PCs have always been of common use throughout classrooms and computer labs. However, though they have worked well for some time, efficiency levels have no doubt decreased. The question is, when will people realize that Macs should be considered?

The PCs in the campus computer labs were purchased around eight or nine years ago. They are no longer as efficient as they once were in that as years have gone by, processing speed has lowered and software has become outdated. Sophomore Lavanya Kukkemane said that often times the computers are so slow that most of the class time is spent in an attempt to log on to the system and work productively.

“Our school computers can be very slow,” Kukkemane says. “With Macs, we would have high tech computers, and we could get more work done faster and more efficiently.”

If school computers don’t allow the student to finish work in class and instead, make them spend the majority of the period getting the computer to work, classtime becomes inefficient – the student would have gained nothing during that time. Then what is the point of computer lab time?

Macs are often increasingly beneficial for they are more secure and common viruses associated with PCs are not found within Macs; this is because much of its hardware is developed by Apple itself. As a result they require far less maintenance, and the student is actually able to work productively within class.

“Students will be able to get in and out of the computer labs faster, allowing more students access,” Sophomore Sriya Kolli says.

For those that rely on school computers to accomplish work they are unable to do at home, important papers become increasingly difficult to complete well and on time. Macs are known for their high processing speeds and their start up time is far less than that of PCs.

Unfortunately, this switch may not arrive very soon; according to technology coordinator Ms. Jennifer McCort, although there is no doubt Macs are incredibly efficient computers, and will prove beneficial for the school, cost stands as the major obstacle.

“If we want to have a large number of computers on campus, it is simply not cost effective to purchase Macs,” Ms. McCort says.

This is no doubt true, and serves as a great reason for not purchasing them; however, one must consider the long term effects of this switch. If more money were invested in purchasing Macs for the school, it is likely that they would be able to run efficiently, long term, and thus require less maintenance.  With current computers, money must be invested more often to maintain them and allow them to continue working. Overall, with a switch, this could become one large payment with maintenance less often.  Though it is likely that this switch will not become reality just yet, hopefully at some point in time, its benefits will be realized.