Macs for Teachers

Why MacBooks?

Each year Oakland Unified School District centrally provides teachers with computing devices.  Since the pandemic, the district shifted from providing teachers with Chromebooks to providing Windows laptops to meet the needs of distance learning.  As technology use in the classroom has continued, the district has maintained its commitment to ensuring teachers have access to robust and secure computers to support instruction.  However, the technology industry has changed with the emergence of artificial intelligence and this has had an impact on supply chains across the nation.   

When purchasing teacher devices for the 2026-2027 school year, Technology Services found itself at an impasse as the cost and supply of PC laptops had become variable.  We sought expertise from Arey Jones and Apple to assess the sustainability of our options and solicited the feedback of School Data Tech Leads to ensure our selection met the overall needs of teachers. After reviewing the data, we determined that Macbooks would be the most sustainable option moving forward.

Looking ahead, the district needs to ensure that teacher devices remain consistent, cost-effective, and secure.  The following sustainability factors were evaluated in the decision to shift to MacBooks for teachers.

Cost

Due to limited supply of the Intel processor and the high demand of PC devices, the price of PC laptops increased steadily over the last school year.  The district was able to procure enough PCs in the winter to replace broken or expired devices during the 2025-2026 school year but not enough to sustain teachers into the following school year due to the increased cost per unit.  Since Apple controls its own supply chain for its processor, they have been able to bring down their prices making the cost of a comparable MacBook actually less expensive than its PC (and Chromebook Pro) counterpart.  That said, memory and storage vendors are increasing their costs which will impact all laptop manufacturers including Apple. Due to the manufacturing environment we anticipate that Apple will also increase their costs and can only hope that prices will remain competitive. 

Security

Cybersecurity remains a top priority in device selection. While Windows 11 has made meaningful security improvements, Apple's closed ecosystem gives it a structural advantage. Since Apple controls both its hardware and software, it can integrate proprietary security features at a deeper level, making its devices less vulnerable to cyberattacks. MacBooks also enforce true 1:1 authentication, requiring the person logging in to match the assigned user profile and blocking any alternate login method. 

Quality

In terms of display, battery and case Macs and PCs are comparable and assessment of quality generally comes down to personal preference.   

Availability

Since large tech companies have cornered the market on Intel processors, PC and Chromebook manufacturers have shifted to using MediaTek processors as an alternative.  However, Intel and Apple processors still outperform MediaTek processors.  Reliance on third-party processors and the limited availability of Intel processors has impacted manufacturers to reliably offer comparable models at an affordable price.   

Support

PC computers are easier to support than Macs since Apple products are limited by the same proprietary features that make them so secure.  The ease of support was considered in our assessment but ultimately it was determined that the security benefits of the MacBook outweighed the challenges with centrally managing the Mac devices.