Google introduces new 'Google play for Education' app store

Going back as far as the 80s, Apple has all-but dominated the education market. This could finally be changing, at least if Google has anything to say about it.

We’ve already seen Google take aim at the education market with Chromebooks. Now the Mountain View giant is preparing to bring a similar push towards tablets and apps. How do they plan to do that? Today Google announced Google Play for Education, a custom app store designed for grades K-12.

What’s really exciting about this initiative is that Google will make it easy for educators and administrators to pick an education app and install it on all the tablets in a particular class, or even throughout the school. The only requirement is that all student devices will need Google accounts.

The store itself will be organized by grade level and subjects. Google will also make purchasing apps simpler for educational facilities. Instead of requiring credit cards, apps can be purchased against an account that the school has on file. It is also worth noting that “Google Play for Education” moves beyond apps, it will also support certain books and videos.

What’s brilliant about Google’s new education strategy is not only that it makes finding great educational Android apps easier, but it also creates tons of new Google account users. Once these users have accounts, they are more likely to use other Google services. It also starts hooking users into the Google ecosystem from a younger age.

Google will start taking app submissions for the new Google Play for Education appstore this summer, but won’t launch the app until this fall school season.