Please help me pick what laptop i should get for college, a MacBook or a Dell?

best laptops for college consumer reports image

Zachary H

My parents said they would buy whatever laptop i wanted and i cant decide. Im attending UConn and have an undecided major so no specific laptop is required. i want one thats easy to handle, and one with a lot of space and is fast.

I've never had a Mac before, will it take a long time to get used to?

Answer
Get the MacBook,

The " ... to get a Mac that would equal an $800 Dell laptop in performance, you would have to go well into the $1300-1800 range ... " argument is bogus. For equivalent platforms, Dell is actually a touch more expensive. See:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20080612161846AAOEI1U

Compare the $129 price of the best version of Leopard, Apple's latest version of OS X to the price of the latest "best" version of Windows.

Mac "Security through Obscurity" is a myth. It's been known to be a myth since OS X was released, and it's been well publicized for almost five years.

DAVID POGUE - The New York Times - September 18, 2003:

"I also wrote that Mac OS X and Linux are virus-free because they offer virus writers a much smaller âaudienceâ than Windows -- a notion thatâs been much repeated in the press, most recently last weekâs BusinessWeek cover story. That, as it turns out, is a myth, no matter who repeats it. Thereâs a much bigger reason virus writers donât like Mac OS X and Linux.

'Unix [which underlies Mac OS X] and Linux ARE more secure,' wrote one reader. 'They have been developed, open-source style, by people who know exactly what they are doing. Unix and Linux have had at least 10 years of battling hackers to better themselves. This leads to an extremely secure environment.'â

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/18/technology/circuits/18POGUE-EMAIL.html?ex=1214280000&en=1efe03e6ab949440&ei=5070

Try searching the Net for:

"OS X" Security Obscurity Myth

And, though it's not absolutely needed, it is a good idea, the best anti-virus software for OS X is free for the download at:

http://www.clamxav.com/

How much are you going to spend per year properly protecting a Wintel?

The "compatibility" argument is bogus. iWorks is a lot less money than "Office", and does Office compatible files. As for other software, the argument reduces to this, "There are 15,000 pieces of software a knowledgeable Windows user wouldn't put on a PC, there are only 1,500 a knowledgeable Mac user wouldn't put on a Mac, but for "needed" software, what's available to Windows users is available to Mac users. And, if you're a "Gamer", using Boot Camp and what you save over buying a Dell & Office, you can be running Windows on what Consumer Reports names as the "Best Windows Computer of 2008", the Mac.

The "Customer Service" argument is bogus. Mac & OS X continually outrates the best of Wintel & Windows in "Customer Satisfaction" by 8 to 10 %age points.

The " ... how much an hour will you be paying when the Mac breaks ... " argument is bogus. AppleCare for three years is $249, and it covers everything. Try getting that with a Wintel machine. Macs "break" far less often than Wintels, and you have an Apple Store nearby, the Genius Bar is free.

Even the "right click" argument is bogus. The "Mighty Mouse" which comes with all Macs but the Mini and MacBooks does "right click", and even single button Mac mice have been doing right clicks for teens of years, by holding down the "Control" key while clicking, or simply holding down the mouse button for about a second.

With the Mac, you can save money, get the best Windows computer there is, and get the Mac side for free with it's attendant Security, Quality, Ease of Use, stellar Customer Service, Customer Satisfaction, and yes, coolness factor ...

"Drink upstream of the herd."

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_mac/family/macbook?mco=MTE3MjA

Hope this helps.

â¢

Which Toshiba Satellite laptop should I get?

Sarah

All I really need it for is internet and writing papers (I'm going into college), and for watching some episodes of House. A Consumer Report I read has led me to narrow it down to the T135-S1305 (but I hear the mouse and touchpad aren't so great) and the A505-S6005. Budget around $700. Any thoughts?

Answer
In this range you can get better laptop
You can cconsider buying
1)Toshiba Satellite L555D-S7005 TruBrite 17.3-Inch Laptop (Black)
*2.3GHz AMD Turion II Dual-Core Mobile M520 Processor
*4GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM Memory
*320GB Serial ATA Hard Disk Drive (5400RPM); DVD SuperMulti Drive with Labelflash
*17.3" LED (16:9) 1600x900 Display; ATI Radeon HD 4200 Graphics
*Window 7 Home Premium 64-bit
http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Satellite-L555D-S7005-TruBrite-17-3-Inch/dp/B003155Z3S/?tag=best-laptops01-20

2)ASUS K52F-A1 15.6-Inch Versatile Entertainment Laptop (Dark Brown)
*2.26GHz Intel Core i3-350M Processor
*4GB of DDR3 1066MHz DRAM, 2 slots, 8GB Max
*320GB Hard Drive (5400 RPM); Super Multi Optical Disk Drive; Wi-Fi 802.11 bgn
*15.6-Inch HD LED LCD Widescreen Display; Intel GMA HD; 0.3MP Webcam; HDMI Port
*Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit) Operating System
http://www.amazon.com/K52F-A1-15-6-Inch-Versatile-Entertainment-Laptop/dp/B00342VJ74/?tag=best-laptops01-20
Hey you can visit below link you can find more options here :
http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_kk_2?rh=i:aps,k:laptop+i3&keywords=laptop+i3&ie=UTF8&qid=1281084160&tag=best-laptops01-20
or
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574865779&toolid=10001&campid=5336686710&customid=laptop+best+deal&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%2Fi.html%3F_nkw%3Dmini%2520netbook%26_fln%3D1%26_ssov%3D1%26_trksid%3Dp3286.c0.m282%26_mPrRngCbx%3D1%26_udlo%3D600%26_udhi%3D700

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Title Post: Please help me pick what laptop i should get for college, a MacBook or a Dell?
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