Should I buy a Mac or a PC?

[Bryan Herbst]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I've used a Mac for 5 years now. Personally, they're not perfect machines, but I've been much less frustrated with machine problems overall as compared to Windows XP. The idea that it's a miracle machine that "just works" is dumb, but I've personally not had more than a handful of frustrating bugs and problems with it.

I'd say get a Mac if you can afford it and dual boot. Best of both and all that.

I was going to stay out of this, but....

If you're going to dual boot, I would go with a windows machine. If you buy a mac, then add on a windows OS, you stuck with one of mac users' biggest downfalls- a total inability to upgrade your hardware. Additionally, you can find the same mac specs on a PC for buttloads cheaper. The only advantage to buying mac in this case would be that you get the sleeker design.

Finally, I thought I would add a plug for windows 7. It's awesome. The main point of this, though, was to inform you that starting around June 26th, those who buy a PC with Vista will be eligible for a significantly discounted Win7 upgrade. Current estimates are around $10 to upgrade. It is also good to note that Win7 currently looks to be far cheaper than vista all around, with prices around $75-$100 depending which of the three versions you are buying.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by Tanis

If you're going to dual boot, I would go with a windows machine. If you buy a mac, then add on a windows OS, you stuck with one of mac users' biggest downfalls- a total inability to upgrade your hardware.

I suppose the expansion slots on the Mac Pro don't count. I suppose the fact that we're discussing laptops is also moot--Mac or PC, hardly anybody does upgrades to a laptop beyond perhaps RAM or a hard drive. Also note that Apple's EULA for Mac OS X only allows it to run on Apple-branded hardware.

Additionally, you can find the same mac specs on a PC for buttloads cheaper. The only advantage to buying mac in this case would be that you get the sleeker design.

Wanna bet? A Dell Latitude E6500 with education discounts actually costs MORE than a 15" MacBook Pro with similar equipment and discounts ($1633.08 vs. $1599). The price gap has closed for most scenarios short of "What's the cheapest computer a manufacturer makes?"

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Billfred

The price gap has closed for most scenarios short of "What's the cheapest computer a manufacturer makes?"

I guess if you want a $300 mac netbook, you get an iphone? too bad it involves paying ATT every month....

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by squirrel

I guess if you want a $300 mac netbook, you get an iphone? too bad it involves paying ATT every month....

Or a Dell Mini 9

[Herodotus]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

Or a Dell Mini 9

I can personally vouch for the Mini 9, though I also like the Eee PC 901 and 1000. If you just need a way to go online and do some typing these are awesome machines.

[MrForbes]

We have an Acer Aspire One, the older version with a 120g hard drive. The newer one with the 160g drive is only $300 at walmart, and looks like they fixed the unusable (for me) touchpad problem.

Best thing is it comes with XP

[Molten]

Something New
How about instead of throwing out individual setups and arguing points that can be found anywhere on the net, why not give some college experience?

For instance, a fourth of my campus is run on mac. At any given time 90% of these are unused. I won't judge why, I'm just making the point that the computers the school has, does not say what computers the school uses.

A second note, some schools give out software for free. If you'd like to see the software available for free(at my school) please go to http://iuware.iu.edu/

Your school may do something similar, and the software they provide might have an impact on your decision.

Lastly, you do not need a computer for the first day of college. I didn't have one my first year, and did not need one. Freshmen courses are generally low tech and pretty laid back so you have time to use a computer lab for the few instances it is needed. If you haven't decided for sure, wait. This advice may be bad, if you go to a school such as Rose Hulman where all the students are expected to have a laptop. I am just stating from mine.

If there are any other college students out there, please continue my line of thought with your experiences(both agree and disagree with mine). As a previous searcher of advice(can't find my old laptop thread), this type of advice just seems more easy to process.(not to mention a bit less biased)

[Joe Matt]

Originally Posted by Molten

A second note, some schools give out software for free. If you'd like to see the software available for free(at my school) please go to http://iuware.iu.edu/

Lastly, you do not need a computer for the first day of college. I didn't have one my first year, and did not need one. Freshmen courses are generally low tech and pretty laid back so you have time to use a computer lab for the few instances it is needed. If you haven't decided for sure, wait. This advice may be bad, if you go to a school such as Rose Hulman where all the students are expected to have a laptop. I am just stating from mine.

If there are any other college students out there, please continue my line of thought with your experiences(both agree and disagree with mine). As a previous searcher of advice(can't find my old laptop thread), this type of advice just seems more easy to process.(not to mention a bit less biased)

OK! I'm in colllege too! My comments still stand, but to add on what you said....

My college has a free software site with XP, Vista, Vista 64bit, and OSX software, for free, for download. Including OS's, Word, AutoCad, etc. http://software.udayton.edu (pw protected, just want to link it)

I can upgrade my MacBook Pro easier than any PC laptop. RAM, HD, battery (yes I have the new one) can be replaced. The idea Macs are hard to service are from the late 90's early 2000's. The origional 96 iMac you had to remove the logic board to replace both sticks of RAM.

You need a laptop freshman year, and I started freshman year 4 years ago this fall. I wrote, and turned in papers, online, did research, and did model building and created and presented presentations. Yes, you can do this in a lab, but neary ALL of our labs have been removed and replaced with laptop stations (monitors w/ keyboards and mice with an ethernet hook up) or turned into more classrooms.

Finally, Macs are just as good of a value, if not more so than a PC. Notice how I didn't say cheap? They don't participate in the thick, plastic-y, low end laptops. And when you upgrade the higher end Dell, HP, or Lenovo machines to match the Mac's specs and battery life you match or exceed the price of the Mac.

Plus, if you buy a new Mac with eduational discount (between $50-$200 depending on the machine) you get a free iPod touch with the purchase. Which adds another $229 to the value of the machine. So when I got my 13" MBP I got $329 in rebates.

Oh, and to shut up anyone who will bring up the SATA 1.5Gb transfer...

http://support.apple.com/downloads/M...re_Update_1_7_

BOOM. Roasted.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Tanis

I was going to stay out of this, but....

If you're going to dual boot, I would go with a windows machine. If you buy a mac, then add on a windows OS, you stuck with one of mac users' biggest downfalls- a total inability to upgrade your hardware. Additionally, you can find the same mac specs on a PC for buttloads cheaper. The only advantage to buying mac in this case would be that you get the sleeker design.

Apple doesn't license Mac OS X to other platforms. It's against their EULA to install it on a non-Apple machine, and is thus illegal and very tricky at that. It's not fair, really, but too bad.

[Kyle]

I have a 15 inch MacBook Pro, up until this past year I was a diehard Windows user till I got this Mac and I will never, ever , ever , ever go back to a Windows system. Mac is easier to use, runs smoother I have had ZERO problems with this at all, not a single one I run Windows programs on here all the time but I keep finding the Mac version of Windows is better anyway. If you can afford it try Mac and see how you like it I promise that you won't be disappointed

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Apple doesn't license Mac OS X to other platforms. It's against their EULA to install it on a non-Apple machine, and is thus illegal and very tricky at that.

I'm going derail the thread briefly to point out that an EULA is a contract, not a statute in its own right—so in general, violating it is contrary to civil law, not criminal. (You can do criminal things that happen to violate the EULA, but fundamentally, it's an issue of contract law.) That means they have to sue you for breach of contract to enforce it. In doing that, they risk their EULA being scrutinized by a judge or jury, and perhaps being ruled invalid. Given the defects inherent to many EULAs, this is a big risk for the company.

Possible defects include:

1. You've paid for the software before you have the chance to review the proposed contract, however it is not possible to return the opened software if you decline the terms of the licence. (Better EULAs suggest contacting the manufacturer directly for a refund in this case.)
2. Because the purchaser wasn't presented with the contract prior to sale, it isn't clear that the contract terms were ever seen by the purchaser—only by the person installing the software (so intent to form a contract is in doubt). And if the purchaser asks someone like their minor child to install it, and the child ignores the licence, has a contract been made? (Children don't usually have the legal right to sign contracts on behalf of others.)

So, while violating an EULA may be immoral under many circumstances, it's not necessarily illegal, and the consequences are a roll of the dice rather than a certainty.

[youngWilliam14]

I just got a 15" MacBook Pro for college. There is a link the Apple store to get a product for education, and it'll knock off a couple hundred dollars from the cost. i'm putting open office on mine (which i like much better than the current version of microsoft office *shivers*)

i've had an hp laptop for about 3 years now, running XP. right now it's just sitting on my desk, unused, and even though the hardware was up to date when i got it, even XP was often a pain

i've used mac's as often as i can, and i've always found them more user friendly than windows

all macbook pro's include bootcamp, which makes it extremely easy to set up a dualboot. you need a license for the second os, but since hp gave me a copy of vista for free...

and i only ever use the vista boot to play crysis

[Akash Rastogi]

In both cases, Macs and PC's, whatever happened to the saying that "its a user problem?"

I used to have an old iBook and I had 0 problems with it. None at all. My applications were for simple schoolwork.

Current Dell Inspiron= 0 problems. Of course I wiped the drive before using it as to get rid of any and all useless crap.

You've yet to state what applications you would be running.

Having owned both, I would recommend a Mac because of robustness during travel. I treat my laptops well yet the Mac held up A LOT better than the Dell. Then again, its one of those "plasticy" Dells.

eidt: Like people said, def borrow a friend's Mac for the night and see how you like it/react to the interface. I for one got addicted to my friend's new MacBook. Iz naace.

Let us know what your intended major is and at what school. You can find computer requirements on your school's site.

[Molten]

Originally Posted by Joe Matt

BOOM. Roasted.

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Iz naace.

Why does this discussion always bring out a less then professional atmosphere?

[MrForbes]

Originally Posted by Molten

Why does this discussion always bring out a less then professional atmosphere?

Because it's a religious discussion at it's core