Student
alrighty, well i just graduated from college so i will be receiving a laptop that i can take to college with me
so i need something reliable that can last for AT LEAST four years, hopefully many more
well alright, i really like macs but I am aware of the major cost difference between a mac and other lap tops. Do you think that the additional cost is worth it?
Also do you think the additional cost for a Macbook Pro is worth it, or should I go with just a Macbook if i end up getting a mac?
thank you in advance!
wait, i just graduated from HIGHSCHOOL and am going to College
Answer
If you can afford it, I recommend the Mac, and here's why. I switched from PC to Mac after working in the computer industry as a programmer and network tech for almost 20 years. One of the reasons I left the computer industry was that I simply got tired of maintaining Microsoft products. I was a Mac basher for years, and told Mac users that they needed to get "real computers." In my first year of graduate school at Wake Forest University, I needed to play a video for a presentation, and all of sudden my PC started playing the audio in the video I had at half speed while playing the video itself at full speed. i was able to fix the problem after about an hour and half of work, but it was, for me the straw that broke the camel's back. I had been reading some about the new Intel Macs that could run both OS X and Windows, so I decided I had nothing to lose and bought my first Mac.
I also purchased Parallels with the Mac so I could run Windows. Within a few months, however, I was not running Windows at all, and I decided to delete it off of my system, and I have not run Windows on my Mac since. I simply have no reason to.
The biggest thing for me, is that in the 3 years I have been a Mac owner, I have never had to re-install a single piece of software to get it working right. I have not had to re-install the OS. (I typically had to reinstall Windows every year to year and a half because it simply got too slow.) When the case on my Macbook developed a small crack, I took it to a nearby Apple store, and the problem was fixed within 2 hours. Apple has much better customer service than any other computer company I have ever dealt with.
After years of making fun of Macs, I decided that Apple does indeed have a superior product. It is going to take a lot for me to ever go back to using Windows. Do they cost more, yes. But I believe they are worth it. Not to mention, they are the only computer on the planet that allow you to easity run Windows, Mac, or Linux software.
So, obviously I recommend the Mac.
Here is the thing about asking a question like this. Make sure you get an answer from someone who has used both Macs and Windows based PCs. It is the only way you can give a fair answer. You won't see me bashing Windows in the same way that some PC users bash Macs. What I am posting is my own personal experience.
It is also nice not to have to worry very much about viruses or spyware. Do Mac viruses exist? Yes, but there are very few of them. A PC virus cannot run on a Mac, so I don't have to worry about any of my office mates infecting me. (I run the only Mac.)
If you decide on getting a Mac, you will have some choices in word processors. The first and most obvious choice is Microsoft Office '08. The second choice is OpenOffice.org (or the special Mac version called NeoOffice, both are free). This is starting to be used a little bit more in university settings, and is very compatible with Word. (You can load and save Word files.) When I was in Grad school, I used Apple's Pages (the version of Word available at that time ran slowly on Intel Macs) and e-mailed my papers in .pdf format (I never had a professor have a problem with that.) Pages can also save in Word format, but it is not quite as compatible as OpenOffice.org. (I have not had any need to write a paper in the new version of Pages, so I don't know if the new version is any better.) Pages is a part of the iWork suite, and is still my favorite word processor on the Mac. It combines the features of a Word Processor and desktop publisher, and is a great program, in my opinion.
I have included links to all the software I mentioned below. As for which model to get, any Mac is going to be a nice computer. I personally use one of the new aluminum MacBooks. I like their compact size, and don't need any of the features in the MacBook Pro. (And the difference between the two is now much less than it has been in the past.)
My suggestion would be to buy your Mac and then try the free demos of Office and iWork to see what you like best. Links for all these programs are below.
BTW, once you get your student ID, you become eligible for a student discount from Apple.
If you can afford it, I recommend the Mac, and here's why. I switched from PC to Mac after working in the computer industry as a programmer and network tech for almost 20 years. One of the reasons I left the computer industry was that I simply got tired of maintaining Microsoft products. I was a Mac basher for years, and told Mac users that they needed to get "real computers." In my first year of graduate school at Wake Forest University, I needed to play a video for a presentation, and all of sudden my PC started playing the audio in the video I had at half speed while playing the video itself at full speed. i was able to fix the problem after about an hour and half of work, but it was, for me the straw that broke the camel's back. I had been reading some about the new Intel Macs that could run both OS X and Windows, so I decided I had nothing to lose and bought my first Mac.
I also purchased Parallels with the Mac so I could run Windows. Within a few months, however, I was not running Windows at all, and I decided to delete it off of my system, and I have not run Windows on my Mac since. I simply have no reason to.
The biggest thing for me, is that in the 3 years I have been a Mac owner, I have never had to re-install a single piece of software to get it working right. I have not had to re-install the OS. (I typically had to reinstall Windows every year to year and a half because it simply got too slow.) When the case on my Macbook developed a small crack, I took it to a nearby Apple store, and the problem was fixed within 2 hours. Apple has much better customer service than any other computer company I have ever dealt with.
After years of making fun of Macs, I decided that Apple does indeed have a superior product. It is going to take a lot for me to ever go back to using Windows. Do they cost more, yes. But I believe they are worth it. Not to mention, they are the only computer on the planet that allow you to easity run Windows, Mac, or Linux software.
So, obviously I recommend the Mac.
Here is the thing about asking a question like this. Make sure you get an answer from someone who has used both Macs and Windows based PCs. It is the only way you can give a fair answer. You won't see me bashing Windows in the same way that some PC users bash Macs. What I am posting is my own personal experience.
It is also nice not to have to worry very much about viruses or spyware. Do Mac viruses exist? Yes, but there are very few of them. A PC virus cannot run on a Mac, so I don't have to worry about any of my office mates infecting me. (I run the only Mac.)
If you decide on getting a Mac, you will have some choices in word processors. The first and most obvious choice is Microsoft Office '08. The second choice is OpenOffice.org (or the special Mac version called NeoOffice, both are free). This is starting to be used a little bit more in university settings, and is very compatible with Word. (You can load and save Word files.) When I was in Grad school, I used Apple's Pages (the version of Word available at that time ran slowly on Intel Macs) and e-mailed my papers in .pdf format (I never had a professor have a problem with that.) Pages can also save in Word format, but it is not quite as compatible as OpenOffice.org. (I have not had any need to write a paper in the new version of Pages, so I don't know if the new version is any better.) Pages is a part of the iWork suite, and is still my favorite word processor on the Mac. It combines the features of a Word Processor and desktop publisher, and is a great program, in my opinion.
I have included links to all the software I mentioned below. As for which model to get, any Mac is going to be a nice computer. I personally use one of the new aluminum MacBooks. I like their compact size, and don't need any of the features in the MacBook Pro. (And the difference between the two is now much less than it has been in the past.)
My suggestion would be to buy your Mac and then try the free demos of Office and iWork to see what you like best. Links for all these programs are below.
BTW, once you get your student ID, you become eligible for a student discount from Apple.
Computer teacher, or college grad?
Jesse W
My aunt's sister graduated college with a major in computers. My computer teacher just teaches.
Issues they disagree on:
Laptops: It's not good to move them while they're on. It damages the hard drive (Teacher)
It doesn't matter (aunt's sister)
Wifi: People can decrypt the info you send over the airways and read everything you are doing (Teacher) That's impossible (college grad)
I don't know what to believe! I don't know what to tell my aunt, but I'm going with my teacher on this, b/c it seems logical.
They wouldn't have to follow you around if you stayed in one spot
Answer
well, they're are both right in a way.
if you accelerate a laptop quickly, you can damage a hard drive, however, you have to accelerate it very fast, such as a short drop. just moving it from the desk to the couch is fine.
same with the wifi, if you use an older, broken form of encryption, someone can listen and decrypt it. if you use WPA2 with a long password, it is statistically improbable that it can be decrypted.
so your aunt's sister is a realist, and your teacher is paranoid.
...
There is no needle. the magnetic heads float on a current of air.
well, they're are both right in a way.
if you accelerate a laptop quickly, you can damage a hard drive, however, you have to accelerate it very fast, such as a short drop. just moving it from the desk to the couch is fine.
same with the wifi, if you use an older, broken form of encryption, someone can listen and decrypt it. if you use WPA2 with a long password, it is statistically improbable that it can be decrypted.
so your aunt's sister is a realist, and your teacher is paranoid.
...
There is no needle. the magnetic heads float on a current of air.
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