With these modern operating systems the method for purchasing applications and licensing is quite different from the method you may be familiar with for traditional Windows or Mac computers. In the past you would probably have purchased software applications from a computer reseller or retail shop on some sort of removable media like a DVD, CD or a floppy disk. This would have an associated license agreement (and often a license key or serial number) that would allow you to install the application on a single computer or across multiple computers. Tablet devices offered on the national framework all come with an application store (or app store) built-in to the device’s operating system. This is the primary (and with Apple devices, the only) method for purchasing, downloading and installing applications. These application stores are as follows:

All three stores offer free and paid applications and require you to sign up for an account to download either. These accounts can often be used to purchase and download other types of media such as music, movies and digital books and to access other services offered by the store’s vendor. These accounts are as follows:

Each store will prompt the user to setup an account or log in to an existing account when you first try to download an application. When downloading free applications you will be required to enter contact details but payment details will not be required. More information on each vendor’s specific application store can be found on their websites as follows:

When creating an account and downloading applications from these three stores you are essentially entering into a legal agreement with the store vendor or application developer that outlines the use of the application. This agreement will cover the use of applications on multiple devices (similar to licenses that you would have purchased with traditional software as noted above).

While all of these stores allow you to re-download purchased applications on other devices that use the same account, each store (and in the case of Google Play and Windows Store, each application) will offer different terms for the use of applications on multiple devices. An outline of these is noted below but it is important that you read and understand the terms and conditions that you agree to when creating an account and when downloading an application. Also note that the terms of use are often different for institutions than for individuals.

Having an understanding of how apps are licensed on the device platform you are using will help define your strategy for account creation. For example, if the applications you are purchasing from Google Play are licensed for use on an unlimited number of devices, it would make sense to use the same Google Account across multiple devices. Given that the App Store requires one app per device it would make sense to create an Apple ID for each user. This in turn raises issues around purchase method and application deployment.

For paid applications you must have a suitable payment method associated with your application store account. Supported payment methods differ from store to store but all support debit and credit cards. It is unlikely that an institution would want to allow learners access to an account that is associated with a debit or credit card.

As an alternative to the App Store, Apple offers a method of purchasing application redemption codes in bulk with their Volume Purchase Programme for Education. These redemption codes can be distributed to users and allow them to download paid apps without requiring a payment method associated with their Apple ID. The institution manages purchase through a central portal which requires a credit or debit card but these details are not exposed to end users. The programme also offers a 50 percent discount on many apps when purchasing 20 or more copies. Details of the programme are available on the Apple website.

Microsoft does not limit installation of applications to the Windows Store. As such it is still possible to purchase applications and licensing direct from computer resellers or developers. Consider how the application installation files will be delivered, as tablet devices do not have built-in CD or DVD drives. Preferably, application installation files should be provided electronically for download or installed to the device as part of an image.