<p>:-) Funny you should mention that, I already had to buy an external harddrive to house all my new music. It was slowing down my computer waaay too much.</p>
<p>BJM, it's becoming apparent that while you read the Smith requirements for a student computer you didn't read the fine print about what the computers are <em>for</em>.</p>
<p>Having seen some of the play lists, I'm bemused by the quantity and quality of "retro" stuff that makes it on.</p>
<p>Otoh, D has yet to find an appreciation of Johnny Horton. I always get a "Can you skip that?" when one pops up on my iTunes here at home.</p>
<p>TD, I'm quickly finding out exactly what the computers are for...and it's not what I thought! My goodness, how much music can one fit onto a 100 GB hard drive? Thankfully, students can save pertinent class info and papers to the Smith drive, as there would be no room for such frivolous information on their hard drives. ;)</p>
<p>You're absolutely correct about the retro stuff...lots and lots of Beatles tunes, James Taylor, and doesn't Tim Horton make donuts? lol ;)</p>
<p>BJM: the Beatles, Simon & Garfunkle, Dylan, Blondie, Judy Collins, Springsteen, Al Stewart...and that's just off the top of my head.</p>
<p><em>Johnny</em> Horton = "Sink the Bismarck" and "The Battle of New Orleans"</p>
<p>Wow...I really don't know Johnny horton :( Are you that much older than me? ;)</p>
<p>Is there any advantage to buying a printer from Smith? I'm getting my daughter a laptop and will have to get her a new printer. If I get just the laptop I'll get free shipping, but if I buy a laptop and printer I'll have to pay $50 in shipping. It seems to make more sense to buy the printer at home and save the shipping charge unless there is some benefit to getting the printer from Smith that I'm not aware of. Do they service printers you buy from them as well as computers?</p>
<p>We had the computer shipped here (West Coast) put picked up the printer at Smith upon arrival...one less thing to ship/transport. YMMV.</p>
<p>D says they service the printers if you buy from them.</p>
<p>Though really, when you think about it, how much service is your printer actually going to need? I would just buy one from some local store either at your home or in Mass. and not worry about it. If something should ever go wrong with your non-Smith printer, your D can always pick another one up cheap and easy on the Daily Jolt marketplace. Other students are always selling their perfectly good printers for dirt cheap during the school year.</p>
<p>I agree with S and P. We didn't purchase a printer from Smith, as we can get a printer, copier, scanner for much less than the Smith price, and really...they hardly ever break down. The computer itself is another issue though.</p>
<p>woot. gotta love the three in ones.</p>
<p>as we can get a printer, copier, scanner for much less than the Smith price, ]]</p>
<p>We did the same. We bought the combo from Costco, so if it ever breaks they'll replace it for free. Costco replaced a digital camera a few months ago for my daughter, no questions asked.
The Costco in West Springfield has an amazing manager, if ever needed.</p>
<p>Wow, Johnny Horton was my favorite artist when I was like 7-8. My parents played him to keep me quiet on long car rides. Who would have thought I'd find him again at Smith? </p>
<p>Actually on topic, do different departments favor one system over another? Like, are all econ programs built for Mac or somthing like that? Specifically I'm curious about econ and engineering. Thanks.</p>
<p>We just got the info from Smith about ordering laptops (with a deadline of July 14 for free shipping!), and hubby and I are already warring. He teaches at Lehigh, where the same machine costs MUCH less than the Smith one, although I'm not sure it is bundled exactly the same. I advocate the Smith purchase because my daughter, who isn't exactly a techie, can get help while there.</p>
<p>Is the consensus still "buy Smith"?</p>
<p>Yes, the consensus is still buy Smith. She got a couple extras with her laptop, it is loaded with software, and better still...it is covered for all four years at Smith; soup to nuts! We all know how college folks treat equipment, and this is still a sweet deal. No doubt, it is cheaper to buy elsewhere. But, where else can you get a four year cover to cover deal, no matter what goes wrong with the darn thing. Buy Smith!</p>
<p>D has already had one hard drive repaired, software reinstalled, without paying a penny. Or any greater amount. The warranty is a deal maker for me.</p>
<p>Also, as BJM implies, it can be difficult to get a true apples-to-apples comparison when you include the bundles.</p>
<p>Well, the Mac comes with only three years' care and doesn't allow for spillage; the Dell comes with all four years AND the computer will be repaired/replaced if something gets spilled on it. </p>
<p>My daughter is participating on the Smith students forum on Live Journal (or wherever it is), and she says most prefer Macs.</p>
<p>I priced out a computer through Apple's website (for Students) and the same specs as the Smith preferred macbook with Office was more through Apple. It did not include the Ipod, flash drive, or backpack. So even without Smith's ITS support, buying though Smith seems like a no brainer. My D is a sophomore transfer so the three vs. four year is not a concern.</p>
<p>Buy Apple and save yourself a lot of headache.</p>
<p>Buy Apple and save yourself a lot of headache.]]</p>
<p>Unless it breaks your sr. yr. and the warranty is no longer in effect. If you damage a MAC due to your negligence, the repair bill could be horrendous and youll be without a computer for weeks (although, you can rent one) b/c it will have to go to an outside repair facility or to Apple. Having said that, neither my kids nor I have ever ruined a laptop due to an accident. </p>
<p>S&P is correct, however, MACs are wonderful machines. Viruses are practically nonexistent for MACs and almost any software youll need is now available for a MAC</p>
<p>It comes down to this: if you love MACs and dont mind gambling not having a warranty your sr. yr. or an accidental damage warranty, buy a MAC. Or if you do have a problem thats very expensive to repair during your sr. yr, you could plan on buying a new machine b/c the technology could possibly be superior to your 3 yr old machine and you would start with a new warranty.</p>
<p>Good point about the technology being better anyway in three years, although I wouldn't relish buying another computer for my d. at that point.</p>
<p>I have had a Power Mac for five years, and it works better than my husband's 3 year old HP laptop, which is supposedly more "advanced" than my Mac. The "Force Quit" function on the Mac makes sure the computer never crashes even though a program may.</p>
<p>I use a Dell laptop when traveling, and I much prefer the Mac interface to Windows, even though Windows has gotten closer and closer to the Mac interface in recent years. My d., though, has only used Windows, and so I was initially worried that she might regret switching to a Mac, especially since her iPod is formatted for Windows.</p>