<p>Hey there,
I am accepted to UPenn!!!!!
Wharton School class of 2012!!!! lol. I am so satisfied! :)</p>
<p>I need to buy a laptop for use at Penn. </p>
<p>Maybe someone can give me good advice?!</p>
<p>Mango</p>
<p>Check with UPenn, typically colleges have a deal with companies. Also don't buy it now, wait until Aug for sev reasons...</p>
<p>A. You might choose to go to another college
B. Anything electronic will be the slower model in 6 months and a lot cheaper
C. Depending on what state you are from, they might have tax free days in August and that will save you more money.</p>
<p>Congrats...BTW</p>
<p>Congrats!</p>
<p>I agree that you should wait. And definitely check with Penn; you can often get better deals on computers and the required software if you buy it from their IT department. Also, if you buy from them, you may be able to get on-campus service. Finally, many schools have specials on their computers in July and August. While it's tempting to buy everything now, you should probably wait. In the meantime, buy the sweatshirts!</p>
<p>Yeah, wait til July or August. Also...seriously consider getting a Mac even though you'll be in Wharton. I know they recommend PCs for Wharton, but almost everyone I know that has one regrets it because apparently it's pretty easy to just put some extra software on there.</p>
<p>there's a combination deal at dell right now for $1000 (800 discount, 200 gift card) off on the m1330 and m1350...</p>
<p>Penn does have special promos and they start in July. You will get mail from the Penn Computer Connection about them.</p>
<p>Also, get a Mac as it just makes life easier. Mac OS X doesn't have the hacking/virus/spyware/adware headaches that Windows does. Moreover if you have a class that still requires Windows for whatever reason, you can still put Windows on your Mac and so have it available when you need it.</p>
<p>definitely get a mac. I bought a lenovo through the penn store. From day one it was a complete hassle. It would crash on me every 5 seconds. Thankfully, the store manager was a nice dude and changed it for a mac book pro. I could not be happier with my mac.</p>
<p>are the deals with mac pretty good? i really want to get one but it depends on how good of a deal id be getting</p>
<p>I think so. I love my mac. It might seem a bit expensive, but believe me, the couple of hundreds extra are definitely better than having you PC ( personal experience) crash on you 2 hours before having to hand in a paper.</p>
<p>Haha, the Dell rep is telling you not to get a Mac. Take it for what it's worth.</p>
<p>Dell's aren't bad PCs at all. But Windows itself is just a really poorly made operating system. There are so many problems and vulnerabilities within the system and its software that new ones are still being discovered in XP even though its been years since it first hit the markets. And don't even get me started on the problems and horror stories I have about Vista. I would agree with DSharC's assessment that you cannot install vital Windows-based software on a Mac if this were the year 2003. However, with the advent of Intel-based Macs, it's possible to install a program called Boot Camp, which lets you partition your hard drive and run Windows just as you would on any other PC without requiring hardware emulation. In layman's terms, any Windows application will run just fine, just as it would on a PC.</p>
<p>The reason I would recommend a Mac over a PC is because when you're not doing work for Wharton, which may require software built only for Windows, and just surfing the web or listening to music, you're going to appreciate the stability and security of OSX. In five years of owning Macs, I've only had to restart due to an operating system crash three or four times. I've also never had a problem with viruses or spyware. The difference really is noticeable.</p>
<p>Bottom line is, if you have a few extra hundred bucks, I recommend you go for one of the new MacBooks. You get what you pay for, and IMO the price is well worth it. I've had mine for a year with virtually no problems (there was a problem with a defective battery when I first got it, but Apple replaced it within a week and as far as I know the problem within the product line has been corrected). If you want a good bargain, the Dell will do just fine. But with the new Macs, you can have all the Windows software that you need and it will run just fine, but when you don't need to use it you won't be stuck having to use Windows. Just keep it in mind. I was skeptical at first about how well Boot Camp really worked but I installed it and it really works just as if you were using a Dell or any other PC. It's a perfect representation of Windows, complete with the security flaws and various other bugs ;)</p>
<p>I was specifically telling Wharton students not to get one. Last semester, despite bootcamp, there were still students who were not able to download some of the business software (which is vital to business classes). There is a reason that Wharton Computing, not me, says that Wharton students should NOT have a Mac. </p>
<p>For the rest of Penn's students, the choice is yours; however, I recommend a Dell. : ) <a href="http://www.dell.com/penn%5B/url%5D">www.dell.com/penn</a></p>
<p>Pretty much anything that runs on Windows will run on a Mac running Boot Camp. Nothing is being emulated, nothing is being simulated. Were students having a problem actually downloading the business software, or were they having problems trying to install and run it? It's highly unlikely that the problem was with their Mac hardware or the Boot Camp software; rather, it was probably an issue within the Windows operating system itself. Were the students using XP or Vista with Boot Camp?</p>
<p>I did some research on some programs which are required for Wharton, and I found that just until recently, one of the programs, JMP, was incompatible with Windows Vista until the release of JMP 7 (Source: 19259</a> - JMP on Microsoft's Vista). Also, another of the programs, SPSS, needed a patch to fix various issues which were caused by Vista (Source: SPSS</a> gets hotfix for Vista compatibility | ITsVISTA).</p>
<p>I've only ever used Windows XP SP2 with Boot Camp. Keep in mind that if these students were using Windows Vista with Boot Camp, the problem is most likely with the Vista operating system. I've never had any compatibility issues with a Windows program when I've attempted to run it on XP with Boot Camp. Also, I actually owned a Vista PC for a little while last year (which I downgraded to XP because Vista is so craptastic) and I experienced so many compatibility issues with it that for a short time my main PC was my MacBook, due to the fact that it ran Windows XP without any problems.</p>
<p>Therefore, if you get a Mac, I highly recommend you use Windows XP with Service Pack 2. Despite some of its flaws, it's the most stable Windows operating system available. Vista was released prematurely because Microsoft couldn't meet the deadlines and couldn't allow another launch delay. Consequently, there are many problems and issues with Vista which may or may not be patched in the near future. Plus, XP is cheaper anyway :)</p>
<p>I'm not an Apple "rep," but I have experience with both Windows and Mac OSX. If any of you have any questions about Macs, OSX, or Boot Camp, feel free to shoot me a PM.</p>
<p>Also, here is the link to the Penn Apple Store:</p>
<p>Welcome</a>, Apple Customers, to the University of Pennsylvania!</p>
<p>How to obtain a PennKey:</p>
<p>1-866-406-PKEY (1-866-406-7539) - This toll-free number can be used from locations in the U.S. outside the Philadelphia metropolitan area, from Canada, and from the U.S. Virgin Islands.</p>
<p>To confirm your identity, you will be asked to provide:</p>
<pre><code>* your Social Security Number or your PennID number (the middle 8-digit sequence of numbers on your PennCard)
* your date of birth
* a phone number where we can reach you
</code></pre>
<p>A letter containing your Setup Code will be mailed to your address of record the following business day. Please allow 4-5 business days for the letter to arrive in the continental United States. International mailings may take longer. Important: If your letter does not arrive, send a follow-up query to <a href="mailto:pennkey@isc.upenn.edu">pennkey@isc.upenn.edu</a> rather than requesting a second Setup Code. For security purposes, a later request will nullify a previously requested Setup Code, so if the Setup Code you originally requested arrives late, it won't be useable.</p>
<p>I bought a Lenovo Thinkpad x61s (directly from Lenovo--not from Penn). It only weighs about 2.5 pounds, so I can take it everywhere. If you're planning to travel a lot with your laptop, you might consider buying an ultra-portable.</p>
<p>I love having a light laptop because I can just throw it in my totebag and carry it around campus without getting arm cramps. I wish I had a Mac so I could use iMovie, but I think Vista is pretty sweet.</p>
<p>Haha this is actually really silly, but why not.
How do people carry around their laptops? Totes (for me) get old real fast...</p>
<p>It depends on what class you're going to. I prefer taking handwritten notes so in actuality I would rarely need a laptop, but if I were going to a boring lecture or a super long seminar, I would bring my laptop to go online or work on stuff. I would say 1/2 of my seminars and 1/3 of my lectures have laptop carrying people.</p>
<p>To carry around laptops most people get a neoprene sleve/pouch for it and put it in a backpack or the like. Laptop bags are also popular, and I swear that maybe 1/3 the campus has owned or owns the same damn red swiss army knife laptop backpack that I do that they sell in the bookstore.</p>
<p>If you're in Wharton, you need access to a Windows PC. If you're tech savvy, this means you can run WINE on linux or BootCamp/Virtualization software on a mac, but if you're not I strongly recommend getting a dell or lenovo laptop. This isn't a case where they're being jerks, there is software in a number of classes that is windows-only and Wharton computing does not support macs ( I work there, believe me). The people I've known who use macs all are geeks and loaded boot camp up the first day it was available. </p>
<p>Windows Vista and Office 2007 are officially used and supported by Wharton. If you're buying anew computer with Vista preloaded, everything should work fine. JMP works in Vista, SPSS works in vista, and even the obscure of the obscure Wharton class software works in vista (S-PLUS, What's Best). The penn ISC wiki also documents the only thing not working on vista at this time is financial software that the staff uses for purchasing, which is actually an IE7 issue.</p>
<p>No one really takes notes on laptops. Some people use them for distraction in class, and others like to follow along with the prof in powerpoint or on a web site. Some professors "ban" laptops from class.</p>
<p>hmm... mattwonder, you mentioned something about vista. What if i really really really really don't like vista and want to use xp? is that okay too?</p>
<p>xp is just fine; most of the classes of 08, 09, and 10 have xp laptops and have no problems using resources.</p>