PC Renaissnance

A glowing fruit on the front of your computer used to be about the coolest thing you could have, especially if you were a student. But lets face it: It's not just a fad—Apple computers have plenty to offer. Who doesn’t want Photobooth handy when friends are over and in need of some Facebook profile pic time? And for the music lover, what could be better than an accessible and customizable iTunes that can even make playlists for you?

“It’s not only that Macs appeal to a younger crowd. It’s their inherent coolness that outweighs PC,” said Evan Sweeney, Lang student.

But not everyone agrees.

“I don’t own a Mac because I’ve never used one,” said Lang student Thomas Havas. “I am happy with my PC and I am not going to change. I have no reason to.”

So, Mac has some bad apples out there out who won’t make the conversion, and it always has. But can former loyalists really afford to buy another Mac once they spill water on their keyboard or leave it at a Starbucks for a stranger to take home?

The fact of the matter is that, for the most part, Macs are more expensive. If buying a PC is like buying a Honda then buying a Mac is like buying a Porsche. Therefore, Macs will never outsell PCs. But in all fairness, Apple is not concerned with outselling PCs.

“Our goal is not to build the most computers," said Apple COO Tim Cook, during a conference call with analysts in 2009. “It’s to build the best.”

And while the debate over which one is better will continue to burn long after the recession is over, especially among the student population, one can’t help but notice Microsoft’s clever PC ad campaigns and how, for the first time in years, they are actually having an effect on the market. Fueled by the recession, PC advertising has flourished.

According to TNS Media Intelligence, “In the first six months of 2009 … Microsoft responded with $163 million worth of commercials, more than twice Apple’s spending.”

And this campaign is yielding results: Mac shipments in the U.S. fell 20 percent while PC only fell 13 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

“It seems to me that PC is making a push,” said Lang student Alex Amini. “I have a Mac, and I will probably get a Mac after this one, but it definitely puts PC on my radar.”