<p>This is Rahul. I'm coming to ann arbor for a masters in mech engg this fall 2006! (<em>YE</em>) :)</p>
<p>Firstly, I'm looking forward to meeting all of you guys there. I've been waiting for august to come, and now its just around the corner. I can't wait to come to umich!</p>
<p>Since I am a mechie, I want to get to know some of my mechie friends - my batch as well as my seniors... Hi to all of you! </p>
<p>Along with my introduction, I would also like some help. </p>
<p>I've been looking at laptops for class, notes, & assignments. As any newbie to grad school faces, I'm stuck between the dilemma of choosing between a Mac and a PC. Since the threads between Mac vs PC are done to death (in this forum as well as elsewhere), I don't want any information about Macs and PCs.</p>
<p>What I want to know is how many seniors (especially in Mech Dept, UoM) & how many fall-06 students use Macs? Does the mech dept recommend Macs, or are they neutral towards both? What about assignments etc? & Professors?</p>
<p>Well, I'm not a new student at UMichigan as this will be my second year there. However, I do know that Michigan holds a nuetral stance between Macs and PCs. There is a computer lab on campus known as the Fishbowl, and I believe that one third of the computers there are Macs. There are also computers in random places all over campus for you to use (for example, in the Union), and there are several places on and off campus that support wireless Internet if you decide to get a laptop. You shouldn't have any trouble at this university whether you buy a Mac or a PC. I guess it comes down to what you plan on doing with your computer as both types have their strengths in different fields.</p>
<p>I personally have a Mac laptop as a computer.</p>
<p>I'd check with the department and see if they use any specific kind. The university labs have both kinds, and ITCS is capable of fixing problems with both. But the math department, for example, has nothing but macs in their computer labs. So you might want to align yourself with whatever the mechie's use, if there's a chance of compatibility issues. It doesn't matter as much for me because math programs (Matlab, Maple, Mathematica, Latex) work on both OSs and you can swap files between different OSs with no problem.</p>
<p>Personally, I was aiming at this macbook in the UoM comp showcase...</p>
<p>MacBook 13" STUDENT BUNDLE</p>
<pre><code>* 13" MacBook:
o 2.0GHz Intel Core Duo Processor with 2MB shared L2 cache
o 13.3" glossy TFT widescreen display (1280x800 resolution)
o 60GB Serial ATA hard drive (5400 rpm)
o 4x Slot-loading SuperDrive (DVD??RW/CD-RW)
o 1GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMMS, supports up to 2GB
o Intel GMA 950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
o Built-in iSight camera
o 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless (802.11g)
o Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
o 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet
o Apple Remote control
o MagSafe power adapter
o 55-watt-hour lithium-polymer battery
o Mac OS X v10.4 Tiger
o iLife '06 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand)
o Front Row multimedia software
o 5.2 lbs. (12.78"W x 8.92"D x 1.08"H)
o 3-year AppleCare warranty
* Microsoft Office 2004 Pro for Mac OS X (Word, Excel, Power Point, Entourage, Virtual PC)
* Brenthaven Security kit
* 25' Cat5 10/100BaseT Ethernet cable
* Free U-M messenger bag on orders placed by July 31
</code></pre>
<p>Sorry, not a senior here, but someone who went to freshman orientation recently. One of the professors for engineering told the parents that he would never recommend a mac for a student since the business world uses PC's. However with boot camp for macs I'm more inclined to purchase a mac to keep current with both operating systems.</p>