<p>This has been brought up before in a different thread. W&M has “added” a Mac option, but in reality it’s the same system as before. You get a discount. W&M will not service the Macs on campus; you must go through Apple for warranty service. The only difference between last year and this year is that now there are recommended Mac models offered at a discount. Nothing else has changed.</p>
<p>In addition, the link you posted is full of wild misinformation. I can only assume you are the author since you have the same username on these forums as the blog’s URL, and therefore you’re going to catch the full force of the most irritated post I’ve ever made on these forums.</p>
<p>You preface your letter to the parent by indicating you worked in IT as a freshman. If that was true, and you worked in IT only as a freshman and not for the rest of your years, you spent your time answering phones and doing homework, not repairing computers. Since your subsequent comments seem to indicate a complete lack of knowledge regarding IT operations on campus, I can only assume you had limited involvement in the actual process of servicing computers, reinforcing my assumption that you spent your time answering the phones. I’m guessing you worked for IT for a month or two at most.</p>
<p>90% of IT’s labor, at least in regard to the servicing of personal computers, goes into hardware repair, not virus removal. Very few machines become infected, and those that do are often so badly infected that they are simply reformatted (or as you indicated, drive swapped), a procedure that takes minutes. You greatly exaggerate W&M’s use of drive swapping. Drive swapping is only done on computers that require a reformat. It is the exact same thing, only faster. Drive swapping is not a shortcut to avoid fixing a problem. Removable infections, as well as fixable software issues, are taken care of. Reformatting is done when fixing the problem is either impossible or otherwise not feasible.</p>
<p>Also, and if you ever worked for IT you should know this, W&M IT does not send laptops out for repair. IBM and Dell machines are serviced on campus by certified technicians. IT does not provide hardware support for other brands, but will provide a limited level of software support. </p>
<p>The example of identical computers creating an ideal situation for thieves is ludicrous. There is nothing remotely resembling a theft problem at W&M. Also, PCs can be protected with a BIOS password and can already be tracked on the campus network if stolen. Furthermore, computers are serialized and stolen computers will not be eligible for warranty repairs if the thief attempts to have the laptop fixed by the manufacturer in the future. The theft prevention measures you outlined are different, but offer no unique advantages. You can’t say Macs would solve a theft problem when there isn’t a theft problem to begin with.</p>
<p>I’m not going to comment on your price comparisons since the data are two years old and I don’t have the documentation to do so. I hope you included the price of a 4 year, on-site warranty with accidental damage protection in your calculations. Most people complaining about the MyNotebook price fail to include the (fairly substantial) cost of an extended warranty with accidental damage protection.</p>
<p>To parents of incoming students, please don’t make the mistake of purchasing a Mac beliving it will be fully serviced on campus. I’m not trying to steer anyone away from purchasing a Mac, but you should be aware of the difference in services provided for the Dell and for the Mac. Dells are serviced on campus by IT, Macs are not. As long as you understand this, feel free to purchase whichever you like. I understand it’s completely personal preference, and that most people are set in their ways. I’m not trying to convert anyone. I’m just trying to alert everyone to the fact that despite having a Mac MyNotebook option this year, not much has changed in terms of levels of support on campus. Feel free to purchase the Mac, but be aware you’re going to be more or less on your own to arrange warranty support.</p>