buying a laptop through NU?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>this is not a post about which computer would be better (i already settled on that: most definately a Powerbook), but rather, where I can get information on buying one at a discounted price through NU. i've looked at the website and haven't been able to find anything.</p>

<p>i really want to get my laptop as soon as possible, preferably when i graduate in a month, and so i want to know when i can look into it. my dad is a professor at a state school here in CT, and i can get a laptop at a discount through here, but i want to compare prices.</p>

<p>is anyone else planning on buying through NU?</p>

2

<p>heres the NU apple store:
<a href="http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/EducationIndividualCustom?qprm=14359&type=higherEd%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/EducationIndividualCustom?qprm=14359&type=higherEd&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>theres a small discount.. and i dont think they care wether ur already a student or ginna be in sept.</p>

3

<p>thanks a lot. looks like a good deal to me.</p>

4

<p>I've been told that in the US all stores sell everything at 50% of the usual rates on July 4. Can I really buy a laptop at such a discount? If this is true, I don't really understand who would bother discussing what money we could save through Northwestern.</p>

<p>Anyone?</p>

5

<p>No way would they sell it for 50%. The price the store buys the product (wholesale) is more than 50% of the listed price. So they would be losing money if they sold it for 50%!</p>

6

<p>Good choice with the Powerbook. I'm officially in love with mine. I'm pretty sure that the Apple Store sells computers to students at the same discounted price that schools do, if you want to buy it sooner. That's how I got mine. You just bring in an acceptance letter or ID.</p>

7

<p>anybody have any advice on PC/Mac... ive used macs all my life, and have loved them.. but thats mainly because my parents insisted on having all Macs in the house. Im fairly fluent with PC crap, having used it at my high school and on newspaper.. but not to the point where if something big goes wrong, Ill know how to fix it.
PCs by and large are much cheaper than Macs. For a basic iMac, its atleast 1400, whereas for a fairly decent PC, its more like 900 or so, i believe. Seeing as Im going to have to pay for half of this myself.. and, although i could scrape together 750 bucks if i had to, id much rather spend the 300 dollar difference on something else.
Any thoughts on this?</p>

8

<p>TheCity, I've never used a [contemporary] Mac so I can't compare both. However, I've spent many hours in front of my PCs. I'm sure they're easier to maintain than Macs since so many people have them. Every "big" problem you can ever encounter has been discussed a lot online, so even a quick googling will usually help you out.</p>

<p>I have been quite disappointed with Windows systems, but they say Windows XP + service pack 2 works fine. If you're confident with computers, I'd recommend that you also install a Linux - maybe Mandrake 9.2. This one is supposed to crash less often than Windowses :)</p>

9

<p>hmm, linux.. i dont think im prepared to learn a whole new operating system.. at least im familiar with windows, even though it is so inferior.</p>

10

<p>cant really complain about xp , its works with everytthing doesnt stall etc.. mac are just cooler and somewhat easier to use ... but XP is definitely equivalent vis a vis doing day to day stuff</p>

11

<p>the powerbook that i want (12", superdrive) is only $1500 at a discounted price as a student...there's also a deal where if you buy and receive your powerbook by June 25, there's a $100 rebate. not bad, i think.</p>

12

<p>Macs have been known to have issues connecting to Windows-based networks, and they also might have issues with any required software for class. I would recommend a Windows PC.</p>

13

<p>uc_benz, I like PC better too, but I would have to say thats not true. First of all, the networks at NU are probably Unix based, and the Macs are very compatible with Windows networks because of OS X. Most classes that require computers will have software that works on both systems. I dont think compatiblilty is an issue because Macs have become popular lately and more and more companies are putting out software for them.</p>

14

<p>ive used a mac. avoid! ...unless you've not been accustomed to using a PC</p>

15

<p>ITG, why avoid? is NU not as compatible as Macs?</p>

<p>so far, i've heard nothing but good things about Macs; i.e., less susceptible to viruses, no pop ups...</p>

16

<p>i enjoy my mac very much.. and if money werent an issue, id certainly be buying a powerbook or top of the line ibook.</p>

<p>alas, i am looking more into PCs.
Im sure there are quite a few of us doing computer shopping.. i know very little about the PC market, since ive never shopped for anything but mac in all my life, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.</p>

<p>heres what im looking for:
laptop, at least 2.8ghz pentium, 256mb ram(hopefully 512, but id settle for less), cd/dvd drive (i could really care less if i can burn CDs or not)... and i dont care about the screen size. I have a friend whos going to give me copies of office and adobe suites and such, so id prefer that my computer comes with as little of that as possible to save costs.</p>

<p>anybody know if i can get all this for under 1400?</p>

17

<p>oh, one more thing.. i think it makes more sense to wait until the year starts to buy a computer.. usually tehy have back-to-school discounts, and prices are only going to go down for these models, you might be able to get moer for the same price in 3 months.</p>