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Community Newsletter: Q&A: MacBook or PC laptop for college?
- 8/22/08 4:21 PM
MacBook or PC laptop for college
by kffcs - 8/8/08 8:03 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I must tell you this! -- I'm a 68-year-old grandmother, with a grandson in college. He gently urged me from PC user, to a new DESKTOP Mac. I am in love with it my MAC, and so happy I heeded his advice.
I had used PCs always in the workplace, and the keystrokes had become habit. So I found that was the main issue to re-learn.
Best part? -- I've had it nearly two years, and never a virus or even a warning -- Apple just takes care of it! Grandson's university has switched to Mac, and as I read online, more and more are doing that. There are so many "MAC-geeks" around who love to share their knowledge, and of course there are online tutorial sessions at your fingertips at APPLE.COM. It's a no-brainer, this Gramma says!
macintosh vs pc
by metalfan1982 - 9/2/08 3:39 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college by kffcsThe Short
If you....
Are dumb when it comes to downloading stuff (aka porn, toolbars, "free" programs)
Want somebody telling you what you can and can't do with your computer
Don't care about gaming.
Have money to throw away(I'm talking double what a similarly specced PC would cost)
Like looks more than function or durability(attacking macintoshes build quality)
Like to hop on bandwagons.
Then purchase a Mac
On the other hand...
If you....
Want a computer that does what you want it to, when you want it to, even stuff it was not quite designed for..
Want the same amount of power and infinite customizabilty, for half the price of a comparable mac
Are into high end anything, especialy gaming...
Are not stupid about what you download, or don't mind purchasing a good antivirus/antispyware (being the most used type of computer in the business and home market has its price)
Don't particularly follow fads, and don't like other people telling you what to buy(most of course have no idea what they are talking about)
Then buy a PC.
I recommend looking around on Sagernotebook.com. My laptop is the NP9262 with quite a few of the options selected to make it rather expensive, around 3000$. A 3000$ macbook does not come anywhere near my capability. For one thing they don't even offer a 3.0 ghz dual core(highest is 2.6) and I could have paid for a quadcore. Still can upgrade as a matter of fact. Apples site does not even mention the video card in the pro.. I had the choice between 3 different ones, and whether or not to run them in SLI (aka dual)
I have built at least 20 desktops, 3 of them I own, and all of them are in the top 6%(of the 5 million computers that have published 3dmark results) when I benchmark them with 3dmark06. I don't even have to look at the box when it comes to requirements.
The bottom line here is your bottom line, if you want to pay money for a name and a pretty box/case, then buy a mac. If you want double the power for 1/2 the price(yes this carrys over to the mid-range and low end markets) then buy a PC.
The mac fanboys are sure to try and argue with me about this, citing the whole BSOD, and viruses, and whatever. Well at least the BSOD tells me whats wrong, when if there is something wrong with a Mac, it just doesn't boot...or it doesn't turn off, or it just doesn't work. About the virus and spyware thing, if you don't download them, you won't get them. I download everything from porn to programs, to music and movies. Chances are if you would want it on your computer, I've downloaded it. I don't run virus or antispyware unless I know I am about to get an virus (its not hard, .mov and .exe=bad, porn websites and any software thats free and NOT open source is bad.) and I never get one by accident. Sometimes I find a fun one and put it on my wifes computer just to watch the show. I reccomend Vipre antivirus and antispyware, great program and unlike norton does not kill your computer resource wise or lengthen startup times noticably.
Well, to end this long post, please excuse any grammar or spelling mistakes I didn't care enough to fix (got to leave something for the Mac fanboys to have fun with)
Oh and one more thing, don't go off of my advice, Unlike the MAC guru's out there, my advice and "arguments" are backed up with fact, so just google some laptops and speccs from both apple and the 150,000 companies that make PCs and you will see everything I mean.
It's either Mac or bust
by Zacm05 - 8/8/08 8:04 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
My choice is a Mac. Here are the reasons:
1. No viruses, no spyware, ever. You don't even need virus protection, so right there you rare saving $100 a year.
2. Very fast, handles multitasking like a pro.
3. Comes with all the software you could ever need to make movies, organize pictures, design a website, record your own music, etc. Also, Microsoft Office is also available with full compatibility.
4. All of your documents, music, pictures, videos, etc. are compatible.
5. Apple does tech support and repairs right in every Apple Store, called the Genius Bar.
6. When you call AppleCare tech support by phone, the don't redirect you to India.
7. Windows Vista sucks. Please, for the love of God, don't subject yourself to Vista.
8. Apple does personal training in its stores to teach you how to do things on your Mac.
9. Their computers are quite beautiful, and have every feature you would need built in standard, such as camera w/ mic, 802.11n wi-fi, Bluetooth, etc.
10. They're reliable. No crashes or "blue screen of death".
11. If worse comes to worse, you can install windows on your Mac, and windows runs faster on a mac than it does on a PC, believe it or not.
Let the stupidity begin
by hawkeye61 - 8/15/08 7:25 PM In reply to: It's either Mac or bust by Zacm05Zacm05, Where to begin! I work on PC's and all of he Windows OS's plus I have a Mac as well. No virus for the Mac? Come-on there are nasties out there for every OS, including the mac. There was a story the other day that said the virus writers were beginning to target OSX due to it's rise in popularity. Apple tech support doesn't send you to India?? I called apple myself when I had problems installing OSX Leopard and guess where I got transferred to? INDIA!! Apple stores are only in major cities and what do you do when you don't live near one? Send your mac off to be fixed and be without it for weeks on end. Vista sucks?? How would you know? Have you ever used it? I have Vista on my desktop and on a laptop and I love it! It just works and I have never-ever had a crash in the year and a half I have been using it. My dell laptop looks beautiful and has all the accessories you listed for your mac, and guess what? It costs half as much! The only real reason I can see to own a Mac is for video editing and the Mobile ME service which I also have. PC/Vista is a good choice and so is a Mac, it all depends on what you really need it for. Zac go bury your head in the sand, you've been owned! By the way I'm writing this on my Mac.
Calm down, dude.
by TeresaRRoberts - 8/15/08 9:37 PM In reply to: Let the stupidity begin by hawkeye61No need to be so mean. Zacm05 can have his own opinions just as you're allowed to. Why are you spreading rumors about Mac viruses? There aren't any, which PC users just can't justify somehow. I think we think Vista sucks because so many people in so many forums have written exactly that. I'm glad you haven't had any problems with it. I'm also glad I don't have to find out for myself. I wonder why my IT Department at work won't support it. Because it's so wonderful, I'm sure. It's not all about the cost of the machine. It's also about how many problems you have down the road. I consider myself lucky that with AppleCare, I am totally protected from any trouble for 3 years. Obviously I'm a Mac lover and proud of it. How about you write on a PC forum somewhere about all the wonderful things about PCs. I'm sure they'd love to hear about them. So, Wendee, I'd say go into a Mac store and ask them why you should own a Mac. They'll actually tell you. Then you'll be able to make your own decision.
In Defense of PC
by xX_Sinsear_Xx - 8/16/08 11:28 AM In reply to: Calm down, dude. by TeresaRRobertsI'm going to have to agree with what most of hawkeye61 stated. First off, I own a PC laptop and a Macbook Pro 15 inch penryn.
1. Viruses exist on both machines aplenty. Mac users who believe that there aren't any spyware or viruses for Macbook are just sadly delusional, or just misinformed.
2. How well a computer handles multitasking is largely based on the hardware, not so much the software.
3. Apple redirects you to India all the time for tech support. Most tech companies do this.
4. Windows Vista sucks? I noticed a trend these days where most people switching to Mac know very little about computers. With little maintenance on my Windows Vista machine (about 5 minutes every week), my computer boots up at least twice as fast as my Macbook Pro and shuts down about three times as fast. And it runs smooth as silk. And the sad thing is, my hardware in my Windows Vista laptop is actually inferior to that of my macbook pro.
5. Mac doesn't experience crashes or BSoD? Ok, they don't experience the blue screen of death, but they do experience kernel panics, which are basically the same thing. BOTH computers can crash. Again, another fact that is misconstrued by the mac fanboys.
In the end, you shouldn't buy a mac because of it's ease of use or lack of viruses or it's inability to crash, because you can find those same features on a PC. However, you SHOULD buy a mac if you are into serious photo and video editing. For example, I use photoshop and final cut pro extensively on my Macbook pro. These programs, and others like it, run more efficiently on the Mac and is sometimes exclusive to the mac OS. So buy a mac for it's capabilities, not for it's "ease of use" or "no viruses/spyware".
Calm down???
by hawkeye61 - 8/17/08 2:20 PM In reply to: Calm down, dude. by TeresaRRobertsNo virus for OSX? go to http://www.sophos.com/pressoffice/news/articles/2006/02/macosxleap.html and check it out! My point which you as a fanatic failed to realize is that each OS has vulnerabilities and it's good points. The knucklehead I was replying to was another fanatic like you. If folks like you could just see the other side of the coin and take off the blinders then this world would be a much better place. Why do you think the apple employees are gonna advise someone to buy a PC? That's ludicrous and naive. I have both a PC and a Mac so I can give you real knowledge and experience with both systems. One is not better than the other overall. As Mac's become more pervasive then the script kiddies and virus writers WILL target Mac's more than they do now.
First ever virus for Mac OSX
by chappejw - 8/17/08 7:22 PM In reply to: Calm down??? by hawkeye61hahahahahahahahahaha..... Woww..! what a weak attempt to put Mac in the same viral territory as Windows.... There are nearly 300,000 viruses for Windows..! That's not including spyware and adware. So with just a single virus for Mac by 2006.!!! I'd say this reinforces the Get a Mac argument pretty strongly.
Mac is already super popular amongst computer scientists, you know the people who would have knowledge of how to write viruses. People keep saying, oh well, when Mac gets popular enough the virus writers will start to "target" Mac... pfffft..! I don't think so boys and girls... Mac is based on a unix like operating system called FreeBSD. Want to talk security? Check what kind of operating systems that banks, communications companies, and mission critical enterprises use to run their business and it will be some flavour of Unix, Linux, or BSD... period. Why? Because you would be very concerned if your bank hosted your bank account on a Windows Vista machine.
Typical of Windows fans to try to sell the fear that they have boughten into.
Mac or PC for new students
by enuhfer - 8/15/08 11:04 PM In reply to: Let the stupidity begin by hawkeye61With the new INTEL Macs running both Windows and native Mac software, you don't have to make a choice--you get to run both on a Mac.
I would suggest not buying before you get on campus. Talk to students who have been there a year or two and find what they use and like. Discover, what your local bookstore has found to be reliable, and then order your choice in that first week. Any company worth buying from should get you your machine within three of four days. Going from Windows to Mac is easier than going the other way. I don't like having to consume valuable work time to futz with any computer, and most new students are too busy to want to futz around either. I'm a Mac person, but our bookstore sells Acer PCs, and our students really like them. Reliability is much more important than speed. Every computer today is really overpowered if all you do is run office software. However, the last thing you'll want is a malfunction when work is due. I know the Macs are more durable lower-maintenance machines than most PCs. I've heard locally that the Acers are proving reliable too.
For portables, go for the smaller screen models. They are more durable and backpack easier than the large screen models. Unless you have the eyesight of a senior citizen, the small screens prove just as easy to view and read. Often you need to work in confining places, in groups or on small student desk and large machines are awkward. I have to laugh every time I get on a plane and see someone trying to wrestle and work with a machine designed more for watching movies than for working. The owner can't even pop some models open given the confined seating on many US airlines.
Hats off to Microsoft and Apple
by TKirsch - 8/18/08 12:13 PM In reply to: Mac or PC for new students by enuhferI am a Mac user at home and a PC user at the office. I also had a PC at home to allow me to work via modem for a while. Once Virtual Private Networks were developed and made available for the Mac, I became PC free at home. Although I found the PC a little more daunting to work with at the resource level I became a proficient user of both. Both Microsoft and Apple software are so well integrated today that there are no worries once you learn how to use the software.
My children were encouraged to be exposed to and learn both systems to excel in school. Wendee you do not need to worry about the computer. You must learn to use a computer as a tool for getting the job done. Either system will get you there fine - email, pictures, music, graphics, letters, drawings.
One reply said there are plenty of computer geeks at schools to help you out of a rough spot and keep you producing. S/he is right! After you have graduated and gotten your first job you can decide which computer is right for you. Now go get that education. I recommend a Mac 
Get a Mac.....from a PC User
by sabillondesigns - 8/16/08 3:44 AM In reply to: Let the stupidity begin by hawkeye61Hello,
Ive been a PC user all my life, right now I own a Dell Inspiron E1505 and it is ok....
I do a lot of maintenance, and it runs fairly fast.... But it has crashed on me couple of times. A a couple of days after my warranty expired my hard drive failed, i had to buy new hard drive. What i hate the most is how much it overheats, it is insane, I cant even put it on my lap...
Me and my cousin bought our laptops around the same time, maybe a week difference. He got a macbook and I got the dell. His is running perfectly, never had any problems. It even looks new. Mine looks all bulky since is over a year old. What i love about his Mac is that he opens the laptop....everything loads up sooooo quick. PCs cannot do that, hibernate? stand by mode? sleep mode? Im not sure but they all freeze my computer up when I try to open it up.
My battery sucks real bad too, but i guess I can just buy a new one. But my cousins macbook battery lasts forever....
With 1500$, you got plenty of money to buy a Macbook... In a couple of years I plan to buy a Powerbook, but I will also keep using PCs because I also like them.
In conclusion, I do believe Macs are better, but they are expensive yes, well worth it tho. They also run Windows so if you really like windows, just install it on your Mac and you are good to go.
Mac is the only way to go! This is from a mom!
by CarmenandVictor - 8/22/08 9:06 PM In reply to: Get a Mac.....from a PC User by sabillondesignsMy daughter started college last year. We are an unwavering Mac family from Day One. We got our daughter a 15" laptop. Of course she loves it. Most of the kids in her dorm had Macs. In this day and age, with Macs being as mainstream as they are (In the "old" days, in was that only the 'elite' could afford them.), the Mac is the computer of choice. A couple of my daughter's "suite mates" had PC's. When they saw how easy Macs were to use, they switched.
The Mac is user friendly, with an intuitive interface. It literally runs itself with a few clicks. Also, Applecare give you all the tech support you need.
With all the media around -- photos, music, YouTube (movie clips), how can you not thoroughly enjoy a Mac? Working and playing on a Mac and its operating system is so fun.
My daughter's college supports both platforms, and did explain that with certain majors they recommended a Mac, but not necessary with certain other majors. Guess what?! Most students showed up with a Mac. How can so many people be wrong? And yes, Macs have become so affordable, with more memory, larger hard drives, etc.!
Don't forget that if you go on Apple.com, and sign-on as a student with the name of your school, you get sizable discounts and promotions. Before the deadline, they usually throw in $100 toward a printer (so you can actually get a free printer), and $300 toward an iPod (so you can get a free iPod, or buy the top of the line iPod Touch by paying the difference of $200.00). Can't beat that!
Good luck! Carmen
"From a mom" ??
by nippywiffle - 8/23/08 8:01 PM In reply to: Mac is the only way to go! This is from a mom! by CarmenandVictorRemember, when considering this information "from a mom"... that mom's, in general, are also known to truly believe that driving around in mini-vans and SUVs, because "there isn't enough space for my 2 kids in a regular car" and they "need to keep them safe" (despite horrible roll-over ratings/poor stability due to the stupidly high center of gravity) is a total necessity, and that they couldn't live their lives without them...
Just consider that, as you consider her information about Apples. - just a joke - please don't take it ultra-seriously and respond back telling me "actually I drive a CROSSOVER!" :-D
In defense of the Mac
by askaskask - 8/16/08 9:54 AM In reply to: Let the stupidity begin by hawkeye61If you don't mind making the change, I'd reccommend at least trying a Mac out at an Apple Store to see if it would work for you. If you have $1500 to use for a computer, I think you could get either platform and do well.
In terms of price, Macs are not nearly as much more than a PC as many think. A basic $999 (education price) MacBook will get you everything you need for writing essays, searching the web, watch movies or listen to music, just as a $700 PC laptop would. But I've yet to see a PC come ready to edit videos out of the box or be so hassle-free -- two things I find easily worth the extra few dollars. And with Apple's high quality of support, something I see nowhere else, it's nice to know that I can easily find the help I need, limited as the need may be. And to address the India thing, I've only had US centers answer my calls when I've contacted them, though I prefer going into the store. And since many many third party tech stores are Apple certified, they can often send you that way if you need a quick fix.
If media type stuff is going to be important, I think it's generally agreed that Macs handle it better. iMovie is the best in the business for basic video editing, Garageband is popular and easy for music creation, and iTunes is the standard for playback.
Although the Mac is not immune to viruses, I have never seen a virus actually infect a Mac. It will happen someday, I know, but it is not as major a concern as a virus is on the PC. I have seen numerous PCs crash and corrupt from a virus or trojan, and consider it a must to run virus software at least once every 12-24 hours of use to pick off anything that's worked its way through -- and it takes several programs to do so. On the Mac, I run one program about once a week and have yet to have it tell me I have a virus, trojan, or any type of malware... compared to the hundreds I find weekly on my various Windows boxes.
As for Vista... I know that the technological savvy will find it decent if they don't mind a ton of tweaking, but I have heard too many horror stories that I simply don't want to be one of the 10% that have had huge problems after upgrading. A friend of mine works with the head of computer security at a major aerospace company, and mentioned that the security guy said Vista was, by far, the worst OS he had ever seen, and was so unstable he was not allowing anyone to connect to the company network while using it. Stick with XP if you choose Windows.
Bad Advice Dude
by dknapp - 8/15/08 8:14 PM In reply to: It's either Mac or bust by Zacm05These are not in order --
1. When the market share gets above, what, 5%, then the virus writers will kick in. BTW, there are plenty of free A/V programs for the PC. Social exploits will happen no matter what computer is used.
2. How much video editing will she do in college? Get real everyone. There are literally zillions of programs out there for the PC. For the Mac you will pay top dollar for the limited choice you get. For every one of the limited choices for the Mac there are many options for the PC, many of them free. Mac versions of Office are not that compatible as the Mac version is several revs behind.
3. For business use, the PC rules. I support over 500 PCs in my compapny and the O/S is not the problem you make it out to be. XP is sweet, even Win2K is just fine. For $400-$500 you can get a really fast, new dual core Dell PC (OK, not a laptop) then pimp it out to the max of your budget. The PC laptop chices are huge. With the Mac you basically have two overpriced laptops.
4. The other guy said all that is needed on tech support. Genius Bar my eye. Just don't let your geeky nephew at it or even the Mac will die a horrible death.
5. Everyone is using India -- and I think their accents are cool. My India support guy even remotely connected to my PC several times to solve a Flight Simulator problem. And it was free.
6. In my company we have over 500 PCs in 24/7 use. Never get blue screesns, never get crashes unless a drive goes. Guess what -- Macs use the same drives so they will crash the same amount. People get crashes at home because they load tons of junky programs, never do any maintenance, skip the A/V, and let their geeky nephews loose on their PCs.
7. IBM - black, dull, sucky. Dells - shiny, cool, non-sucky.
11. Come on - if same speed Intel processor and RAM on Mac and PC, why would Windows run better on a Mac? Faster on a white box or something? The Mac has very limited graphics options as well, so very limited gaming possibilities.
There is a very good reason Apple makes more money on selling tunes and MP3 players and not computers. And don't get me started on their "servers".
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