Would You Let Your Kid Go On A Microsoft Field Trip?

Apple has had great success in the education market, and in an apparent bid to get more kids to worship at the altar of coolness, Apple last month launched a program that gives K-12 students and teachers in the U.S. and Canada the chance to take one-hour field trips to their local Apple Store.

The free program, which runs until Nov. 21, encourages students to use Macs in Apple stores to create multimedia projects, or to bring their own pre-built projects and display them in the store, according to Apple.

Field trips are definitely an interesting use of Apple's retail space, and this kind of thing is right up Apple's alley. But just imagine the howls of protest that would ensue if Microsoft were to unveil a similar program. It's another example of how Apple often gets a pass for doing things that Microsoft would never get away with.

Of course, Microsoft doesn't have any retail stores yet, although rumors swirled back in April that Microsoft was considering opening several shops dedicated to showcasing its consumer oriented products.

If Microsoft were to offer something similar to Apple's field trip program, "People would accuse Microsoft of trying to brainwash kids. But when Apple does it, they're seen as giving a generous gift to children," according to Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at Nor-Tech, a Burnsville, Minn.-based system builder.

"The Apple stores certainly offer an experience that Microsoft has had a tough time replicating," added Swank.

Chris Rue, CEO of Black Warrior Technology, a Northport, Ala.-based solution provider and Microsoft partner, is less than impressed with the entire concept of vendor-sponsored field trips for students, describing them as forms of "indoctrination" and "exploitation."

"As a parent, I would light up our local school board if my child's teacher was wasting instructional time on such a so-called 'field trip,' regardless of the vendor," said Rue. "Why not simply take them to Best Buy and inculcate them with the entire range of consumer electronics available?"