Across Minnesota universities, from Winona State University to the University of Minnesota, Macs are hot.
And they’re hot here too. Penn is flooded with Macs. I see more Macs in class than PCs. Most of my friends have Macs. What makes Macs so hot?
Is it education discounts? As if price is deterrence for Penn students. Is it the lack of computer safety on a PC? Just install ZoneAlarm and AVG Anti-Virus (both are free).
The reason: It’s pure aesthetics.
We are an aesthetic society. We want sun-kissed tans and movie star smiles. We want to be beautiful; likewise, our products must be beautiful.
Little difference exists between the performance of a Mac and a PC. The specifications are very similar. Macs and PCs are differentiated more in looks than logic. And, if we know anything about purchasing mentality, it has little to do with logic.
Competitors took notes. As the New York Times pointed out, Hewlett-Packard’s “effort to transform its personal computers from low-margin commodities into more stylish devices has started to pay off.” H.P.’s aesthetically rising from the grave (Simeon: Take note of this stock).
It’s no wonder. Aesthetics make people satisfied. After the newness wears off, you hope that product looks good. College Sophomore Michael Kleinman said to me that he purchased a Mac because it was “more aesthetically pleasing.”
Indeed, John Kneeland (Editor’s Note: John Kneeland is a former Spin blogger), Penn’s Apple Campus Rep, told me that “no doubt Macs are eye-catching, head-turning, and have good design.”
Still, the PC is just as safe (full disclosure: I use a PC). And just as powerful. College Sophomore Bayard Wilson highlighted the fact and said, “When I buy something, I go for performance. That’s why I bought a P.C. I don’t care what it looks like.”
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October 7th, 2007 at 7:28 am
Macs don’t crash. Nuff said.
October 8th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
For years, I owned a PC and loathed macs, I thought they sucked. Then my dad got me an mac laptop before coming to Penn and here are the reasons mac >> PC
1. Don’t crash
2. Everything is plug and play (no configuration needed for anything)
3. BootCamp - Can run Windows OS and Mac OS (why buy a PC when you can buy a mac and get both?)
4. Tech support - If you computer needs servicing (I’ve needed it once in 4 years), they can generally fix it within 10-15 minutes (unless you nuked your hard drive or something)
5. VISTA IS A RIPOFF OF OSX, it just isn’t as stable: Why would you want a copy when you can get the original?
6. Size - My iMac sits on my desk. First question PC owners ask “Where’s the rest of it?” That’s it, my friends, it’s all in the monitor; no more “tower” for me.
October 8th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
In response to Why Settle:
1) My laptop has only crashed once in three years.
2) Automatic and Instant configuration for all applications on Windows Machines.
3) Who would want to run Mac programs?
4) Yep, we’ve got tech support too, as well as several hotlines run through the individual computer manufacturers rather than Microsoft and are very efficient.
5) You can still get Windows XP
6) My machine is smaller than any Imac and yet still manages to be faster.
hhhmmm…