Roger Fingas
Most college and university students would choose to use a Mac, but price is a considerable barrier, according to a survey commissioned by Apple-oriented device management firm Jamf. [Updated with revised Jamf data on percent of PC buyers motivated by price]
71% of the students surveyed said they prefer a Mac, even though 60% use a Windows PC, according to research outfit Vanson Bourne. Of the people on a PC, 56% chose price as their central motivation.
The data was collected earlier in 2019 from 2,244 people in five countries.
It also suggests, however, that many Mac and Windows users are firmly entrenched. Only 43% of PC users said that Macs provide the best value, that figure rising to 80% among Mac users.
Mac users typically see the platform as "more intuitive," "longer-lasting," "more secure," and better for productivity, Jamf added.
While Apple regularly runs educational discounts and "Back to School" promotions, Macs are still typically more expensive than equivalent PCs. A minimum-spec Mac mini is $799 before any necessary peripherals like a keyboard, mouse, or monitor — the MacBook Air, once a budget champion, is now at least $1,199.
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28 Comments
On the flip side, most students would NOT want to use a cheap, low-end Mac because it wouldn’t perform like the real thing. They want the quality and design but can’t afford it. In my college days that was known as a "Champagne taste but a Beer pocketbook”. You want the Corvette but you drive a Corvair. You want the Mac but you can afford a Dell. The Mac comes later when you are making some money.
Most of the Macs I owned were refurbished. Even when purchasing refurbished Macs, they are still good value compared to brand new PCs. The last Mac I bought brand new was for my daughter. I bought her a 15" MBP with retina display. Her med school mostly use Macs. I was so happy about it that I bought with alacrity.
I never bought PC for personal usage and I am i "poor" country and never shelled for any Apple product more then say 250 USD. I have 7 of them. Simply buying what I can afford. My Macbook Pro is 2008, with hacked Mojave and is running fine. You must sacrifice something, like battery life, big trackpad, video over Airplay....
Hmmm. A bit torn on this story. I generally like Jamf and their support of Macs in education. But this survey they commissioned gets a side eye from me. Not because of the obvious bias inherent in a survey commissioned by a company that relies on the survey subject for income. No they get a side eye for hiding access to the survey info behind a blatant marketing scheme designed to harvest potential customer info. I don't think any sites should be promoting this since it's an obvious tactic to build a sales list for cold calling.
Here's the link to Jamf's survey: https://www.jamf.com/resources/e-books/the-influence-of-student-device-choice-on-the-modern-workplace/ Now try to click on the .pdf to download the info.
I convinced my wife to get a Mac (got her as birthday present forcefully). I can't stand PC's maintenance -- there are always issues: backup, virus, updates, you name it ..... endless.