Edible Apple

If you wanna study at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, you best be getting a Mac. The Berklee Laptop Purchase Program states:

Berklee College of Music requires all entering students to own an Apple Macintosh laptop computer that meets certain standards established by the academic and technology leadership of the college. To facilitate this requirement, the college makes exclusive arrangements to purchase computers from Apple Computer and software from leading industry manufacturers. This volume purchasing provides a comprehensive system at a price that is well below educational pricing for these components when purchased individually.

Every academic year, Berklee strives to provide students a known, tested, and supported laptop platform for the curriculum. At times, this package may not include the absolute latest model released by Apple. Nevertheless, Berklee must provide a proven, stable technology environment for students to learn and faculty to teach.

This isn’t a new program by any means (it dates back to 2003), but thought it was worth mentioning. For what it’s worth, Apple-event favorite John Mayer (you know, the guy who’s singing voice is akin to someone whispering loudly) attended the Berklee College of Music before dropping out after two semesters.

In a interview with Berklee from 1998, Mayer explains the impetus for his departure.

“I must say, by the second half of my second semester, I didn’t go to a lot of classes. I wasn’t being rebellious, it was me saying-“Got it, I know what I want to do.” Here’s an analogy for how I felt about my classes. It was like being at a restaurant when you already know what you want to order and the waiter starts telling you what the specials are. I already knew what I wanted.

I would run into my teachers on the street and they’d say, “Haven’t seen you in class lately.” I’d say, “I can’t explain it, but I’m working on something.” I looked at it kind of like graduating early. I had made my discovery. My friends and I were recording in my dorm room. It felt weird to be enrolled at a music school and not be going to class because I was writing music.”