This CNN report via a student-focused research firm called Student Monitor ought to be a wake up call to the PC hardware manufacturers, that Apple has replaced other major laptop manufacturers, including Dell, HP, Toshiba and Sony as the top consumer choice for students.

The research pointed out some stark facts which, not only sound unbelievable on the face of it but really highlight the Mac vs. PC, as well as the Mac vs. Windows divide. This simple little pie chart has stoked the fire of an industry already in dire straits.

This little survey shows that university students prefer to buy Apple, with Dell taking the second spot, HP just behind in third spot, and Toshiba and Sony among the major manufacturers’ trailing well behind the MacBook in terms of sales.

The only slight bright spot on the horizon is that given this pie chart, the Mac OS X still holds only a quarter of the market, while Windows, being the OEM OS for the rest of the manufacturers’ still leads the OS stakes, although at this rate of adoption, even that lead is not guaranteed, with the research suggesting that the Apple brand has seen double digit market growth since 2008, and that iPads and iPhones have had a halo effect on the sales of other Apple products.

[via student moniter]