Laptops

[T B0NE 10]

Well I'm thinking of buying a laptop.

 

I'd like to buy a decently nice one..... I will be using it for college next year.

 

But the big question is, should I get a PC or a MAC. I've always had a PC, and am pretty good with them. But it seems that PC's seem to get really slow within 2 years, and viruses are a problem. Ive never really used a MAC, but I hear they are pretty awesome.

 

What about models? I'm far from an expert on computer specs. I'm not much of a computer gamer. Should I get one of those where you can write on the screen. Does this work well for college taking notes? What about RAM, GB, etc?

 

Thanks

[endaround]

Do you know where you are going to go? If you do check into what they recommend. Also check what the campus computer store has, given that is about the only place to get any type of discount on Macs you may wish to wait a bit. One big thing to keep in mind is that Macs are a much more tempting target for theft.

[patrickgpe]

definitely depends on how much you are wiling to spend and what you are going to be studying. If you are going to be an engineer major, i would get a PC. If you are going to be an art student, get a mac. Also how much are you looking to spend. The cheapest MAC laptop is 1 grand and PC's are probably half of that. If you going to use it only for downloading music, surfing the web, and storing pics, the MAC is the better choice. If you think you are going to do alot of hw on it, maybe a PC.

 

when i was in college i had a MAC, because i liked them and it was a pain because i had to do all my lab work in the computer labs at school. Now i have a mac, but with the dual processor, its no longer an issue to me, as if i need to do something at home for work i can run vista on my MAC.

[T B0NE 10]

Well its looking like Marquette or UW-Madison right now.....Thinking about Political Sci, History, International Affairs, or something in the social studies field.

 

Basically I use a computer for surfing the web, downloading music (itunes), and every once in a while play a strategy game like CIV, otherwise I rarely play games on the computer.

[whizkid]

I 2nd the idea of visting their web sites for recommendations, minimum requirements, possible deals etc. Depending on their networks you may need Vista Business or Ultimate to connect to the network if you go PC.

 

Edit: You can start here for Madison, here for Marquette.

[homer]

"Well its looking like Marquette or UW-Madison right now.....Thinking about Political Sci, History, International Affairs, or something in the social studies field. "

 

Both good schools. I do think UW's poli sci program is top 10 (5?) in the country.

[jjfanec]

If you are going to use a computer for what you just mentioned I would go with a PC. I have had mine now for over two years and it is great and I use it for similar things. However, I would not by a low-end. I would get a decent one because I have heard the cheaper ones have problems with things like keys falling off the keyboard.

[BrewCrewForever]

I just recently switched from a PC laptop to a Mac. I love my Mac. The only thing that took me so long to get one was the price, but now that I can afford it and coupled with the fact my PC laptop which was a Toshiba had the CD/DVD drive take a dump, it was the perfect time.

[1992casey]

Apple doesn't yet offer a computer that allows you to write on screen.

 

People around here know I'm going to recommend a Mac, and I've gotta tell you that I absolutely love my new MacBook Pro. At $2,000, however, it's definitely pricey.

 

The 13" MacBooks are cheaper and may have all you need. There's definitely a size advantage if you're going to be carting it around. I'm not sure that you can connect an external monitor and see different things on each screen (like I can with the MacBook Pro); you might want to ask about that.

 

Also, there are actually two different types of MacBooks. The cheapest model is in the older polycarbonate case; the newer and more expensive ones are in aluminum cases and have the nifty new trackpad.

 

If you're concerned about screen size, keep in mind that OS X offers the Spaces option. You can spread your work across up to 16 different "screens." You switch by using the Spaces application or by holding down Control while hitting arrow keys.

 

To run OS X, 2 GB of RAM should be plenty; I'd recommend more if you were considering Windows. Hard drive space depends on what you want to do. I've noticed that the biggie is if you work with movies. I haven't done that myself, but one of my friends eats up hard drive space that way.

 

As a side note, the new version of OS X coming out later this year [OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard)] is supposed to be faster and take less RAM and hard drive space than the current OS X 10.5 (Leopard).

 

To compare models, I suggest downloading Mactracker. Along with information on other Apple toys, it has information on every Mac ever made. (Yes, there's a Windows version. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif) The only information that the current version of Mactracker would lack is stuff on the newest low-end polycarbonate MacBook that came out within the past week.

 

And here's a bit of trivia for future reference... "Mac" and "MAC" have two different meanings: MAC/Mac. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[RyDogg66]

Are students using laptops for note taking in undergrad? I know we did it in law school but was unsure if it was accepted as the practice in undergrad classes. I suppose, perhaps a lecture class you might, but otherwise, probably not.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Ironically, I'm thinking about going out to buy a Macbook Pro tonight... I have intentions of using it for multimedia purposes, so it's a no-brainer to go with the MAC for me.

 

Luckily, Best Buy has some decent financing right now...

[alorrigan]

I'm an art student so I've used Macs at school for the last 3 plus years but finally got my own MacBook over break. I run both the Mac OS and Vista on it. I have Microsoft Office on Vista and Adobe CS4 on the Mac. I just switch back and forth depending on what I'm doing. I would suggest the Mac because it's probably going to crap out on you as soon and you get the versatility of running Windows if you want.

[ewizabeff]

I love my macbook. I have the basic 13" model with the new aluminum case. It's just so much more user friendly the mouse gestures make me do everything faster. I can't stand track pads on a PC, but the one on my macbook is super convenient.

 

You'll have to get used to some things that are a bit different, but for your uses it should be pretty straight forward. Yes, it will be more expensive, but I bet it would last longer. Also, the battery life on both of my macbooks has been phenomenal.

 

Show your student ID and you get a 10% at any Apple store on your macbook. Some college bookstores have apple stores in them, and they might throw in an ipod or something with a new macbook purchase.

 

If you go with a mac, I'd recommend Apple Care. The 1 year warranty you automatically get covers everything, but by extending it for 3 years you know you'll always have a working laptop. Repairs are pretty quick too.

 

And I, personally, see little to no use for tablet PCs that allow you to write on the screen. You would be able to type faster, most likely.

[DHonks]

I work with a MacBook at my school, and I have generally been unhappy with Macs. I always thought I'd enjoy Macs, but I've been disappointed. Programs freeze or crash more than in Vista and I generally don't use any of the Mac features that make them desired--the artsy programs like garageband. I'm more interested in Windows 7 right now, as I've never had an issue with Vista and am intrigued by 7's smaller footprint

[giffted1]

If you're anything like me, you'll be broke in college. If you were in to something like graphic design, a Mac would be worth the extra cost, but otherwise, save some money with a PC. Contrary to the snarky commercials, Vista isn't that bad.

[Glennron]

Are students using laptops for note taking in undergrad? I know we did it in law school but was unsure if it was accepted as the practice in undergrad classes. I suppose, perhaps a lecture class you might, but otherwise, probably not.

I've had a few classes where a kid or two will have one in class, but I don't think they ever really take notes. I couldn't care less, but why not just skip class then if you're going on the internet.

[DHonks]

I've had a few classes where a kid or two will have one in class, but I don't think they ever really take notes. I couldn't care less, but why not just skip class then if you're going on the internet.

 

glennron, my college took attendance.

[1992casey]

I have Microsoft Office on Vista and Adobe CS4 on the Mac.

 

If you need Office, I'd recommend the Mac version unless you really need Access. Access is a Windows-only application. The obvious advantage would be that using the Mac version would keep you from needing to switch to Windows.

 

The less obvious reason for using the Mac version is that for some odd reason, Microsoft has a history of producing better Mac software than Windows software. That's weird; the only logical explanation that I can think of is that their Mac and Windows products have separate development teams.

 

It's just so much more user friendly the mouse gestures make me do everything faster. I can't stand track pads on a PC, but the one on my macbook is super convenient.

 

For sure. The whole trackpad is a button. It should be noted, though, that pressing on the bottom half of the trackpad is easier. You can program one of the bottom corners of the trackpad to right-click. I find that totally unnecessary because tapping with two fingers already causes a right-click.

 

If you place your cursor over a window, moving two fingers on the trackpad will cause the window to scroll. You can scroll vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Also, if you hold down the control key and scroll with two fingers, the entire desktop, including the windows, will zoom. Scroll up to increase the size; scroll down do decrease size back to normal.

 

There's also a two-finger "pinch." Within certain applications, you can pinch out to zoom the contents of the window and pinch in to bring it back to normal size.

 

A three-finger swipe will navigate you through iPhoto. A vertical four-finger swipe will activate Exposé. Swipe up to clear your desktop; swipe down to display all windows. A four-finger horizontal swipe brings up a handy application switcher.

 

There are some one-finger options that aren't turned on by default. I think these generally correspond to what's available on Windows computers: tap to click, tap and drag, and drag lock. I haven't played with those, but I think I'll try them. Dragging is a bit of a pain under the default settings. You need to hold down the button and drag. There are times that you need two fingers.

 

What's really cool is that if you want to see how the trackpad options operate, all you have to do is visit the Trackpad control panel in System Preferences. Hover over the preference listed in the control panel, and it'll show a movie demonstrating what the preference does.

 

If you go with a mac, I'd recommend Apple Care.

 

You have one year from the date of purchase to activate Apple Care. Your repairs are covered for the first year, but tech support only lasts for the first three months. If you don't need tech support between months three and twelve, you can delay for the full year. If you need tech support during that time, buy Apple Care at that point.

 

Contrary to the snarky commercials, Vista isn't that bad.

 

We've certainly had a lot of bad Vista reports here at Brewerfan. However, I think a lot of Vista's bad rap came because Microsoft was selling it to customers whose computers weren't equipped to handle it. Also, I don't think computer manufacturers initially understood that new machines needed 3 GB of RAM for it to run properly. While these issues seem to have been addressed with time, in the beginning, they certainly opened up an unanticipated marketing opportunity for Apple.

[sheetswannabe]

I have a MAC and PC. And lets just say I call the PC a PieCe.

 

MAC is awesome because the customer service is great. If you have a problem with it and need it fixed, drive to a MAC store (One is in Mayfair) and they will fix it on the spot. No need to ship in a computer and wait.

 

My sister has a PC and it took a month to get fixed. My MAC had a problem and it took 20 minutes, and it was free (no shipping just driving haha)

[bjkrautk]

As someone who bought a new laptop in November, Vista isn't that big of a deal - if your computer is being built around it. Most of the actual Vista complaints I've heard were centered around legacy software (old programs) and hardware (no Vista drivers) -- neither one really sounds like an issue for you, buying these things new. Be sure you download a good, free anti-virus (I like Avast) and anti-spyware (spybot S&D), and keep the system updated, and you should be fine.

 

 

My normal perspective on laptops (or any computer, honestly): don't put too much money in. If you buy a $500 laptop today, and it does everything you need for 2 years....and you have to buy another laptop 2 years later for $500, that second laptop is going to be vastly superior to a laptop that you'd spend $1,000 for today. Let Moore's law work for you, not against you. For that reason alone, I'd stay away from a Mac.

 

If you are going to break that general guideline, I'd recommend doing so for graphics hardware in your laptop or the display (since it's virtually impossible to upgrade these features on most laptops). Memory is one of the places where you can save cash: it's normally cheaper to buy RAM online through a good vendor (I like crucial.com) and install yourself than it is to add memory from the manufacturer.

[DuWayne Steurer]

Having just got a new computer, I'll verify that Vista isn't THAT bad. Mac would be nice, but price is always an issue.

 

The only problem I've had with Vista so far is a few driver issues for peripherals, but that's easily solved.

[sgtcluels]

You can always try to turn your PC into a Hackintosh. I've got my PC running OSX (minus a stubborn nic). Macs are awesome, and remember, you can always boot camp it, and dual boot to XP.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/bootcamp.html

[Katuluu]

Are you a jerk? Because if you are not a jerk you can't own a Mac. It's a system requirement.

 

BOOM!

 

Bring it casey!

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

I did it. I am now the (scared) owner of a MacBook Pro. Best Buy had the 18 months of zero percent financing, I needed it for work and for my own endeavors...

 

I am a jerk.

 

Seriously, I'm excited about it - I haven't had a MAC since college - so we'll see how it goes...

[DuWayne Steurer]

Yeah, I can't help but find it ironic that there's a Mac tv commercial sniping at Microsoft for money they spend on advertising.

 

As an aside, those "Mojave" commercials are plain stupid.