Apple has always been big in the educational market, but it’s something the company has pushed more than ever under Tim Cook — albeit with sometimes mixed results.
The dream of having schools fully embrace the Apple ecosystem certainly sounds pretty far off, however, when you hear that one school district in the U.S. is still reliant on almost 30-year-old Commodore Amiga 2000 computers to automate its air conditioning and heating systems.
Say it ain’t so, Grand Rapids, Michigan!
According to a recent news report, all 19 schools covered by the Grand Rapids Public School district use the retro machines — complete with ancient 1,200 baud modem. Apparently the code underpinning the system was written by a then-high-schooler, now middle-aged, who has to be called out whenever there is a problem since he’s the only person who understands it.
“The system controls the start/stop of boilers, the start/stop of fans, pumps, [it] monitors space temperatures, and so on,” local GRPS Maintenance Supervisor Tim Hopkin says.
Fortunately a replacement system could be on the cards, thanks to a $175 million bond proposal which may be passed this November.
May we suggest HomeKit next time?
Via: Engadget
