The new Macintosh computer iMac recently hit markets across the country, and while it seems to be doing well in the home market, iMacs have only made a small mark on the Iowa State campus so far.

Besides their attractive exterior, iMacs have a lot to offer ISU students, said Lance Wilhelm, systems support specialist at the Center for Technology Learning and Teaching and graduate student in curriculum and instruction.

“They are fast, and they might be easier for students to use because they operate off a mainframe,” Wilhelm said.

Project Vincent is a possible link to the implementation of iMacs on campus, Wilhelm said, but it will take time and money to make the necessary changes to add an iMac lab at ISU.

He said the creation of a new iMac lab would cost the university about $50,000.

Ann Thompson, professor of education, said iMacs are the direction education is going right now.

“iMacs are something the Department of Education is interested in, mostly because [grade] schools are picking up on them,” Thompson said.

Jamey Hansen, technology facilitator for the Ogden School System, said Ogden schools just added 16 new iMacs to their K-12 lab this fall. Hansen said the combination of speed and low price made iMacs the best choice for the school.

Hansen said the new iMacs cost the Ogden School System about $1,199 for each unit, as compared to the new Macintosh G3 models that can be purchased at the price of $1,900 per computer.

The question of whether Macintosh computers are used more than PCs on the ISU campus is clearly a matter of what students’ majors are, Wilhelm said.

“PCs are used more by the business majors headed into the corporate world, but [Macintosh] computers are used by both the College of Design and the education department,” Wilhelm said.

Frank Poduska, systems analyst at the Computation Center, agreed that whether ISU colleges provide Macs or IBMs is determined by the departments.

“It is very much a departmental choice, and they pick what computers they want,” he said. “[The College of] Engineering, for example, uses Windows-based computers because that is where the software is. It just depends on the needs of the college and the department.”

Poduska said the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences mainly uses Macs but has some PCs, while the College of Business uses entirely PCs. He said most colleges use a mixture of both computers.

Josh Raulerson, junior in journalism and mass communication and English, said he feels Macs are easier to use than PCs.

“I am a Mac man [because] that is what I have at home,” Raulerson said. “They are what I was started on. It is a really good machine, and I think they are very high quality. They don’t crash or freeze-up as much as PCs, and they are very dependable.”

Most students who are not very computer literate tend to use Macs, said Keri VanRavenswaay, senior in sociology.

“I really don’t know what [type of computer] I like more, but I would have to say Macs,” she said. “You don’t need to know as much to use them, [and] you don’t need to know any commands.”

However, Jason Koelker, freshman in management information systems and pre-medicine, said he thinks the majority of students prefer PCs.

“There is nothing wrong with Macs, except that in the real world not a whole lot of people use them,” he said. “PCs are the defacto standard in today’s business. Since not many people use them, software developers have moved their focus away from developing Mac software.”

Koelker said he believes Macs cannot compete because they are not as functional.

Samaris Santana, junior in business, said she also prefers PCs.

“I like everything about them,” Santana said. “I am in a computer science class, and it helps a lot having my computer; it is a lot easier using mine than using the school’s.”

There are several reasons ISU hasn’t considered an iMac lab this fall. One reason is that iMac computers made their debut on the market after the funding had been applied for the existing computer labs on campus.

Thompson also said the computer equipment at ISU would have to be outdated enough to replace in order for an iMac lab to be implemented.

“We just don’t have the money to replace good machines,” Thompson said.

However, she said iMacs should not be considered a fad.

“I’m sure they will stick around,” Thompson said.