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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 - from Don
by DonPiontek - 8/9/08 9:30 AM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well Wendee, as a Dad sending his son off to college, I can understand your situation. My son is not only insisting on a MacBook, he wants a MacBook Pro! I have used both Windows and Mac machines. My "main" machine is currently a PowerMac G4, which is eight years old.
That alone should tell you where my leanings are. To me, the number one reason to lean towards the Mac in the Mac vs. PC debate is reliability. Apple makes both the hardware AND the software so there are no compatibility issues. If you read laptop reviews of both PC's and Macs, the MacBook comes out either on top, or very close to the top for functionality and ease of use. Reliability is enhanced by the almost total lack of worry about viruses. For PC users, this is no small concern. Every day I hear some story about an associates computer being put out of commission by some new PC virus or other malware. I am connected to several email servers, and I see dozens of emails which I know are "trojan horses" directed at users every day. For me, not to worry, I can click away on these without concern.
There's almost no problem associated with a Mac that cannot be fixed (by you, not the Geek Squad)) in 30 minutes or less. The MacBook comes with world-class software for handling photos, music, email, and more. Microsoft Office is what I use on my Mac, and other users in the corporate world have no idea that I'm on a Mac and not on a PC. One caveat. Laptops (ALL laptops) are more fragile than their desktop counterparts. Screens and cases can be easily damaged when handling or (God forbid), dropped. The DOWNSIDE to choosing Apple is cost. The "entry level" MacBook, with an AppleCare plan (which I strongly recommend) will set you back $1,500. The MacBook Pro will cost over $2,000, almost $3,000 for the 17" screen model.
Apple is offering some discounts and rebates for college students, so these amounts might be off. The difference between the MacBook, and MacBook Pro models is that the Pro uses a dedicated video card for graphics, while the MacBook relies on shared memory. If you're not a heavy gamer or illustrator, go with the MacBook. And lastly, if the "cool" factor is important, my son reports that all of his college-bound friends are insisting on MacBooks vs. PC's. Apple has been VERY successful in promoting it's brand to your generation. Much more so that the DELL's of the world. Good luck!
more about why to choose a Mac
by Kathleen Lawrence - 8/9/08 10:07 AM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The folks pointing you to a PC & bemoaning expense of Macs are way behind the times or just love to spend hours having to tinker and fix PCs. All recent comparisons say that Macs are very competitive and sometimes less that cost of comparable PC. Plus, no headaches.
Next, if you must ever actually need an unusual or esoteric Windows app for some reason (i.e. Embroidery) then, you have the ability to do so, on any intel based Mac via BootCamp, which now comes with all Macs, or via: Parallels, or VM fusion. Or, even use Crossover.
So, there is no earthly reason, to choose a PC, when you can have it all with a Mac and not waste time dealing with viruses or malware.
There are now Mac apps for just about everything, and the old arguments about businesses requiring Windows does not hold up anymore, with the ability to use open source office type suites like: neooffice, and openoffice, or use Office for Mac.
Macs are used in medical imaging, astronomy, at NASA, JPL, MIT, and more, just check out:
Creative Pros: http://www.apple.com/pro/
For Science: http://www.apple.com/science/
IT Pro: http://www.apple.com/itpro/
For Business: http://www.apple.com/business
Have Fun with your Mac
black or white_left or right
by windwalker2001 - 8/9/08 10:24 AM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
No easy answer, and lots of unanswered ?s. The wife and I just purchased a notebook for our grandson, and his first year in collage. After several hours of surfing the net, comparing and more surfing, for him and us the answer was a PC,(Hp had a great deal on a cpu and several other offers and rebates) no new learning of a new format. Yes we could have installed Vware and run windows programs on a MAC, but we felt that this was just something else to go belly up. You have a pc, does it work ok?, stick with what works.
Check with the college!
by rderuiter - 8/9/08 10:38 AM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The PC/Mac decision could be as easy for you as checking with the college (not the students selling Mac's but the IT department). Many colleges and Universities offer/require certain software to connect to their networks. If you're going to a small college, they may only offer PC compatible software. If you go Mac, be prepared to deal with compatibility issues with college software, turning in homework digitally, etc. BTW, this compatibility issue doesn't go away when you leave college. There's a lot of software written for PC that sometimes, eventually (maybe) gets rewritten for Mac.
It also depends on what your career goals are. If you're going into art or graphic design (etc.) then consider a Mac. If you're going into business, or plan to work for a major corporation, then you might as well stick with the PC world, because (like it or not) that's the de facto standard.
Also, you've already got a PC. Do you really want to learn a new way of working with your computer when you're supposed to be learning the material your professor has assigned? I've sat down behind a Mac and found it very frustrating. While I'm sure I could learn a new way of working, I'm pretty sure I'd rather not. If you sit down with a Mac, be sure to do some of the work you'll be doing in college (not just playing around with iTunes, right?!). Try writing a mock paper (or input one from high school). How do you do a title page, headings, footnotes, spell check, change to double-spaced text, create a bibliography with a hanging-indent, etc.
Finally, you've got $1500, right? That will buy a lot more PC compatible technology than Mac. Mac is typically more expensive for what you get. BTW, when you're in the market check with the companies that are selling laptops, to see if they have student discounts, special offers, etc. Many do.
IMHO, Macs are great for people who hate Microsoft. But if you want a good, inexpensive machine that will run just about any software out there, get a PC.
Go with what you know...
by Ragland.Tiger 57 - 8/9/08 11:21 AM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I'm a Windows user who's tried Mac. I can't give you an awful lot of specifics, but generally, if you're used to Windows, the Mac OS has a very steep learning curve. If you go with a Mac book, my suggestion would be to first get a reference book about Mac OS(Mac OSx Leopard For Dummies, or something similar) and study it cover to cover, so that you at least know where all the common programs and functions are located. Some schools use Mac OS exclusively, so keep that in mind when making your decision. Otherwise, if you're comfortable using Windows, then stick with Windows.
Answer for Wendee
by sodamax583 - 8/9/08 12:04 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I personally think that if your planning to buy a laptop to use for school, a MacBook would be a better choice because the iWork software suite is a much less expensive alternative than buying MS Office. About five months ago I switched from a pc to a mac and I learned almost everything about the computer within two or three days OSX (the mac operating system) runs very fast and if you need help or you don't know how to do something, someone who works at the apple store will show you how to do it.
student discount on software
by Bkhaja - 8/9/08 5:11 PM In reply to: Answer for Wendee by sodamax583Another thought after reading replies. Don't forget that there are significant discounts for software purchases for students. Check with the college IT support or the bookstore for this. It might be cheaper to buy some computer software after the computer purchase
As With Most Things The Answer Is: "It Depends"
by oracle741 - 8/9/08 12:50 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The largest factor to effect the direction of your purchase should be what does the school recommended, if anything. My wife attended an art school for Cinematography, and the school instituted a policy that all new students purchase a Mac laptop, Mac desktop, or both due to the industry standard software, and therefore course-ware, for film and sound editing was all Apple based. And even with the discount the school got with it's partnership with Apple, the cost of an Apple computer is more than a PC of comparable specs.
If you have a free hand to buy what you will, and you are looking for the most compatible, performance capable laptop you can buy, than a PC based computer will fit the bill. I am a junior at the University of North Florida, and all of the software that was needed for my courses was PC compatible, and 2 of my courses required a PC. But you could always go to campus to use one if all you had was a Mac.
just a FYI, and not to get in to any kind of brand promoting, but most companies, like Dell and HP, have many awesome laptops for under $1000.
re: just a FYI, and not to get in to any kind of brand promo
by Kathleen Lawrence - 8/9/08 2:00 PM In reply to: As With Most Things The Answer Is: "It Depends" by oracle741For $899!! Macbook, all ready to go loaded with OS 10.5.,and iLife:
http://store.apple.com/us/product/FB402LL/A
Plus, you can run Windows apps with Bootcamp or Crossover.
Then p/u extra Ram & Applecare for less by doing a dealmac.com
search or from good online retailers: smalldog.com, powermax.com, LAComputer.com, Macsales.com,
( ** my favorite for Ram) or, off eBay
or, from MacUserGroups:
http://www.apple.com/usergroups & http://MacOSG.com (50% off Applecare)
kl
Laptops for College
by Sr. Mary Alma Vandervest - 8/9/08 1:11 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The first thing to do when choosing a laptop for college is to check with the college you are planning to attend. Ask what system they are using, Mac or PC, and what version of Office they are using. You may also want to check with instuctors in your field of interest. The Art students seem to usually use Macs, while most others seem to use PC.
At the University where I work, ALL computers in use on campus were upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 over the summer. I hope this helps you come to a decision.
same hardware different op systems
by stdo57 - 8/9/08 1:22 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
now days they both use intel so its more what operating system you are comfy with.
found both vista and osx th be very nice but the vista requires a healthy system to give you the full experiance, but the service pack made vista very nice on up to date hardware.
check the cost for each and you will probably want windows.
by the way is this colladge or is this high school and if it is colladge what are you studding?
if it is graphics the mac has the edge for the cost but vista is at the same point now if equiptment is current - especially with directx 10.
Mac or PC...What to do?
by Ib - 8/9/08 1:33 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Well, one thing I can tell you is that if you're a college student, you can go to the Apple website and at the very bottom of the web page is a link under the MARKETS tab called EDUCATION. Going a bit further, in the bottom left corner there is another link that says "Buy a Mac for college and get a free iPod." They also lowered the prices of the Apple computers by $200 for students, teachers, staff, etc...it's something to consider and if you purchase your computer before 01SEP2008 you can get an iPod (which is basically this...Purchase an 8GB iPod touch or an 8GB iPod nano with your Mac and qualify for a rebate of up to $299). It's something to consider if you're thinking of an Apple product...I have 5 kids and 4 in college...1 in medical school and I have NEVER bought an Apple computer for either of them because the cost was too much. Every kid in our house has received the following at graduation: (1) Luggage...hint-hint!; (2) Laptop computer; (3) printer; (4) scanner; (5) laptop cooler; (6) Laptop locking cable; (7) USB hub and surge protector; (8) wireless laser mouse; (9) Mini-video camera for video conferencing; (10) 160G external USB hard drive; (11) desk and chair; (12) TV and separate DVD player; (13) mini-fridge and microwave; (14) iPod the Christmas before they graduate that way they are ready for school; (15) Cell phone...that should be the essential basics to get them through their first year. Before they get their laptops in hand, there are a few BASIC programs I download on their computer that I know they will need during their course of studies: (1) Adobe Acrobat Reader; (2) Quicktime and iTunes; (3) Norton 360; (4) Mozilla Firefox; (5) AIM; (6) RealPlayer...I also have to go into WINDOWS UPDATE and change the download from the default 3:00am updates to DOWNLOAD NOW AND I WILL CLICK TO INSTALL. This way the updates will download and they have to click the yellow shield to install. We discovered this error when my first child came home for Xmas and I noticed no updates on her computer! I also check with them regularly about school supplies and send them ink cartridges and cases of copy paper from STAPLES...their basic consumables. We usually talk or text once a week and video conference once per month to see how they have grown (my wife uses this time to see if their room at school is clean or not so she can prepare the laundry room when they plan to come home...haha). These have been some of our experiences with kids and computers. Hope they help.
I chose the Macbook!!!
by popeyedot - 8/9/08 1:39 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I actually had the same problem!!! I bought a Macbook (black/250GB hard drive/iWork 08 preinstalled)
i love my Macbook!! It took about five minutes for me to get the hang of it. I ordered mine online at Apple's Education Store which offers great prices. I also got a free iPod Touch.
I ordered iWork for school work, but I'll be honest, I've been way too excited to really use it. But I'll let you know some quick things about pages:
-Its cheaper the Microsoft Office
-It offers tons of templates for a variety of documents
-Offers an easy blank page for quick use
-Way cooler than Microsoft Word
-Compatible with Word
I say go with the Mac. I doubt I will ever regret this decision. Pus I don't know how i ever lived with the iLife 08 Suite, well I haven't used Garage Band.
ONE DISADVANTAGE: Getting the Bluetooth to work with my phone. (Blackjack)
a couple more questions
by sharee100 - 8/9/08 2:02 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
What's your major? How experienced on computers are you? I am a senior citizen who just tried one of the new MACs in a college class (photography) and after 3 weeks of trying to figure out things, I brought in my windows based laptop and worked from that.
Why link to PHISHING site from Dana of Wayland Computers?
by philipsp - 8/9/08 4:01 PM In reply to: MacBook or PC laptop for college? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Please note a reply to an earlier query (making PCs faster) from Dana of Wayland Computer goes to a PHISHING site - a cnet look-alike.
Cheers
Philip S
Melbourne, Australia
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