What is it with Macs disappearing from schools?

[Sun Baked]

Apple sort of dropped the ball and left the iMac/Mini with the 950 GPU/sans burners as the education Macs.

They really haven't aimed at the education market since the eMac was relegated to "it's there, just ignore it" status.

Quite sure if Apple wanted to they could build a very popular desktop AIO and entry level laptop -- in the $500 retail range, putting them at discount right near where schools would buy them again.

 

[troublesomekila]

heck yeah, kent state ashtabula is all dell, when i was in elementary shool we had the original imacs [[sim city and oregon trails lol]] now they have pretty much vanished, im going to go out on a limb and say ive only seen one mac in this entire town since 1998 and it was a student a month ago at kent with their white macbook.

ahh yes oregon trail....those were the days

 

[HBOC]

At my school (art institute of portland), we have 13 computer labs or so. More than half are Mac Pro or iMac labs. They just installed CS4 on all the computers at school. Maybe that is why a credit is $450!

 

[chewietobbacca]

IT people aren't idiots, they know what the whole picture looks like.

Exactly, and from someone with an engineering and IT background, program compatibility for a lot of technical related programs (science and engineering especially), PC and Windows reign. Not to mention setting up the server infrastructure as well is much more PC friendly.

 

[rontheancient]

From a end user perspective the Mac may be the best and easiest to use. However, from a IT and administrative point of view its another story. At least for my university department, we have no problem integrating Macs to our Windows network, but big issues for us come when we need to actually need to perform a hardware repair on a computer. The reason why we recommend Dells are primarily because their warranties include on-site and DIY repairs for all components and all issues (including accidental damage), not to mention the ability to IM with a US based Dell specialist. All for less than the AppleCare you get off the shelf, which (unless your campus has a higher/costly agreement) you still need to call, troubleshoot, get a box, ship the Mac out and wait for it to come back. In the time it takes for Apple to send a box out to us, Dell can send a replacement part for us to install ourselves. That and the fact that Dell gives bigger discounts to University purchases is why we recommend Dell computers, unless there is a legitimate reason to get a Mac (which there is plenty of). Dell may not sell the best computers to use, but given a increasingly tight budget/resources and the fact that these computers are for work not play, they are the logical choice.

 

[motulist]

Dell may not sell the best computers to use, but given a increasingly tight budget/resources and the fact that these computers are for work not play, they are the logical choice.

But don't Dells become obsolete sooner than Macs? I don't know if it's MS's fault, or Dells fault, or someone else's fault, but it seems like the Dell computers at my school get replaced much sooner than the Macs. It seems like the Macs keep chugging along while the Dells break, slowdown, and become unusable, and thus seem to be updated with newer models in a shorter time span. So if you need to replace a Dell computer model every 2 years but only need to replace a Mac every 3 years, it seems like that would at least balance the cost scale, if not make Macs even cheaper than Dells in the long run.

 

[krimz]

But don't Dells become obsolete sooner than Macs? I don't know if it's MS's fault, or Dells fault, or someone else's fault, but it seems like the Dell computers at my school get replaced much sooner than the Macs. It seems like the Macs keep chugging along while the Dells break, slowdown, and become unusable, and thus seem to be updated with newer models in a shorter time span. So if you need to replace a Dell computer model every 2 years but only need to replace a Mac every 3 years, it seems like that would at least balance the cost scale, if not make Macs even cheaper than Dells in the long run.

Most unis have set policies to phase out computer hardware every 3 years or so regardless, and whatever you think: Dells have a pretty good build quality (as well as superior support options) and won't break down every 2 years. A Dell computer may not look as sexy as a Mac but it will do the job and outside arts or media educations you're better off using Windows or Unix (workstations) solutions.

 

[Apocrathia]

From a end user perspective the Mac may be the best and easiest to use. However, from a IT and administrative point of view its another story. At least for my university department, we have no problem integrating Macs to our Windows network, but big issues for us come when we need to actually need to perform a hardware repair on a computer. The reason why we recommend Dells are primarily because their warranties include on-site and DIY repairs for all components and all issues (including accidental damage), not to mention the ability to IM with a US based Dell specialist. All for less than the AppleCare you get off the shelf, which (unless your campus has a higher/costly agreement) you still need to call, troubleshoot, get a box, ship the Mac out and wait for it to come back. In the time it takes for Apple to send a box out to us, Dell can send a replacement part for us to install ourselves. That and the fact that Dell gives bigger discounts to University purchases is why we recommend Dell computers, unless there is a legitimate reason to get a Mac (which there is plenty of). Dell may not sell the best computers to use, but given a increasingly tight budget/resources and the fact that these computers are for work not play, they are the logical choice.

+1

While I love my macs and I wish I could spread the joy, every computer breaks, and in a setting where you have a high number of systems, support is vital. Granted applecare is great, but it's definitely easier to get support for a dell on the spot and have a part sent out and have it fixed in a week, rather than having to send a system in and being out a workstation for however long apple takes.
Support is the #1 reason I've seen my university use dell so much. They outsource all of their crap so it's cheap, they pretty much allow anyone with an A+ to work on a system without voiding the warranty, and they're cheap. Sure the support is crap, but you have to think of what kind of morons run the finances in any business. Plus the administration at any school is purely retarded anyways.
although there are departments in the school that are still using eMacs, and they still run like champs. 3/5 computers at my school are dells. I don't like it, but thats the way it is.
to be really honest though, in any setting, school, business, or even home. everyone uses programs coded for windows. the problem really falls on the developers who only code for one OS and help propagate a monopoly. aside from the support issues, the lack of knowledge that there are any other players in the game is still an issue.

 

[EmperorDarius]

Either:

-Don't have enough budget or don't want to spend more

Or:

-They have IT Teachers which use only and teach only Windows-only programs.

Also consider that not everyone can afford to buy a mac (or wants to buy one, a lot of people would rather buy a lost-cost PC). No mac = No homework = Bad marks =>Parents get angry=>Remove students from schools=>School Forced to use Windows.

 

[yoppie]

My school carries both Windows PCs and Macs in the computer labs. There are more Windows computers than Macs (exception being the Mass Communications labs) but I think that while money plays a part in the reason, it also has something to do with what most students want and use.

It's nothing short of regular behavior to walk into a lab and see students on all the Windows machines while only a few Macs are being used. At my school, people stand in line to use the Windows computers while those willing to use a Mac can skip ahead and go straight to the machine without having to wait.

I personally find it funny because most of the students standing in line waiting on a Windows computer only want/need to browse the web and use MS Office, something they could easily do on an available Mac. They don't know how to though.

 

[Apocrathia]

Either:

-Don't have enough budget or don't want to spend more

Or:

-They have IT Teachers which use only and teach only Windows-only programs.

Also consider that not everyone can afford to buy a mac (or wants to buy one, a lot of people would rather buy a lost-cost PC). No mac = No homework = Bad marks =>Parents get angry=>Remove students from schools=>School Forced to use Windows.

+9001!

At my school's CIS department, we also teach the 150 class which is the 'basic computing skills' class for all of the other majors. They pretty much teach office and basic windows usage instead of teaching concepts. it's really a joke because my advisor, my roommate and myself are the ONLY 3 mac users in the entire department that I am aware of so far. maybe we'll get some freshmen in in the fall that have macs, but as of today, i haven't seen anyone else with a mac. (which is always funny because there is at least someone in every class I've had so far that has had their laptop crash on then, causing them to loose all sorts of data. <3 Time Machine)