Should i get one?

gaiduku · March 23, 2006 9:47AM

Im looking to get a laptop that will last me through univerity and hopefully a few years after and im thinking about getting a mac. I've never used a mac before but i've simply had it with pcs and there constant crashing and viruses. The thing is i've read a few things about mac and some people say they are more professional machines wheras others say they are achines anyone could use. All i really want is something that will run reasonably fast, hold my work and surf the internet. Im not too fussed about playing computer games on it (more of a console gamer really) and the only game i'd see myself buying is wow which i know runs on macs. Is a mac the laptop for me or should i just get a budget pc laptop? If mac is the way to go then which one do people recomend? Is it worth me forking out for a macbook pro or should i just stick with a powerbook?

Advice would be greatly appreciated.

bergermeister · March 23, 2006 9:58AM

Apple may soon release a lower-priced notebook, so you may want to wait and check it out.

The Mac will come with everything you need except a word-processor. Pick up Apple's iWork which includes Pages (a wordprocessor) and Keynote (presentation software); it's just 55 pounds.

You won't need to shop around, it all works fine, and all thhe apps are made by the same company so they are easy to jump between.

Depending on your notetaking needs, you may want to try ConceptDraw MindMap. It is a little expensive, but mindmapping is a great way to create notes that are very effective for review, which in my book (as a teacher) is priceless.

http://www.conceptdraw.com/en/products/mindmap/main.php

Another program would be Notetaker.

http://www.aquaminds.com/product.jsp

dutch pear · March 23, 2006 10:12AM

As a longtime windows user who made the switch to a Mac recently (a month ago, 20 inch intel iMac) I can do nothing else but strongly advice you to ahead and buy a Mac. In your situation I would wait a couple of weeks, because new intel iBooks are (believed) to be released very soon.

And yes, apple is more expensive than some low-cost pc manufacturers. But apple really produces better quality computers. rugged casing, great finish. Then also great software, no viruses or other nasty common windows problem.

You will love it!!

gaiduku · March 23, 2006 10:15AM

Thanks for the advice. What about the different software between apples and pcs. Is it practiacl me using Pages to write up my work or would it be better to buy Microsoft office?

bergermeister · March 23, 2006 11:29AM

What exactly are your needs regarding a word processor? Pages will more than likely cover them.

http://www.apple.com/iwork/pages/

Of course, you can make your own templates easily.

g_warren · March 23, 2006 12:19PM

In my experience at university, it is handy to have word, and office student isn't too expensive. I say this, as if your uni network is PCs, chances are they will have word, so you can work on documents at home and at uni. I also recently had to hand in my dissertation as a word file so they could verify the word count. I'd go with office if I were you for compatability purposes.

kickaha · March 23, 2006 12:51PM

OTOH, if all you're really needing is Word interaction, then there are already solutions for you built in to MacOS X. Heck, even TextEdit, (think WinPad on steroids) has the capability of importing/exporting .doc files. It doesn't do all the possible formatting possibilities, but the content comes through just fine. Even tables. It works really very well for most things that people use Word for. I use it as my primary 'Word translator'. Pages also has the same capability... and in fact, any application that uses the Cocoa text widgets, of which there are many. (Cocoa is a set of libraries and technologies to write apps - think Win32 or .NET on Windows.)

relic · March 23, 2006 1:46PM

I recommend a laptop with at least a 5 ? 6 hour battery life and 2.5 ? 3.5 lbs. in weight.

My recommendations are,

Lenovo X41 Tablet

Lenovo X60

Panasonic R4

You will notice I didn?t chose a Macbook here, well to be honest I think their way to heavy to lug around campus and their battery life has something to be desired. This is just my opinion of course but I?m currently getting my PHD and I find my IBM/Lenovo with 7 hours of battery life and under 3 pounds to be priceless around campus. Now I love OSX but I have enough crap to lug then add a 15 inch 6 lbs. notebook to the equation. The 15 is your only choice because I believe the 12 inch Powerbook is being phased out and the iBook is just crap (no offence to those who own and love them).

gaiduku · March 29, 2006 4:43PM

I've been looking at a few university web pages and they all seem quite negative about macs. Most unis have either limited support or no support at all for mac users. The ones that do help recommend buying a windows laptop. Grrr this is so annoying. I really have at had it with pcs and there constant crashing and have been planning to switch over to mac for a while now but i dont want to spend a £1000 for a laptop which i cant use at my uni. Any comments?

smclintock · March 29, 2006 5:25PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gaiduku

I've been looking at a few university web pages and they all seem quite negative about macs. Most unis have either limited support or no support at all for mac users. The ones that do help recommend buying a windows laptop. Grrr this is so annoying. I really have at had it with pcs and there constant crashing and have been planning to switch over to mac for a while now but i dont want to spend a £1000 for a laptop which i cant use at my uni. Any comments?

Hey

I've been a mac user for about a month now, buying a 12" iBook to use at home and at university. Firstly, if you don't mind the small screen, get a 12" model because the portability is fantastic! So much lighter, smaller and so easy to carry about once placed into a protective sleeve.

Secondly, my university is a Windows only computing environment with absolutely no support for mac's in the slightest, and I'm a software development student so I use computers practically every second of the time I'm there. I have to say you there isnt any compatibility problems I've occured so far. The universities wireless network connects instantly as soon as I've logged in, and with Microsoft Office 2004 working between Windows and on a Mac is simultaneous, you don't even realise your it half the time, except when your friends (Windows) computer grinds to a halt and your still happily surfing or typing away

.

I had doubt's at first about the compatibility between the operating systems, but there isn't anything to worry about at all.

If you've got any other questions let me know

danielctull · March 30, 2006 1:53AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gaiduku

I've been looking at a few university web pages and they all seem quite negative about macs. Most unis have either limited support or no support at all for mac users. The ones that do help recommend buying a windows laptop. Grrr this is so annoying. I really have at had it with pcs and there constant crashing and have been planning to switch over to mac for a while now but i dont want to spend a £1000 for a laptop which i cant use at my uni. Any comments?

I'm fresh at uni this year, and I was using a Mac exclusively for the first term (the second I had my PC for gaming). It's actually been easier than the majority of the Windows machines surrounding me.

Also, what subject are you taking? The computer science department at Exeter uni is heavy on using Linux, so we get taught a lot of unix stuff. I can also use the specific *nix command line applications. My theory is that the computer services at the uni want to take the easy route by recommending Windows, but they themselves all use Linux.

As smclintock said, Office 2004 works fine with the office files, although the uni may/should have a policy of sending out files in PDF format. I have a 12" PowerBook and use it to take notes in lectures, and works wonders. After about 4 weeks, I noticed I was the only one carrying their notes everywhere, as all the paper-based notes weighed more than my laptop.

By the way, I easily get above 5 hours with the 12" PB, with the processor turned to reduced in the power settings.

project2501 · March 30, 2006 4:08AM

They may be recommending windows because, they have experts to fix things if something goes wrong, same with linux, but with Macs they don't have experts... ...maybe because you never need one.

kickaha · March 30, 2006 9:07AM

While UNC Chapel Hill 'supported' Macs (in the sense of "Well if you *have* to use it, we won't kick you off campus...") they pushed ThinkPads down every throat as hard as they could.

Net result? No problems for me. I was also in the CS dept, and the faculty was gradually taken over by PowerBooks a couple years ago. Networking (cable and WiFi), mail, online library services, you name it, it Just Worked. Usually better than the officially supported systems. We had a campus license for MS Office for $10 for Mac users, so I slapped a copy of that on there, and voila - no issues. (I had *one* app I had to run under Windows for a couple of weeks, but a departmental license of VirtualPC got me over that hump.)

Bottom line is - unless they are requiring some wacko app for every student, you're almost certainly good to go.

bergermeister · March 30, 2006 9:26AM

The University of Tokyo (Japan's #1 uni) threw out 1250 Windows machines last spring and replaced them with Macs. Their publicized reasons: the Macs worked better and most problems could be solved by the students themselves without troubling the system administrator.

A student discount will get you a great deal on Office for Mac which will take care of all of that. I personally find Word heavy and hate the auto correct and format functions, thus my suggestion of Pages.

If you worry about battery life, get an extra power brick or an extra battery (you can change the battery when the computer is asleep so if need be, in class). Whenever I head to the library, I always have a spare battery just in case I want to take a 20 minute break and do a bit of editing on my latest iMovie.

Many restaurants and such here in Japan now include a counter for laptop users that have power outlets, so I can run in, have lunch, charge up and surf the Net all at the same time. Have also found that older establishments don't mind if I plug in; just check with the staff first.

Always, Mac or PC, have an external back-up system. Your notes determine your grades, so you don't want to lose them to HD failure, theft, etc.

Should i get one?

Comments