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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."
Someone please set this article to trollbait or impressionsgenerator..
O and if you're an advertiser and are paying slashdot you're a fucking imbecile, no one here will ever buy your crap because we saw a pop-up (which none of us ever see BTW)
Great argument you've got there. I don't know about anybody else, but I'm convinced. According to me, Linux has a market share of 46% of all incoming freshman at U of VA.
soooo you really believe that no one in college uses Linux? And you're trying to mock me? Jesus Christ your a fucktard, I mean apple fan-boy, sorry...
Loads of disposable income because of student loans. No concept of value because they've never had a real job. No desire to be the kid with the Dell when everyone else has a shiny Mac, including the elitist effete instructor. Sounds like the perfect market for Apple!
The University of Virginia is one of the most liberal schools in the country. If you are a liberal, you are not cool if you don't have an Apple; hence, if you got to the University of Virginia you own a Apple; hence, the statistics. They claim to be conservative but they really aren't. Sure when compared with Pelosi, sure they are more conservative. When compared with someone with conservative values, they a just another liberal. Just look at their college ranking inside the University. English Literature is their best college, ranking 12th in the country. When is the last time you heard of a conservative English Lit professor. That's right never. The rest are just a hodge podge of colleges put together just to say they have e.g. a computer science program, or some type of engineering. It will always be true, if you own an Apple you are a liberal.
I'm sorry, but you're just plain wrong. Find something with comparable specs, and it's going to cost you about the same amount of money. Moreover, Apple sweetens the pot for student with a 15% discount a lot of very nice free software and, as I recall, a free $100 - $200 dollar printer and or iPod Touch. Ohh, and two stickers.
Moreover, in my experience, Macs tend to depreciate slower and last a bit longer then my Dells.
"Things are more moderner than before- bigger, and yet smaller- it's computers-- San Dimas High School football RULES!"
The iPod and iPad products. They often introduce people to Apple, and again, at the end of the day when the dust settles, these are superb products and they naturally predispose people - students, anyone - to think positively of Apple.
They are also highly not interoperable. (Every single aspect of it: the App Store, the chargers, iTunes only running on OSX and Windows, DRMs, not supporting open formats, ...)
A friend of mine bought an iPod because it looked cool, and after fighting to transfer song under Linux, sworn to never buy Apple again...
Overpriced is your opinion, and you're welcome to it. If you're not familiar with the Apple platform I'm sure such a large change is scary to you. If you've used it you wouldn't be making these insane comments, and you certainly wouldn't be putting Windows 7 in the same category as Snow Leopard.
I've only recently considered getting rid of 2 older Macs because they're PPC. My 2007 MBP runs great and I just finished upgrading to Snow Leopard. In the meantime my coworkers replaced their (not cheap) HP Evos twice. Display problems, hinges getting broken, hard drive failures, etc on 4 other machines -- and these were $1500 laptops.
Consider the downtime and the cost for Suzie Smith to bring her computer to Geek Squad every time Windows barfs and you're out considerably more money with considerably more fuss and bother. Screw that, you get what you pay for. My time is worth a lot to me and you can bet my kids will have Macs in college because my time is important to me.
Hey I can appreciate not having the cash for the initial outlay. No shame in that. For some no amount of saving helps because you're always going to have $3 or $400 for a computer. That's cool. Apple doesn't market to you. You will have to shop elsewhere, just like I don't wear Ferragamo shoes anymore. It's all about choice. I choose my Mac stuff. You choose collecting old cars or whatever. No big deal.
Linux is by no means free.
First, consider that the cost differential between a new Linux-based PC and a new Windows-based PC is essentially $0 due to the difficulty in getting a PC without an OS unless you build your own.
Second, consider the complications involved in getting that Linux-based PC to interoperate with the various applications, networks, etc that might be found on your typical college campus and you've just opened up a huge can of wasted time.
I was a Linux user for many years. But let's be honest. Linux is great for serving but has almost no merit as a college student's OS.
There are loads of free things in this world, but that doesn't automatically imply that you should value them positively.
I use OpenOffice both at work and home with very good results. I do not allow any scripts to execute in any office document simply because I'm an enterprise admin. If you're using VBscript "extensively" you're probably doing something wrong, perhaps trying to operate outside MIS by building your own databases.
As far as your "rosey [sic] comment" trolling goes, listen kid. If you're still talking about theses, you're too young to know what you don't know and too dumb to shut up. Based on your negative attitude and borderline incompetency I would have pegged you for a government worker long before you admitted it. I'm only sorry that you're being compensated for a job clearly beyond your abilities.
No, I'm not buying a Mac for you. You will have to learn to do without.
>>>Overpriced is your opinion, and you're welcome to it. If you're not familiar with the Apple platform
I've been using them off-and-on since 1991. I forget which model was my first, but it was a one piece so probably the Mac SE (68000 based). Then a Quadra (68040), then the first PowerMac, followed by a Power G4 model running 10.5
The reason I used Commodores, Amigas, and Macs was because Windows 3.x was a piece of shit. I'm not exaggerating. Worst desktop I've ever used.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
If you compare computer costs compared to the cost of tuition, it doesn't seem like a lot. Perhaps teaching all of these future Mac fanboys Obamanomics is also bad for our economy, as these kids will be running around the halls of Congress in a few years.
So those kids that picket everytime their tuition bills go up (for example here at US Berkeley) are buyng macintoshes instead of the more affordable PCs? Why, how can this be? To hear them rant on and on everytime tuition increases you'd think they were down to their last nickle - oh wait, I was just reminded that Apple offers discounts to students and faculty - what is it 5%? THat must be how they afford all that cool Apple Tech...
Ken
We had some people like you when I was in college. They were in specimen jars.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Young people need to make YouTube videos and other media tasks that are a chore on Windows. The Mac has subsystems for pro audio, pro video, it has world class typography, graphics, it has Unix which makes it suitable for Web development, and it's reliable.
Windows is a joke. It's like a kind of jigsaw puzzle you play with endlessly because there are pieces missing. I won't hire freelancers who uses Windows because they will send me shoddy work in bizarre formats and who knows if there is a virus in there. They're just not worth the trouble. What does it say about you if you didn't have enough sense to get a Mac by now?
>>>my 2003 powerbook doesn't run snow leopard, but is now stuck at leopard, because it's a powerPC based machine,
I'm amazed. My powermac won't run 10.5 leopard at all, because the processor is too slow. And of course 10.4 is no longer supported by Apple, so that means I'm stuck running old, obsolete browsers. NOW contrast that with microsoft's long cycle, where Windows98 can still run the latest Firefox or Opera. Businesses demand that kind of long term support.
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall