best pc laptops for college students 2011 image
epetitv
I want to start saving up for a macbook pro (or whatever the newest version is called at the time) but with big investments like this, I always worry that the product will not be worth it. So are you glad that you purchased the macbook pro? Pros and cons?
Thanks!
Answer
Hello lovely. I'll preface my answer with a disclaimer about my bias for Apple products. Some people have strong preferences for PCs, and some have strong preferences for Macs. I fall in the latter category. I've only owned one PC in my life, and it was an exceptionally dissatisfying experience, but many others have very positive reviews. The HP I had got a hostage ware virus from a fake Facebook video two weeks after it was purchased, overheated to the extent that it would burn my fingertips and shut down, had to be shipped off and mailed back for repairs three times with a turnaround time of about 11 days, had very poor customer support, and the hinges and shell of the laptop broke after one year. Quite literally everything about owning that product was the opposite of what I've had with all my Macs. Of course, people have had PCs that performed flawlessly for years and Macs that were lemons. I'll include some reviews of the Macbook Pro below to give you a more balanced perspective.
I have a 15 inch 2012 MacBook Pro with retina display that performs beautifully and feels like working with a smart piece of art, and a 2010 13 inch MacBook Pro that is still in excellent condition. The only upgrade I've needed to make was replacing the battery last December, which I did myself with an inexpensive generic battery from Amazon. I do love the sublime resolution of the retina display and the magnificently fast performance, but I don't feel like all that is offered on that model is worth the additional cost for a college student. You'd be perfectly fine with the 13 inch MacBook Pro for about a grand less.
Reasons I love my Macs:
~ Anytime I've encountered any issues, from user error to some sort of technical problem, I've been able to make an appointment at the Genius Bar and mosey on over. There's an Apple counter on my campus bookstore, and an Apple store in the mall on our campus, so obviously it's much easier for me to pop into one than it is for many people. If you do not live within reasonable proximity this will not be as much of an asset, though you'd still be able to get assistance online or over the phone.
~ Apple Care is excellent, unlike many other extended warranties. My 13-year-old sister accidentally knocked her MacBook Pro onto a concrete surface, and the Apple store is fixing all the repairs for free.
~ I love the applications it comes preloaded with, like Garageband. I also prefer Apple software like iWork 09 over Microsoft Office 2011.
~ I love the simplicity of the user interface. It feels more intuitive and straight-forward than Windows.
~ I love the reliability and longevity of all the Apple products I've owned. My very first laptop was a blueberry clam shell iBook that I got in elementary school, and both of my little sisters used it when they were small. It still operates more than a decade after it was purchased. I received the 15 inch laptop last fall as a gift. I could have used the 13 inch all throughout college. I still do bring the 13 inch with me to classes sometimes since it's smaller. My secondary school issued MacBook Pros as part of tuition in lieu of physical textbooks, and most of the laptops survived for years.
~ I love how my Apple products play well with one another. I go to one of the most Mac-centric campuses in the country, and we have our own IOS app that the majority of the campus uses. I love how all my devices sync with one another. I use Apple TV instead of paying a monthly cable bill at school, and all I have to do is go to Hulu, or BBC or whatever, launch what I want to watch and hit the Airplay button to send it to my TV. I can also Airplay from my iPad and iPhone to other devices.
~ I love that even though Macs can get viruses, they are far less prone to having them, and I've never gotten on after using Mac products since the age of seven.
I'd rate my MacBook Pro satisfaction level at 91 out of 100. I do occasionally have minor frustrations with it, and it is more expensive than a lot of PCs.
TIPS:
~ Before purchasing any Apple products, check this site: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
It will give you a reasonable estimate as to when the next model upgrade is due. It's currently advising against buying the MacBook Pro right now because upgrades are anticipated in the near future.
~ Apple has some fantastic back-to-school specials for students that usually begin around mid to late July and extend through mid September. I'd buy a product then. You usually get anywhere from $50 to $200 off computers, plus a freebie. In 2010 when we bought the 13 inch Macbook Pro we got $100 off, plus a free iPod Touch that retailed for $200. Last year my dad (who obviously isn't a student) was given the student discount when he mentioned to the employee that he was buying the laptop for me. He got $200 off, plus a $100 iTunes gift card.
~ skylark : )
Hello lovely. I'll preface my answer with a disclaimer about my bias for Apple products. Some people have strong preferences for PCs, and some have strong preferences for Macs. I fall in the latter category. I've only owned one PC in my life, and it was an exceptionally dissatisfying experience, but many others have very positive reviews. The HP I had got a hostage ware virus from a fake Facebook video two weeks after it was purchased, overheated to the extent that it would burn my fingertips and shut down, had to be shipped off and mailed back for repairs three times with a turnaround time of about 11 days, had very poor customer support, and the hinges and shell of the laptop broke after one year. Quite literally everything about owning that product was the opposite of what I've had with all my Macs. Of course, people have had PCs that performed flawlessly for years and Macs that were lemons. I'll include some reviews of the Macbook Pro below to give you a more balanced perspective.
I have a 15 inch 2012 MacBook Pro with retina display that performs beautifully and feels like working with a smart piece of art, and a 2010 13 inch MacBook Pro that is still in excellent condition. The only upgrade I've needed to make was replacing the battery last December, which I did myself with an inexpensive generic battery from Amazon. I do love the sublime resolution of the retina display and the magnificently fast performance, but I don't feel like all that is offered on that model is worth the additional cost for a college student. You'd be perfectly fine with the 13 inch MacBook Pro for about a grand less.
Reasons I love my Macs:
~ Anytime I've encountered any issues, from user error to some sort of technical problem, I've been able to make an appointment at the Genius Bar and mosey on over. There's an Apple counter on my campus bookstore, and an Apple store in the mall on our campus, so obviously it's much easier for me to pop into one than it is for many people. If you do not live within reasonable proximity this will not be as much of an asset, though you'd still be able to get assistance online or over the phone.
~ Apple Care is excellent, unlike many other extended warranties. My 13-year-old sister accidentally knocked her MacBook Pro onto a concrete surface, and the Apple store is fixing all the repairs for free.
~ I love the applications it comes preloaded with, like Garageband. I also prefer Apple software like iWork 09 over Microsoft Office 2011.
~ I love the simplicity of the user interface. It feels more intuitive and straight-forward than Windows.
~ I love the reliability and longevity of all the Apple products I've owned. My very first laptop was a blueberry clam shell iBook that I got in elementary school, and both of my little sisters used it when they were small. It still operates more than a decade after it was purchased. I received the 15 inch laptop last fall as a gift. I could have used the 13 inch all throughout college. I still do bring the 13 inch with me to classes sometimes since it's smaller. My secondary school issued MacBook Pros as part of tuition in lieu of physical textbooks, and most of the laptops survived for years.
~ I love how my Apple products play well with one another. I go to one of the most Mac-centric campuses in the country, and we have our own IOS app that the majority of the campus uses. I love how all my devices sync with one another. I use Apple TV instead of paying a monthly cable bill at school, and all I have to do is go to Hulu, or BBC or whatever, launch what I want to watch and hit the Airplay button to send it to my TV. I can also Airplay from my iPad and iPhone to other devices.
~ I love that even though Macs can get viruses, they are far less prone to having them, and I've never gotten on after using Mac products since the age of seven.
I'd rate my MacBook Pro satisfaction level at 91 out of 100. I do occasionally have minor frustrations with it, and it is more expensive than a lot of PCs.
TIPS:
~ Before purchasing any Apple products, check this site: http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/
It will give you a reasonable estimate as to when the next model upgrade is due. It's currently advising against buying the MacBook Pro right now because upgrades are anticipated in the near future.
~ Apple has some fantastic back-to-school specials for students that usually begin around mid to late July and extend through mid September. I'd buy a product then. You usually get anywhere from $50 to $200 off computers, plus a freebie. In 2010 when we bought the 13 inch Macbook Pro we got $100 off, plus a free iPod Touch that retailed for $200. Last year my dad (who obviously isn't a student) was given the student discount when he mentioned to the employee that he was buying the laptop for me. He got $200 off, plus a $100 iTunes gift card.
~ skylark : )
Where should I buy my computer?
paupau
I have 1000 to buy a laptop for college. I'm a English major so I don't need too much fancy stuff. I do take a lot of pictures and put them on my computer, if that means anything. I also need wifi. I'm not sure if I should get a pc or a mac, a mac would be more expensive, I understand, but I don't know if its worth it. Thank you for your help.
Answer
A mac wouldn't really be worth the extra money, based on your needs. I would suggest looking at either an ASUS or Toshiba laptop or a Lenovo Thinkpad. They all have very good build quality. Toshibas and Thinkpads are very durable while ASUS laptops have some of the highest quality hardware available.
For good prices on computers, you may want to check out Newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com
@Skylar Oh wow. Well, fanboys will be fanboys, I guess. Where to start?
Well, Macbooks do come with some simple photo and video editing software, but then, so do some Windows computers. And there are free programs for those that don't have this software. Both offer more advanced programs, but they're around ~$200 on both platforms(Final Cut Pro, Aperture, etc on Macs).
Microsoft Office Home and Student does not cost anywhere NEAR $400. You're just making stuff up, there. It costs $150 if you buy from Microsoft, and you can find it cheaper on Newegg and Tigerdirect.
PCs don't NEED virus protection, all you need is Common Sense 2011. Virus protection just means you have to be less cautious. And there are TONS of free antivirus out there. Most notably MSE and MalwareBytes free version.
I don't know where you got that "...the last time a Mac had one that wasnt installed purposly was 2006" thing from, but I know people who have had viruses on Macs. It's poss
A mac wouldn't really be worth the extra money, based on your needs. I would suggest looking at either an ASUS or Toshiba laptop or a Lenovo Thinkpad. They all have very good build quality. Toshibas and Thinkpads are very durable while ASUS laptops have some of the highest quality hardware available.
For good prices on computers, you may want to check out Newegg.com and Tigerdirect.com
@Skylar Oh wow. Well, fanboys will be fanboys, I guess. Where to start?
Well, Macbooks do come with some simple photo and video editing software, but then, so do some Windows computers. And there are free programs for those that don't have this software. Both offer more advanced programs, but they're around ~$200 on both platforms(Final Cut Pro, Aperture, etc on Macs).
Microsoft Office Home and Student does not cost anywhere NEAR $400. You're just making stuff up, there. It costs $150 if you buy from Microsoft, and you can find it cheaper on Newegg and Tigerdirect.
PCs don't NEED virus protection, all you need is Common Sense 2011. Virus protection just means you have to be less cautious. And there are TONS of free antivirus out there. Most notably MSE and MalwareBytes free version.
I don't know where you got that "...the last time a Mac had one that wasnt installed purposly was 2006" thing from, but I know people who have had viruses on Macs. It's poss
Title Post: Macbook Pro users: how satisfied are you with the product?
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Rating: 100% based on 9998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
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