Microsoft, Lenovo win massive NSW netbooks schools deal

By Stan Beer
Wednesday, 01 April 2009 05:49

Technology

Microsoft and Lenovo have won a massive deal worth hundreds of millions to supply sub-notebooks running Windows XP and Microsoft Office to 200,000 year 9 students in NSW state schools. The three year deal, with an option to renew, will see all year 9 students get the notebooks to keep for the remainder of their school years and beyond.

Microsoft spokesperson Joanna Stevens Kramer told iTWire that XP was chosen by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (NSW DET) but they would be upgraded to Windows 7 as soon as it became available.

Netbooks usually run by Atom processors, with 1GB RAM and in this case with 160GB hard drives, are typically not powerful enough to run Windows Vista. And Lenovo's IdeaPad S10e, the netbook being supplied to the schools is no exception.

The arrangement leverages the NSW DET’s existing volume licensing agreement with Microsoft, which provides licenses for up to 1.3 million users, including all students, teachers, administrators, and staff across NSW state schools.

"The laptops will be supplied under the existing (three year) volume licensing agreement with the government which was renewed about a month ago," Ms Stevens Kramer told iTWire.

"They will be supplied with the full Office suite and come with a three year warranty to cover them for the time students have them at school."

The initial laptop rollout is scheduled for July 2009.

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