Laptop model/OS?

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>I looked back a few pages but couldn't find a similar topic, so I'm sorry if this has been discussed.</p>

<p>I'm planning on majoring in EECS and I'm going to buy a laptop this summer. I don't think my college recommends any particular OS or model, but I was wondering if anyone could guide me with a few pros/cons.</p>

<p>At the moment, I'm leaning toward an Apple of some sort (probably one of the new intel-based models) because they're relatively simple to use and UNIX-based. From a practical standpoint, there's a discount for Apple products and I wouldn't have to worry as much about viruses.</p>

<p>Are there any other considerations I should take into account? Any pros or cons for other OS's?</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any advice. :)</p>

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<p>The new MacBook Pro looks incredible...and it's $1799 for the 15.4" model with a student discount. I'm probably going to wait and get the rumored 13.3" model and also bring my desktop (either majoring in ECE or ORIE), but you can't go wrong with an Apple laptop.</p>

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<p>That's sounding appetizing, though I can't help but think that might be a tad expensive. On the other hand, I might as well pony up the extra $400 or so, considering I'll be using this thing for quite a while.</p>

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<p>Well you could also check out anything from Dell as well using one of the following coupons: <a href="http://www.dealsea.com/exec/c/1/4/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.dealsea.com/exec/c/1/4/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>The dual-core CPUs in the Apple will pretty much blow the current Dell P4 single-core stuff out of the water though, so you should probably wait for Dell to start using the Core Duo before ordering if you choose to get it from them.</p>

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<p>And when will that be? Also, do you guys know if Dell will be using the new Windows Vista OS anytime soon? If so, when?</p>

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<p>As far as OS goes you might want to check what programs you'll need to use. There's Octave if you need something like Matlab but some other programs might make avoiding Windows hard.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. beck, any suggestion of where I could ask what programs I might need and which OS would be favorable for them? The division chair or something?</p>

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<p>There are convertible Tablet PCs that function as both a laptop and a tablet. They do everything a laptop does while also allowing you to take notes on it as if it were a spiral notebook. It's supposed to be very good, as I've seen many favorable reviews of the platform in general, especially for students. Some posters claim that they are now 'paperless,' they do not use paper as everything is in their Tablet. The only bad part is that they cost a little more for the same components, and they tend to be smaller. The biggest screen I've seen is 14.1. Most of the convertibles are either 12 or 14.</p>

<p>Various sites of interest: <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.mspx%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/tabletpc/default.mspx&lt;/a>
<a href="http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.tabletpcbuzz.com/&lt;/a>
<a href="http://studenttabletpc.com/%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://studenttabletpc.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Microsoft has a list of (supposedly) all of the available Tablet PCs on their website. </p>

<p>I think I will purchase a convertible Tablet PC, or at least try one out at a local store. I'm a HS senior right now, entering Cornell engineering next year.</p>

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<p>Here's a link to a video of MIT's use of the tablet:<a href="http://members.microsoft.com/CustomerEvidence/Search/EvidenceDetails.aspx?EvidenceID=3592&LanguageID=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://members.microsoft.com/CustomerEvidence/Search/EvidenceDetails.aspx?EvidenceID=3592&LanguageID=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>