A cheaper iPad is Apple's best chance at winning over U.S. classrooms

Apple's first major event of the year kicks off on Tuesday, March 27. And, as always, everyone will be sitting on the edge of their seats to hear what it announces.

But the event at Chicago's Lane Tech College Prep High School won't be your typical auditorium-packed keynote spectacle. The "field trip," as Apple's calling it, will focus instead on education — specifically on "creative new ideas for teachers and students." And when Apple talks education, you can bet the iPad will be front and center.

Everything leading up to Tuesday's event — the company's first education-focused event since 2012 — suggests it'll be somewhat low-key. There will likely be no livestream, and the classroom environment provides a more intimate setting for Apple to show just how much it cares about empowering the next generation of creators who've been raised on touchscreens. Read more...