<p>Personally I know little about computers but as college approaches I need to get a laptop soon. So after some research, I came down to Lenovo and Apple. Since I am going into Biology/ Pre-med, I simply need the basics (no gaming) and occasionally watching videos. However, I do want to invest in a money- worth laptop.
So with the current Apple discount and Lenovo ecoupons, the differences might be around $100-200 (at the most)So here are some of my concerns:</p>
<p>Lenovo: less battery life
virus/ protection (I probably need to install all the softwares..)
Mac: Compatibilities with various softwares, I am not sure how much Windows stuff I will run into during college.</p>
<p>As you can see, I am not a genius on computers, so any help will be appreciated! :)</p>
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You can get a bigger battery if this is a problem. There’s the option of upgrading to either a 6 or 9 cell battery:
With Windows 7, you should be able to get even more battery life out of the same hardware. Also remember that you can carry an ThinkPad extra battery around if you really need more battery life.</p>
<p>Steve Jobs, on the other hand, has decided in His ultimate wisdom to make the MacBook batteries unremovable.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE=Sysilia]
virus/ protection (I probably need to install all the softwares…)
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You don’t really need anti-virus software (it doesn’t really do much of anything), but if you feel more comfortable with it, just get the [AVG</a> Free Edition](<a href=“http://www.avg.com/]AVG”>http://www.avg.com/).</p>
<p>Notebookreview is a great source for these kinds of things. I would suggest reading the reviews given for both machines you are looking at. But, the Lenovo T400 is a beast of a machine. If you want, you can also get used Lenovos at the Lenovo Outlet for much cheaper than their newer counterparts. I would also agree with srunni in that, if those are your only choices, it’s definitely the Lenovo.</p>
<p>Be aware that your school will likely require virus scans. The main thing is to pick the computer you want and the only way is to think about it and look at them.</p>
<p>Mac can satisfy some daily requirment like Word and PPT on windows. Office has a Mac version too, though iWork might be better.
if you buy Mac and you really need some windows stuff, you can use Bootcamp to run a windows (XP) but the performance is kind of poor. Anyway, only apple-related products can be 100% recognized by apple, windows is just something not welcome to Jobs.</p>
<p>srunni - I do believe that the Mac battery is removable, if you take the casing off the bottom of the laptop. You’ll have to get it serviced to remove it, but it is definitely possible. </p>
<p>Anyway - Mac can run Windows on Boot Camp, so if you NEED Windows, it’ll be there. I don’t know how much Windows-only software you’ll run into with your major, but a lot of programs offer a Mac version these days. A lot of people here are going really pro-Lenovo (which is fine, it’s a good computer) but you will definitely need anti-virus software, regardless of what sunni posted. (sorry haha) However, AVG is the best anti-virus software I’ve used, and it’s free! My Dell came with a free 2 year subscription to McAfee, so your Lenovo may come with something similar, or a different program.</p>
<p>I can’t speak on how long the Lenovo will last you, my mom just received a new Lenovo a couple months ago, so I personally have no idea how long it would last you. But, I do know students who have bought MacBook’s in their first year of college, and used it right up until their senior year, or upgrading in their junior year.</p>
<p>Sorry to sound really pro-Mac, but I just wanted to make sure you got the other side of the arguments I’m seriously considering a Lenovo or a MacBook Pro as my next computers, so I understand the decision you’re making now!</p>
srunni - I do believe that the Mac battery is removable, if you take the casing off the bottom of the laptop.
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Yes, you can remove it, but that will void the warranty. His Holiness the Jobsmeister doesn’t believe the common people should be permitted to do something as sacred as replacing a battery.</p>
<p>Stop Jobs and Apple bashing and be objective. I run Windows on boot camp and it works very well. I’ve also run it under VMWare and it also works fine. I’ve also used Linux on my Mac. Now some of you dudes may want to pick at some technical aspect but this is an advice forum for college not your personal grindstone.</p>
<p>for the price of a mac I can get on a pc:
get twice the amount of RAM
get a faster processor
get more memory
get a better battery life</p>
<p>I just bought a lenovo T400 that has a 6 cell battery, 4G ram, 2.4 Intel processor, 320 gb hard drive for $1000CAD, which is like $900. that’s half the price of the new macbook, and probably a third of the price of one that has comparable specs.</p>
<p>
you don’t see PCs running Leopard, but you see Macs running Windows. hmmmm. </p>
<p>from a practical perspective, get the T400 because ThinkPads are reliable, fast, and half the price of a mac. (for anti-virus, PC Tools has a good free one. and get free Spybot SD if you’re paranoid about spyware)</p>
<p>to be fair, you would see a lot more pc’s on leopard if the hardware were compatable. its very difficult to get it running because it was made for a very specific set of hardware, while windows wasn’t designed for that at all.</p>
<p>You’re joking, right? If it was possible (speaking in layman’s terms), I’d wager many people would be dual-booting OS X on their PCs. The ability to dual-boot is a convenience.</p>
<p>And you should really check out your pricing figures, rather than just pulling them out of your far-off imagination. </p>
<p>I just went through Lenovo’s store, and custom built a T400 with stats you spoke of (and others in order to actually make the computers comparable)…</p>
<p>4gb DDR3 RAM
320GB 5400 HDD
2.4 processor
6 cell battery
LED backlit screen with camera
Bluetooth
DVD Burning <a href=“tray%20loading”>b</a>**</p>
<p>My price was $1343 (That’s the “sale price”. Original price would be $1734.)</p>
<p>A new MacBook would set you back $950. That’s $393 less. Not exactly twice as much as your Lenovo.</p>
<p>Now, a MacBook Pro with the following features would set you back $1440, which is not even $100 more than the T400 configuration. Not anywhere close to twice as much, let alone the three times figure you spewed out.</p>
<p>4gb DDR3 RAM
320GB 5400 HDD
2.53 processor <a href=“faster”>b</a>**
Apple’s battery <a href=“longer%20life,%20both%20charges%20and%20use,%20and%20doesn’t%20stick%20out%20the%20back%20of%20your%20notebook”>b</a>**
LED backlit screen with camera
Bluetooth
DVD Burning <a href=“slot%20loading”>b</a>**</p>
<p>Prices are based on both company’s online retail stores.</p>
<p>People here want advice based on facts. If you don’t have anything constructive to add to discussions, don’t bother contributing.</p>
<p>That’s a very good point, but I think you forgot (Or you just weren’t aware) that Lenovo has 25% off sales w/ ecoupons for their Thinkpads constantly, and many people take advantage of this. So instead of $1343, it would be, $1007.25.</p>
<p>$899
4gb DDR3 RAM
160GB hard drive 7200 RPM (less memory, but faster)
2.26 processor
6 cell battery
LED backlit screen with camera
Bluetooth
DVD Burning</p>
<p>not the exact specs, but most people won’t miss the extra hard drive space. and this $899 price is without any discounts. </p>
<p>
many people find the battery makes a very convenient handle (taken directly from reviews). also, I challenge you to prove that the battery life is longer. Apple can claim 7 hours. found some reviews/tests, and macbook pro users say anywhere between 3-5 hours on normal use.</p>
<p>
yeah, because Apple doesn’t let you buy from anyone else. buying a pc from the manufacturer is generally much more expensive</p>
<p>edit: “If you buy a Mac, you get an ipod touch.”
well, can’t argue with free stuff. very crafty of apple to offer something free that they can make more money off of (apps, advertising), they certainly do better marketing.</p>
I’m seriously considering a Lenovo or a MacBook Pro as my next computers, so I understand the decision you’re making now!</p>