<p>I'm sure this question has been asked a lot, but I'm still very confused on this.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman, hoping to get into Haas eventually.</p>
<p>I'm looking to get a new laptop, I usually use HP laptops. I'm thinking of getting a Macbook Pro 13 inch, since it seems like most berkeley students have Macs and the programs would be more compatible when sending certain documents.</p>
<p>My question is, if i use a PC, would it be difficult for my programs and documents to be compatible with Mac laptops?</p>
<p>Is a Mac really worth the extra cost? ($1100, where as HP laptops are about $700)</p>
<p>are you sure? i’d think that most students at Berkeley would use PC’s. but just get the computer you’re most comfortable with. i’d recommend PC since it is more of a productive device whereas Mac is more for the fun stuff. :D</p>
<p>A lot of Berkeley students do use Macs. You should be able to run everything on a Mac as a business major. The software that you need for your classes all have Mac-versions like word, excel, photoshop and I guess some sort of accounting software.</p>
<p>I’ve visited Berkeley twice, once for Cal Day and once for Orientation, and both times I saw so many Macbooks and iPhones, way more than in my home state’s universities. But just because many people have Macs doesn’t mean using a PC would be that difficult.</p>
<p>And I think many PC users have a lot of misconceptions about Macs. It’s not just for screwing around and playing. I mean, the user interface is a lot more friendly and intuitive, but I recently switched from PC to Mac and I do the same things, get the same amount of work done.</p>
<p>It all comes down to personal preference, but Apple is surely a popular product in the Bay area. And ever since I switched, I wouldn’t dream of going back!</p>
<p>“On the other hand, the Bay Area had 23 percent more iPhones than New York, **94 percent more Mac OS users **and 12 percent more people watching TV online.”</p>
<p>okay, well i’ve always used a PC (i’m from Vancouver, Canada and Macs arnt that common) and i asked the sales guy at the apple store and he said that although Macs have similar programs as PC’s like the Microsoft Office stuff (word, excel, etc), he said that its not completely compatible because some functions are not the same, so would that be a problem during group projects or online stuff when sending it to professors?</p>
<p>I dunno, im so confused. eventhough im more comfortable with a PC, i’m sure i can get used to a Mac fairly quickly if i gotta use it for uni, but the biggest question is whether or not its worth the extra money!</p>
<p>okay, well, anyone wanna recommend a good laptop (PC)??? :P</p>
<p>A significant part of the reason you saw more macbooks is that most people here with PC laptops and netbooks don’t carry them around all that openly. I’ve got some theories on why the Mac users do, but I won’t share.</p>
<p>well i am a faithful mac user and i dont want to make this one of those war threads…</p>
<p>anywho, i think there are software equivalents of almost any PC app for macs too and i rarely have compatability issues. for example, i save word docs in a .doc format instead of .docx etc and PC users never have difficulty opening anything i email them.</p>
<p>the only issue you may experience is trying to hook up a mac to projectors in some parts of campus.</p>
<p>Macs are great for majors like business. You will never have incompatibility issues and you’ll see that most people do have macs here. And my MacBook has lasted me much longer than any pc I’ve used (like 4). I say get one.</p>
<p>Macbooks are incredible. You can’t beat the insanely amazing battery life, along with the superior screen/color quality of Apple hardware.</p>
<p>Almost everyone I know installs Windows on their Mac for a “dual-boot” computer. You can have both Windows and Mac OS installed on your Apple computer (and you choose between them when the computer is turning on). You can’t do that on a PC!</p>
<p>Seconding W4C’s point - you’re not going to have compatibility problems either way as long as you save your files in universally-supported formats.</p>
<p>@caltanner: Yes, you can do it with a PC. It’s just harder and fairly pointless, since few people who go the PC route have much reason to do it.</p>
<p>And, again, nobody does it, because anyone going the PC route to begin with probably does not have any need for any of the things that a dedicated Mac OS provides.</p>
<p>If you get a Macbook, get it because it looks pretty, or because you have no idea how to use computers, or because you want to brag about having a lot of money to burn. It’s a fashion accessory. </p>
<p>If you’re more substance than style, and you don’t want to overpay, then get a PC.</p>
<p>…or, y’know, if you have any kind of serious investment in your ability to do high-level media work. I may not particularly like Apple products, but some credit has to be given where it’s due.</p>
<p>Yeah, but the great majority of people who buy macs will not use them to do that kind of high end graphics work. It’s just a fashion symbol to most people.</p>