<p>First off: I know Macs can run Windows operating systems, I have both Macs and Windows PC at home</p>
<p>Any engineering major students (gonna be a mech e here) here use Macbooks and what do you guys think? Do you ever find yourself regretting that you got a Mac? Have you had any difficulties with any of the software or programs required for course work?</p>
<p>What I’ve found is that (so far) most engineering programs (Matlab, Solidworks, and some of the CAD programs) will run fine on Intel based Apple Computers. I have seen some instances where Apple machines do not work properly in certain circumstances. However, most software will be used either on a school computer or through a virtual desktop for all types of computers. You may want to check with your school to see if they require you to buy any software to use for class, though.</p>
<p>Most of my engineering friends actually use Macs. If you encounter a program that’s PC-only, there’s always school computers or Boot Camp.</p>
<p>I’d say check some specific software that you’re looking for, if you can. If not, I think the previous two posts are good.</p>
<p>In undergrad college you won’t be running a super intensive program, so basically any decent laptop will suffice. (hardware wise)</p>
<p>If a program doesn’t run on OS X, then you can always bootcamp. Bootcamp isn’t hard, contrary to what some people may say. Apple laptops running Windows 7 do not run as well as when they are natively running OS X. Battery life goes down. Heat increases. Rumor is that the hardware doesn’t run as efficiently. But I don’t know the specifics on that.</p>
<p>Laptops sold with windows and Macs use the same hardware. If that rumor is true, it’s probably because the Windows code probably doesn’t use the power-saving features on new CPUs as well as the OS X code.</p>
<p>Me 10charrrr</p>
<p>Regarding battery life, it’s definitely true that OS X gets good battery life out of the hardware. Neither Windows nor linux seems to be able to get nearly the same battery life, although I don’t know if it’s because OS X uses its hardware well, or just that Macs’ peculiarities don’t work well with the other OSes</p>