<p>There have probably been threads posted on this subject already, but I am quite lazy and not willing at this point and time to seek them out. I am wondering what would be a good laptop option for Brown. I saw awhile ago that the Brown Comp store is giving pretty good discounts on powerbooks and such, but I’m not so sure about making the switch. I’ve only known Windows! Has anyone made the switch to Apple from Windows? How was it? Plus, is the heftier priced powerbook worth more than the ibook? Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>I actually work for the Apple Store...</p>
<p>The prices that the Brown Store gives you are the Apple education price; you can get the same price online or in any Apple retail store if you let them know you're a student -- we usually need some kind of verification but it really doesn't matter... we can tell by looking. Technically you need an ID. Though, curiously, if you order online, they just ask what school you go to. I figure they must audit every so often, though I've never heard about it.</p>
<p>What do you plan on using the machine for?</p>
<p>This is probably something more suited for a one-on-one discussion, so just drop me a line on AIM :) (Typical salesperson)</p>
<p>Point of note: They also have deals on Dells.</p>
<p>That said, get an IBM. You'll thank me 5 years down the line!</p>
<p>Macs are more stable, more elegant, and are better designed laptops.</p>
<p>Why does it matter five years down the line?</p>
<p>...but not compatable with a lot of the programs you need if you're going to be doing lots of stats/hard science/engineering work.</p>
<p>The 19 inch powerbook is the sexiest thing on the market, but it isn't packing much under the hood. I'm not a big fan of dropping nearly 3k for style points- especially when a PC packs more punch for half the price.</p>
<p>...but they do look damn cool ;)</p>
<p>A great deal of the applications for stats/hard science/engineering will either run natively on Mac or in Unix. Mac OS X natively will run Unix apps and ships with support for X11 windowing.</p>
<p>Applications like Mathmatica run better on the Mac than any other client.</p>
<p>Also, it's a 17" PowerBook, it does run pretty damn fast, and doesn't cost $3K (in fact, for education, the 17" model comes at $2,399 very well equipped). That being said, they are due for an upgrade to the G5 once IBM can produce a chip that doesn't eat too much power and create too much heat.</p>
<p>A second on thinkpad. They're pretty damn sexy too, and cheaper than macs. I have never spent more than 4-500$ on a computer in my life, since I build them myself....so of course macs seem exhoribent to me, since they are so ridiculously priced. You can fix a desktop pc very easily, but not a mac....but since you are getting a laptop that doesn't matter much I guess. But, you could probably get along just as well with desktop too, for much less money. I wish I had a laptop (not that I know why really, I guess I just want one) but I haven't ever <i>needed</i> one.</p>
<p>Are you paying for this yourself? I got a powerbook mostly because I refuse to be in the middle of some long paper and suddenly get a virus. No one writes viruses for macs. I also like the mac format better (for the most part). THe only thing I have found to be annoying is that AIM doesn't really work, and I have to use ichat instead, which is not as good. I also never intend to do engineering or anything that requires PC programs. I paid for mine myself, and paid the difference between a powerbook and an ibook mostly because I liked how it looked more. Call me frivolous.</p>
<p>I agree with GH on the ThinkPad -- Don't get a Dell laptop. If you're going to get a Windows machine, pick up an IBM ThinkPad. They are by far the best PC notebooks -- especially compared to Dell's shotty quality and product design.</p>
<p>That being said, I still think Macs are better :)</p>
<p>I am basically between a Thinkpad and an Apple, leaning a different way each day. Just ask Pete about that one...</p>
<p>Anyway, that being said, the only reason I am thinking of a Thinkpad is because my mom gets the education discount they offer (which most students cant get), and for 1750 or so I can get an 80gb 7200rpm harddrive, 512mb ram, 1.8ghz Pentium M, Radeon Mobility with 64mb, 15" SXGA screen, Bluetooth, 802.11a/b/g, 4.9hrs battery life, all at 6lbs. So a little heavier, with better battery life, and some specs slightly better or at least comparable in most cases for about $50 less. Add the fact that I wont have to buy software (again, my mom works for a tech dept, adding a license for me is $17 for most any program, and most of those programs are bought with too many licenses as it is).</p>
<p>I'm still debating. I think the Thinkpads have sex appeal too.</p>
<p>Either way, I really still want to build a desktop to bring as well as the laptop... we'll see on that though.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Are you paying for this yourself? I got a powerbook mostly because I refuse to be in the middle of some long paper and suddenly get a virus. No one writes viruses for macs. I also like the mac format better (for the most part). THe only thing I have found to be annoying is that AIM doesn't really work, and I have to use ichat instead, which is not as good. I also never intend to do engineering or anything that requires PC programs. I paid for mine myself, and paid the difference between a powerbook and an ibook mostly because I liked how it looked more. Call me frivolous.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No offense, but unless you're completely brain dead, you're not likely to get a virus during a paper and all of a sudden lose it. That's not quite how it works. Only in the movies, as they say.</p>
<p>Hey, shut up about my brain-deadness. I hate computers that freeze and I've lost way too much stuff already. Make your own points, but don't insult me in the process.</p>
<p>Sorry, it wasn't really meant to be a direct insult, but a comment on lazy habits of computer users in general. Take it as you may, but it was hardly directed at you in particular.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, I have no sympathy for those who lose work because of this or that or whatever. Why? It's called autosave.</p>
<p>Sorry, I'm touchy today. </p>
<p>Computers are designed to make life easier. Therefore, I picked the one that does this the best.</p>
<p>I can appreciate that, but I don't buy the argument that Macs are necessarily a safer platform in all cases. I've used both extensively, and find that my PCs do just as well in 90% of things. To me, a PC is like the Toyota Supra of the computer world. Stock, they're not incredible performers and might even have issues with reliability. The more you supe them up, the less "stable" they become. However, the potential for sheer performance is there and if taken care of, it'll last you forever.</p>
<p>A Mac is like a Volvo. Careful, planned aesthetics. Reliable. Safe. But you can't really modify it much, and you're never going to be able to go beyond a certain performance ratio.</p>
<p>People diss Dells all the time, but in my experience they do not deserve all the criticism. I have owned my Inspiron 8600 for a year now. It's light, fast, ostensibly sturdy, reasonably priced, and does the job!</p>
<p>My Dell Inspiron was a real trooper, and if Toshiba and Circuit City hadn't teamed up to entice me like crazy, I'd still be with my Inspiron right now.</p>
<p>But, 17" widescreen and 1Gig of RAM just kicks so much more arse...</p>
<p>As for Dells...</p>
<p>Five years ago (when I got mine), I would have suggested a desktop to anyone. As of the last 2-3 years, I've seen the desktops get worse and worse. As for the desktop? Lack luster design and performance for the same price as other vendors who offer superior design, performance, or both at the same price.</p>
<p>Tech support from Dell used to be EXCELLENT. As the company grew, it's become ****. I am glad that as that happened, I became a strong enough user that I've never used tech support once in the last four years and am running a 5 year old computer that benches faster than some brand new Dells do with only an upgrade in RAM.</p>
<p>Oh, Dell used to have great service.</p>
<p>Now its all in India and they're focused on penny-pinching in their support and their systems.</p>
<p>I hate 17" widescreeners. As much as I enjoy that for a desktop, I just find that 17" laptops are just too big to be as portable as a laptop should be. I am not saying use 12" screens, but I find the 14.1-15.4" range superb in terms of unit size for portability. To me, the size as much as weight makes a laptop portable...</p>