Microsoft Losing Big To Apple On Campus

[Marc]

From /.:

Apple is closing in on Microsoft's share of operating systems among the computers of incoming freshmen at the University of Virginia, confirming (broken link removed). A yearly survey shows that among 3,156 freshman who own computers, Microsoft's share is just 56% (down 6%), with Apple's share rising to 43% (up 6%), continuing a six-year pattern. In 2004, it was Microsoft 89% vs. 8% for Apple. 'It seems likely that the Mac-using students will outnumber their Windows cousins this school year,' notes one (broken link removed), citing a new study showing that 70 percent of college freshman are choosing the Mac. Other interesting data from the Virginia study: In 1997, 26% of incoming freshmen said they didn't own a computer, a number which has now dropped to 0. Laptops now comprise 99% of the computer population. Linux use has dropped from a high of 2.5% in 2004 to a rounding error this year.

 

[MIREGMGR]

Reporters have been telling us for the past 25 years that Apple is poised to dominate Micro$oft.

Time after time, this dominance has been described as evident in the choices of school systems and students, which we're told will be maintained as those students move into business computer use.

But Apple's penetration into corporations remains minimal, except in niches. Corporations tend to not care about the differentiation characteristics upon which Apple's business model depends. Instead they want task-adequate performance at commodity prices.

Surveys show that among the fields in which Apple actually is dominant are education, artistic design, and...reporting.

All those Apple-favoring stories, decade after decade...those are totally objective, and written by individuals who never get press releases from Apple. On their Macs.

 

[Marc]

Reporters have been telling us for the past 25 years that Apple is poised to dominate Micro$oft. <snip>

All through the 1990's everyone wrote of the demise of Apple. In the 1990's my family called me nuts for investing in Apple (as many of them invested in Enron....). I don't know who you were listening to but until the early 2000's I heard very, very few positive stories about Apple. Mostly I heard Apple was only around because it was giving schools computers (which Microsoft was also doing).

I can't say I ever, even now, see Apple as dominating Microsoft per se (size of the company, its roots deep in businesses large and small, etc., and that many businesses still run on Windows 95 and 2000). But as a small player in the computer industry, and now a serious player in quite a few other fields, Apple is proving to be an increasingly innovative and profitable company.

Big is not always better.

26 May, 2010: Apple Passes Microsoft In Market Cap​

One of the reasons I cross posted this is about a month ago my daughter, who is in graduate school, told me she wants a Mac which, her being a PC person, surprised me.

 

[AndyN]

When you see just how many students use Macs these days, it'll be interesting to see how that influences business usage over the years. Not all students are going into those 'niche' markets traditionally served by Apple.

FWIW, I've recently made the change to a Macbook Pro, after using pc laptops since 1993 (Toshiba 386) and love the thing! I'm now somewhat frustrated by the pc I have to use for work...

 

[bobdoering]

May be based more on its integration with ipod, iphone and ipad than its overall utility with software. Incoming freshmen have unique priorities compared to days past...

 

[Marc]

I think that's a big part of it, Bob. Apple has developed it's own integrated structure for a number of consumer devices and it's paying off.

Check this out:

Apple Introduces us to the Smart Bike. A lot of hype, but another expansion tying in another market market segment.

 

[True Position]

May be based more on its intergration with ipod, iphone and ipad than its overall utility with software. Incoming freshmen have unique priorities compared to days past...

Most computers are used for a web browser, IM, music/video player, maybe an email client, and an office suite. The mac does all of these as well as the PC and includes the better integration with the toys. The MacOS UI is also better to use then WinXP/Vista and maybe Windows 7.

Seems win/win if you have the extra cash.

 

[bobdoering]

Another clue is that I have yet to see an Apple with my older non-traditional students. Probably because they are more concerned with integrating with work, and students don't have that issue yet.

Of course, they have fewer Apple products stuck in their ears during class, too.

 

[True Position]

Another clue is that I have yet to see an Apple with my older non-traditional students. Probably because they are more concerned with intergrating with work, and students don't have that issue yet.

Of course, they have fewer Apple products stuck in their ears during class, too.

Yes, an 18 year old doesn't have the same amount of lock in with Microsoft as a 30-40 year old who's moved from DOS, to Windows 3.1, to Win95, to Win98, to XP, then Win7.

 

[Marc]

<snip> Probably because they are more concerned with intergrating with work, and students don't have that issue yet. <snip>

The Intel Macs eliminated that issue for everyone short of hard core gamers. You can dual boot right into Windows or use Parallels (or other virtual machine software) and run any Windows program you want to use in a tightly integrated (but sandboxed!) environment. The integration issue simply isn't any longer. I have quite a few programs I run using Parallels now and again (mostly for testing as I rarely have a need for a Windows only program).

A lot of businesses are starting to run in their OSes in VMs anyway because of the sandbox aspects.