Building a slide deck, pitch, or presentation? Here are the big takeaways:

  • Google released the Acer Chromebook Tab 10, the first education tablet created for Chrome OS.
  • The Acer Chromebook Tab 10 is another competitor to the iPad in schools.

On Monday, Google announced the release of the Acer Chromebook Tab 10–the first education tablet made for Chrome OS.

The Tab 10 is a lightweight, 9.7-inch device with touch and stylus functionality, designed for multimedia projects, according to a Google blog post. It also comes with Google Expeditions AR, offering students more immersive learning experiences.

Google’s announcement came the day before an Apple education event in Chicago, where the company is expected to unveil new iPads for the K-12 market. With Chrome OS currently holding close to 60% of the K-12 mobile computing market share, as reported by our sister site ZDNet, it’s going to be difficult for Apple to compete with Google’s low pricing (Chromebooks start at $119), productivity tools, and easy third-party platform integration.

SEE: Mobile device computing policy (Tech Pro Research)

Google’s K-12 site also makes note of IT setup, security, and management issues, ZDNet noted. According to the blog post, the Acer Chromebook Tab 10s offer benefits for school IT administrators, as they can be managed in one console alongside other Chrome devices with the Chrome Education license. As Chrome OS allows students to securely share devices, the tablets can be used in computer carts, the post noted.

“Just like Chromebook laptops, students can quickly and securely log on to any device for a personalized learning experience and just as easily log out from all apps when class is over,” the post said. “Verified boot checks security at every boot and all user data is encrypted, making each Chromebook tablet secure and shareable.”

The Acer tablet will go on sale in April for $329, according to our sister site CNET. It runs on a Rockchip OP1 processor, and includes 4GB of memory and 32GB of storage. The Tab 10 also fully supports Google Play, giving schools access to educational Android apps, CNET noted.

Time will tell if Apple’s educational offerings will be any competition for Google’s line of devices, but for now, it seems unlikely that the company will immediately challenge Chrome OS’s dominance in the education space.