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Microsoft Losing Big To Apple On Campus
destinyland writes "Apple is closing in on Microsoft's share of operating systems among the computers of incoming freshmen at the University of Virginia, confirming earlier reports of an ongoing trend. A yearly survey shows that among 3,156 freshman who own computers, Microsoft's share is just 56% (down 6%), with Apple's share rising to 43% (up 6%), continuing a six-year pattern. In 2004, it was Microsoft 89% vs. 8% for Apple. 'It seems likely that the Mac-using students will outnumber their Windows cousins this school year,' notes one technology blog, citing a new study showing that 70 percent of college freshman are choosing the Mac. Other interesting data from the Virginia study: In 1997, 26% of incoming freshmen said they didn't own a computer, a number which has now dropped to 0. Laptops now comprise 99% of the computer population. And Linux use has dropped from a high of 2.5% in 2004 to a rounding error this year."
... considering Apple does not even offer Macbooks with core i3's. You must get core i5 or i7 and pay out the wazoo (to the tune of $1700+) for it or else you're stuck with core 2 duo's, as far as I know. Then again, UVa is not a tech school and so I don't expect many of their incoming class to know or care. Meanwhile, my $500 dollar laptop from a local store 4 years ago still runs AutoCAD 2010 just fine with a $40 RAM upgrade.
Maybe those running Linux didn't want to goto jail
I would think that those running Linux would be smart enough to avoid a GOTO routine.
... and then they built the supercollider.
The thing is the quality isn't that much better. They're using the same CPU chips, the same crappy hard drives, etc. The reason it runs smoother is you have no choice for peripherals. It's still a commodity computer, and they are charging way more for the brand and the external design. This is classic monopolistic competition in a standardized market. Apple is using different branding to make you think their stuff is a superior good and therefore better. And journalists as well. I use a Mac at work, as well as windows and linux boxes. I have a Macbook pro and iphone provided by work. In my experience, these things do not "just work". We had about 1 in 5 hard drives die within the first year for 50 aluminum imacs. And you have to wait weeks for replacement unless you want to remove the glass and around 30 screws, which we do normally to save money. We also have an Xserve and AFP (their filesharing protocol) did not work until 10.6. Time machine is now broken in 10.6 with ACLs (needed on a corporate network). Not a word from Apple support, not a single comment on the forums, as the users become increasingly enraged. Samba client doesn't respect unix ACLs. I can't list all the damn problems we've had with compatibility. And none of the tools work across versions. For instance, server tools for 10.6 only run on 10.6 desktops. There are millions of these issues. This is just a bubble, don't worry. When I went to school a decade ago, Apple had those candy colored imacs that were popular with the homos. I'm sure people will realize soon enough they are massively overpaying just like they do at abercrombie for a 10 cent made-in-china t-shirt selling for 39.95.
Cool! Amazing Toys.
I went to store.apple.com, checked the boxes, and noted the total. You should try it some time, Coward, before lecturing.
My Macbook has a 128GB SSD and 4GB RAM and it didn't cost $1500. It's a lot better computer than your $500 PC laptop too. Better than your $1500 PC laptop for that matter. You might get a more pimp clockspeed buying a PC but the resulting machine will still run slower in most cases and the hardware will usually not last as long. Likewise you will pay a bit more for a larger screen on your Mac but the screen will be better quality and the picture is much better.
My experience has been Macbooks take cosmetic damage worse than most PC laptops but the actual functionality holds up better. On white Macbooks the part around the keyboard tends to get chipped around the edges and the white outer shell shows scuffs. The metal ones tend to get little dents. But all the ports still work, the trackpad still works, the screen still works, and all the internal components still work. That has not been my experience with PC laptops at all and especially not the ones that are a lot cheaper than a Macbook.
As in most cases, you get what you pay for. Sure with a Mac some of what you are paying for is aesthetic and brand but those do have some real value.
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
Why run Windows at all if you don't need "crutches"? In what world is Windows considered sophisticated or modern?What part of OSX did you like least -- the stability? Voice control? Integration? AFP performance? Time Machine? Spaces? AppleScript? Having a real terminal prompt? Shell scripting? Having your stuff just work?
I'm sad that such a power user could be tricked into getting a Mac. I'm more sad that you had a sophisticated machine you didn't know how to use... kinda like giving a blind person a Porsche. Dude you should buy a Dell lol.
personal computer, PC, microcomputer (n): a small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time.
From HERE
Now, it's OK to be a fanboy. I guess that's cool and all. But seriously, when you say something that incredibly stupid, you really just insult the product you are trolling for. I read a comment like yours and think, "Wow! Mac fans must be morons!" Then I realize that I know many Mac people and some of them are pretty bright. I too have used Mac's and enjoyed the experience. I even owned a Mac once, although I put Yellow Dog Linux on it. I ran much smoother on that old G3 than OSX.
Either way, when you are that big of a moron, it's best to keep your mouth shut. If someone who does not know any Mac people reads your comment, they stand a high chance of thinking that Macs must be crap if their users as so dim.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.