<p>so i'm currently a froshie here at caltech and i was just wondering about the computers here. maybe i've been biased wrongly...but most everybody (students and even the profs.) here seem to use apple computers! i thought that "technology-wise", pcs like dell would be superior to apple. apple to me has always been a more graphic arts/entertainment computer (sorry if i seem totally clueless!). everytime i sit in on presentations, the powerpoint is on an apple. anyway, i just wanted somebody to shed some light...might potentially be good for the pre-froshies who are looking to buy new harware for college...</p>
<p>So quite a few profs use macs for laptops- but a majority of the desktops are pc's. Ultimately, it really doesn't matter what computer you buy- there are enough of each that you'll do fine with whatever you have.</p>
<p>Most of the (non-CS) professors do seem to have Apple laptops, likely because they're easy to use - and all of the other professors already have them, so they probably won't have technical problems when trying to send data to a projector for a PowerPoint presentation. They're used by students disproportionately as well - but PC users still hold a very clear majority. I've personally never thought they were a good deal in terms of hardware quality for price, and I prefer using Linux over OS X anyways.</p>
<p>Llama hit it spot on. Many more PC users than mac users, but still plenty of macs.</p>
<p>"Many more?" Hmm, in my experience it's about evenly split... but maybe Macs stand out more.</p>
<p>It also varies, like everything, between Houses. I notice nearly everyone in lectures is using a laptop with Windows, while many more people in my House use a Macbook/Powerbook or Linux.</p>
<p>how do computers vary among majors (non-cs)?</p>
<p>Let's see... all of the EEs I know including myself use PCs. Of course, I only have a limited sample size... There aren't a ton of EEs and even fewer EEs whose computers I have seen.</p>
<p>PC's are good for EE's so they can run the software they need for classes. If there are Mac versions for them, I don't think Caltech purchases the licenses.</p>
<p>If I do decide to go into CS (still deliberating this one), is my Mac going to doom me? </p>
<p>To be truthful, I'll feel extremely uncomfortable asking my parents for a different computer, even if there is a legitimate reason for it, since we're a bit financially scraped and this laptop was a very well-meant gift from a relative for college purposes.</p>
<p>Nope. Coding is pretty easy on any platform, haha! Actually, I know two CS majors who have macs.</p>
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Let's see... all of the EEs I know including myself use PCs. Of course, I only have a limited sample size... There aren't a ton of EEs and even fewer EEs whose computers I have seen.
The EE frosh (with the hair) in my House that you are friends with is a Mac user. ;)</p>
<p>Ah, I forget about him because he's not taking 52! That being said, he's going to have to find a windows machine to use when he does.</p>
<p>Or install windows on a second partition on the mac, which is extremely easy. (Granted, on the mac laptops, windows feels slightly clunkier, but it still works as well as normal all in all, and you can use all the EE software that you might need.)</p>
<p>You can also install Mac OS on a second partition on a windows PC if you feel so inclined.</p>
<p>any thoughts on which platform for statistics or physics? Also any thoughts on tablet pcs?</p>
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<p>You can also install Mac OS on a second partition on a windows PC if you feel so inclined.</p>
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<p>How hard is that? It seems like a good way to get the nice Mac OS without having to buy an expensive new computer.</p>
<p>Not sure. I did it once though, and didn't really have any problems.</p>
<p>DMRenel- I know probably four or five people with tablets. Some use them and really like them. I don't think it will matter a ton which type of computer you have, to be honest. Even as an engineer with needs for special projects, you can always run a different OS in a virtual machine (And Microsoft Office, which you can get for free once you get here, lets you download Microsoft's Virtual PC for free). In fact, I'm running Vista and I need to use XP for some things, so I run XP in a virtual machine for my EE programs.</p>