[Offtopic] What is the proportion of desktops to laptops in schools?

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Tom (ANU) requests:

> Computers Off <http://www.computersoff.org/> is attempting to 
> estimate how much power will be saved in Australian schools by 
> implementing power saving features in computers, between now and 
> 2010. This will then be presented to the Education Minister to make 
> the case for including energy saving measures in the Digital 
> Education Revolution <http://www.digitaleducationrevolution.gov.au/>.
> 
> Does anyone have any estimates on numbers and proportion of types of 
> computers in schools now and in 2010? Even if it is just a guess, as 
> long as it is a guess by a school expert (ie: teacher) that might do.
> 
> I got asked to help as one of Computers Off's honorary experts. To do 
> this we need an estimate of the number of computers in schools, and 
> the proportion of desktops, laptops and thin clients in schools. 
> There are some Gartner Group figures which suggest that in Australia 
> desktop versus laptops is currently about 60:40 and will be about 
> 50:50 by 2010.
> 
> I suspect that thin clients and laptops will prove very popular in 
> schools (perhaps 70% versus 30% desktops), but have nothing to base 
> this guess on. I can make things up as an expert witness in court, 
> but not in a submission to government. ;-)
> 
> Complicating the calculations, devices like the  Desktop Eee PC 
> <http://www.tomw.net.au/blog/2008/08/desktop-eee-pc-in-australia.html> 
> will use much less power than a regular desktop computer. The LCD 
> monitor it is plugged into will therefore use a much higher 
> proportion of the overall power than with a regular desktop computer. 
> So when the monitor is switched to power saving mode, the overall 
> power saving will be proportionally greater.
> 
> 
> Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
> Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
> PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                 http://www.tomw.net.au/
> Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University 
--

Cheers Tom
Stephen Loosley
Victoria, Australia