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What software is preinstalled as standard?

On base model PC brand laptops for teachers and principals, each laptop is supplied with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Office preinstalled, along with a variety of utilities to make use of each laptop's features. Edit

Standard software installed on laptops after October 11th, 2010:

Microsoft Windows 7 Enterprise 32 bit
Microsoft Office 2010
Windows Live Essentials
For information about why we install Windows 7 32 bit, please click here.
For further information about the scheme's transition to Windows 7 and Office 2010, please click here. Edit

Standard software installed on laptops prior to October 11th, 2010:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Office 2003
For information regarding transitioning users and user data from Windows XP laptops to Windows 7 laptops, please click here. Edit

Why does the scheme not opt for cheaper laptops, for example $799 sale models available at local retailers?

The performance provided by even the most basic TELA laptop is considerably greater than such machines. The Laptops for Teachers Scheme has opted for laptops designed for use in large organisations rather than those in the consumer range to ensure better build quality, reliability and longevity. These do have a higher cost than retail models but are substantially discounted through the Ministry’s contracts. All models are tested and evaluated against set build criteria to assess their suitability for the scheme. Edit

Can we get a three year battery warranty?

Some suppliers currently only provide a one year warranty for batteries. However since early 2010 some manufacturers have offered longer battery warranties of up to three years for selected models. Battery warranty information is displayed on the TELA ordering web site for current models. Edit

Can the scheme hold the models for longer and standardise the images?

The scheme requests suppliers propose only models that are expected to be available for at least 12 months. During this time these models may undergo changes such as processor and hard drive but remain in the majority the same.
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Can the laptops images be loaded on to a web site for download?

This would require a large amount of bandwidth so in the short term is unlikely to happen (each school would need to pay for around 8GB of traffic for a single image).
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Can Apple laptops be provided with a re-image disk?

Renaissance is unable to provide re-image disks due to licensing restrictions. However there are other options available:
In the latest version of OSX 10.5 (Leopard) Apple provides the Time Machine recovery tool – this allows the user to back up data to a variety of locations: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1427.
For all versions of OSX, Apple provides the following advice for backing up data and settings on Apple laptops: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1553.