As I sit in the busy student bookstore at my university, I can't help but notice a growing trend overshadowing the Starbucks cups, Ugg boots, and North Face backpacks: Apple tech everything. In the large lecture classrooms where electronic devices are permitted, I cannot go 10 seconds without seeing an Apple product. So, why is Apple the “requirement” on campus?
I asked a group of my friends and they all said variations of the same thing: Apple is what’s “in” right now. This makes it seem like a popularity contest with tech devices competing for the interest of the audience, and that's exactly what it is. College students are America’s prime audience in shaping culture and promotion for any single brand.
One of the main reasons that Apple seems to be big on college campuses is efficiency and accessibility. Many college students of the 21st century face limited time and have to be able to quickly multitask throughout the average workday. In my case, my iPhone serves as more than just a communication device; it runs my whole life on an A6 processor.
I wake up in the morning to the sound of my iPhone’s alarm clock. I find myself asking Siri every morning, “Do I need a heavy jacket or umbrella today?” I then walk to class while listening to my personalized favorites through iTunes Radio. Before my class begins, the University’s app gives me a notification about the day's lecture. Once I leave class, I go out with my friends for lunch at the new restaurant that Google tells us is only a couple of miles from campus. Then, my calendar reminds me that I have an organizational meeting in the next hour, but I forgot to bring the necessary documents that I saved to my iPad’s iBooks app. No worry. I download the app to my phone and receive the documents within seconds. As the day comes to a close, my fitness app tells me how many steps I have taken that day. Also, thanks to Instapaper, I can read the article that I came across while commuting between classes but did not have the time to read then. I drift asleep with my phone’s alarm set, but not before saying goodnight to my mom through FaceTime.
This cycle is continuous and efficient, which is why I prefer the iPhone. This could perhaps be the reason for the hundreds of iDevices present in the classroom.
Is this trend happening where you are located as well? Sound off in the comments below.