What about a Mac?

We support Macs!

Yes, we support Macs on campus and many students and faculty use them. We would be happy to talk with you about models and recommend something that will work for you. Some of the support options that we can provide for Macs include:

  • Apple certified technicians who can order parts for you and perform warranty work
  • Assistance with data backup
  • Limited loaner laptops for repairs that take more than 72 hours

But we cannot support Macs the same way that we support our PC models in the Bison Laptop program, so students should know this before they come to campus. Macs receive mid-level support at the Tech Desk.

What are the differences in support that I can expect? What does mid-level  mean?

  • Price: Apple does not give us a price break on the Mac - we have a recommended bundle on our education store, but the cost is the same for us as it is for every educational price in America. Our PC models are priced significantly less than a comparably equipped machine if you purchased it on your own.
  • Image: We cannot provide a Bucknell image with Bucknell configured software for a Mac like we can for our PC models. Apple does not offer this option.
  • Parts: Apple does not supply us with replacement parts like Dell does, so when a keyboard breaks on an Apple, we need to order a new one, which takes a couple of days. We can replace a Dell Bison Laptop keyboard on the spot.
  • Warranty: Apple does not offer a Complete Care/Accidental Damage option, which covers any and every thing that you might do to your computer, including spill something in it or drop something on it. If, for example, you spill your cafe mocha into your MacBook, you are likely going to need to buy a new logic board for $800 . . . on a Dell, it would be covered, and we could have you back in action the next day for no cost.

Will my Mac work on campus?

Yes, many students and faculty members have Macs, and they work just fine. This includes engineering and management faculty and students - while these programs have special software, they are too expensive to install on individual PC or Mac laptops, and all students use the software in the labs.

You can connect to ResNet, connect to your network space, use Mail, create or open files using Office, etc. We just cannot support you at the Tech Desk to the same degree that we support our PCs in the Bison Laptop program.

Is there any sort of computer insurance that you offer for my Mac?

For specific questions on our support levels for Macs, please email bisonlaptop@bucknell.edu and we'd be happy to talk with you.