I have a Windows laptop but I’m getting a new laptop for college. I know PC is a lot better then Mac in almost everythingm but which would be able to help me succeed in college?
By this I mean which laptop has better apps/programs I can use to help me succeed?
“I know PC is a lot better then Mac in almost everythingm”
macbook air is the best college laptop because of the amazing battery life (and superior OS X operating system)
I would checkout slickdeals for some slick deals and pick one up.
Macbook Pro with retina display is really cool as well but it costs more and the battery life kinda sucks. Retina display is useful tho.
Either will help you succeed as you’ll be able to run whichever programs are necessary on both. After that, the differences are in OS, quality control, and longevity. Apples will last longer, get fewer viruses (which slows your computer down significantly), and hold their value if you choose to sell/trade. A non-Apple will be cheaper and provide an OS that you’re apparently already familiar with.
I went with the Apple because I played with a few Macbooks and really liked the fit/finish and how ‘nice’ it felt. Yes, it was more expensive, but that MacBook I bought lasted me 6 years. If you go the Apple route I suggest you either get a school discount (I think it’s either 10% or $100 off) or get a refurbished (you won’t even be able to tell that it’s not brand new).
Good luck!
@bomerr
The OS is a matter of preference, X is really not “superior”, though it is optimized better than windows. But that’s like saying that water is wet or poison is poisonous. For battery life, Lenovo’s T-Series thinkpads (t440s, I believe) has a $5 extended battery that gives over 15 hours of usage. And for some degree programs, windows is preferable.
Also, PLEASE don’t use the term “retina display”. It’s completely pointless and is simply an advertising buzzword that means absolutely nothing. Please refer to the screen by its actual resolution, 2880 x 1800 (you can say 1800p). Like 4k sreens, which are actually QFHD (4k is also a marketing buzzword), this resolution is unnecessary on a screen that’s 15 inches or less. 1080p is perfectly fine for smaller laptops.
Judging from the first post, though, OP should really be focusing on a laptop with a better keyboard, so that they won’t have as many typos 
I recommend the MSI GT80 Titan :trollface:
Also, keep in mind that you can also boot Windows on a Mac. That way, you can get the battery life and durability of a Mac and the feel of a PC all in one! However, if cost is an issue, there are quite a bit good PCs out there at a lower price. I’ve heard that Lenovo Thinkpads are pretty good.
The brand of your laptop is not going to affect your success in college.
Neither one of them is objectively “better” than the other; people have subjective preferences, but by and large for the average user the Mac and PC do the same things. Many flagship apps are available on both platforms these days, and for almost everything that is PC-exclusive there’s a Mac equivalent. You can use Microsoft Office on both platforms (Excel for Windows might have some more functionality if you are a business major); Evernote, Chrome, Wunderlist, Firefox, Kindle, and other apps work on both platforms. I will say that it is a bit easier for me to find free and cheap productivity apps for Apple just because of the App Store, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist for Windows - you just have to look for them. I will also say that I do like Apple’s baked-in applications - so Mail, Calendar, and Safari but also Pages, Keynote, and Numbers.
I personally am a Mac user, so my recommendation is almost always a Mac - but that’s just because I, personally, like it better. I like the build quality - Macs are legendary for their longevity. I prefer the operating system to Windows, especially the new Windows 8 (although they are coming out with a Windows 10). And the battery life on Macs is way better than the battery life on the vast majority of PC laptops out there. The two main choices for a laptop from Apple are the MacBook Pro and the MacBook Air.
The MacBook Pro’s battery life only “sucks” in comparison to the Air’s. The 13" MacBook Pro can get 9 hours of battery life. The 13" MacBook Air can get 12 hours of life. And when Apple says X hours they really do mean that many hours, even if you are on WiFi. With WiFi on (but Bluetooth off) and doing moderate-level activity I can still get 5-6 hours of life out of my non-Retina MacBook Pro, and it’s 3 years old. With WiFi off I can eke out 7 hours, which I think was the advertised capacity when I bought the computer (I don’t remember). Anyway, long battery life is only a plus for a college student - that means you can tote your computer with you anywhere and still take notes and pound out some work.
It’s not going to make a difference. Neither one of them is going to “help you succeed” as opposed to the other. Unless you’re using your laptop for very specialized things, you’re not likely to find anything that only one of them can do. If you’re a computer science major, you almost certainly want a PC. If you’re anything aside from a computer science major, it doesn’t really matter. You’ll get a lot more performance out of a PC than you will out of a Mac for the same price.
Personally, I’ll probably never own a Mac. I don’t have any particular brand loyalty by any means, but PC’s consistently offer a far better product in equivalent price brackets.
Just to reiterate…don’t kid yourself into thinking that a PC is going to help you succeed more than a Mac or vice-versa. Unless you are a CS major, your main college-related uses for your computer are going to be typing papers, reading your books (if you have digital copies), and doing research for papers. Aside from that, basically anything else you do will just come down to web browsing (online course components, online gradebooks, online homework submission).
Which one are you more familiar with?
Which one supports the apps that you most have to use at college?
Which one is used in your industry when you graduate?
Which one is supported/suggested by your college’s IT dept?
How do you use it? Do you need to be able to put in CDs/DVDs? USB?
Do you do gaming as well? DO you need horsepower for compiling programs?
I have a Lenovo PC and I’m pretty happy with it. Not the most amazing battery life, but it last through constant use in four classes plus some, so that’s good enough for me. Also, no problems with viruses yet - my antivirus software seems pretty strong. I can’t afford a Mac anyway, so…I’m probably biased. 
But I would say that you should get the system that you’re comfortable with.
There’s too many applications that won’t run on a PC and there’s too many professors who will just laugh at you when you complain that your Mac can’t run whatever it is they expect you to run.
It depends on what you plan on doing with it. I know some engineering and business programs run better on Windows, while art/design run better on Mac.
Also, do you plan on using it to take notes, or will it be sitting at home all day?