Can Apple Succeed in School?

Posted on May 19, 2002

Nearly 76% of those who responded feel that it's extremely important for the future of Apple that it preserve its 50% share of the education market. Some 42% of readers think that Apple will have to lower its prices to the level of Dell and other competitors in order to do so, while some 46% think it should be able to hold its market share while charging at least some premium.

A vast majority, some 87% of those who replied say they wouldn't be upset with Apple for selling Macs to schools for $300 to $600 less than it charges consumers. And 56% feel that students who use a Mac get a higher-quality education than students who use other types of PCs -- while 39% don't see a difference.

Some 36% of those who replied to this unscientific survey use a Mac predominantly, while 18% use a non-Apple PC -- and 45% use both.

Here are the complete details of the survey:

How important is it for Apple to maintain its 50% share of the education market?Option

Total

%

Extremely important

491

75.77 %

Moderately important

130

20.06 %

Not really important

21

3.24 %

No opinion

6

0.93 %

To maintain its market share in education, does Apple have to match competitors such as Dell on price -- or not?Option

Total

%

Must match competitors on price

273

42.06 %

Should be able to charge somewhat more than competitors

300

46.22 %

Should be able to charge significantly more than competitors

16

2.47 %

Must undercut competitors on price

48

7.40 %

No opinion

12

1.85 %

As an Apple customer, would you be upset to find that Apple is selling Macs to schools -- probably in volume -- for $300 to $600 less than it sells them to the general public?Option

Total

%

No

565

87.06 %

Yes

65

10.02 %

No opinion

19

2.93 %

When it comes to the quality of education a student receives, do you think it matters whether the student learns on a Mac rather than a PC?Option