Schools move from tablets to notebooks for more effective digital education

While early education digitisation efforts focused on tablets, notebooks are now proving to be the digital device of choice for schools.

This is according to Natasha Snyman, commercial & education sales manager at Pinnacle. Proline is an authentic Pinnacle brand established in 1994 and now recognised as one of the leading brands in Southern Africa.

In recent years, Proline expanded its portfolio to include made-in-South Africa notebooks, UPSs and PCs in different form factors with great success.

Snyman says Proline has focused on the education sector for several years, adapting its products to meet the changing needs of the sector. Proline has become a recognised leader in the education sector, and its relaunched notebook range – launched at the end of 2020 – is proving highly successful.

“Five to ten years ago, when projects and CSIs began driving technology into education, the focus was on tablets. This was most likely because they made sense from a price point of view. Tablets served their purpose, but now, the ask from schools and the big drive, is towards notebooks. There is still a demand for tablets, but schools are finding they want learners to do more than search and scroll – they need the flexibility notebooks offer, so learners can type up work, collaborate, and enjoy educational content on a larger screen. A bigger screen drives a better education environment; and allows learners to feel more connected,” she says.

Proline moved to address this demand by designing made-for-education notebooks that are light and portable, sturdy and reliable. Key for most schools and parents is the price point, so Proline designed its notebooks to be as competitively priced as possible.

“For us, it is about getting devices into more students’ hands. We have been able to do this by not going for aluminium based, over-specced products. This for us was key – to hit the market at the right price point so that learners in the missing middle and lower income households could also afford highly functional notebooks,” she says.

Starting at only R3 999, Proline’s Thinline 14” notebooks weigh only 1.5 kg so children can comfortably carry them in their bags. Thinline notebooks offer all the ports and connectivity users would expect, with a full high-definition display and Windows 10 preinstalled.

Windows 10 includes important security features such as antivirus, firewall, and internet protection, and Focus assist allowing learners to block notifications, sounds, and alerts for distraction-free work time.

For learners looking to utilise Windows 11, the Proline Thinline 146BC is Windows 11 upgradeable.

Because a Proline Thinline is the first notebook for many learners, Proline also adds a ‘how to ‘ sheet in the boxes for CSI projects. “We share basic information like how to connect to Wi-Fi, and how to adjust the screen,” she says.

Proline also offers a one-year warranty on the notebooks, with service and support out of its call centre and six Pinnacle branches around the country.

Proline notebooks are available on the new Proline consumer site https://www.proline.co.za/, and through leading retailers.