Missouri University Makes Apple iPhone a Course Requirement
Missouri University Makes Apple iPhone a Course Requirement
Posted 05/11/2009 at 1:48pm
| by Andy Salisbury
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According to the website for the Missouri University School of Journalism, “Effective Fall 2009, students majoring in Journalism at Missouri are required to have either an iPod Touch (the minimum requirement) or iPhone to allow for the delivery of freshman-orientation information as well as course material. Students will electronically download such material to either of those devices from iTunes University, a no-cost component of the iTunes Store.”
On top of this, undergraduate students will be required to have wireless laptops, with Microsoft Office installed. “Students are encouraged to acquire wireless laptop technology from Apple, which the School has designated as its preferred provider,” continues the website.
And, for those that prefer a Windows machine, “That's an option, but it's one we do not recommend unless you plan to make a career of computer-assisted reporting. By the time you purchase photo, audio and video software for a PC, you probably will have spent more than you would if buying a comparable Apple Computer. Buy a PC if you prefer to do so, but make sure it is wireless and has Microsoft Office. Almost 100 percent of last year's freshmen chose Apple computers.”
As if going to school wasn’t expensive enough, now it would seem that the Apple tax is a requirement. Oh well, what’s another few grand on top of the 40 or so that you’re spending on a year’s tuition?
Image Credit: Missouri University
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Lawyer
October 17, 2009 at 3:39pm
These students need to get a Lawyer< perhaps i'm overreacting, but I hate apple products!
jayson001
May 21, 2009 at 10:06am
This is basically written by someone that is not really strong in the ways of computers.
The iPhone requirement is ridiculous, just like... you can't download the files on a PC or Mac and view them there? You have to have a Touch or iPhone. Is the college going to reimburse the kids for their data plans or any contracts they have to break?
"By the time you purchase photo, audio and video software for a PC, you
probably will have spent more than you would if buying a comparable
Apple Computer."Or you could run Ubuntu Creative and get that all for free on your cheap laptop of choice. If you want to pay for stuff you could get any Corel product and save over the cost of Adobe still. That just doesn't make sense. iLife is like doable stuff, it's not a competitor of Creative Suite, so basically any open source app should get the job done. Just like OpenOffice.
" which the School has designated as its preferred provider" - Kids, buy Apple stuff so we can get kickbacks!
catus23
May 20, 2009 at 7:39pm
I appreciate the concern which is
been rose. The things need to be sorted out because it’s not about the
individual but it can be with everyone.
catus23
May 20, 2009 at 7:36pm
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with such laws. This has to go legal and it’s needed to be sorted at the
earliest.
trstno1
May 12, 2009 at 10:12pm
"... either an iPod Touch (the minimum requirement) or iPhone" Since some of you didn't seem to read the whole sentence. The title of the article is also factually incorrect. "Students are encouraged to acquire wireless laptop technology from Apple" iPod touch is required not an iPone. Apple laptop is reccomended not required. It's right there, second paragraph.
jwalch.hawk
May 13, 2009 at 12:41pm
So the title is somewhat sensationalist. That's not at all surprising on this site, to be honest, but you're arguing semantics. The Touch is still an Apple product, which is the primary objection being made by the author (so far as I read it). Also, speaking from experience, if they are officially "encouraging" Apple laptops over machines that don't come with an Apple logo, they will likely do things that would make it difficult for a non-savvy user to own anything but an Apple (read: only offering OIT support for Apple products). Sure, I don't need (or want) the university OIT working on my machine, but that's not true for most students.
Gordon hits on the issue often in his rants. It's not an irrational aversion to the products themselves - Apple certainly has some quality (albeit overpriced) products. Maybe some people consider it a piddly issue to dwell on, but it's about the principle of freedom to choose. This is in direct violation of that, and that's what pisses off a fair number of us (some are just idiotic fanboys - do try to ignore them).
nekollx
May 12, 2009 at 10:18am
By the time you purchase photo, audio and video software for a PC, you probably will have spent more than you would if buying a comparable Apple Computer.
Apple costs less?
less?
jihnn
May 12, 2009 at 6:21am
after about 11 years of using cellphones i made the decision not to own one
it was like a $1000.00 a year raise.
as i am a service person my life became easier because dispatch couldn't call and tell me that i had more work that i had to pick up.
want to call me, call the house, you may have to leave a message and i may call you back
lol i do have an attitude about cell phones they are just another "MUST HAVE" item. thanks to very aggresive marketing
you require me to buy a cellphone. much less a certain brand. i will spend my money elsewhere
as far as laptops go i have wanted to build one since maxx pc ran the artical on build your own
Ritful
May 18, 2009 at 9:04am
Someone should forward this article to Gordon. It will make Rant Gold.
Curtai
May 11, 2009 at 11:22pm
And out come the Rabid Macophytes and the Mac-o-phobes... Lol... I hate mac but own an iPod... Classic mind you... and I run Vista 32 bit and havent had a single OS problem... all I have had is hardware problems... Thats what I get for buying cheap hardware... lol...
But anyways... Hackintosh all the way... I need to figure out how to do that... Yeah get a HP andHackintosh it... I know there are alot of different ways to do that...
Terabit
May 11, 2009 at 10:17pm
Most people already own an iPhone or Touch. And most undergrads get a laptop when they go to college anyways. NOt really surprising they require those (well maybe the iPhone lol). But most schools recommend laptops anyways, even my high school has campus-wide WiFi, and will require students to have a laptop starting the 2010-2011 school year.
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Lazar
May 11, 2009 at 7:54pm
The university earned itself, "the gayest program ever implemented" award.
Morichalion
May 11, 2009 at 6:46pm
No, really, it hurts.
"...allow for the delivery of freshman-orientation information as well as course material. Students will electronically download such material to either of those devices from iTunes University, a no-cost component of the iTunes Store...."
Score a couple points for making the 'iTunes University' component no-cost, though the functions it is supposed to perform, at least from my perspective, could be handled by a net top pc. At least that's my thought.
The world was ruled by religion, and they call it "The Dark Ages"
colinjm0517
May 11, 2009 at 6:36pm
They use the iphone and the ipod touch because of itunes' university feature and it's touch screen. Besides, Apple computers run mac os x AND windows natively (through bootcamp). Anyway Macs are cool looking, (but the price tag will give anyone a heart attack). But also, Apple could be paying them to require this.
skhills
May 12, 2009 at 8:40am
I'm sure it's enough just to provide the people making the decisions on the requirements a free mac pro every year or something.
Photography
May 11, 2009 at 5:24pm
Now I know where all the highly biased journalists go to school. Do they tell them who to vote for and where to stand on politics? Maybe what religion they need to follow?
lyric
May 11, 2009 at 3:38pm
They require the ipod touch (recommend the iphone) because most of the students want one anyway and if it is a requirement they can use student loans and scholarships to pay for it. The apple laptop is probably because of the above. They think they are helping out the students, and for some of them it probably does.
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 3:45pm
Student loans dont work like that, Finacial aid given by the use of the FASA that every student fills out and scholarships can not be used to by computers. You would have to go to an outside lender like a bank and even then rules apply to how much and what you can use it on.
But you shouldnt have to go into debt or get a loan to pay for a laptop and or phone. Im in college and no i dont want an iphone, wanna know whay first off i fucking hate them, second i dont need all that shit, third there expensive, fourth a blackberry is cheaper anyway...should i keep going?
This is ridiculous that this is happening how dare they pull this bullshit. PEOPLE SHOULD BE PISSED!
It doesnt help anyone loans suck!
athlon11
May 11, 2009 at 4:18pm
Wrong on pretty much every count there. They send teh money to the school and anytihng over the cost of tuition gets sent out as a check to the student. I got $3500 one year from the government that went right into my pocket.
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 5:08pm
Assuming you can get enough aid in the first place to pay for school. After tuition is paid it then goes to cover room and board, but your only given whats needed and its never that much more unless you go to a very cheap school And i never heard of that? maybe you got a loan which are sent to students? i think, But out of everyone i know in college and out ive never heard of such a thing. The way government aid works is on a need bases, they barely hand out anything if your middle class.
mesiah
May 21, 2009 at 8:25pm
Your loan depends on your tuition and wether you are a commuter student or living on campus, as well as family income. Do some homework before you make statements like "they barely hand out anything if your middle class." The less money you make the more you are generally eligible for. As far as not getting anything in your pocket, it depends on your school. If your loans are not enough to pay tuition, then of course you aren't going to get anything back, instead of a check you get a bill. If you are granted more than your tuition however, some schools (such as DeVry) will revise your loan and send the extra money back to the government. Other schools (The Ohio State University) Will take their cut, then send you a check for the remainder. So, I can personally confirm that it can happen both ways, just depends on where you go and how much the government gives you.
lyric
May 11, 2009 at 3:58pm
Didn't say everyone would be happy about it, but I think this would help some. When I went through college I had financial assistance pay for any required materials for a course...
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 4:06pm
Your missing the point there shouldnt be a need to get a loan to pay for a $2000 mac and a freakin iphone thats a ridiculous requirement. How would that help anyone? Sure there Mac may be covered but you end up paying for it if you pay with a loan if they even cover it, and scholarships are usual expressly for tuition, and fees.
Theres a difference between a required book and an iphone.
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 6:50pm
To much work and you cant do that for a laptop and its not easy to build a hackentosh unless you know computers, then buy a PC
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 3:36pm
Well i know were Goldman went to school.
Whats all this talk about needing to invest money in software that doesnt come with PC's? It doesnt come with Macs either!
There all extra. I think the world is going to implode with all this BS thats being spread by people Like Jim Jobs..er i mean Goldman and the likes.
Everyone get your pitch forks and torches we have "cool people" to burn...
colinjm0517
May 11, 2009 at 6:27pm
Macs DO have good software included like the iLife '09 pack and other good apps that are a part of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
Geeksquadmyss
May 11, 2009 at 6:56pm
Ilife is useless i have several friends with macs and they never use Ilife. PCs dont need anti virus, you just need to be careful or you can use free software. And macs can still be hacked. And dual booting a mac is stupid why buy a 1300 mac to run a MS OS on it, that defeats the purpose of having the university requiring Macs.
EpicEyes
May 11, 2009 at 3:19pm
If they're required to have atleast an iphone.. is the school paying their cell bills? School is already expensive enough.. now they're required to foot a large cell phone bill? That's bull.
keithfreitag
May 11, 2009 at 2:43pm
A university can't impose on it's students to buy a paticular type of computer unless it's provided to them for class. Jim Goldman strikes again.
nmanguy
May 11, 2009 at 2:29pm
If they tried to pull that crap, I'd just put an OSX skin on Ubuntu laptop, save the money (They'll really need to save cash if they get a degree in journalism) although there's still the whole "how the crap do you (appear to)run OSX on an old laptop from 2001" thing.
comptech08
May 11, 2009 at 2:24pm
and we sit here watching intel get sued for offering rebates for using their products instead, and you know apple is behind this, giving incentives to univeristies when they demand you to buy apple. I just wanna go enroll there and dont buy it. lol
ferds7
May 11, 2009 at 2:15pm
Another University that specializes in racketeering, stealing money from young people and forcing ideology.
It's a shame less and les universities are trying to actually give a decent education to students. Thank God for the internet at least.
pellier
May 11, 2009 at 2:15pm
I don't think GIMP or Audacity cost anything and a copy of sony vegas is about $80 which is what iLife costs doesn't add up to be more than the price of a comparable mac. And openoffice is free. Or if you would use ubuntu studio everything would be free.
SEALBoy
May 11, 2009 at 2:05pm
This is insane! FORCING people to buy Apple products? That's a new low from Apple and the university.
jwalch.hawk
May 11, 2009 at 2:04pm
This is total and utter bullshit. It's not up to the university to make your financial decisions for you. Do they get to decide what brand notebooks I buy? Do they decide where I buy the sheets for my bed? That would be stupid and everyone knows it, and this is no different. This is just a retarded and transparent spin that they've put on the fact that they're getting kickbacks from Steve Jobs for doing this. That, or sexual favors, considering how they feel the need to hide it.
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