Student Computer Initiative increases prices on laptops

Since the Student Computer Initiative was introduced in 1998, purchasing a laptop over the summer has become a rite of passage of sorts for most incoming freshmen.

After several consecutive years of stable costs, though, prices for this year's models have increased by 13 to 30 percent.

The Office of Information Technology operates the program, which allows all students at the University to purchase computers at a lower rate than on the open market through special arrangements with the manufacturers.

This year, the prices for all four laptop models offered by SCI have risen by $150 to $360 over prices for similar models offered last year.

The costs of a Dell Latitude D600 basic and enhanced model are $1,389 and $1,589, respectively. Apple iBooks and Powerbooks cost $1,289 and $1,989 respectively. Prices are only available to members of the University community who log in to a restricted website.

SCI updates the configurations of each available model with its vendors, Apple and Dell, each summer in an attempt to provide the newest technology to students.

"The timing of the program was such that the technology we are selling to the students was very new at the time the pricing was set. Thus, our vendors had less flexibility in terms of pricing," said Luke Bodenstein, SCI coordinator and technology integration specialist.

For the Dell computers, "the processors are a new class of Intel Centrino Pentium M745 processors, which is supposed to be a more efficient and more powerful processor than before," Bodenstein said, adding that the processors in the machines sold last year were phased out by Dell and therefore were not available to students.

The new Centrino processor is largely responsible for the hike in price of the Dell computers, he said.

For Apple Powerbooks, though, the increase in price was over $400.

"The real issue is the Powerbook and why it went [up in price] just because the processor got a speed-bump. I went back and forth with Apple, trying to get justification. And they were not able to provide any. It was a pretty contentious period with me and Apple," Bodenstein said.

SCI has more leverage when negotiating with Dell because close to 80 percent of the computers sold to students are Dells, he added.

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Despite the price increases, the more than 1,100 computers sold by SCI this summer and so far this academic year represents an increase from last year's figure for the same period. Last year a total of 1,493 computers, including those purchased during the academic year, were sold.

Bodenstein noted another trend in the increasing popularity of Apple computers. This year 22 percent of the computers sold by SCI are Apples, compared to anywhere from nine to 15 percent in previous years.

Because of the sheer quantity of computers sold by SCI, students save more than $850 on Dells and up to $600 on Apple Powerbooks, Bodenstein said.