71% of College Students Prefer Macs Over PCs According to Jamf Survey

[JGIGS]

So basically 31% of students use a PC because Macs be too expensive.

 

[kis]

That depends where you work. I've been out of university for almost a decade now and have yet to touch a Windows machine in any professional capacity.

Been out of university for about 20 years now and I've yet to see a single Mac anywhere any any kind of professional capacity. But this is Europe - Macs are insanely expensive here.
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I’m an IT specialist and work for a big company, I use a Mac as my main machine, as do other friends who have the same job. And yes my daily work if Active Directory, RDP, Windows support

Lucky you - most companies won't let you choose your own OS

 

[AdonisSMU]

God, kids are superficial idiots. I like the mac, personally but not for style or brand name. I write iOS apps and the hardware is physically really well constructed.

*grump grump grump* Get off my lawn if you aren't on it for the reasons I am.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

unlike Windows, the whole OS X experience is a joy to use. Yes advancement is lacking, but still I would take any OS X over any Windows. The whole system is stable and just works. All I can say is, Thank You Steve Jobs.

The fact that you A: refer to macOS as "OS X" and B: thanked Steve Jobs paints you as a "PC era" Apple fan and not a "Post-PC era" one, just like me.

 

[kis]

I've been in the working world for close to 30 years now and worked for 5 different companies, and have never used a Mac professionally (except in one case where I was testing software on a Mac, but it wasn't my "work computer").

That being said, I have never owned anything BUT a Mac for home use, either for me or my family (or extended family whom I've advised). and I prefer it this way. I find Windows easier for work-related multitasking and keyboard shortcuts, but I find OSX easier for multimedia, writing, anything else typically not done for work (I honestly HATE using Excel on a Mac).

Same here - always had to work on Windows computers but at home I want a trouble-free, safe computing environment for me and my family.

 

[Fried Chicken]

Absolute nonsense. I do software development, and I'm far more efficient on a Mac than I ever was on a Windows computer. There's a UNIX command line inside every Mac. This brings tremendous power than is painful to emulate on a Windows system. And a similar pain on a Linux PC. You may have the native command line, but then getting world-class applications is where the pain comes in. The Mac covers all bases more elegantly.

What are you developing for? The Mac?

 

[justperry]

Windows 10 has become infinitely better and has a lot to like. Don't dismiss Microsoft, they have an equalling compelling operating system and ecosystem. I always keep a couple of Windows machines handy to see what Microsoft is up to. Yes, an inexpensive PC notebook is not engineered like an Apple product but the inexpensive PC notebooks are 2 or 2.5 times less expensive than an equivalent Apple product.

I have three notebook PC's; the HP i3 8130U, a Lenovo Yoga 900 with a 6000 series cpu, and a Lenovo W540 Thinkpad workstation with a i7 4000 series cpu. Windows 10 works quickly and efficiently on all three. Have had no problems with any of them. They are all running the most current Windows build.

You missed my point, it has been proven that PC's are not cheaper, PC's running Windows that is.

 

[udayan81]

And 60% of them can be found at Starbucks too writing documents on their fancy Mac lmao

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Dear College Students:

That's nice. However, please note that most of the business world is still very PC- and Windows-centric and if the company you go to work for after college uses PCs running Windows, you're not going to get to use a Mac -- no matter how much you ask.

Sincerely,
The Business World (aka The Real World)

While there is no doubt Windows is still the most prevalent, it really depends on the industry you are working for. For example, most large tech companies are very Mac-centric. I remember back in the early 2010s almost half of the Fortune 500's employees could choose Macs, and that number is probably much higher now that companies like IBM are following suit. It seems like Macs are now being offered in many companies because employees are asking for it.

 

[apolloa]

Are they joking? 2244 students across 5 countries!!! What’s the percentage of students in that? 0.00000000001%!

This is an utterly pointless story and definitely an utterly pointless survey!

I’m sure lots of students would prefer a Mac but I bet only those 2244 can actually afford one!

And considering Apples entire global PC market share is in single digits, they’ll have to get used to a Windows and PC world. Linux and Windows literally run the entire planet!

 

[MauiPa]

Macs are good if you like A/V crap. If you like workflows for productivity and creativity. But other than that they are expensive toys with a shiny logo. As a rising Twitch streamer/celebrity a Mac is useless. PC is so much better and cheaper. I can emulate games and achieve 120 FPS in RE2. Mac can barely play BioShock 1.

so you are in the 29%

 

[ElectricPotato]

Have you been off the Internet the past 18 months? They've been pushing out new Mac hardware so much that we've now reached the point where pundits are questioning whether Apple is upgrading the MacBook Pro too fast, wondering if the people are going to feel ripped off because Apple is pushing out upgrades so soon after they purchased the last version. LOL.

Yes, I've been following it very closely. It is not clear if the incremental updates (following extended, multi-year droughts) on selected models are a stop gap until they realize whatever their end game might be or a precursor to a genuine revitalization.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

What are you developing for? The Mac?

Software devs usually prefer Macs and Linux over windows because they are UNIX based. There is just a lot more hassle getting many packages to work on windows. A large majority of web servers run linux, and Macs are the perfect candidate for developers because it uses UNIX and have the full suite of the most common software. That's not to mention it's also the only hardware that officially supports macOS, Linux, and windows. Of course, if you're developing apps for Apple's ecosystem you can only use Macs, since Xcode only works on macOS.

 

[Smith288]

*grump grump grump* Get off my lawn if you aren't on it for the reasons I am.

Im merely saying many kids are superficial and lack a deeper thought pattern than when they get older. I was just as stupid and superficial 15 years ago. It's the way of the road, bubbles.

 

[Moonlight]

Dear College Students:

That's nice. However, please note that most of the business world is still very PC- and Windows-centric and if the company you go to work for after college uses PCs running Windows, you're not going to get to use a Mac -- no matter how much you ask.

Sincerely,
The Business World (aka The Real World)

Hey Kids,

DO NOT listen to him. The sky is the limit and you need to chart your own path. Don't let the older generations force you into THIER mold. There are plenty of companies, mine included, that have all macs and will hire you.

Sincerely,
A Business owner

 

[dannys1]

Utter madness was ponying up all the $$$ for the above fully soldered throwaway devices. Hope at least you got the Apple Care you'll inevitably need.

The only Mac I'm using right now is the company provided maxed out 2017 15" MBP which is a kernel panicking, bad keyboard-ridden, screen-temperature-fluctuating pain in the rear that's soon to be returned to our IT supplies for a replacement (this one being already the third in a row). I've sold my old iMac and 15" MacBook Pro on eBay and not looking back. Unless there's a serious change of heart, this will likely be my last Mac, and not because I cannot afford it. I could order their entire lineup fully maxed out, but it's just NOT WORTH IT.

May I also remind you this article is about students who most likely cannot afford past the base versions of the above devices (certainly not the iMac Pro), plus the legion of adaptors and peripherals just to get them to work out of the box, plus Apple Care and whatnot.

Personally, the last MBP I loved was the 17", the last MBP I enjoyed was the 2015" 15", never saw the point of a Mac mini and didn't upgrade my 27" iMac past 2012.

"Fully soldered throw away devices" oh god - you're one of them that demands computers are the only consumer electronics you should be able to tinker the insides of because you can with PCs - iPads, iPhones and iPod are throw away devices then too are they? What about my £4000 OLED TV, I can't upgrade or meddle with that either, it's all soldered in place, throw away device? What about my actual pro devices a 2 channel D/A converter that literally does ONE job, NOTHING else, just stereo sound out and costs £1800, guess what you can't upgrade it or change it and it only does one thing...

The iMac Pro will be just as useful (if not more so) in a decade than a 2012 iMac thats' been tinkered with is now.

And for the record i've had no issues with any of the machines. I did have keyboard issues with the first MacBook Pro with butterfly keyboard, but since then ive had 4 more and not a single one has had keyboard issues, I might have been lucky with the 2nd one but the 3rd gen ive not known any customers with issues either. Oh and guess what I don't need dongles or adapters either because everything uses USB and USB-C is USB amazing that isn't it...I just don't use USB-A anymore which is a silly dated connector.

So for me it IS WORTH IT, it also doesn't really cost anything when I get discount and then I sell them each year and get the latest model whilst the current one has barely lost anything, you can't say that about random PCs.

 

[TheSkywalker77]

Take that, PC fanboys!

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Macs are good if you like A/V crap. If you like workflows for productivity and creativity. But other than that they are expensive toys with a shiny logo. As a rising Twitch streamer/celebrity a Mac is useless. PC is so much better and cheaper. I can emulate games and achieve 120 FPS in RE2. Mac can barely play BioShock 1.

I'm pretty sure sure workflows for productivity and creativity are the main use of computers for college students and professional users. I don't know many college students who are using a gaming tower as their note taking machines and I doubt most college students are aspiring twitch streamers. Those who are serious gamers usually have a dedicated tower for that, and windows is obviously better there.

 

[Shanghaichica]

unlike Windows, the whole OS X experience is a joy to use. Yes advancement is lacking, but still I would take any OS X over any Windows. The whole system is stable and just works. All I can say is, Thank You Steve Jobs.

Agree with this. I’ve had no end of problems with windows, both hardware and software. I’ve had my mac for 4 years and I’ve not had any issues.

 

[TobyR]

Nope not really. Apple is a great platform for social media, hence its popularity for the inexperienced. Once you have to do real work (more than read and create office emails, memos, and spreadsheets) then Apple is not even in the running.

Define "real work" as it pertains to a non-niche segment of the work force.
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Just a few things off the top of my head:

• Can't join to a Windows domain without third-party software; even with that, it's not 100% feature-compatible with Windows
• A lot of third-party software has no Mac version or equivalent (e.g., document management systems like WORLDOX and OpenText/DOCS Open)
• Macs are less upgradeable and serviceable than PCs, generally speaking (e.g., adding RAM or storage)
• Lack of common ports means having to buy external adapters to provide connectivity
• Overall less support from the software industry for Macs vs. PCs, based purely on less market share
• Everything is just more expensive when you buy a Mac

So, "real world" is really just "your world" … because it doesn't represent *any* job I've had in multiple industries over 35 years.

 

[racerhomie]

48% Durability

Yes. They are much durable than windows notebooks. My MacBook is 11 years old. Its still snappy as ever.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

I wonder how many students have actually used a $3,000 Window computer?

There are a lot of things I would use or prefer to use if cost wer not a consideration.

I doubt most college students on Macs are using $3,000 machines. From my observations it's mostly MBAs, 13" MBPs, and some older 15" models (which can be had for under $800 these days).

 

[Darth Tulhu]

You're reading too many MR forums. Apple's not perfect, but they make beautiful hardware that sets the standard. In the real world, people love their Macs, and they continue to be the top rated for reliability and customer satisfactions. Here's just one example of how far off you are when you base your assessment on forum posters. Apple laptops are still the envy of EVERY manufacturer:

Predicted Reliability

APPLE
10 / 10

SAMSUNG
8 / 10

ASUS
6 / 10

LENOVO
6 / 10

ACER
6 / 10

MICROSOFT
6 / 10

HP
6 / 10

DELL
5 / 10

Source: Consumer Reports' 2018 Winter Survey

Owner Satisfaction

APPLE
10 / 10

MICROSOFT
7 / 10

ASUS
6 / 10

SAMSUNG
5 / 10

DELL
5 / 10

LENOVO
5 / 10

HP
5 / 10

ACER
4 / 10
Source: Consumer Reports' 2018 Winter Survey

You presume a bit too much.

I don't compare Apple to anything else, mainly because I really don't want to use Windows on a personal machine (it's more than fine for the enterprise). My previous post is in relation to my current Apple hardware, which is from 2011-2012.

I agree that Apple makes beautiful hardware.

I agree Apple sets the standard. Thankfully, other OEMs are addressing the shortcomings Apple introduced to their own line, though.

I agree people love their Macs. I love mine.

But I also see that anecdotal reliability concerns are mirrored by both reputable news sources and Apple itself (4 keyboard redesigns, Apple repair programs, etc).

TB3/USB-C is nice to have, and of course current processors and GPUs are nice too, of course.

But a sealed up, glued together, soldered SSD, soldered RAM, butterfly-keyboard, magsafe-less, one-port-type machine is inferior to my hardware in pretty much EVERY other way.

 

[racerhomie]

For folks with little budget get a used MacBook, or buy an iPad with a Bluetooth Keyboard.

 

[satchmo]

Really? IBM offered employees the option to get a Mac, and now that’s the majority of their new machine purchases. They’re saving thousands of dollars per employee on tech support even despite the costlier hardware.

Most modern, nimble companies run Macs and larger companies are beginning to make the switch because their employees demand it.

IBM is one organization. Most companies are neither nimble nor modern.

Sadly businesses are slow to change. And that’s not just from a cost perspective. It’s still a Windows world. And in many cases, it’s still Windows 7.