Nathaniel Nelson / Winonan

Winona State University held a technology showcase before spring break to present new laptops for the 2016-2017 school year.

The tech showcase occurs every spring to outline new tech upgrades for the laptop program to be implemented the following year. This year it was held in Kryzsko Commons, Somsen Hall and the Rochester campus. Students were invited to test out the new devices.

Kenneth Janz, associate vice president for academic affairs and chief information officer at Winona State, said this year’s showcase was successful.

“We actually had very good attendance, especially when it was in Kryzsko, and great attendance in Rochester,” Janz said. “We got really good feedback.”

Most years, there are two choices displayed: a Macbook and a PC. Both the HP laptops and the Macbook Airs are receiving upgrades this year, but a new addition to the program for juniors and transfer students is getting students excited.

“If we pair a Macbook Air with an iPad, then we’ll have a Macbook Pro,” Janz said, “and we’ll make those so they are about the same cost.”

Instead of being able to choose strictly between a Macbook Air and an HP laptop, students coming in for their two-year upgrade will also be able to choose between a Macbook Pro and an HP Laptop with an Intel i7 processor and other upgrades. The only downside is if a student does choose to go with a higher-powered computer, they will forgo getting the iPad Mini normally included.

Travis Norman, who works in Mobile Device Support on campus, said the new computers have a few new modifications.

“For the Macbook Pro and the Macbook Air, both are 13 inches, both have a core i5 chip in them and the Macbook Pro will actually have full size HDMI, which has been a huge request, dual thunderbolt ports and USB 3.0,” Norman said.

At this point, however, the final specifications for everything but the base level HP laptop are still undecided. Neither the i7 HP or the Apple specs have been confirmed yet, Norman said, but they should be out in the coming weeks. The HP laptop shown at the showcase is confirmed as their PC, but for the rest, the university will have to wait.

Even with the lack of concrete details, Travis Norman said having the showcase to get people interested will be an achievement for the program.

“Getting people talking about it and getting it back on people’s mind and getting people excited to have the technology again is great,” Norman said. “We’re really looking forward to hopefully getting this rolled out successfully.”

Robin Honken, director of information technologies, said the feedback the program receives from the showcase makes it worthwhile.

“The biggest thing is to try and get input from students,” she said.

Each year, students give their thoughts on the program either through a formal survey or a write-in suggestion box. This allows faculty to receive feedback on their plans and make changes when necessary. According to Honken, the reception was overwhelmingly positive.

“The feedback we got from the showcase from the students is ‘This is awesome,’ and ‘I want a Macbook Pro,’” Honken said. “It seems to be what the students are wanting.”

This is the first time students will have more than two options, and with this choice came a few problems. For instance, swapping computers will be a much harder thing to do, Honken said.

“By adding all this more choice, it’s going to make it more difficult for us to be just swapping here and there because we’re going to have a much tighter rein on our inventory,” she said.

With twice as many devices to choose from, departments will need to determine exactly what their students will require. Juniors and transfer students who need a more powerful laptop will be able to get what they need, Honken said, but first year students and sophomores will have to wait. Even in the graphic design department, the base level laptop is enough to get through the first two years, she said.

“Once we get this firmed up for sure,” Honken said, “We’ll go back to the departments and say ‘OK, what are your recommendations? Do you have any recommendations?’”

Different departments have different needs when it comes to computers. Students in departments like graphic design, mass communication and music use bulky programs like the Adobe Creative Suite, which need the boost in processing power to run smoothly. The lack of an iPad would cause problems in departments like education, which use the devices heavily.

Kenneth Janz said the new program was designed to fit as many needs as possible. By doubling the number of choices for students, it allows everyone to get the best device

“We really try to meet the needs of as many people as possible,” Janz said. “I know we can’t keep 100 percent of the people happy, but I’ll try, for sure, to get 98.”