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Charlie Osborne
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Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice

By | August 8, 2010, 7:30pm PDT

Summary: Apple has replaced other major laptop manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Toshiba and Sony as the top consumer choice for students.

CNN reports via a student-focused research firm called Student Monitor, that Apple has replaced other major laptop manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Toshiba and Sony as the top consumer choice for students.

The research pointed out some stark facts which, not only sound unbelievable on the face of it but really highlight the Mac vs. PC, as well as the Mac vs. Windows divide. Only last week Microsoft’s shares dipped of which now the wedge between the consumer choices grows wider.

This simple enough pie chart is causing the stir. Reproduced but showing the exact figures reported by the research firm, Apple takes first place, Dell in second, HP third and Sony - a major notebook and laptop manufacturer in a measly fifth place with as many percentage points.

Interestingly though, students using the Mac operating system one can assume according to these figures - is still lagging behind Windows users with the vast majority of the aforementioned manufacturers offering Microsoft’s operating system in their OEM bundle.

While Apple may be on top in terms of laptop consumer choice for students, Mac OS X is not.

Yahoo! Finance reported analyst Trip Chowdhry’s comments which couldn’t come sooner since the student-focused Kin mobile devices - doomed from the beginning, only last month were withdrawn from sales.

“Our research is indicating that Microsoft is unable to connect with the new generation of users. This could cause problems down the road when these students enter the work force and once again pick Macs over Windows.”

According to this research, over the last six years, Dell laptops have been losing popularity with university students while HP laptops are low but consistent with the exception of a sharp rise in 2009. Apple’s MacBook range have increased exponentially and rocketed in 2008, with the Apple brand being continued by the launch of the iPhone and further Mac line-up upgrades.

The CNN report also pointed out some interesting statistics. Breaking it down further:

  • More students use a laptop (83%) than a desktop (24%).
  • 27% of the laptop users owned a Mac.
  • 14% of the desktop owners used an iMac product, with 45% of those owning a Dell or HP desktop machine.

Even I’ve been tempted by Apple’s MacBook range, and that’s saying something.

One personal belief as to why Apple is becoming more popular with students is the multimedia, video and picture benefits many tech-studying students take advantage of. The academic discount offered by Apple also slashes a great chunk of the cost off the final price making a sturdy, reliable and stylish laptop only a little more expensive than a medium range non-Apple laptop.

Any theories as to why Apple is becoming more popular across the student market?

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Topics

Dell Computer Corp., Apple Inc., Laptop Computer, Notebooks, Hardware, Notebooks & Tablets, Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from the Huffington Post, Business Insider, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

Talkback Most Recent of 80 Talkback(s)

  • Emperor's new plague
    Obviously something is causing a general lowering of IQ or this generation of students is particularly credulous wink

    So 73% of people don't buy an Apple laptop. I'm relieved.

    A more telling statistic would be how many of the 27% get Windows installed so they can actually get some work done. You can only sit there looking at the computer in awe for so long wink

    As I produce multimedia, video and pictures everyday, I can tell you that the Mac's mythical lead in these fields evaporated many years ago. Try running Photoshop on a Mac and an equivalent PC and watch the Mac struggle to keep up. Better still, on Windows I can choose to use a variety of software.

    If there is a huge take-up in Macs, we can only put it down to Apple's rebadging and advertising - there does appear to be a new sucker born every minute wink
    ZDNet Gravatar
    tonymcs@...
    8th Aug 2010
  • So angry and bitter you seem to be....
    @tonymcs@...
    In the very same rant you seek solace by counting those who do not choose Mac. Then you rant and insult some more. Sad really.

    Pagan jim
    ZDNet Gravatar
    James Quinn
    8th Aug 2010
  • I was thinking "pretentious"
    @James Quinn

    Every post I read by "tonymcs" is sadly predictable. Everything he does is windows based, you can say his home network is homogeneous to the running operating system - and of course, his choice must be right because it works for him.

    I also use it, on the workstation level it works well - both my sons use my hand-me-down game rigs running XP, my game rig also dual-boots windows / linux and it also works well no matter what OS is up and running. My wife also has a MacBook, and all of us all have some sort of iphone/ipod/itouch, my linux fileserver can handle storage / backups for all. You can say my network is heterogeneous...

    So wait - I'm hetero and he's homo - yea I think that just about sums it up. LoL
    ZDNet Gravatar
    ~doolittle~
    8th Aug 2010
    • Flagged
  • He does, however, make an interesting point
    It would appear that with the multiutude of money Apple spends advertising their laptops, 73% still prefer a Windows PC (72%, as we will attribute 1% to Linux) over that of a competing Apple product.

    I can now understand why Apple fiercely fights the ability of other companies from running OS X on their machine, by incorporating Digit Rights hardware in their machines, as well as corresponding code in their operating systems.

    I imagine that Apple's "27% piece of the pie" would be greatly diminished where a competitor able to build a system that could legally run OS X.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Mister Spock
    3rd Sep 2010
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @James Quinn

    He's right, Mac's aren't nearly as useful as computers running Microsoft, especially Windows 7. My sister has a Mac and I can't stand it, the User control is abysmal, and there is hardly any compatible 'free' software available, to top it off Apple makes you purchase a special connection type if you want to hook your Laptop up to anything external. The user 'friendliness' of these computers is terrible, they can't do half the things a PC can.

    Also during my Degree Project presentations last year the only computer to NOT work with the Projector was a Mac (and he was the only Engineering student who had one).

    Good job Mac, you have successfully conned the population into believing you make a 'better' product. What a joke.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Steve_17
    28th Oct 2010
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @James Quinn Thanks for sharing. i really appreciate Thesis Writing Admission Essays Courseworks Assignment writing it that you shared with us such a informative post..
    ZDNet Gravatar
    disturbforce
    7th Sep
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @tonymcs@...

    Hey tonymcs, there is only one NonZealot and he is by far more entertaining than you. Give it a rest.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    A Grain of Salt
    8th Aug 2010
  • Lost post
    wtb decent ZDNet software
    ZDNet Gravatar
    tonymcs@...
    8th Aug 2010
    • Flagged
  • Have Windows?
    @tonymcs@..
    What do you mean by that question? I have in the past installed Windows on Macs even my own but found I had no use for it and it's long gone now. I have 27 years in computer repair/support and I for one find the Mac and Apple as a whole does it better but I am smart enough to realize this is a subjective and personal opinion not a fact. I've tried Windows and found it wanting. Now the new people to the Mac are those who for the most part have grown up using Windows in one form or another so I trust that they have knowledge of what they find more suitable to their needs and I don't judge them. For some windows is fine and that is their opinion/experience for others it is NOT and that is also fine get use to it.

    Pagan jim
    ZDNet Gravatar
    James Quinn
    8th Aug 2010
  • Yeah but he's trying to be entertaining
    @A Grain of Salt

    I'm just using 30 years of computer experience of watching graphic artists slowing things down by insisting on using a Mac. Since media production is a core part of my business I have to make videos/audio/graphics virtually every day and being restricted to a Mac is one of my worst nightmares.

    I'm also a software developer, so I have to be familiar with the Mac and its quaint OS.

    I notice no-one said anything about my main point - how many Mac users have Windows installed - if I extrapolate from the few Mac users I know, I'd have to say 100%
    ZDNet Gravatar
    tonymcs@...
    8th Aug 2010
  • And yet, James Quinn, I have found
    the opposite to be true.

    I have seen that the issues and repairs to be growing at a faster rate disproportional to the amount of new Apple laptops in the school.

    Odd that you have found Windows "wanting" as many of those Apple Laptops have also had Windows installed, which one would have to logically conclude that it is OS X that many have found wanting.

    And before you go off on some imaginary tangent, understand that I speak from facts, not any personal preference, and the facts do speak for themselves.
    plain
    ZDNet Gravatar
    Mister Spock
    3rd Sep 2010
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @tonymcs@... Dude, have u ever even seen photoshop runnin on a mac?, it runs on a mere macbook better than on a full fledged desktop PC running windows. doesn't crash or get stuck for an hour like on a windows machine. Talking about multimedia, the iLife ( comes free with every mac) itself is powerful enough to fulfill our daily multimedia needs.
    The lead isn't so mythical while TV producers, movie producers and even music producers and artists are using macs and their software like Final Cut & Logic Studio to get their work done (the easy & the fun way). may be you're the sucker with miss information ruining your life over something that'll soon be history, so narrow minded you are to not see why a company that was in the ruins could come and take over companies like Microsoft, it's not just marketing, can't you see why people are leaving windows, trying macs, and choosing to stay with the mac, why aren't they going back dude? most of the mac users WERE windows users, they left windows, they wouldn't leave a mac, and the reason is not marketing.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    h10325
    8th Aug 2010
  • A cult is a cult
    @h10325

    Sorry I have seen photoshop on a Mac right next to a similar PC and the rendering on the Mac was 1/3 to 1/2 slower.

    I'm sure some users are happy with their extremely limited choice on the Mac. I have no real complaints about Final Cut, it's just not what I use.

    I am not saying you can't get things done on a Mac (albeit slower), I'm objecting to the bloggers tired assumption that multimedia is better on a Mac, when it's demonstrably not.
    ZDNet Gravatar
    tonymcs@...
    8th Aug 2010
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @h10325 - sorry, but I have CS4 Master Suite and a mid-2009 MacBook Pro. CS4 HAS CRASHED ON ME.

    Maybe Apple will blame Adobe for that too.

    On the MBP I have only CS4 and Intego X6.

    After Apple's tantrum against Flash, I moved to Windows and put CS4 on my Macbook. Quite the contrary; Flash has actually ran more stable (and MUCH faster) on Windows. Disk searches have ran faster, and Photoshop too has just ran better.

    Macbooks are thin and feel solid, but that's all they've got.

    Disclaimer: I don't work for Apple, Microsoft, or anybody else. I am an indepedent person with an independent mind and I make my own decisions based on my own experiences and adjust acordingly. Therefore everybody hates me. happy

    Disclaimer 2: I love Logic Studio, and will foresee using Mac and Windows for years to come. If I could run OS X in a virtual machine, I'd never need to dual-boot again, however...
    ZDNet Gravatar
    HypnoToad72
    9th Aug 2010
  • RE: Apple overtakes Dell, HP as student laptop choice
    @h10325,
    "Dude, have u ever even seen photoshop runnin on a mac?"
    At least, from an Arstechnica review, PS4 was faster in Vista x64 than Mac OS. Is worst when you consider that the test was in a Mac Pro. Maybe you should test before posting.
    http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/10/adobe-cs4-review.ars/5
    ZDNet Gravatar
    dvm
    9th Aug 2010
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