Issue date: 9/6/07 Section: News

Media Credit: Derrick Manuat Apple campus representative Dustin Williams (right) helps freshman business major Tyler Renner in the Apple Store in the bookstore at the Morris University Center.

Some students may notice a few more sleek, white computer monitors around campus this fall.

Over the summer and into the fall, SIUE has increased its faculty and student body's access to Apple products. Both the University Bookstore and Academic Computing have recently closed deals with the California-based company's representatives to raise the company's profile on campus.

Emily Gray, the manager of University Bookstore in Morris University Center, spoke about bringing Apple products into the bookstore this summer. The bookstore, now an authorized Apple reseller, can order anything available on Apple's Web site, but mainly stocks desktop and laptop computers, iPod mp3 players and software. Featured items have been the new iMac desktop computers, along with new MacBook Pro laptops. The store also offers a promotional deal, valid until Sunday, Sept. 16, of a free iPod (with mail-in rebate) with the purchase of any Apple computer other than the Mac Mini.

"We can completely customize any order, and we offer educational discounts for students," Gray said. "We're also the only authorized Apple reseller in the Metro East area." This means that the bookstore is the only place between St. Louis and Carbondale where Apple computers can be bought.

"We've noticed demand picking up now that students realize that we're selling the products," Gray said.

Though the bookstore expected to see some additional demand for PC availability, none has arisen, and students seem pleased with the options presented to them.

Jennifer Vandever, the Director of Academic Computing at SIUE, has also sought to increase the number of Apple computers available to students and faculty this year.

"We've provided Apples for faculty members in a number of departments, and also added them in a number of classrooms and computer labs throughout campus."

One classroom in Lovejoy Library, along with several open workstations throughout the library, has added iMac computers. In addition, the Art & Design building has added the computers to two labs, and Dunham Hall has iMacs available in its basement music lab and its first-floor multimedia lab.

Academic Computing has plans to add iMacs to the Foreign Language Lab in Peck Hall. The order for the additional units will be placed in October, when Apple's new product line and operating system arrive.

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