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In the present qualitative research study, 35 Mac users were interviewed in a university campus that exclusively supports PC machines. We particularly explored the Mac-users' social influences, saving technological and other influences for future reports. Results showed Mac users to possess significant connections with other Mac users on the university campus. The Mac users in our study indicated that positive, past exposure, including Apple's advertising of Macs, had sharp influences on their decisions to become and remain Mac users.

The present qualitative research study addressed the overall research question of college students’ pretention dynamics in the context of a university setting. Thirty‐five Mac users were interviewed on a university campus that exclusively supports PC machines. Mac users shared four self‐admitted pretensions related to using Macintosh computers. First, participants asserted that Apple brand computers set social trends and that owning a Mac was perceived to make one to stand out positively. Second, Mac users shared their personal views that Macs are superior in technology and that PC technology is simply attempting to mimic Apple’s strides forward. Third, Mac users described various perceived social stigmas associated with owning Macs, such as the “artsy” label, the “cool” factor, and common socio‐economic assumptions associated with Mac ownership. The fourth dynamic of participants’ self‐admitted pretensions concerned their tendency to vocalize personal opinions of Mac’s superiority, with the aim of “conve...