# 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:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/41 "2010-08-17T18:02:33Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > 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: I agree that’s what the OP is asking about, but Dell and Apple’s dominance goes beyond bulk purchases. I work for a state university, and when I buy a computer for my office (using my grant money), I have to go through a bidding process. But Dell and Apple have “open bids” in place, which basically means they’ve already won the bid to supply computers with certain specs. I can just pick one of them and have it ordered immediately. If I want something other than Dell or Apple, I have to write a very detailed set of specs, solicit (and wait for) bids and buy from the lowest bidder. This is actually stricter than what the federal government requires. Government institutions can buy anything up to $3000 without soliciting bids. ---
**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, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/42 "2010-08-17T18:18:44Z")
I don’t think there’s much difference between those open bids and a bulk purchase. In both cases, the system specs and the discounted price have been negotiated in advance. In the case of a bulk purchase, 100 systems might be sold in one order, while in the case of the open bid, 100 systems might be sold in 100 orders throughout the year to various parties within the university. ---
**Author:** ![Shecky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@Shecky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shecky)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/43 "2010-08-17T18:35:35Z")
For the government, it’s because Dell can say they’re made in a TAA compliant county (US, not China), which weighs heavily. Plus, their deals are second to none. For less than an HP without a warranty, I can get a decent enough PC and a 3 years’ warranty on it. ---
**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, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/44 "2010-08-17T19:11:36Z")
> [@](#): > > What’s Solaris? It’s a flavor of Unix developed by Sun for their workstations. I haven’t seen it in ages, though: Even most of the Sun machines I see run a Linux OS. ---
**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, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/45 "2010-08-17T19:13:29Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > What’s Solaris? Known as SunOS until the early '90s, it’s an [operating system developed by Sun Microsystems](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solaris_(operating_system)). ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/46 "2010-08-17T19:20:16Z")
> [@sharding](#): > > 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. Wow, I’m pretty shocked by the rate at which the percentage of Macs appears to have grown in the last 7 years (based on that “Operating Systems” chart). I know that’s data from just one school, but still . . . . ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/47 "2010-08-17T23:19:01Z")
For those who asked, and for others, I intended the term “on-site” to refer to institutional purchases (i.e. when the school or company is buying them for use in the organization), rather than personal boxes that people physically bring onto the premises. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2010, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/48 "2010-08-17T23:26:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > What’s Solaris? > > It’s a flavor of Unix developed by Sun for their workstations. I haven’t seen it in ages, though: Even most of the Sun machines I see run a Linux OS. Solaris is still a huge workhorse for Industry. It has always a been a favorite of enterprise Oracle databases, and with the acquisition I doubt it will go away soon. ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/49 "2010-08-18T05:38:22Z")
[This info](http://webdata.colorado.edu/labs/map/listlabs.php) isn’t hard to find for universities. Totals: 1474 Dells, 955 Apples, 40 HPs, and 29 unknown windows machines. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/50 "2010-08-18T05:51:07Z")
FWIW, I’ve worked in at least 7 hospitals in Canada, all of which are using Dell computers. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2010, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/51 "2010-08-18T13:56:47Z")
Dell has onsite next-day replacement that is standard for most of their large contracts. That makes a big difference when computers do fail. Paying an employee to do nothing for a day is pretty expensive. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/52 "2010-08-19T03:26:45Z")
Things are beginning to change. A lot of companies I’ve worked for have stopped offering desktop computers and are now just telling employees to bring their own. Of course, most of these are programming companies. They use to provide desktop computers for their employees, but their employees never used them and instead bring in their laptops. These companies still provide monitors, so you can have a bigger screen or dual monitors. Banks and large financial institutions are Windows oriented shops and are so damn closed. I can’t even get Gmail from the bank I work at and most of the technical email lists are on my Gmail account. Dropbox is also verboten for “security reasons”. Yet, they’ve standardized on Windows XP and IE 6.0. Yeah, that’s secure! Heck, the bank even locked down my Windows taskbar and desktop background. ---
**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 19, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/53 "2010-08-19T16:57:40Z")
> [@qazwart](#): > > Yet, they’ve standardized on Windows XP and IE 6.0. Yeah, that’s secure! I’ve worked places with the same problem. Never fails to make me roll my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/54 "2010-08-19T18:17:04Z")
> [@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. It seems like there are two conversations going on, one is about what computer _individual college students_ are buying and the other is about academic and other institutions are buying. The OP seemed to be talking about what schools were buying to stock computer labs, not what students were buying for their personal use. ---
**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 19, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358/55 "2010-08-19T18:51:11Z")
He \*was \*talking about what the organizations were purchasing. Some people came up with another interpretation, but the OP clarified his intentions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-industry-and-academia-in-the-us-so-fixated-on-dell-computers/550358.md?page=2)