<p>I am planning to get son a MacBook Pro for HS graduation- is that the best choice at Alabama?do I need to buy the Microsoft Word CD Also My daughter rarely prints much(at another school) do most teachers ask for assignments electronically?</p>
<p>We got my s a MacBook pro from apple last year. Great laptop and my son loves it. He had both experiences last year, printing papers and electronically transmitted papers. I would recommend the apple but it is a personal choice.</p>
<p>Students can often get a great discount on Microsoft office when buying directly form Microsoft online. The Microsoft Office student discount program used to be called the Ultimate Steal, but has since changed names.</p>
<p>While there are specific majors where would would need a specific operating system to run certain programs, most students will be fine with either a PC or a Mac. I would suggest asking your student if they’d rather have a PC or a Mac as some have specific preferences.</p>
<p>Back to school laptop discounts for students should be announced in the next couple of weeks or at least by July. Student discounts range from an extra $100 off to a complementary Xbox.</p>
<p>If you leaning toward Apple, the SupStore had several nice package deals last year for MacBook Pros which included printer, MS Office, backup hard drive, Apple Care plan and some other accessories. The package was cheaper than anything I could come up with via employee discounts. In terms of electronic submissions, I dont think S (Engineering) submitted anything in his Freshman year that was not electronic</p>
<p>I would advise you go with a Macbook Air or a Macbook Pro. The Pro is more expensive, but will offer more RAM. With more RAM available, you can run Windows on it using a virtualization tool such as Parallels Desktop. By doing so, you have the best of both worlds. A Mac will have less headaches with malware, and generally “just works”. You would also be able to run a Windows-only program if necessary using Parallels. If you buy online from a re-seller such as macmall.com you can often get extras (like Parallels) included free. You will also avoid sales tax in most instances as well.</p>
<p>Our DD has had a MacBook Pro all three years with no trouble at all. However, our son is majoring in Enineering (ME or ChemE) and we are getting conflicting reports on whether all of the engineering software works on a Mac. We would like for him to be able to do as much of his work as possible from his dorm room and not have to go to the lab to use PCs. Any thoughts?</p>
<p>We returned from BB last week with son, entering freshman in civil engineering. The advice we got was to go PC for engineering. That’s what we plan to do.</p>
<p>Also remember if you really want a mac but think you might need a PC every now & then, you can use a utility that comes standard on all macs call bootcamp. This will allow you to install a copy of Windows (which you must buy) and then you will have the ability to just do a restart and boot your laptop up as A Mac or a Windows machine. When running as a Windows machine it is 100% compatible with all windows software. i run this setup on a couple of the macs we have and it works great.</p>
<p>Bootcamp is definitely another good idea. It just depends on how much Windows you will need. My S is a ME major and he rarely needed Windows. We got him an academic license of Solidworks and the (free) Academic version of AutoCAD and he rarely needed them. He would usually have enough time in the class labs for any Windows-related work. Also, some instructors prohibit any type of electronics in class at all, so a laptop for taking notes isn’t as practical as you might expect. I think he used Word and Excel more than anything. I suppose you could try to save a few $$$ by using the Google suite of applications, but I just don’t trust it enough (yet) vs. the ubiquitous nature of the Microsoft applications. If you go PC, don’t even think about it without a very solid protection suite from Norton, Bitdefender, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re going to run Windows just get a pc. Macbooks have the exact same hardware for $1200 more.</p>
<p>Sorry but @rolltide90 that’s wrong. Don’t buy a service. I run Microsoft essentials and malwarebytes. I’ve never gotten a virus. Anyone that gets one is either downloading from questionable sources and deserves one.</p>
<p>rolltide90 - glad you mentioned (again) the point about not all professors allowing electronics in classes. I mentioned that in some other thread recently. My S specifically asked his teacher (who forbade electronics) on the first day of class if he could use his ipad for taking notes, which he then transfers to his computer back at the dorm afterwards. She said because he asked ahead of time, he could do so. It would be distracting to sit next to a student who is surfing while you’re trying to concentrate. Most professors do not allow cell phones to be out, or used, during class, naturally.</p>
<p>15" or 13" MBP? What are the significant differences, if any?</p>
<p>@TobyWong: You are far more brave than I. If you are depending on Microsoft essentials to protect you, I pity your computing soul. User behavior does play a role in how a machine can get infected, but with some of these recent 0-day exploits in Flash and Java, I wouldn’t be so trusting. Microsoft makes a decent operating system, they just don’t know how to secure it as well as some of the established players. You get what you pay for…</p>
<p>As to the comment about Macbooks having the same hardware, that is partially true. But, show me a manufacturer who does it as elegantly as Apple does. There is a reason that year in and year out, a users survey conducted by PC Magazine (no less) ranks Apple #1 in overall customer satisfaction. In the unlikely event you need help, you will be speaking to someone who uses English as their first language. Also, if you buy a PC, you will spend the first day with it removing all of the bloatware that is pre-installed and slows the machine down.</p>
<p>@kda1119: Aside from screen size, there are a few differences. Probably not many that would matter to a college student though. I’d say it is personal preference on the size of the machine, and remember it can always be connected to a full size display, mouse and keyboard if you want a desktop experience. If you want a machine that will easily take your student all the way through college (if well cared for) I would get the 15" MBP.</p>
<p>I’m by no means Microsoft’s number one fan, however the reason that Microsoft has the most attacked operating system is because it is the most widely utilized, especially in business environments which is what most hackers and malware developers are attempting to target. Some operating systems are less vulnerable to attacks such as linux/unix (which you can elect to install on a PC), but Apple’s are also vulnerable to viruses (and there are a small handful out there), but most malware developers just aren’t taking the time to write code that attacks Apples. It’s really not that it is more secure.</p>
<p>The English ability of tech support professionals can vary widely between companies and after spending more than 20 years in IT, I can verify that the overwhelming majority of non-native English speakers can still speak English well enough to communicate effectively - I have never hung up on someone for English ability. But, native language does not indicate technical aptitude, I HAVE hung up on native English speakers that had no idea what they were talking about and were wasting my time. But how many students are going to be calling tech support anyway? Most will find a friend to help or use the tech support on campus, the only time they’ll ever really need to call a company’s support is for a hardware failure. And for most large companies you can submit requests online anymore and save time and trying to communicate with anyone.</p>
<p>VERY, VERY, VERY few people take the time to remove any software that comes preloaded on new systems, and frankly with the amount of memory in systems anymore, there’s no need for most people. If systems are just going to be used for the Office products, email, some web browsing, there will be absolutely no humanly detectable difference from uninstalling the preinstalled software. If students will be gaming or doing other processor intensive applications (perhaps DETAILED CAD work), then there will be a noticeable performance increase, but many of them will just choose to wipe the machine and reload what they want or buy a machine without an OS to begin with. </p>
<p>I opted to buy my son a Lenovo (not because I’m necessarily a PC fan, but because I’m EXCEPTIONALLY frugal and (in my opinion) Apple’s are WAY overpriced). I bought a year old model off their outlet site and paid about $600. He’s an engineering student and has been able to use it for Autocad (as well as the Office suite, etc) with no trouble, it also effectively handles his streaming media for watching YouTube or Netflix. He’s never had to call tech support for any issue, so frankly I don’t know if he’d get an English speaker or not. It’s had absolutely no problems for year one and it is the machine he’ll be returning with for year 2. </p>
<p>If students are planning on carrying the laptop often, go with the smaller screen, and as rolltide90 mentioned it can be connected to a full screen monitor in their dorm room, however if the student isn’t going to be carrying the laptop with them to class or elsewhere, then they may prefer a larger screen size. Once again, personally, I’d compare the cost difference of buying a larger screen on the laptop vs buying an external monitor to make my choice.</p>
<p>Go with the Mac. We have two laptops that are 4 years old each that work perfectly ( just added RAM myself for $50). My son loves PCs because of all the games and mods out there, so he got a Win7 laptop.</p>
<p>No operating system is absolutely secure. Macs have seen their share of exploits as their popularity has grown, no doubt. I have security software on the Macs I maintain, but it is probably a “belt and suspenders” approach. On a PC, it would be unthinkable to operate without it. It is really rather irrelevant why this is the case, but it is reality so it is a factor when it is in an environment with thousands of other devices, especially among college students with sometimes less than honorable intent.</p>
<p>I also have over 20 years of IT experience, and there was a time when I would chuckle and scoff at Mac users. But, after the last few years of personal experience, I will never own another computer that isn’t a Mac. It just works. People forget that because Apple has control over the hardware and the software, they can deliver a seamless experience that no PC manufacturer has to. Part of the reason why Windows can be so unstable is because Microsoft has to account for thousands of configuration variables. Apple’s beauty is in its streamlined number of configurations. Remember those hilarious ad spots from a few years ago about “I’m a Mac”? They were funny because they were so true. Remember those when your student is trying to use a friends printer at 2AM and doesn’t have the right drivers. Plug that printer into a Mac, and guess what… I just works.</p>
<p>Buying a PC without an operating system or wiping the operating system just to remove all the cruft just reinforces my point. Why should a normal person have to do that?? You can ignore all that garbage, but when you are ready to sit down and work, why should you have to close 4 windows about this trial expiring, etc.</p>
<p>In terms of support, you may not ever need it, and I wouldn’t wish that special place in Hades on anyone. But, EVERY time I have spoken to Apple it has been a perfect interaction. There were never any communications issues, the agent was easy to work with, and made absolutely certain I was satisfied without getting out my credit card to pay for a support session or repeating myself 3 times to convey the issue. Again, perhaps personal opinion, but I will take Buffalo over Bangalore any day of the week.</p>
<p>So, what does this mean to the average computer buying public? Just a better experience. Sure, Apple does command a premium on their products, and isn’t always the best value proposition either. But, they didn’t achieve their position as a market leader by accident. They understand what is important to their customers, and are comfortable being a smaller volume, higher quality producer. </p>
<p>Lenovo is among the best from the PC crowd, no doubt. There are many great choices out there and competition is a wonderful thing. I just always find it amusing when people think they got a great deal on a $399 computer at Office Depot, to then learn it isn’t such a deal when there is a problem. The fact that a Mac runs Windows better than a PC as it’s own second language speaks volumes…</p>
<p>Whether you go PC or Mac as mentioned you can always hook up to an external display. I plan on getting my son a universal docking station (made by Targus) and laptop stand. That way he can leave his printer, external mouse, full size keyboard, second display, and backup drive always connected. When he wants to take his laptop with him all he has to unplug is one USB cable to the universal dock. </p>
<p>One thing you should do as well is get your student a backup drive and make them use it. I have drilled this into my son’s head for the last couple of years. Have them back up their machine on a regular basis and when they are wrong on a big project, have them back up their project work on a daily (or more) basis.</p>
<p>I plan on sending with my son a backup drive that will never leave the dorm room and a couple of jump drives. He can use the jump drives to backup work in progress (ie after working a few hours on a project, make a copy of it to a jump drive).</p>
<p>Every year I hear at least one or two stories from people I know about their kids laptop that was stolen, broken (one was stepped/fell on while in a backpack on the floor in the library), or died. </p>
<p>Spend $100 on a backup drives & some jump drives…when you have the first failure and you student only lost a days work you will be very happy to have sent that $$$ (versus them getting a 0 on the assignment they lost)</p>
<p>Good advice, twomutts! Forgot to mention that. I have my son using a Time Capsule so his backups occur automatically with Time Machine on his Mac. He doesn’t even have to think about it, and I bet most college students don’t perform regular backups, which can have tragic consequences. Another good alternative is to use a service like [Online</a> Data Backup - Offsite, Onsite, & Cloud - CrashPlan Backup Software](<a href=“http://www.crashplan.com%5DOnline”>http://www.crashplan.com) as they also do a transparent backup in the background that is absolutely seamless.</p>
<p>^^^
That’s excellent advice about backups, I strongly second it.</p>
<p>We already bought our Mac-savvy son a small 1.5 TB drive for less than $100 and several USB flash drives, but are holding off getting a MacBook until we see what Apple introduces next week. The exact model depends on what is available in mid-June. Next week we are at Bama Bound so we’ll get something when we return home, and have more than a month to train DS on being the sole driver of the new machine.</p>
<p>For Windows on a Mac, I’m very familiar with VMware at my workplace, so we have bought VMware Fusion and Windows 8 to run on that. Not sure whether he’ll need it, but better to install it & train him over the summer when he’s home. He’s never used Windows so that’ll be the novel part.</p>
<p>BTW, our family loved the Alabama promo during the football national championship game when the camera zoomed in on an Alabama admissions certificate. We shrieked, “We have one of those!” We’ll take a copy of that to the Apple store to show he qualifies for the educational discount.</p>