The 21st century college student is never truly equipped for the challenges they face while in school without a few things- an insatiable appetite for learning (or at the very least a tolerance for it), an only mildly severe fear of never being able to pay back your loans, and the most important of all, your computer. Of course, no one computer is a cure-all for every student. There are not only so many choices of manufacturer, but a few huge favorite operating systems, and no one can seem to agree on which is the best. So if you are in the market and don't know what might suit you, or you're just curious to see if I'm going to hit the nail on the head here, you're in the right place.
Let's break it down by two huge groups, Mac users and PC users.
1. PC
After some research across a few studies (all of which will be cited for further reading), I've found some interesting assumptions about PC users. As a PC user, as opposed to your Mac counterparts, you are more likely to be more conservative. As a student reading this article, if you're in your twenties, you're likely in the minority of your friends, as most PC users are between their 30's and 50's. PC users are more likely to be proficient math and science and identify with the "nerd" stereotype. You're probably also cheaper- when surveyed most PC users choice of restaurant were fast food joints, and their choice of fashion was something casual (IE, cheaper.) From my own observation (this is for all intents and purposes not technically credible, as I am not omnipresent), PC users are also more likely enthusiastic about PC gaming, mostly due to the fact Mac hardware usually isn't built for that thing, making gamers PC users by convenience. This assumption is biased, I am myself a PC gamer and can't imagine using anything but my PC setup. Those who are enthusiastic about coding and programming also seem to lean towards PC. A large portion of PC sales, I can imagine, are also due to the fact that PC's tend to be more affordable than Macs. So, in review, if you're a PC user you're probably one or more of a few of these things- nerdy, older than your average college student, frugal, a gamer, or simply shopped for effectiveness and convenience.
2. Mac
Let me just say- I had no idea Macs were so popular until I came to college. At first I didn't understand why Macs were so popular with college students, but I came to learn that college students exhibit almost of the characteristics of your typical Mac user. You perhaps at some point in your life self-identified as a hipster (or rather didn't, because you know- if you say you're a hipster, you're not really a hipster.) You're likely younger than your PC counterparts, Mac users have the very small demographic of 18-24-year-olds, and after college, you're actually pretty likely to move to PC. PC and Mac users seem to be political opposites as well, over half of Mac users identify as liberal. Artistic and business oriented types, as many editing and business related programs are optimized for Mac, seem to always have their Macs at the ready. Mac users also express more interest in changing the world in a memorable way and leaving their mark, which is something that is a resonating theme across any college campus. Maybe if you're a PC user you can talk a Mac user into taking you out on a date or a shopping trip- Mac users tend to express more expensive taste in clothes, food, and entertainment, often searching for more cultured things in their communities. If you're drinking a Chianti right now, you're probably a Mac user.
Whether you're a late-nights-eyes-burning techie or a well \-dressed artist with an affliction for sleek looking tech, hopefully, some part of this resonated with you. Of course, there will always be exceptions to any rule, as a PC user I am still young, liberal and yearn to change the world, and I'm sure there is some very conservative math professor out there somewhere churning equations out on his Mac.
Check out these links to learn more!
http://osxdaily.com/2011/04/21/mac-vs-pc-users-profile/
http://theweek.com/articles/485238/mac-people-vs-pc-people-5-differences
