# Why is industry and academia in the US so fixated on Dell computers? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 15, 2010, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358 "2010-08-15T21:56:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/21 "2010-08-16T09:16:41Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Have you any evidence for the underlined statement? > > > > Universities and schools do not usually have the funding to waste on buying something that is ‘trendy’ but overpriced and also lacks flexibility for modification and is not what is used by industry. > > The computers the University itself buys are mostly PCs (Dell specifically), but the computers sold in the bookstore, and owned by the students and faculty, are heavily Apple. And there are a lot more computers owned by individuals in a university than by the University as a whole. That has not been my experience at school. Most people bring their computers from home, and I never met a single person with a Mac. Heck, instructions for how to get your computer online will include PC instructions, and tell you to call support for a Mac. Heck, we actually had problems with our security with Macs, because people were less acquainted with how they worked. The Macs I’ve seen were either quite ancient, or bought by the university for multimedia purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/22 "2010-08-16T10:18:01Z")
I’ve never noticed. In my experience, it’s been nearly half-and-half Dell/HP. My guess would be whether the company is buying or leasing, and who has the contracts locally. The people who do the purchasing are swayed by local service, saving money through leasing, or price, but not necessarily consistently. One boss might like one feature, another boss likes another feature. Anecdotally: Boss #1: smart guy, tried to save money where he could without sacrificing quality. He got a service contract with a local company who leased HP’s. That company also serviced the servers and copy machine. He leased 3 lots of HP’s, 8-10 at a time, with the idea to send them back every 3 years for newer computers. Boss #2: idiot, couldn’t tell up from down. Only bought from Dell. He also bought only Isuzu cars. He always wanted to get the cheapest possible solution, regardless of quality. Boss #3: another idiot. However, this guy told the computer guy to buy the computers. For whatever reason, the computer guy chose Dell. However, this year, the computer guy started buying Thinkpads when the Dells started falling apart. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/23 "2010-08-16T14:02:55Z")
Superhal, Boss #1 leased 8 HPs at a time, once a year? 24 computers total? Was this the English department at a school or something, or were you working [here?](http://www.deepsprings.edu/home) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/24 "2010-08-16T14:29:46Z")
> [@sharding](#): > > Education has **always** been one of the strongest markets for Apple. It’s amazing to me that this is even in question. That’s not to say that Apple has more market share than other manufacturers, but that they have a higher share in education than they do in other industries. This has always been the case (even when their market share was at its lowest). > > Some data on Mac ownership among students at University of Virginia (see charts): > > [http://itc.virginia.edu/students/inventory/compare/](http://itc.virginia.edu/students/inventory/compare/) > > Given the vast difference between Mac marketshare there and overall worldwide Mac marketshare, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Apple does very well at University of Virginia. I don’t think that university is unique. The thread is about what computers the _institutions_ buy, not what students are buying. Do the University of Virginia computer labs have Macs? Or is it 400 Dells and a couple of Macs? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/25 "2010-08-16T15:06:47Z")
Most of these answers are dancing around the short answer: low bid contracts. Federal government entities are bound by the FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulations) which mandate that agencies’ procurement offices solicit bids for goods and services. Contracts are usually awarded using the criteria of price as the first consideration, and it counts as something like 90% of the scoring for the contract. Quality of merchandise is a distant second. Most states adopt some variation of the FAR for their own procurement processes, because in almost all cases state entities are using government money to some extent and must comply with federal regs in order to spend it. I personally hated the Dell PCs that we had to use (this was a few years ago). They were noisy and the USB ports were hidden behind a flap near the floor. The laptops I used later were somewhat better. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/26 "2010-08-16T16:50:04Z")
> [@](#): > > The thread is about what computers the institutions buy, not what students are buying. The OP said it was about the computers found on site, and the computers found on site at a university will overwhelmingly be computers bought by individuals, not by the institution. The physics department here, for instance, has a computer lab with 10 PCs (dual-boot Windows and Linux) and a smattering of servers, but most of the ~100 faculty and grad students have a computer of their own on their desks, and most also have one or more computers at home. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/27 "2010-08-16T22:17:00Z")
At the University of Illinois they were mostly Dells. By OS is was Windows\>Linux\>\>Mac. At least in the engineering campus. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/28 "2010-08-16T23:27:26Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > My biggest issue with Dell and Gateway is their proprietary power supplies. You can’t upgrade the motherboard because of that darn power supply. In my experience this is not an issue for corporate customers who will simply replace a system as soon as it fails once the warranty expires. (Practically speaking, it’s not worth it to spend the money on repairing an out-of-warranty system.) ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/29 "2010-08-16T23:35:52Z")
Back when I was at Michigan the school bought 95% Apple. I think Apple was using it as a loss leader back then. Get everybody on campus using them by providing them cheep. Then when those folks start buying computers for themselves and their companies they are used to apple and put their money there. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/30 "2010-08-16T23:43:28Z")
I’ve also noticed this. Every CS department I’ve ever visited in the UK is almost always exclusively Dell. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/31 "2010-08-17T00:21:57Z")
> [@Mr.Slant](#): > > Superhal, > > Boss #1 leased 8 HPs at a time, once a year? 24 computers total? > Was this the English department at a school or something, or were you working [here?](http://www.deepsprings.edu/home) Think they were spread out in 6 month increments, but not every year had a lease expiration. Not that school. I think the school had around 40+ computers total, including for workers. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/32 "2010-08-17T01:18:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > 1. Dell provides exceptional support and/or pricing to institutional customers who order in bulk, and companies like HP don’t hold a candle to it. > > This is the biggie. I think they might have exclusivity agreements, too, as a condition of the low prices. The IT folks where I work say this is the deciding factor. They may not always be the best, but they are consistent and easy. If one does break, one call and replacement part/machine is there the next day. No questions asked. In our shop software isn’t an issue, everything is controlled by the sysadmins or the users. Where the machines come from doesn’t enter the software equation. For hardware, Dell has an easy and consistent solution. The price is competitive or the best price, so that doesn’t cause an issue either. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/33 "2010-08-17T01:45:02Z")
It’s in the interests of your company’s IT department to have the same computers throughout the enterprise. It’s a lot easier to support them that way. So it’s something that would be pushed internally rather than by the hardware supplier. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/34 "2010-08-17T03:03:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > The thread is about what computers the institutions buy, not what students are buying. > > The OP said it was about the computers found on site, and the computers found on site at a university will overwhelmingly be computers bought by individuals, not by the institution. The physics department here, for instance, has a computer lab with 10 PCs (dual-boot Windows and Linux) and a smattering of servers, but most of the ~100 faculty and grad students have a computer of their own on their desks, and most also have one or more computers at home. Not here. I think you’ll find many more computers on the desks of staff than faculty. I assume by “their own” you mean purchased with grant money? Where does your faculty go for tech support? ---
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/35 "2010-08-17T03:14:25Z")
> [@rbroome](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > This is the biggie. I think they might have exclusivity agreements, too, as a condition of the low prices. > > The IT folks where I work say this is the deciding factor. They may not always be the best, but they are consistent and easy. If one does break, one call and replacement part/machine is there the next day. No questions asked. In our shop software isn’t an issue, everything is controlled by the sysadmins or the users. Where the machines come from doesn’t enter the software equation. For hardware, Dell has an easy and consistent solution. The price is competitive or the best price, so that doesn’t cause an issue either. This, plus (for our company at least) easy credit terms early in our existence. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/36 "2010-08-17T03:18:42Z")
Professors mostly buy with grant money, but grad students usually pay out-of-pocket just like anyone else, unless their advisor’s got a lot of money available. In either case, it’s the person who will be using the computer who decides what to get. For tech support, the physics department has an IT coordinator on staff, independent of the school’s IT department. And one of the research groups even has an IT guy of their own, though he works closely with the department’s guy. Though I don’t know how standard this is, since we’re the richest department on campus. ---
**Author:** ![JoelUpchurch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f05b48/32.png) [@JoelUpchurch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoelUpchurch)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/37 "2010-08-17T07:56:57Z")
The company I used to work has been a Dell shop for the last 10-12 years. I found that Dell computers were really easy to work on, especially the Optiplex models. Tool free cases and a lot of the parts were on hinges so you could easily get to the parts you wanted to work on. I would except the Dimension models that had angled USB ports on the front. That was a brain dead design choice. OTOH, I’ve had some HP models that I’d have to half disassemble them just to insert some memory. ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfyre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfyre/32/9972_2.png) [@Shadowfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/38 "2010-08-17T15:47:29Z")
More anecdotal evidence: I commute to and from Chicago and have a rather large group of friends and acquaintances that usually ride with me. The people that ride the train are across the spectrum in terms of business areas they work in and what work they do in that business area. Out of the people that have corporate issued laptops, I’ve seen a couple people who work together using Dells. I’ve seen another pair of coworkers using HP, but the clear majority is IBM/Lenovo ThinkPads. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/39 "2010-08-17T16:09:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The thread is about what computers the _institutions_ buy, not what students are buying. Do the University of Virginia computer labs have Macs? Or is it 400 Dells and a couple of Macs? Chalk me up as another person who clearly sees the OP as asking about _large-scale purchases_, regardless of how we can nitpick the meaning of “on-site” computers so that it could theoretically include computers that individuals have bought on their own and brought to the location. :rolleyes: The public labs at my university were mostly PCs (probably Dells). The new library was probably about 2/3 PC and 1/3 Mac. The CompSci labs mostly ran other OSes–e.g., there was a lab full of JavaStations running Solaris, and another lab running some flavor of Linix I can’t remember. The company I work for now uses mostly Dells with a few Thinkpads and such. Probably some Macs in certain departments that would need them for design work. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/40 "2010-08-17T17:43:40Z")
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