Microsoft, Macs and Seminarians

The AP reports:

Increasingly, companies are giving their employees a choice to either use Microsoft Windows PCs or Apple Inc.'s Macs, the analyst said. And, increasingly, employees are choosing Mac over Windows. To boot, Chowdhry said 70 percent of college freshman are entering school with Macs, up about 10 percent to 15 percent from a year ago.

I think this is quite likely true. I have observed this phenomenon during my entire seminary experience. Since 2007, when I arrived there, I have noticed that each incoming class of students has brought with them an increasingly high number of Macs. It may not have been a majority at first, but in the last few years, between new students coming in with Macs, along with middlers and seniors getting new systems, the glowing Apples about any classroom denote that Macs are clearly now a significant majority.

What is even more notable about this is that seminarians are not exactly known for having a lot of funds or — perhaps more relevant — expectations of large incomes post graduation. If they are willing to throw in a bit more cash for a more reliable computing experience, I think that the overall picture of Apple in academia is promising.

Especially in fields where computer platforms are less likely to be mandated (such as ministry work), I think it seems reasonable to expect that today's students will continue to use Macs into the future, barring any major changes to the landscape of computer operating systems.

Is it too much to wonder if Windows could become the next WordPerfect? Yes, probably. But, with Mac OS, iOS, Chrome OS and Android all chewing away at different parts of the Windows market and estimates like these indicating who has the next generation's market share and mindshare, I think we could be headed into a future where non-Windows computers are not immediately considered “alternative” and foreign.