36% US students opting for Mac this season, Parallels claims

2009’s shaping up to be a Mac new year for college-going students in the US, claims new research from the Parallels Desktop for Mac team.

In a press release citing a survey of 1,200 US students conducted by higher education-specialist research firm, Student Monitor, Parallels claims more than one third (36%) of full-time undergraduates at four-year US colleges and universities already plan to purchase a Mac.

Naturally, Parallels points out that some of these students also want to run Windows apps on their Mac, “which many solve with Parallels Desktop for Mac”. Uhm, OK.

"When I started at UCSC I got a Macbook (which I’ve named Charlie) and looking around campus it’s pretty obvious that lots of other students are opting for Macs now too," said Tim Deal, a sophomore attending the University of California, Santa Cruz. "A year later, I’ve learned all about the cool things I can do with my Mac, but I still want Windows so I can use Microsoft Office and play PC games. Parallels Desktop for Mac basically gives me the best of both worlds so I can get the ease of use, security and functionality of the Mac, without missing out on the applications I need for school assignments."

Parallels is launching a competition this month asking students to help it go "back to school". A flyer of the Parallels logo is available on its new Mac To School blog and Parallels is inviting students across the US to send in a photograph of themselves and the flyer taken at their favorite spot. All pictures suitable for publishing will be posted on the Mac to School blog and each week the most interesting submission will win a goodie bag.

The competition runs for one month, from September 15th to October 15th. The company is also offering students Parallels Desktop for Mac at a 50 per cent discount right now.