Apples or Oranges

Is Ole Miss Mac friendly?

   Upcoming freshmen face many difficult questions as they transition from high-school to college. One of these questions is deciding what kind of laptop to bring to college. The answer, trivial though it may seem, influences the productivity and effectiveness of the students work over the following years of higher education.

   The current personal computer market is cornered by two types of computers: Windows and Macintosh machines. However, students aren’t the only ones who must choose between these options. The university itself, faculty and staff, must decide as well. This decision is usually left up to each department.

Many faculty at Ole Miss use Macs to run graphic intensive programs.

   A decade ago Windows dominated Macs about seven to one, according to Scott Davis, a microcomputer specialist and Apple technician who works in the IT department on campus. “The current ratio is about three to one. There are approximately 2,500 faculty on campus and I’d say 750 of them own Macs,” said Scott Davis.

   There are multiple reasons why many instructors are starting to use Macs. “They are intuitive, encourage creativity and are very efficient when it comes to processing graphics,” said Scott Davis. Macs are prevalent in the fine arts as well as the liberal arts. However, Windows still maintains its hold on the hard sciences, as well as the business and law schools.

   Some staff at Ole Miss worried that the recent tsunami in Japan would cripple suppliers who make parts for Apple computers. Such complications would put a strain on university technicians who service an ever increasing number of Macs on campus. “The tsunami affected both Sony and Samsung factories. But these companies only make parts for Apple’s iPad and iPhone,” said Chris Barnes, an IT help-desk consultant. “It’s impossible to buy an iPad 2 or the new white iPhone right now. Stores just can’t keep them in stock,” said Ryan Curtin, a student worker at the IT help-desk.

   There are currently 18 consultants working at the IT help-desk, including student workers. However, only two of the technicians are Mac specialists. “It takes considerably less manpower to service Macs. I’m responsible for about 750 computers and I am considerably less overwhelmed than my colleagues who work only on Windows based computers,” said Scott Davis, one of the two Mac specialists.

   Most of the Mac computers on campus are located in the Journalism, Art and Pharmacy departments. These departments require Macs to run graphic intensive programs, such molecule modeling software. Additionally, the Journalism and Art departments both have their own Mac servers. “In fact, the human genome was cracked by scientists using Macs,” said Scott Davis.