By Casey Sadler | Reporter
On campus, students use computers every day, as they are necessary for most classes in order to access grades, write papers and communicate with professors and classmates.
Whether students are using a tablet or a laptop, everyone has a preference on which form and type of device they use to access their schoolwork. Apple, HP and Microsoft are a few of the many options students use.
In an Instagram questionnaire, 21 students responded to a Google Form posed by The Baylor Lariat, which asked for students’ preferences on which device they use and why.
Of these responses, 85.7% of students use just laptops, 4.8% use just tablets, 4.8% use paper and 4.8% use both laptops and tablets. Noticeably, laptops far outweigh any other form of technology used for taking notes, drafting papers and accessing sites like Canvas and BearWeb.
Respondents were given eight choices — including speed, weight of device, cellphone compatibility, portability, screen resolution, speaker quality, affordability and longevity — as reasons for their device and brand choice. Of these choices, the longevity of their device came in first place, with speed coming in second.
Eighty-one percent of respondents use Apple for their choice of laptop, with HP, Dell, Microsoft and Chromebook following. According to an article by Shujaa Imran with MUO, however, Apple has some disadvantages that may be significant for students to note, with the No. 1 disadvantage being the price.
“These hefty prices only attract premium buyers and can be a huge disadvantage if you’re on a budget,” Imran said. “Looking purely at the specs, you can get a lot more for your money with a Windows machine.”
However, only 42.9% of respondents said they considered affordability when choosing their device. This indicates that the price of the MacBook is relevant to fewer than half, making Apple’s popularity unsurprising.
“A pro is that if you have other Apple products, it’s very user-friendly, and there are even neat features that connect like being able to AirDrop from your phone to computer,” Morton, Ill., junior and Apple user Casey Hoffmire said.
While the Windows-supporting laptops are not seen in the results of this questionnaire, the Windows software is the most widely used in the world.
PC brand devices are versatile in that they have more touch-screen options and offer the ability to become a tablet if necessary.
With each device choice offering pros and cons, it is important for students to find what best fits their needs.
“It works really well and can fold up like a tablet, which is cool,” Fort Worth junior and Dell user Peach Storm said. “My favorite part is that it’s touch-screen, but I don’t love how it’s kind of heavy.”
