Freshman Laptops

<p>So what's the consensus? Will you buy a Dell through W & M, a Mac through W & M, or purchase on your own? Is it imperative to have the minumum specifications listed for the Dell if you buy on your own? Also, If you buy Dell on your own and also purchase the 4 yr warranty thru Dell, will you be able to get the same service from W & M IT as if you had purchased from the school, or are you at a disadvantage. Any thoughts or previous experience is appreciated.</p>

<p>I bought a new MacBook Pro on my own yesterday. It was cheaper than it is through W&M.</p>

<p>buy through willam and mary!! </p>

<p>i got the dell through them. while it is a bit more expensive, it comes with four year on- campus tech support… you break anything basically, and you can get it repaired on campus for free. i think if you get a mac you have to send it in to apple tho.</p>

<p>I would buy through W&M because if anything happens to the computer, it will covered by on-campus support under warranty.</p>

<p>I would also buy a Mac, but that’s just my preference.</p>

<p>The Dells are covered by IT, but there’s also an on-campus Apple authorized reseller/tech center beginning this year.</p>

<p>Is the tech support for Macs covered by the cost of buying it through the school, and is it as good at WM’s IT?</p>

<p>I personally think the IT department does a fantastic job; it’s so easy to take it in and get it back the next day no matter what the problem, hardware or software. I don’t know much about the Dells, though, as those are relatively new. I do like my Thinkpad.</p>

<p>The warranty for the school-bought computers is really good, you can basically drop your computer out a window and take in the shattered pieces to get it fixed.</p>

<p>The Tribe Apple Store is <em>in the process</em> of becoming a certified Apple repair center according to their website. Not sure on when it will become certified, but I presume that it would be able to perform warranty service on Macs once that happens and that service would be free as long as the issue is covered by your warranty.</p>

<p>As previous posters mentioned, the MyNotebook warranty includes accidental damage protection, so drops and spills and other incidents are covered. I’m not completely familiar with Apple, but if I recall correctly the AppleCare warranties do NOT cover accidental damage. So if your hard drive fails under warranty, the Tribe Apple Center would be able to replace it for free (once they’re certified), but if you crack your screen or spill your coffee you’ll have to pay.</p>

<p>I will buy a Dell thru W&M. The service plan seems very good. That is why a laptop which should basically be 800$ or so is 500$ costlier.</p>