<p>I'm going to be a freshman MT next year, and I'm trying to figure out which would be best for an MT major...a Mac, PC, or iPad? Figured I'd ask on here for some input from others with MT students!</p>
<p>Mac all the way! We just got one for my daughter for her freshman year and my son already has one and loves it! With an ipad- there’s no DVD and with a mac, there are no viruses! Right now, you get $100 off and $100 to use at the apple store for apps, music, or videos.</p>
<p>My daughter took a Mac with her freshman year. If you have an iphone, it’s even better, as you can record voice lessons etc. and then put them directly onto your computer. The 2 together give you soooo many options!</p>
<p>If cost is an issue, Mac’s cost twice as much as PC’s for the same specs:</p>
<p>MacBook Pro
$1,199.99
500GB HDD
Intel Core i5
4 GB Memory
13.3" Display</p>
<p>Dell Inspiron 15R
$599.99
500GB HDD
Intel Core i5
6 GB Memory
15.6" Display</p>
<p>(Ok, the PC shown actually has a little bit BETTER specs than the Mac…)</p>
<p>Mac devotees firmly believe its worth the extra money.</p>
<p>Check the Apple store online for refurbished models and close outs. We got great deals on our girls MacBooks about three years ago. The nice thing about Macs besides the fact that they WORK is that they hold some value over the years. I recently sold a very old non working MacBook (7 years old, I never did figure out what was wrong with it; only Mac in over 20 years that died on me) for $200 on eBay. Try doing that with a 7 yo PC. :). my D isn’t in college yet, but she does record herself at voice lessons all the time on her iPhone and uses both the computer and phone for prepping auditions and practicing for shows.</p>
<p>^^Agree with Walker1194
After having such good luck with our refurbished MacBook Pro, we bought one for our son for college. It has worked very well for him since Tx State uses Macs pretty extensively. We would have done the same for our daughter, but we were spared the cost of a computer since Coastal Carolina provides laptops for kids in the honors program! It’s a PC, but she’s been happy because it’s free and because Coastal tends to use more PC’s so there are not compatibility problems. Coastal was planning to eliminate this perk for the class of 2016, but it appears that it will continue for them and possibly beyond.</p>
<p>I am actually getting an iPhone for graduation–so excited! so it would be nice to have the two so compatible for voice lessons and such. But like others mentioned, macs are just soo much more expensive. Guess I’ll have to talk to my parents thanks everyone!!</p>
<p>One more suggestion, which may seem a bit quirky: if you have an iPhone, and/or can get an iPad, you may not need a laptop. My older kids (one in college, one in grad school) each have desktop computers–they last a lot longer and for us have been a better value (both are Macs, though). They carry the iPad or iPhone with them to class and work back in their apartments on the desktops. A flash drive takes care of moving files around. Many of my colleagues use their iPad with an attached keyboard for everything–again, a lot less expensive than a laptop! Just a thought…as the old Apple ads used to say, “think different!”</p>
<p>I’m a PC guy, but even I admit that the Macs are a better value as well. My daughter has had a MacBook since she started 7th grade and that’s what she will be taking to college with her iPhone. We will be getting her an iPad with the attached keyboard for classes. Every school that we’ve talked to prefers Macs and has support on campus.</p>
<p>@lalamusicmuse
Look at refurbished Macs - they are rebuilt so work like new. At least put it into your list of options. As I said, we’ve purchased 2 with significant savings and have had excellent results.</p>
<p>I will definitely have to look into that…can you buy the refurbished ones from the apple store?</p>
<p>You can buy refurbished Macs on the Apple Store site. The cheapest refurbed Macbook pro yesterday was $929. Macbook Air’s are cheaper (around $750) but they have some distinct limitations.</p>
<p>For comparison, a refurbished Dell laptop with the same specs is aournd $400 at the Dell outlet. If you drop down to an Intel i3 processor, you can get one for around $350 (probably less if you shop around).</p>
<p>PC’s can also easily interface with iPhones, although my kids use Tascam DR-08’s for sound recording instead of their phones because of the superior sound quality, although you do have to mess with one more thing ($80 online).</p>
<p>I suggest that you check with the MT department first to determine whether the school recommends and supports one operating system or another and what specs are recommended. At UArts, for example, all students are required to have MacBooks. The particular model and specs vary from program to program. The school loads specialty software on the MacBooks depending on the degree program and offers tech support. Windows based laptops are not an option because the school has made a decision to base its entire curricular IT structure on the Mac OS.</p>
<p>Other schools will be different and the reality is that absent school dictates, both MacBooks and Windows laptops will serve an MT student just fine. There are pluses and minus to both, in terms of price and software. Mac productivity software such as word processing, calendar, contacts, financial are kludges compared to Windows versions. Windows media software is much more limited than on Macs. ITunes works just fine on both as do vocal recorders and IPhones. After 4 years, I rejuvenated my daughter’s MacBook Pro by installing more memory and a new larger hard drive. After 4 years I bought myself a new Windows laptop for not much more. Whichever you get, make absolutely sure to get a student insurance policy that covers accidental damage to electronics (they are cheap). If you get a Windows laptop, get a 3 year onsite manufacturers extended service policy that covers accidental damage. Trust me, these coverages will be used at least once over the 4 years!</p>
<p>Get a computer with a CD ROM drive. You’ll almost definitely need it, especially as a music student.</p>
<p>If you get a Mac, get AppleCare. It is expensive, but it will more than pay for itself if anything happens.</p>
<p>One nice thing about Macs: the Genius Bar. If anything goes wrong, you can bring it to one place and talk to one person and he/she will figure out what’s wrong with it and how to fix it. No waiting on hold forever with people who don’t understand the problem because they can’t see your computer. </p>
<p>I have a friend who uses an iPad and keyboard and swears by it. I don’t own an iPad, so I’ve never tried it, but she loves it. Regardless, though, you will want a laptop for writing papers (I’d say choose a laptop over a desktop just for sheer portability—you can’t bring a desktop to the library).</p>
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<p>It is true that you can get a LOT more computing power for your money with a PC. D has an iPhone and a laptop PC and that’s working well for her.</p>
<p>@Momcares: The front end cost of a Mac is worth it because no one has time to keep a PC up and running. Time is money! :D</p>
<p>Perhaps for many it is worth it, but we are a family of engineers and have had no trouble keeping PCs up and running. We also like Apple products, and own lots of iPads, iPods and iPhones, but D chose not to spend the extra $ for a Mac and has been fine with her PC, which for less than 1/2 the price of a Mac has twice the power and a 3 year full maintenance contract.</p>
<p>Macs are great too, but are more expensive. ;-D</p>
<p>Macs are also not immune to virus attacks:</p>
<p>[Think</a> Apple’s Got Your Back? 600K Trojan Virus Attacks Say Otherwise - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/adriankingsleyhughes/2012/04/05/why-you-should-install-antivirus-on-your-mac/]Think”>Think Apple's Got Your Back? 600K Trojan Virus Attacks Say Otherwise)</p>
<p>I completely agree with MichaelNKat, wisdowsomehow, and MomCares. I think Michael gave some great advice.</p>