Apple Partners With South Carolina to Build Eight Open Access Mac Computer Labs

In partnership with South Carolina's governor and the local community, Apple will be taking part in a $6 million investment to build eight open access Mac computer labs across the state.

2019 imac video
Governor Henry McMaster announced the education initiative at a press conference on Tuesday, saying that the expanded access to broadband and computers will "bolster South Carolina's premier workforce training efforts by giving our communities and people access to resources they need to expand participation in our state's growing economy."

Building on previously announced projects, Apple will work with HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), the South Carolina Technical College System, and the local community directly to strategically build the new labs in places accessible to as many people as possible.

Susan Prescott, Apple's VP of worldwide developer relations and enterprise, says that Apple is a firm believer in education and that equal access to technology is a great equalizer for communities.

"At Apple, we believe education is the great equalizer, and that access to technology is key to learning and workforce opportunities today. We are proud that Apple products and curriculum have been selected by the University of South Carolina and Benedict College for their new education labs. Together, we aim to ensure all South Carolinians have the opportunity to learn, code, create, and grow in new ways."

Specifics on what Macs will be included in the labs are unknown; however, it will be open for use by staff, students, and community members regularly at no cost.

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.0.1 With Touch Screen Bug Fix and More

Thursday October 3, 2024 2:22 pm PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1, the first updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.0.1 and iPadOS 18.0.1 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 18. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, the...
15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.1

Friday September 27, 2024 6:14 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.1 in October, bringing the first set of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update marks a significant step forward in Apple's AI integration, offering a new Siri contextually-aware experience and a range of additional capabilities powered by on-device machine learning and large language models. There are a couple of handy new...
ipad mini 2021 youtube

New Report Reveals When to Expect the iPad Mini 7

Tuesday October 1, 2024 2:09 pm PDT by
Apple is working on a new iPad mini that will "potentially" be released "by the end of 2024," according to a report today from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Last month, Gurman reported that Apple had "new iPads in the works," including an upgraded version of the iPad mini. At the time, he said the device was "on deck for Apple's October event" alongside the first M4 Macs. The wording in his...
macOS Sequoia Night Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 With Bug Fixes

Thursday October 3, 2024 2:27 pm PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.0.1, the first update for the macOS Sequoia operating system. The 15.0.1 update comes a week after Apple first released macOS Sequoia 15. Mac users can download the ‌macOS Sequoia‌ update by using the Software Update section of System Settings. According to Apple's release notes, macOS Sequoia 15.0.1 fixes a bug that could cause the Messages app...
maxresdefault

Two Weeks With the iPhone 16 Pro Max

Friday October 4, 2024 12:04 pm PDT by
Now that it's been two weeks since the iPhone 16 models were released, we've been able to spend enough time with the new devices to share a more in-depth review on their performance, battery life, feature set, and more. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've been testing the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max, but the gap between the Pro models and the standard iPhone 16...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Here Are All the New Features Coming to macOS Sequoia This Month

Thursday October 3, 2024 6:27 am PDT by
‌Apple in October will release macOS Sequoia‌ 15.1, bringing to Macs the first Apple Intelligence features such as Writing Tools, new Siri features, Smart Replies, and more. In addition, macOS 15.1 adds a handful of welcome tweaks and improvements to existing Mac capabilities. Here's what we can expect from the first major update to macOS Sequoia later this month. Note that Apple...
Prime Big Deal Days Hero 3

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on AirPods, Apple Watch, and More

Friday October 4, 2024 10:43 am PDT by
Amazon is hosting another Prime Day event this year, called Amazon Prime Big Deal Days and offering shoppers the first chance to save on holiday shopping from a major retailer. Similar to the first Prime Day, it will last for two days (October 8-9) and you can already find a large selection of early deals across Amazon's storefront, covering savings on tech, clothing, video games, groceries, and...
top stories 5oct2024

Top Stories: iOS 18.1 Coming Soon, October Apple Event Rumors, and More

Saturday October 5, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It's hard to believe we're already into October with the iPhone 16 launch behind us, but there's lots more still to come from Apple this year on both the hardware and software fronts. We're still expecting a number of Mac and perhaps some iPad updates in the very near future, while Apple Intelligence features are set to begin rolling out with iOS 18.1 and related operating system updates....

Top Rated Comments

DanGoh Avatar
46 months ago
I’m sorry but do they not have Libraries in South Carolina???
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Captain Trips Avatar
46 months ago
I haven't lived in South Carolina since 1996, but here in the Central Ohio area it seems to be common to provide computers in libraries for public access to people who don't have a computer or internet access from home, or find it more convenient (too many people at home or lot of distraction) to use a computer at a library.

Yes, it would be nice to expand broadband access to homes that don't have it, but that doesn't reduce the value of having publicly / freely accessible computers. One doesn't prevent the other from happening.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
swingerofbirch Avatar
46 months ago
Sounds kind of like an Internet cafe (I guess?), which you don't really hear about anymore. A little confusing what this will do. People need help paying for broadband more than computers IMO.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BGPL Avatar
46 months ago
Wonder what they'll use for anti-malware and censorship?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
46 months ago

Yes, it would be nice to expand broadband access to homes that don't have it, but that doesn't reduce the value of having publicly / freely accessible computers. One doesn't prevent the other from happening.
... unless you're AT&T

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/03/att-lobbies-against-nationwide-fiber-says-10mbps-uploads-are-good-enough/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BF1M Avatar
46 months ago
Hard to believe but Internet cafes were still a thriving business in some areas pre-Covid. Especially those with high Hispanic populations.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)