Princeton University Students Switching?

[generik]

Ahem. Anyone who says that Yale is "square" and Harvard is not has obviously never experienced the two colleges. And yes, I can say this because I am a Yale student who chose Yale over Harvard. Additionally, I really don't know what a "more comprehensive understanding of aesthetics" is, let alone what it has to do with mac usage. And, for the record, fully 35% of people here at Yale use Macs, and the large majority of freshmen I know who bought a new laptop got an MB or an MB pro. Also, I would argue that trying to paint Yale and Princeton with the same brush is also incorrect, and it is even more incorrect to paint Harvard and Columbia with the same brush. It is pointless to generalize ANY two colleges together, especially schools with such varying social, educational, and cultural philosophies.

EDIT: Oh, but don't take my word for any of this. I switched to Mac from Linux, so I guess I'm not a real Mac user.

Bravo.

Exactly, it is just a brand of computer... a tool if you will. Not a bloody religion which changes your whole mindset and world view to the point that you are prepared to strap bombs to your chest to "defend" it.

Switcheur... people who use this world sound more like poseurs to me if they honestly think the few extra grand they spent in their lifetimes on macs make them superior in any sense. Stop hiding behind Steve's skirt and go get a real peen enlargement you loser

 

[kansaigaijin]

While that may be true, we're comparing apples to apples when it comes to year-over-year sales. This is the trend at the same place:

2003: 15% mac sales
2004: 25%
2005: 38%
2006: 45%

It's possible there are outside factors regarding PC sales that may have changed over the 4 years, but it's not mentioned.

arn

but do they quote PC sales figures going down? did those mac buying students just stop buying off campus?

there are lies, damn lies, and statistics. these encouraging are pretty much meaningless without the big picture or some context.

 

[cwoloszynski]

Development House moving to Macs

I work at a small embedded software development house and I am moving my entire team to Macs (MBP). We do mostly Linux-based development and we are using Parallels on the MBPs to run Suse Linux and then using X11 on the Mac to have a single unified desktop.

I hope in a couple of years to have the whole company moved over. You should see the interest from the other teams in how we are using Macs (and if they can join my team!).

I could not have done this if it was not for Apple's Bootcamp and Parallels and the Intel switch.

The world is changing!

 

[darwen]

Of course Princeton kids are buying apples... Princeton students are smart!

 

[Grimace]

I happen to have the displeasure of knowing a good many more than I'd like to, and I'm telling you there's no way that a full 45% of that student body are blue-blooded Mac users. Princetonians are a people lacking utterly in subtlety and charm, and even poorer in aesthetic intuition. They're the people who pose with upturned collars! I can't stress strongly enough: These people aren't Mac users. They're switcheurs.

And...how old are you? You are making gross generalizations about an entire student body -- one that is completely recycled in four years. Your comments could apply to most Research I universities, I'm not sure why you're so uptight about what many of us might call "progress".

 

[generik]

Of course Princeton kids are buying apples... Princeton students are smart!

What about Oxford kids?

There is a line between those who are smart, and those who think they are smart. The truly smart ones in Oxford will (as mentioned previously) see through all that hype Apple is and keep typing their theses (in LaTeX no less)on some old school UNIX system. The dumb ones like everyone else just goes on with the flow and uses Windows, because everyone uses Windows. The wannabe smarts think they are so smart and decided to try something different, so they looked around and figured that Macs are the perfect choice, nevermind its own can of worms, and meanwhile they are still typing their term papers and reports on... Microsoft Word.

 

[twoodcc]

well i know i see tons of macs on campus here at Georgia State University, so i'm not surprized

 

[jellomizer]

1/2 Good news.

While it shows that Princeton is getting more macs is partially good news. It shows that Macs are back in fashion, unlike when I was in college where mac were considered for only people who didn't want to learn how to use a computer, and the person with the Dell or Alienware was considered hip. But this is still a bad side because it still reconfirms the current myth "While Macs are in general better then PCs, only rich people can afford for the luxury." Princeton has a reputation of its students full of rich kids. So they are getting MacBooks with their Fancy Mercedes. So this news shows that Macs are now trendy but it also make them seem out of reach of the common man. (While my non-sciencetific price research has shown that per-feature Macs are better price) Compared to other prebuilt systems.

 

[Willis]

Lincoln College... Its a Dell Superstore.... And guess what the only computers you can buy are from there... you guessed it...

Not an Apple in sight.

 

[stainlessliquid]

I wonder if the only reason the % has gone up is because of a higher number of people shopping at places like Dell.com. Apple has yet to offer a real reason to shop online rather than shop at a store, so while PC buyers flock to online purchases Apple buyers stick with regular stores since theres no point to shop at apple.com unless theyre out of stock.

Although those kids probably arent very conerned about finding the best price online.

 

[technicolor]

I wonder if the only reason the % has gone up is because of a higher number of people shopping at places like Dell.com. Apple has yet to offer a real reason to shop online rather than shop at a store, so while PC buyers flock to online purchases Apple buyers stick with regular stores since theres no point to shop at apple.com unless theyre out of stock.

This makes not one lick of sense, both structurally and in meaning.

 

[Lollypop]

Im glad to see that some uni's are seeing more mac users, over here most people still cant afford a laptop, so they are forced to use the open computer labs.. that feature.. you guessed it.. Dells. I was the only one in the entire computer science department that had a mac.. But im hoping the trend to move away from a singular platform eventuall changes that.

 

[JonD]

Campus Rep

I was an Apple Campus Rep at Princeton from 2004-2006 (now graduated). Apple has an amazing presence on campus, and I'm glad I could be a part of it

 

[JonD]

Princetonians, in my experience, are fratboys, prudes, and associated squares--by far the worst of the Ivies. Not a creative bone in the entire student body. They wouldn't know Macintosh if it bit them in their collective beige butt.

So tell me, how on earth is this good news? Unimaginative folk like these don't belong on our platform. Much better to celebrate the longstanding prevalence of Macs on progressive, independent-minded, and artistic campuses such as Brown and Columbia. But Princeton? Give me a break.

Ouch, somebody is jealous. Spend less time at TI and Cottage next time you visit, please.

 

[MacBram]

...What bugs me is that I am now at Oxford, which by the way is number two or three in the world, that Macs are under represented. In fact there is no store, virtual or otherwise in the whole of Oxford!!!!!...

Unfortunately there is no Apple Store, though there are three Starbucks. But if you need help (or to know you are not the only macuser in Oxford) there is a pretty good, hole-in-the-wall Apple education dealer/reseller in Headington. Address: 19 Old High Street. Absolute Computers is just off the high street (London Road) towards old Headington: go back beside Summerfields supermarket and it is above the audio shop - staircase is in the rear by the dumpsters in the Summerfield car park. Proprietor's name is Mike. They set our charity up with our first video editing system in 1998. There is also an Oxford MacUser group that meets once in awhile. They have a Yahoo Group, oxmacug@yahoogroups.com.

 

[bopbop]

per mr krykert
I happen to have the displeasure of knowing a good many more than I'd like to, and I'm telling you there's no way that a full 45% of that student body are blue-blooded Mac users. Princetonians are a people lacking utterly in subtlety and charm, and even poorer in aesthetic intuition. They're the people who pose with upturned collars! I can't stress strongly enough: These people aren't Mac users. They're switcheurs.


DO NOT FEED TROLLS !!!!

Nonetheless I have to respond. When I was at Princeton noone used Macs. I have only been using them since 1996, a veritable poseur.

I did own an Apple ][ plus in 1981 (taught myself Pascal after I bought the language card for $1k), IIe, IIgs and Pismo Powerbook as well as a 7600 132 and my now aging MMD dual 1 ghz and 15inch 1.33PB. Enuff bragging about my bloodlines?
My first computer was a time shared GE 6200 in 1968.

Oh and I graduated from Princeton in 1973. the workhorse there then was an IBM 360/91 and personal computing was a TTY.


http://www.housleyphoto.com

 

[Bye Bye Baby]

Thanks

Hey thanks for that. even though I live near Christ Church. It soulnds tricky- but I'll get there!!! Do they do tax exempt for non-Brits. Just in case you know off the top of your head!!!


Thanks

Unfortunately there is no Apple Store, though there are three Starbucks. But if you need help (or to know you are not the only macuser in Oxford) there is a pretty good, hole-in-the-wall Apple education dealer/reseller in Headington. Address: 19 Old High Street. Absolute Computers is just off the high street (London Road) towards old Headington: go back beside Summerfields supermarket and it is above the audio shop - staircase is in the rear by the dumpsters in the Summerfield car park. Proprietor's name is Mike. They set our charity up with our first video editing system in 1998. There is also an Oxford MacUser group that meets once in awhile. They have a Yahoo Group, oxmacug@yahoogroups.com.

 

[JonD]

I can't stress strongly enough: These people aren't Mac users. They're switcheurs.

You gotta start somewhere, right?

 

[MacBram]

Hey thanks for that. I am in Magdalen College, even though I live near Christ Church. It soulnds tricky- but I'll get there!!! Do they do tax exempt for non-Brits. Just in case you know off the top of your head!!! Thanks

It's not too tricky - go up the hill from Magdalen (left branch at the plane roundabout) and it's one left turn at the main traffic lights at the Headington shops; then right at the first or second gap between buildings to get to the staircase).

Yes, most retailers will have a VAT exemption form for foreigners. You fill it in there and they stamp it. I think you still pay the VAT, but claim it back at the airport.

As another poster said, you can get to the Regent Street Apple Store very easily. The Oxford Tube coaches leave Oxford every ten minutes. You can be at Marble Arch in 50 minutes. Walk 5 or six blocks straight up Oxford Street to Regent Street, and the Store is barely a block down on the right.

 

[ArizonaKid]

Switching

I think this is the #1 reason people don't switch; They think that the difficulties of windows are how computing is supposed to be, namely, complicated, expensive, and time consuming.

I have to fight tooth and nail at my company to use a mac because, and I quote my "IT Professional"; "Macs are too expensive, they get too many viruses, and they're too hard to network and support". Now, granted, this woman isn't bright and was "promoted" to network admin from some receptionist job at some point, but this is how most companies think.

I have to disagree. I really don't think it is that sophisticated of an issue. It comes down to software and deployment. The people on this board are quite intelligent, so I would expect they can concede Windows rules the software market.

I am the network admin, on the side, for a small business. Additionally, I am the purchasing manager, and as the purchasing manager it is not prudent for me to purchase any Macs. Windows 2003 SBS (small business server) is an excellent backend server. Remote access, VPN, and exchange server simply are amazing tools for collaboration and connectivity to peers. On SBS 2003 they are all included.

The computers I purchase must have Windows XP Pro, which is a must for our domain management. I have actually added a Mac to our active directory, and had Entourage running off Exchange, and I can tell you it was a big pain in the ass. HP Business Computers are excellent at providing a clean install of Windows XP Pro. I simply don't see a decent argument for an employee to have a Mac when all the programs they are required to run are on Windows. Additionally, I will not waste time or money purchasing additional licenses of XP Pro for Macs, and then have to install it. Since we are a construction company we are heavy into Timberline (SQL based estimating and accounting...amazing application), Access, Visio, Project, and AutoCAD. I have yet to find viable alternatives on the Mac that has full compatibility.

In your argument you mentioned iTunes. Well I have that for Windows. I find Picasa to be a better application than iLife, and I don’t use Garage Band or iMovie.

Of course for home use there are plenty of software choices that are arguably the best in their class, such as iLife. However, those specific applications are not significant value added tools for our business.

The truth is I own a Mac at home for simple entertainment. It’s fun to use a different platform from time to time. However, Ubuntu and OS X are still entertainment OSs for me and not much more.

However, when money is on the line I would never choose a Mac in our business. They simply don’t have a competitive advantage and are not able to offer any software that would make our business more efficient. Now I could argue that software developers can be blamed for not offering Mac versions of critical applications, but I really don’t care.

 

[Cygnus311]

How do 13 people consider this a negative?

 

[ljova.com]

According to their Office of Information Technology, 45% of computers purchased this year were Macs. While this statistic only represents on-campus sales, it does represent a significant trend of the past 3 years. In 2003, only 15% of computers sold were Macs, with steady increases to 25% and 38% in 2004 and 2005.

Awesome! Many of my Princeton friends are Mac-based. I wonder, though, for every Mac sold on campus, how many Dells are sold via the internet on or before the student gets to school.

--Ljova
(G4 TiBook 1GHZ - waiting for the Meroms!)

 

[cecildk9999]

I think that just like the iPod became the 'in' fashion standard for mp3 players, Apple laptops could become the must have college 'accessory.' Apple has been so successful marketing the iPod experience that many people buy it because they equate iPod with cool. And Apple laptops have a form factor that makes them sleek and even sexy next to many bulkier PC laptops (and even a thinner design like IBMs ThinkPad, or whatever it's called, just doesn't make you want to use it in the same way).

I have a MacBook Pro, and 5 or 6 people in my education program have said that they have got to get one now that they have seen it. All the little touches, like the camera, some of the included software, and the streamlined look were very appealing to those who saw it (the backlit keyboard was a big deal, too). If you're going mobile, the computer becomes no more of an accessory (for the average user), than an iPod.

I've been a solid Mac user for four years, and have never seen the amount of Apple laptops around a campus as I do now. I think that the iPod did a lot to reinvigorate interest in Apple, and the design of Apple laptops will help expand their market further.

 

[SPUY767]

Say what!? PC users enjoy self-flagellation.

Self Fellation!? Ooohhhh, spicy indeed.

 

[stephenmckeague]

World Rankings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Muh?

Lol either read the rankings by a random Chinese University, or go here
for the INFINITELY more widely respected Times league tables.

The American uni's will naturally only show you whichever source puts them higher up the world rankings, regardless of how legitimate it is. See here for why its grading system is frankly useless.

"crediting the universities where prize-winners studied (some as far back as the late 18th century)"
LOL