The "cool factor" of Apple computers, with their sleek design and eye-catching ads, has barely chipped away at the market dominance of PCs nationwide. But if Student Computer Initiative (SCI) sales at Princeton are any indication, Apples may be on the rise.
SCI, which sells more than 1,000 laptop computers to University students annually, has seen a jump in the purchase of Apple machines over the past year.
Apples have accounted for 23.6 percent of SCI computers sold in the current school year, up from 14.8 percent last year, according to Leila Shahbender, who manages Student Computing Services for the Office of Information Technology.
When SCI sold them for the first time in 2001-02, only 10.7 percent of computers purchased were Apples.
SCI currently offers four laptop models: two from Dell and two from Apple.
Shahbender is unsure why Apples grew in popularity this year. She speculated that the susceptibility of PCs to security threats may be one reason for the change.
"I suspect it could be because the Apples don't get viruses and worms, so there aren't as many security issues," Shahbender said.
Dave Marcovitz '06, a student consultant for the OIT Helpdesk, agreed that computer consumers on campus might be swayed by the relative security of Apples.
"The PCs have been getting a lot more viruses and having more problems that are caused by traffic on the network," Marcovitz said. "The Macs seem to be less susceptible to that kind of stuff. So even though people may be more knowledgeable about the PCs, they may prefer Macs."
For Apple and PC adherents alike, purchasing decisions often came down to habit and loyalty.
Caitlin Sullivan '07, who purchased an Apple PowerBook G4 from SCI, said her longstanding familiarity with the Apple system was a critical factor.
"I really do prefer the user-friendly nature of Apples over PCs," she said.
Another sophomore, Joanna Friedman, purchased a Dell for the same reason.
"I have limited experience with Macs compared to Dells. Also, I like the interface of Windows more, even though I know Macs are better for a lot of other reasons ... I've used Windows since the beginning," she explained.
Students voiced differing assessments of the relative performance of Apple and PC computers.
Felix Huang '06, who is also a web staffer for The Daily Princetonian, said he prefers PCs partly because they make downloading easier.
"Most everything on the Internet seems to be designed for PCs," he said.
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