Gigantic waste of money, IMO. And it has nothing to do with Apple versus Microsoft or whatever - the schools piss money away on laptops and all sorts of other whiz-bang gadgets. Meanwhile, they can't reliably teach kids to add, read, or understand that it takes the earth one year to orbit the sun. I agee. No student should get his hands on a computer until he can read, write, and do basic arithmatic.
Honestly, I don't see much need for computers until you get to college. I suppose if we were talking about vocational or technical training that would be one thing, but the usual schtick with these kinds of deals is to try forcing the computer into everything. It should be, at best, a supplement, available for students to use as a reference/research tool, but that's about it at the high school level.
I really can't see how giving every student a laptop or whatever is going to help them learn - as far as I can see, the major "advantage" of this sort of thing is that it's another excuse to screw more money out of taxpayers. :(