Posted on: Monday, July 1, 2002
INTERNET/TECHNOLOGY
A lot of crying over spilled ink
USA Today
A battle between inkjet printer manufacturers and companies that make recycled and generic ink cartridges is brewing.
During the past few years, inkjet printers that can print photo-quality images have become popular with consumers thanks to prices as low as $50 for basic models. Yet, the price for replacement ink cartridges has remained high — about $35 for a color cartridge that costs about $3 to make.
Some consumers, as a result, have shifted their business to an emerging cottage industry of generic brands and recyclers whose cartridges cost 30 percent to 50 percent less than those from the printer manufacturers.
The big manufacturers are fighting back:
• HP and Epson have started putting computer chips into cartridges that render them non-reusable.
• Lexmark, the No. 3 printer maker, sells two versions of the same ink cartridge for some consumers. One costs about $30 less. Customers who buy the cheaper cartridge must send the empty back to Lexmark.
Students wire their schools
More than half of the nation's school districts report that kids are the experts when it comes to school technology, according to a recent survey.
Fifty-five percent said students provide technical support. In 43 percent of the districts, students troubleshoot for hardware, software and infrastructure problems; in 39 percent of the districts, students set up equipment and wire schools.
Among other findings from a survey of 811 school districts:
• New teachers have "average" ability to use the Internet in classrooms, according to 43 percent of school leaders. Only 31 percent said new teachers were "expert."
• In classrooms, the Internet is primarily used in history/social studies and science.
• Less than half of the school districts (48 percent) provide students with technology training.
• Ninety percent of the school districts use Web sites to provide information to parents. About one-third of the districts use the Internet to help parents and students access homework, grade books and report cards.
