With a new centralized location at Bracken Library for the campus Apple store and computer services, students might be surprised that overall product sales were higher for Microsoft than Apple.
Students like Mike Gibson, sophomore business major, say they're happy with Microsoft because it's cheaper and has programs that work with their major.
"I have a roommate who uses a Mac, and it just doesn't work with the stuff [the business program] wants you to do," he said. "You can get the right software for it, but it is more expensive. For my major, PC seems to be the way to go."
Five years ago, about 30 percent of Ball State students used Mac computers — enough for Apple to authorize Ball State for its own campus store. Ball State is actually one of two universities in Indiana to have its own Apple store. Indiana University in Bloomington is the other.
While PC trumped Apple in product sales, the company fell short in laptop sales.
Last year, the campus store sold 7,868 Apple laptops and accessories and 8,867 Microsoft products. With the discounts of software being up to about 75 percent off at the store, software is the primary reason for most students to visit.
Phil Repp, vice president for Information Technology, said the number of Apple users has doubled in the past few years, meaning 60 percent of students now use a Mac laptop.
"It has grown dramatically because the Apple product has gotten better," he said.
APPLE VS. MACS
Repp has personally seen the advancements Apple has made.
His office is filled with Apple products. Sitting in a corner is a faded yellowish classic square monitor that uses a 512k floppy disk for memory. This is a 1984 Macintosh computer. The first Mac that was released sits in Repp's office along with a newer iMac and his MacBook Pro.
Students notice the popularity Mac has across the Ball State campus.
Taylor Adams, criminal justice major, said when he came to Ball State, he was considering a teaching degree, and the program would have required that he use a Mac.
"They try to push Apple products," Adams said.
Sushil Sharma, chairperson of the Department of Information Systems, said Macs are required for education students because they were originally created to serve the educational community.
Some other departments, like the business college, encourage students to use a PC.
Besides being a requirement for some majors, the Mac computer can be more expensive. Best Buy sells an HP laptop for as low as $329. At the campus Apple store, the cheapest Mac is $899.
"Macs are expensive," junior history major Valerie Sizemore said. "That's pretty much why I got a PC."
EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE
This July, the store's location moved from Robert Bell to Bracken Library, along with Unified Technology.
"We wanted to centralize all of support on campus," Repp said.
Repp said when he was appointed as vice president for Information Technology, the HelpDesk, TechTime and Digital Corps were scattered across campus. He wanted to combine these services in one location. He chose the library because he said it was the knowledge center of the institution and was the busiest, most frequently visited place on campus.
Moving to the library was not one of the simplest moves to make. Apple required the store to have a wood floor and proper lighting. Apple had to approve the floor plan before the move was made official.
Displaying and advertising the Apple products are the main concern for Apple. Repp said it's more about promoting and advertising than anything else.
"The campus store is required to have ample product demo space, carry a stock of Apple products and have knowledgeable, trained staff in the Apple product line," Fawn Gary, assistant director of Unified Technology, said.
All of the signs and posters are mandated by Apple. Other types of posters aren't allowed at the campus store.
Having the store on campus would appear to benefit students with large discounts on Mac computers. But the store only gives students about a two percent discount.
The store benefits students in other ways by offering technical support and discounts on software like Final Cut Express and Adobe Creative Suite.
The campus stores have exclusive products that Apple stores do not have available. The white MacBook is only available at a campus store, but products like the "Red Line" are only available through regular Apple stores.
Students are eligible to buy Apple products from the Apple store as soon as the university accepts them. But Microsoft products can't be purchased until the student has enrolled into courses and paid the student technology fee.
The $320 technology fee not only discounts software and computers, but it is used by TechTime to offer support for students. The computer help service can offer help with software and fix computers that may be infected with a virus. TechTime offers 160 appointments a week to students with computer questions.
Despite the high prices of Apple, students say they like the convenience the store provides.
"Instead of me going somewhere to buy it [the computer], it was just easier to get it here," Heather Watson, freshman elementary education major said.
By the numbers:
214 Apple campus stores around the country
2 Apple campus stores in Indiana: Ball State and IU Bloomington
9 campus stores among 12 MAC schools
Your input:
Tell the staff at the campus Apple store what other products you'd like to see. Email them at computerstore@bsu.edu.
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