Community Newsletter: Q&A forum: MacBook or PC laptop for college?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hi,

I think that different schools have different standards (and clear recommendations). So before you decide how the mac .v. pc debate is going to be settled for you, maybe you should first get a firm admission to a college and then decide.

End

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Wendee- my son & I just went through this same process- he will be starting college this fall. You really can't go wrong- there are great PC's and the macs are great too. The decision is personal- here are a few factors that my influence you. 1) you will get more for your money with a pc. Dell, especially, has great discounts for college students. Apple has a much smaller discount. Also, Apple warantees are worse and charges for support contracts (Apple Care) are way higher. 2) for graphics intensive applications and for sheer fun, the macbooks are everyone's favorite. 3)If you use only basic applications, either machine will do. But there are still many more applications for pc than for Mac. Some small proprietary software that I use for my business is not available for mac and never will be.
Of course, macs can now run windows OS too, but this is an added expense (for the Windows OS) and complication that most people dont seem to bother with. 4) What ever OS you choose, take some time to consider how large and how heavy you can tolerate. If you plan to take your computer with you to classes, this will be an important consideration. Last-) I'd recommend speaking with the IT people at your school- they will tell you whether there is any advantage to having one machine or the other on your particular campus. Also, if you haven't already, see if your school is offering discounts on computers through its bookstore (many do.) Many schools have preselected a few machines and bundled add-ons such as printers and software. This usually is done at significant disocunt and also affords you the advantage of their expertise. My son ended up with a very nice Dell, including 4 year warrantee and 4year accidental damage protection for $1469. Good luck at school- Clara

Hello Wendee,
First off I want to say hi and point something out. I am a 17 year old guy in high school, that and I'm typing all of this up on a macbook. I may be a geek but except for one of my friends I hang out with all non geeks. I got my mac about 3 months ago and so far even though I may be more familiar with computers i have found mac to be the easiest switch I have ever made. For me I have found that even though macs at first glance cost more in the end they will cost a lot less. let me explain.

The mac that I would suggest and the mac that I own costs $1,299
A Dell XPS M1330 (almost the exact windows "equal") costs $1,399

WAIT!? What is this the mac costs less?... and we're not even done.
Macs have protection (like anti-virus and stuff like that) built into the core of the system.
Windows... well we can't exactly call what vista does protection. Its real name is a pain... but we wont get into that now. At any rate this is for college. You need to be protected, take an off the shelf anti-virus (to keep it simple we're average it out to $50 a year) then wait you want to make music for that music class of yours? lets be nice and go on the cheap end and just say $75 for that software. You take a video class and you need to edit HD video... again cheap software $75... OH NO! Your files got erased because your room mate borrowed your laptop with out telling you. $100 for data recovery at a local computer store. let me explain why the mac still only costs $1,299. GarageBand. Just one of the many awesome programs in iLife '08 that comes preloaded in ALL macs. This software literally means that after my 3 year old niece washes her hands she can put Mozart to shame. Then comes iMovie. This HD video software is so simple yet so advance that you can use it for a simple (HD 1080p) home movie or your final movie for that video class of yours. There is also iDVD for making professional looking DVD menus and discs. This software is so simple you can have your movie edited and burned in less than half an hour. Lastly but may be the most important of all of them is Time Machine. This graphics filled back up software is easy to use and after you set it up it does it all by its self. Travel through the past of your computer to find the file you need.

So lets add it all up.
The mac costs $1,299... Still
The Dell for the first year will cost $1,599 (and add $50 for every year afterwards

Well there we go with the costs alone. The mac won there. Now that it might be a yes lets look at this mac.
First thing, you start it up (very fast, 2 to 3 times faster start up time when I've checked) type in your password if you have one (i would suggest it). Now you want to surf the web. Click on the compass. Ok now two things really happened. Safari started to run in the background and a window opened for you to start surfing. When your done you close out of the window but Safari is still running. Some call this bad but in reality its a very good thing. Now when you click on the icon its instant for the window to pop up, and since the computer is already so fast it can handle a few things running. You do have to be careful though that you don't leave to many things running because it may start to slow it down a little until you close out of them. To do that you can right click (on the track pad you can turn on two finger right click) or its control + click to right click on the icon on the dock and close out of the program. Other than that nothing is really that different but you can alway ask a mac-geek at the apple store to help you out. I would like to point out that when ever one of my friends use my laptop even all windows users they never have any problems with it or ever have to ask for any help using it. Just something to keep in mind. Macs are very people friendly. And they are very powerful machines. The Macbook Pro for the longest time was the fastest VISTA running laptop. then they made a pc laptop for like twice as much that was just a little bit faster. Oh ya. macs can run windows too. I currently run XP Pro SP2 on here as well (for games) so that means that you can still use all your old software if for some reason they don't have that exact same tax software you love so much.
I hope that what ever you choose you are happy with your laptop. And rule one, respect any laptop, no eating at it and buy it a good case for it.
Enjoy. I hope I helped a little. If you need anymore help or if anyone has a tech question windows or mac feel free to email me at my work email.
martinstechsolutions@gmail.com
-martin

FACTS:
- Ready to start college in a couple of months.
- MacBook versus PC laptop it's an age-old question.
- It is not a fight over Mac versus PC and how one is better than another.
-Both laptops will do pretty much the same, music download, word processing, spreadsheets, digital photos, Internet and e-mailing.
- Own a PC desktop at home.
- They do offer great incentive on campus to buy an Apple MacBook.
-Have a limit of $1,500 and no more than that.

QUESTIONS:
- What will be best for me while I'm in school?
- Is there a huge learning curve switching from a PC to Mac?
- Pros and cons for each (PC laptop – MacBook)?
- What makes them different?
- Does Mac work out better for college--because maybe more students use them?

MY ANSWERS – SUGGESTIONS:
Best will be what will serve you better. Judging from my two sons that are now studding at the university, only the elder needed a new powerful PC for running his operational research and analysis algorithms and SW. Just find out what will be your work and needs for your college period.
Based on your needs at college check if your desktop PC can do the job and also, if a usb stick is enough to transfer files from other students' laptops. If your college has a computer room for students you can do your “home-work” there.
If that is the case, buy a usb stick and save your money for other needs.

No, there is no huge learning curve switching from a PC to Mac. Learning is always fast and easy for youngsters.

Pros and cons (pro et contra) for each (PC laptop – MacBook) and what makes them different, is out of the scope of your query.

Coming to your last question, it is impossible to provide you with an answer-suggestion on whatever is best. It is a matter of an in-depth analysis in its whole entity of the college community's profile you are going to study with.
As for the money issue, my suggestion is to stick to the cheapest solution that works for you and avoid any prothesis to “show-off”. After all, a new Laptop will be obsolete by the time you finish with your college.

My apologies for been generic but such queries have to be examined as per case so as specific answers – suggestions to be made.

Wendee,

I have been a pc consultant for over 15 years. I have seen PC's go from simple DOS, single program at a time machines to the now horrible over rated multi user, multi program multi problem anchors. If you were to find a older XP machine I would recommend it based on usability and price but this new vista machines are so problematic I would suggest if you can afford it buy a MAC. I actually suggest it to all my clients who know nothing about computers because they are simply more reliable. This is kind of shooting myself in the foot but Microsoft really dropped the ball on this version.

If you buy an inexpensive program called Parallels ( http://www.parallels.com/en ) , you can run the full Windows Operating system, simultaneously with the Mac!. You can even run Windows programs without even being on Windows desktop!

You get two for one. You can keep any Windows apps you have already (protect your investment) and run them whenever you need them. If your college supports Macs (most do) then you will be supported on both sides as well.

OK Wendee, as a parent of 2 (yes, 2), college students, I've seen your (and my) plight of the choice of Laptop.
Here we go;
My son is a 4th year Engineering student in SoCal. His computing needs are quite heavy... BUT NOT AT HIS APARTMENT! Believe it or not, the resident programs he uses outside of school are not very exotic and run on both Mac and PC (Office applications, iTunes, various 3D modeling, of course Skype (to his mom), Twitter, various photo modeling, etc). BUT the fact that he uses UNIX and Linux at various times (as well as XP Professional and yes, OSX for some presentation software called AVID HD) has us using a MacBook so he can multi-boot to Unix, Windows XP Pro or OSX (or even run these in emulation all at the same time). He runs Linux from CD. So you see, for our son, it's the choice of the OS that he needs to run that had us choose the Mac and not necessarily the Application (in one way or another, All or Most of the popular Apps will run on Windows XP...not to fret if you choose a Windows machine). THE REAL GNARLY ENGINEERING COMPUTING PROGRAMS THAT COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND REQUIRE THE EXOTIC AND EXPENSIVE LICENSES ARE RUN ON UNIVERSITY DESKTOPS AND MAINFRAMES (thank goodness). BTW, he or his friends can fix ANYTHING on their computers.
My daughter is a 2nd year Business student in SoCal. Obviously, she runs most of the Social Applications that college students use (Twitter, Skype (again, to Mom), etc), BUT the modern business office environment is heavily dependent on IBM, Java, and Microsoft Applications. I preface our choice here by saying, she and her friends can fix ANYTHING on their computers as well...I guess college students do that). We chose a Mac but could have easily chose a Win laptop. She runs Linux from a CD, she runs Unix under OSX (but she used to run it in emulation on Windows XP Pro) BUT SHE USES MICROSOFT OFFICE LIKE A SECOND LANGUAGE! So we chose a Mac because it's "SO COOL" (and you get a 16G iPod Touch and a cheap Printer to use as a backup if you buy it through the University). So like they always tell me, it depends...
Tell Dad not to freak out, ANYTHING will work at first. After 1 or 2 years, you WILL TELL DAD WHAT YOU NEED AND WANT (unless he's one of your Instructors at the University, or if he's Stephen Jobs speaking at one of my daughter's classes at USC).