It's not just Microsoft and open source applications duking it out. Apple's technology has a reputation for being one of the best buys for the education sector. Many schools in Ireland have gone "all Apple", including Alexandra College in Milltown.

Marian Healy, principal of the Dublin school, said the decision to go Apple was based on many years of research, including a visit to New England to see the Maine Learning Technology Initiative. "We wanted the best way to deliver the curriculum using modern technology."

Healy came back from the US "bowled over by the possibilities" and began to initiate the one-to-one teaching and learning initiative.

After getting the staff used to using laptops to teach, the school decided to pilot a project to give laptops to second-year students last February. This programme is now set to continue until December 2008.

"One of most important sentences came from a student when I asked how they were getting on and they said, 'there's so much to learn, it's wonderful'.

"School is about teaching and learning and we're pushing out the boundaries all the time. We chose Apple because its applications were more suited to an educational environment. The staff now teach the students in an imaginative and creative way - engaging the student all of the time. It's been a revelation and a revolution at the same time."