Apple appears to be the present student choice

This analysis of the back to school market (college) indicates that Apple is outselling Windows machines by a wide margin. Some have interpreted this as a function of a better promotion by Apple – supposedly the gift card for the iTunes store. Assuming that free music (or apps I guess) account for this trend seems unlikely to me. You could certainly purchase a less expensive machine and spend the difference on music if this is what you were looking for.