So, I am going back to grad school for a Master's in Public Health. I want / need a new laptop. I have been a PC user since DOS 1.0 and have never owned a Mac. That being said, many students say doing assignments (presentations, reports, keeping a calendar, etc is much easier on the Mac. I also have an iPhone 4, and an iPad. I also like photography, and hear that photo processing is easier on the Mac. So, I am looking hard at the Mac Air 256 Gb, and the Mac Book Pro with one of the i5 processors. I will be commuting on a subway, so weight is a factor ( the Air is 2.3 lbs, vs the Pro at 5.6 lbs) I have a lot of material on PC formatted drives, I don't know if either of these will read them. Would love to hear from folks if they have one of these and / or used them extensively and their pros and cons. Or should I forget the whole Mac thing and get a nice Levono, or other reasonably high end PC? Thanks for helping! Oh, and to those naysayers - I know this is a gaming forum, but I also know there are a lot of HS, college, grad students and post grad people that love gaming, and so their opinions ate valuable to me.
Congrats on going back to school! I don't know why people say photo editing and such stuff is easier on a Mac. I've found that the microsoft programs for mac are worse in every (except for better icons) and the Apple made stuff never interfaces well with PCs. Yes, mac's have a lot of included software, but there is often equivalent stuff you can for free or cheap on PCs. Be sure to check out equivalent PCs. there are many laptops in with similar design and specs to macbooks now, and they deserve a look. I think you should go with a white macbook with 4GB RAM (1100) or a 13" macbook Pro (1200). These computers are right in between the two you chose; still portable but with decent power as well. The MacBook Air has a 1.4 Ghz processor, barely faster than your iPhone 4. The other computer is probably too heavy or expensive. The pro is equal in specs but has a backlit keyboard and more USB ports (2 vs. 4 I think). Most importantly, the Pro is shinier, so it has more of an aura of elitism- which is the only reason people buy Apple stuff. right?
Macs are like rigged for graphics, whether its editing or what not, they're amazing at it. And of course Mac software doesn't work well with PC's, but PC software works fine with Macs. As for the computer, the air is nice, but is it really what you need? It's portable as anything, but it just offers a little more then your iPad. I'd say a macbook, or macbook pro depending on how much you want to use the thing, and for how long. Also, do take a look at some PC's, because they can be as good, but I understand if you want a Mac, I'm a Mac junkie too . As for specs, I need to know how much you want to use it for, etc.
I think portability is going to be important. For school, I am thinking there will be a fair number of papers and presentations. I really don't use computers for gaming. Ido a fair amount of Internet surfing. Do the Macs do flash? So, I don't really need a high end computer, but can afford to get one right now. Also, as mentioned, I am going to be a commuter, so don't want a lot of weight.
Get the Air. Of, course 64gb is crap just dont load your HD with music and other stuff. However the macbook looks fine if your needs requires more space.
Go Wth a 15 inch MacBook pro. Trust me best decision of your computer owning life. Great for school as I'm also going to become a doctor(Anesthisiologist). It's portable, perfect size, decent weight, the screen is besitiful. It's just an amazing computer. It also has Core i5 and can upgrade to i7. And also the memory so and there is bootcamp partitioning if you would like to use windows software as well. Really a win/win.
Yeah, Macs do Flash. It's mostly the mobile devices that Apple gets all picky about. Macbook Pro 15" with an i5 processor is what I would look at, unless you want to stick to the PC realm and get a Lenovo. Can't go wrong with a ThinkPad. Also, it probably wouldn't hurt to wait a couple months and see what laptops in the near future come with the new Sandy Bridge Intel Cores. If you want to stay future-proof, that is. Not that the current installment isn't great already.
So, I have been doing a lot of pricing - and I can get a decked out HP Pavilion for about $850 and a decked out Levono ThinkPad T410 for about $900... The Mac Pro with the student discount is about $1800... I am not so concerned about the money - but is the Mac worth 2 of the PCs? Is the ease of use, form factor, etc. worth it? I guess to the Mac users the answer is yes. Anyone do the switch from PC / paid the extra, and never looked back due to being so happy with it? I ask, because for about the same price as the MacBook Pro with the i5 processor, I could get a MacAir, and a very good PC computer (not an i7, but comparable in specs (and I know that specs don't tell the story) to the MacBook Pro. Thanks for helping me out - I am really agonizing over this decision - not that it is that important, but I tend to use computers for 5 - 7 years, rather than the 2 -3 year life span, and I want to be happy with my purchase.
I switched from PC to Mac and think it's much better, but I'm more impressed with the operating system better than the hardware. Go to Best Buy and check out the line of laptops you're looking at. I found that most of the comparable PCs had unusable trackpads, obnoxious textures or weren't the right size. Note that you'll use a laptop much more than other products you spend similar amounts of money on; you'll use your laptop much more than your car insurance.
Here is my suggestion "don't buy a laptop" On a bias note i'm hardcore build your own or GTFO crowd. I cant see buying a PC that has no Scalability. Just my two cents.
On a bias note I'm hardcore read the thread or GTFO crowd. He wants a laptop, not some custom made ultra tweaked desktop PC with neon lights.
That was pretty awesome. I say it's worth it and here's why. Although I've always been a mac person, doing research will show you this: that to make a pc comparable to a Mac, you would have to upgrade it over and over again and it would cost you about 3,000 dollars to do that. Now your saying, yeah I can get a pc(it might sound good but it really isn't) for half of a Mac, I can buy two actually. But those two pcs will fall apart faster than you know. Then you have to go buy more. Eventually price shouldn't be an option.
Thanks for all the great input and feedback. I am probably going to get the Mac Book Pro with one of the i5 processors. I have also been talking with students at the actual program, and they actually like to use their iPad to use at the school, and just take notes on the iPad, so - since I have one of those - I am in good postion. So, getting a nice Mac Book will be helpful keeping everything in sync. So, software wise - does the installed software that comes on the Mac do a good job with managing calendars, and other mundane tasks? I have an iPhone and an iPad (I am starting to look like a Mac junkie I think ) And I would love a program like Outlook that can keep everything organized. I know that I can get the MS Programs, but I have heard that they don't work as well as the dedicated Apple programs - also the student edition of the MS package has a "dumbed down" version of outlook that does not let you synch to external devices. Thanks some more!
