CORRECTION APPENDED

Apples have always been tempting. First for Eve, now for college students.

A new survey, released Monday, reports that 44 percent of American undergraduates say they will choose an Apple for their next computer—and only 23 percent of students currently own one.

The study, conducted by SurveyU.com, a research organization that targets colleges, found that Dell computers are currently the most popular among students, with 33 percent owning one. But only 21 percent say they will buy a Dell for their next purchase, the survey found.

In an interview, SurveyU co-founder Daniel M. Coates cautioned that those who say they will buy Macs may well change their mind. Still, the survey found that Apple is “building momentum” in colleges because of the popularity of its iPod and a special student purchase program.

At Harvard, 23 to 26 percent of the students own Macs, according to Larry Levine, Harvard’s chief information officer.

Apple’s appeal, according to Rafael F. Garcia ’09 of Lowell House, a Mac enthusiast, is that its computers are easy to use and reliable. “The fact that there aren’t as many viruses or spyware for the Mac as there are for PCs definitely makes using the computer a lot more enjoyable than having to constantly fight a virus when you use a PC,” he said.

The survey also found that Macs were more popular among college women than men, with the latter preferring Alienware, Dell, and Lenovo computers.

CORRECTION: The Oct. 24 article "Macs Gain Ground Among Students" misidentified Larry Levine as the University's chief information officer. In fact, he is chief information officer for the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.