Two surveys conducted by Jamf show that college students and those already in the workforce prefer Macs to Windows PCs. But this isn’t by a small margin. Nearly everyone in the workplace study agreed that using Macs made them more productive employees, 97%. As for college students, 71% preferred using Macs. Interestingly, only 40% of those students actually use a Mac. The other 31% use a PC. Of PC users, 51% prefer to use a Mac, but cost or other factors kept them from doing so.
When I went off to school, Macs were a rare sight. Nearly everyone was using PCs, and many students still took notes on paper. When I first entered the work force, I had to program on a Windows machine to make Windows software. But by my second job, and ever since then, Macs were the primary devices at work. Many businesses had done a cost analysis and found, Macs just work better.
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Macs in School
Branding is vitally important to Apple. Removing that glowing logo was a huge mistake.
71% of students prefer using Macs. However, according to Jamf’s study, only 40% of those students actually use Macs. Why is the number so low? Macs are, generally speaking, more expensive than PCs.
Macs Lose on Up-Front Cost
The cheapest Mac is the non-retina MacBook Air, which is $999. The cheapest MacBook I’d actually suggest anyone use for school and work is the Retina MacBook Air with 16GB of memory and 256GB of storage. That’s $1,599. Alternatively, you could get an iPad ($329), and a base level Mac Mini ($799), along with macOS Catalina’s sidecar or Astropad’s Luma ($69.99), and use your iPad as a screen for your Mac in the dorm room and a note taking device in the class room. That would total $1,198. It’s the cheapest and most creative option, giving users something extremely portable and power at home. I’d still likely push someone toward the 13″ MacBook Pro with a better processor and the same memory and storage configuration for $1,699, but the Mac Mini idea would be a cool way to save money and use something unique.
Meanwhile, you can get a cheap Chromebook for under $400. Of course, the performance will be abyssal, but if you don’t have the luxury to consider performance over price, then you’ll go for those cheaper options. Meanwhile, a similarly set up PC to these Macs will come in at least $300 cheaper.
For many, the reliability, better resell value, better support, and, most of all, superior operating system is worth the premium. Also, those in the market for a Chromebook would be able to get an iPad for only a little more, and get all the benefits of iOS over Google’s poorly constructed Chrome OS as a result. But we still see a pattern here. Apple products, while generally better, are far more expensive.
Best Part of a PC?
Why PC? 51% of respondents said price alone. Of the 60% of PC users, only 49% of them actually want to use a PC. 51% of PC users would rather have a Mac. I’ve had to use a PC before when I actually wanted a Mac. It’s a sad thing.
Why Mac?
There are many more reasons students prefer the Mac. Although, the top two reasons come down to Apple’s branding. Apple, as a company, dedicates itself to the environment (though they could be much better, as they force users to upgrade more frequently), LGBTQ people (again, they could be better, as they still don’t let trans people update their email addresses), women (again, they could be better), and diversity in general.
However, under that you find the reasons that actually have something to do with the product. It’s well designed and pleasing to look at. It’s easy to use. A Mac is more reliable. It can sync with your iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and more. They’re surprisingly durable, with a solid state drive and aluminum construction, and there are actually useful apps on the App Store.
80% of Mac users say the Mac offers a better value over PCs. Even 43% of PC users agreed that the Mac, despite its higher price point, was the better value. They just couldn’t afford to buy one.
83% of Mac users in college say they would want to use a Mac in their workplace. Many of those students would not want to work somewhere that does not give them that choice.
Macs in the Workplace
By the time those students start doing work daily, preferences change. They begin to prefer Macs more. 97% of Mac users say Macs improve their productivity. 95% say it helps them be more creative. 94% believe it makes them more self-sufficient with technology, and 91% say it aids in collaboration. Those are incredibly important qualities for employers.
Of those with Macs, 70% had two or fewer issues with their computer over the past year. Of those issues, the most common one was network and WiFi trouble, which may not have anything to do with the Mac. 31% were login issues. Only 35% of those issues were related to applications not working, actual problems with the Mac, but these could also be third party issues.
But perhaps most surprising is the number of people who say they can’t do their jobs effectively without a Mac. 79% of Mac users say they couldn’t do their job as effectively without a Mac. That includes 75% of engineers.
As a software engineer myself, a mobile engineer who works mostly on Android, but occasionally on iOS, I couldn’t do my job without a Mac either. I’ve worked with PCs, I’ve coded on them. It’s a massive pain. Microsoft has brought over some small improvements, like a bash terminal and scripts, but nothing feels as purposely built for work like a Mac.
Most Mac users across all areas of business agree, Macs are easier to use. That’s 86% of sales all the way up to 94% of human resources. Again, even engineers, tech savvy folks, and information technology specialists agree that Macs are easier to use. 87% of engineers and 93% of information technology specialists who use Macs at work agree, it’s the superior platform.
If I was job hunting right now and had to choose between two places, one that offered more pay but exclusively used PCs and one that had Macs, I’d take the pay cut to save my daily sanity. It seems like most Mac users agree. Hopefully, employers are paying attention. When it comes to providing the tools to your employees to get their best work, you should stick to Macs.