Microsoft Challenges Google with Acquisition of Education Startup Flipgrid

Google’s Chromebook has been a hit in the education sector, making up the majority of mobile devices sent to K-12 schools at 60 percent, according to the latest figures. Microsoft’s own products only made up about 26 percent of the whole. The Windows OS giant is not about to give up, however, as it just acquired the education startup Flipgrid.

Through Flipgrid, students are basically able to share photos or videos of specific school topics with each other. They are then able to discuss those topics, sparking conversations by offering short clips of their thoughts on subjects. It’s an interesting concept that holds the potential to get students more engaged in actually learning.

By acquiring this startup, Microsoft might have gotten a great asset that will help it carve a significant chunk of the education sector pie. The exact terms of the deal have not been revealed, CNBC reports, but the service will apparently be free. This should go a long way towards encouraging both educators and students to give it a try.

Just to spice up its offer even more, schools that have already paid for a subscription with Flipgrid will get a refund. It seems Microsoft desperately wants to get the attention and favor of educational institutions.

It’s worth noting that both companies have actually had a partnership for about a year and a half. With this deal, Flipgrid’s services will be integrated into the products offered by Microsoft. These include Teams for communicating with people and OneNote, which helps users keep track of their grids.

Whether or not this is enough to turn the tide in Microsoft’s favor remains to be seen. However, there is still one factor in this competition that this acquisition does not address; the price. In an effort to improve its position in the education sector, the company released the Surface laptop. Unfortunately, the product’s base price is at $800 while Chromebooks can cost significantly less.