<p>Apple also gives Brown students a 10% discount. </p>
<p>You can get any number of different mice for a Mac. I'm currently on an older Powerbook G4 with a 1-button touchpad and I'm using a Kensington turboball trackball. It has 4 programmable buttons and a scroll wheel. You can basically have your mouse any way you want it.</p>
<p>Is that added on top of an educational discount? Or is that just the normal education discount? Do I have to purchase it at the campus to get the discount? Though even with the discount, it's still $2200+...</p>
<p>Sony or Toshiba over Apple.</p>
<p>Much less expensive...there is like a $500 difference at least.</p>
<p>Point of note: as a Brown student, you will be licensed to use photoshop while here, so price is not an issue.</p>
<p>I give up on Apple. Way too expensive.</p>
<p>The Vaio line is absolutely stunning. That's what I'll be going with. Perhaps I'll get a Mac Mini to play around with though. It's small, perfect for the dorm.</p>
<p>I think it's just the educational discount. You get it at almost any college. There's a macbook pro for $2000, that's $1800 with the discount. Not that much more than a Vaio.</p>
<p>First off, I'll state that Toshibas, while cheap, are probably the worst laptops on the market in terms of quick and early failure of major components. They'll cover it a good amount of time, but their QC is terrible. Apple is expensive, I agree, but there are a lot of reasons why I feel it's made up for, and while I don't own one, I don't think it's something that shouldn't be considered more often especially witht eh education discount. For the record, here is a list of software you'll get for free while at Brown:</p>
<p><a href="http://software.brown.edu/dist/sw-win.html%5B/url%5D">http://software.brown.edu/dist/sw-win.html</a> (Windows)
<a href="http://software.brown.edu/dist/sw-mac.html%5B/url%5D">http://software.brown.edu/dist/sw-mac.html</a> (Apple)</p>
<p>Macs are marvelous. Beautiful and powerful. But their massive premium price just isn't worth it. A nice Sony Vaio can be had for $1200. That even leaves me with money for a desktop. I'm still wanting a desktop and laptop. But my major concern is the size of dorm rooms. How big are the rooms and would they accomodate to both a desktop and laptop?</p>
<p>I'll email you a picture of the corner of my room with my desk and **** from move in day (oh god, if my room was that clean now...).</p>
<p>Hey! That would be great. Use this email: oiosnap [at] gmail.com</p>
<p>Just checked out your pic, and that is a huge dorm! Are all rooms like that? From my inexperienced point of view, it looks like a single. Is it? Thanks so much!</p>
<p>Nah it's a double in Keeney, and I have a larger room than most, but not by much. The dorms are very decent sized for freshman if you're not in NP, or Perkins, etc.</p>
<p>for an ultraportable that's pretty powerful too, try:</p>
<p>vaio tx series. They run VERY expensive, but it'll definitly perform and it's as portable as it gets.</p>
<p>I plan on getting one of these, or something similar, plus (since I'm kind of into computers) I'll customize a desktop after vista comes out maybe. I dunno, but you don't really NEED a desktop and notebook. A notebook will do.</p>
<p>My two cents....Apple computers are expensive BUT they are worth every penny. Cheap stuff always comes at a cost long term. You can have a good quality laptop at a more modest price but to say that the expense of an Apple is not worth it shows a complete lack of........Anyway....</p>
<p>Niisan, I have no clue what you are talking about for Apple's pricing. The MacBook (which is the only current Apple laptop that is just 13.3". MacBook Pros are 15" and 17") starts at $1,099.00, without your student discount (which I believe is $100 off). The high end MacBook puts you at $1,500. </p>
<p>The only way you get a pricetag over $2000 is if you opt for the mid-end MacBook Pro, or if you upgrade the hell out of the other computers.<br>
And while it may seem expensive, it's more than worth it in the long run. Apple's last a while if you treat it well and you won't be noticing any slowing in speed until it's a few years old. Plus, OS X is a much smoother-running operating system than Vista/XP and has had more of the kinks ironed out than Vista. Plus, Leopard's coming out very soon and it's going to be incredible (both in terms of the upgrades and the visual differences).</p>
<p>Really, you can't go wrong; if you get a Mac now with a student discount, you also get a free nano. If you don't want the Nano, you can either take cash or a discount on a bigger iPod. You can't tell me Sony will give you a better deal.</p>
<p>he posted that over a year ago you know</p>
<p>Whoops. Saw the thread had a new post, figured the whole thing was recent. Just wanted to clear up where he was ill informed and be some help.</p>
<p>Still, the MacBook never had a $2500 price tag.</p>
<p>Are there any stores in Providence to buy laptops besides online retailers and the college store?</p>
<p>there are 1.3 million people in the metropolitan area but NO laptop stores! ok ill cut you slack since your an international but this is America. If there's a market for a product it WILL be sold.</p>
<p>I know there's an apple store in providence, and I'd guess there is a best buy or some other electronics store that has laptops as well.</p>