Company continues to be leading provider in the Middle East for interactive whiteboards
DUBAI, UAE, July 4, 2011 - SMART Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: SMT) (TSX: SMA), a leading provider of collaboration solutions, announces the installation of its two millionth SMART Board interactive whiteboard. The achievement of the two millionth install adds to a year of product and company milestones for SMART. 2011 marks the 20th anniversary of the sale of the world's first interactive whiteboard, and SMART recently recorded the five millionth registered user of version 10 of its SMART Notebook™ collaborative learning software. It took 17 years for the company to reach the one-million unit milestone and then less than three more years to reach two million units. With a presence in the Middle East for over 10 years, SMART has been one of the pioneers in interactive whiteboard deployment in the region and also recently launched the SMART Board 800 series interactive, establishing the next-generation of interactive whiteboards in the Middle East.
In the 20 years since SMART introduced the world's first interactive whiteboard, the product has become the focal point of many technology-enabled learning environments around the world, helping teachers bring greater interactivity to lessons to increase student engagement and support all types of learners, including those with special needs. According to Futuresource Consulting, an independent global research company that has tracked interactive whiteboard shipments for more than nine years, approximately eight percent of the world's classrooms have an interactive whiteboard, with classroom penetration rates at less than five percent in the Middle East. Committed to improving student learning across the region, SMART is working with leading authorities and key stakeholders to assist in the successful deployment of technology in learning environments throughout the Middle East and delivering a strong implementation framework that ensures a path to success and improved student learning outcomes.
"Reaching the two millionth milestone is a landmark achievement for SMART Technologies and we look forward to continuing to leverage our internationally proven track record to provide better learning opportunities for students in the Middle East and enhancing their ability to realize their true potential", said Aaron Fright, SMART's Area Manager, Middle East.
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About SMART Board interactive whiteboards
Over the past two decades, SMART has developed a comprehensive range of easy-to-use, intuitive touch- and gesture-enabled solutions that facilitate effective learning and collaboration. Today, the company's extensive line of interactive whiteboards is assembled in Canada, Hungary and Mexico and includes the SMART Board 400, 600 and 800 series interactive whiteboards and the SMART Board 6052i and 8070i interactive displays. According to Futuresource Consulting, SMART continued to lead the global interactive whiteboard product category in 2010 with a 46.9 percent share globally. Of the two million SMART Board interactive whiteboards currently installed globally, approximately 1.6 million are used by educators to support teaching and learning for an estimated 40 million students worldwide.
About SMART
SMART Technologies Inc. is a leading provider of collaboration solutions that transform the way the world works and learns. We believe that collaboration and interaction should be easy. As the global leader in interactive whiteboards, we bring more than two decades of collaboration research and development to a broad range of easy-to-use, integrated solutions that free people from their desks and computer screens, so collaborating and learning with digital resources are more natural.
For more information, please contact:
Zaib Shadani
Consultant
The Portsmouth Group
Phone 04 3693571
Mobile 050 9116138
E-mail zaib.shadani@theportsmouthgroup.com
© 2011 SMART Technologies. SMART Board, SMART Notebook, smarttech and the SMART logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of SMART Technologies in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Please note that SMART is written in all capital letters.
© Press Release 2011
