Thursday, March 13, 2008
Although technology professionals on both sides of the PC versus Mac divide may not be able to come to a consensus on the superior product, there is one thing neither can argue: Apple Inc. exerting its influence on the lucrative computer market.
It’s nearly impossible to ignore Apple’s influence on the KU campus. It seems Apple products are everywhere, from students’ personal computers and MP3 players to computer labs stocked exclusively with Macs.
Bill Myers, a spokesman for the University’s information technology department, said via e-mail that the School of Fine Arts, School of Journalism, University Relations, theatre and film department, and the Center for Research on Learning all predominantly used Macs. Also, approximately 50 percent of the computers in the geology and mathematics departments are Macs, he said.
John Edwards, technology buyer for KU Bookstores, owns both a PC and a Mac. He said the bookstores had seen about a 25 percent increase in Mac sales each year. Although PCs remain the choice of the majority, Edwards said he estimated Macs to make up around 25 percent of student computers.
Apple’s increased visibility in the media and popular culture has helped drive sales of their products to people who were previously unfamiliar with the company, he said. “The iPod did it, but the iPhone has done it even more,” Edwards said. “Everybody knows about the iPhone. It has been on the cover of Time Magazine and everything else, and it ends up making Apple appear to have a great product line.”
In addition to Apple’s visibility, Edwards said the failure of Windows Vista had driven some traditional PC users to the other side of the debate. He said Macs offer a user-friendly option for those without technological knowledge who prefer an uncomplicated system.
Stacey Fox, a visiting artist for the art department, said she used Macs because she considered the software she needed to edit film in high definition, such as Final Cut Studio, to be superior to that available for PCs.
“For someone like me who is a professional artist, the Mac is just a treasure,” Fox said. “It’s a jewel box. Anything that I can imagine in my head I can create on a Mac.”
Although she has used both, Fox said she considers Macs to be more reliable and better suited to her needs.
Despite the increased popularity of Macs, the machines still have major shortcomings in the eyes of PC users. Adam Van Horn, Lawrence senior, said he has been a PC user his entire life. He said that for people looking to customize their computers hardware or play video games Macs just didn’t stack up.
Despite his preference for Windows based systems, Van Horn said Macs’ new ability to run the Windows operation system was a positive move for Apple.
“They’ve gotten better, especially now that they support Intel processors,” he said. “They are good computers; it’s just that I prefer Windows and Intel based products because that’s what I’ve always used.”
In light of Apple’s stock growth, its price has nearly doubled in the past two years, and his store’s increase in sales, Edwards said he didn’t expect Mac sales to slow down as students look to fulfill their computing needs with minimal maintenance.
“It’s just very consistent,” he said. “It’s all designed to work to work together well.”
—Edited by Patrick De Oliveira
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