Mac or Lenovo Debate

<p>Okay, so I've always been a PC and Windows person, but I always hear people praising Mac. Which one should I get for ND?</p>

<p>Some things that may factor into my decision (maybe you can help out):</p>

<p>a) I will probably be a business student if that will make a difference.
b) Does Mac get the on-campus warranty thing too? (where you can go into OIT at any time for help).
c) I currently have all my iTunes on a PC so will it get lost when I switch it over to a Mac if that's the computer I decide to get?</p>

<p>Please give suggestions and reasoning. Thank you!</p>

<p>it all depends on what you want and can afford.</p>

<p>do you want something on it's looks?</p>

<p>or it's compatibility with everything.</p>

<p>are you going to play games or use extremely heavy cpu/gfx card based programs?</p>

<p>how much are you willing to spend?</p>

<p>yeah, well i know im lucky to be in this position (so i don't need people to chew me out for saying this), but the money part isn't as much of an issue.</p>

<p>i'm not really worrried about looks so much, i mean that's nice, but it's not a huge concern.</p>

<p>i would like a good amount of compatibility. i need to be able to do homework on it and present it in class i would assume.</p>

<p>and im not a huge computers game person. i play the occasional game on addictinggames.com haha.</p>

<p>but yeah, i really will use it more for:
1) homework
2) surfing the web
3) iTunes
4) AIM, etc</p>

<p>I'd go Lenovo for sure. I'm gonna order my laptop in the next month or so, and I already know that I'm definitely getting a Lenovo. The way I see it, why learn the shortcuts and tricks of an entirely new OS when I already am well-versed in Windows? Granted, I have never used Vista, but I'm sure I could figure out everything I need to know in the first day of use.</p>

<p>A lot of business and poli sci people get Macs though because they are trying to be trendy. It really depends on whether you are a form guy or a function guy. Or a form follows function guy (like me).</p>

<p>My son comparing the 2 also. Actually pricing not so different from what we see. Mac will give 100.00 rebate towards a printer. But on the flip side the Thinkpad had a 4 year warranty. Mac has a one year and you pay abt 183.00 for an additional 2 years.</p>

<p>He is use to both programs. The iTunes is a biggie because he has so many songs!! May go for the Thinkpad and get an ipod classic which will hold 20,000 songs lol.</p>

<p>My son wants the Lenovo model where you can write on it. This new version is coming out in December.</p>

<p>BobbyC, based on what you say you want to use it for, I'd say go for a Mac. I know many business students who use Macs without compatibility problems. You shouldn't have any problem with homework (there is a Mac version of Microsoft Office, and most online course systems you'll use at ND are Mac compatible), web surfing (you'll no longer need to worry about viruses or spyware), or IM (a lot of people here use the built-in iChat program, which works over AIM, gTalk, MSN, etc.). Macs can also run Windows as well, so you can still run Windows applications if you ever need to.</p>

<p>OIT will service Macs just as any other PC.</p>

<p>You should be able to move your iTunes music over to a Mac without a problem (iTunes is an Apple product after all); the same goes for any PC should you choose to go with that.</p>

<p>thanks to everyone so far... another question as well, other than the discount, are there any benefits to buying the computer through ND?</p>

<p>If you bring your own computer, will OIT still work on it if there is a problem?</p>

<p>If you are a current student, which type of computer did you bring and how has it worked out?</p>

<p>if you bring your own computer, i'm pretty sure they will work on it, but it just won't be covered under warranty and/or break the warranty of the original company you bought it with.</p>

<p>personally, i wouldn't go with either lenovo or mac because i want a customized one for my needs and neither cover it w/o spending alot of money.</p>

<p>instead, i got a customized laptop that has everything i want/need. saves me money and hassle.</p>