profit center.

The more competition we have in this area, the better it will be for all concerned.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnny Vegas Avatar
115 months ago
I wouldn't say Apple missed the boat all together when it comes to the education market, but they do have a lot of catching up to do. Chromebooks are cheaper, easier to manage and are becoming more and more mainstream.

PS. The Apple Configurator sucks.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JimmyHook Avatar
115 months ago
I have around 30 iPads managed by configurator for middle school students now. Its nice to be able to update them all at once and put apps on them. Its a nightmare having to put apps that aren't free via configurator and Apples special volume app purchasing. I really wish Apple could figure out a better way for iPad user/app management that doesn't require a central hub using a mac running configurator. Hopefully 9.3 moves us in that direction.
DEP... It's one touch setup. Been out for a while now
[doublepost=1454017388][/doublepost]
Exactly. Not everything is app games and touch screen. My daughter is in 8th grade and she needs to do word processing. Google for education is what she uses. All she needs is the browser and her work is in the google cloud and saved instantly. She can start her work at school, finish it at home and vice versa. She can also submit her work to her teacher or another student to review. Everything is much much faster than with icloud.com. I cannot even make it login fast enough on icloud.com. Pain!! All I can say is that I love Apple's hardware. Their software especially cloud based is far behind. Recently, I started using Google Photos so that I will never lose my photos again - I can't believe how fast it is to look at my 94,000 photos even on my iphone.
Why would you log into iCloud.com unless you need to do web based work???? Use iPads....
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JimmyHook Avatar
115 months ago
It's good timing because Chromebooks have all but failed our education system. kids and teachers want iPads when given the choice. Chromebooks just don't do enough. Just a website machine
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)