<p>i already have a pc laptop, but it's starting to show it's age, (keyboard problems+α) so i'm thinking about getting another laptop..</p>
<p>should i go w/ a pc or a mac?
i've heard that there are more mac users @ cornell...
are there any dis/advantages for using either? </p>
<p>i was also debating whether i should just get myself a netbook instead, since i already have a laptop...
and for the wildest moment, considered getting an ipad but it really doesn't seem
practical ;)</p>
<p>i'm really leaning towards a mac, so does anyone have any recommendations?</p>
That’s not true. Although I don’t have the stats, but I’m pretty sure the maximum it could reach is 50-50.
Depends on what you need/want. What’s cool about mac is that you can have dual OS (can also do this in PC, but need more work to do). So, you can still get the software for PCs installed to your mac.</p>
<p>you just see a lot of mac people carry their laptop around. id say theres more PC on campus than macs, it IS kinda like 10 brands vs 1 so it makes sense that PC should be more…</p>
<p>Netbooks are super convenient, but it’s a hassle to do much more than word processing/basic internet stuff on it. It’s a lot less to carry if you think you’ll want to type your notes in class, though (but take into consideration that the keyboards often take a little getting used to). </p>
<p>Netbook + old PC laptop would work just fine, but I do love my Mac, and I highly recommend them. :)</p>
<p>Lots of MIT folks use Macs these days. Why? Because on today’s Macs they can flip between real McCoy UNIX (which current day Macs are underneath the standard GUI), Linux, Microsoft Windows (natively through Bootcamp, or concurrently through powerful virtualizing software), and of course the default Mac. Why would you think that a substantial percentage of MITers wouldn’t appreciate this kind of versatility? Visit MIT’s campus someday and check it out.</p>
<p>Either one will work fine but Macs will usually cost you more.</p>
<p>Although I’m a fan of Windows, for most everyone, all OSs are the same for all intent purposes and you can do the same thing with either Mac or Windows.</p>
<p>haha, why the mit discussion @ the cornell forum…? =D</p>
<p>yeah, i would like to go w/ a mac, if it wasn’t for the price difference
what price (range)/ model mac would be appropriate for a college freshman?
any recommendations?</p>
<p>i’m not planning to do anything particularly fancy w/ my laptop.</p>
<p>This is a sweeping generalization, but it will probably work for you.</p>
<p>If you are majoring in engineering (or specifically electrical/computer engineering or computer science) you might be better of with a windows based PC in the long run. Or if you think you are computer savvy enough to figure it out, get a mac and dual boot/bootcamp Windows on it.</p>
<p>Otherwise, get a mac. They are more expensive but do tend to have better quality equipment and warranties, plus, you rarely have to worry about software problems or malicious software.</p>
<p>Well, your link shows apple in fourth place, which isn’t bad. It beats out both HP and Dell which are likely the most popular/bestselling of the brands.</p>
<p>The overall ease of use/reliability of OSX over windows, and lower virus susceptibility is still quite important I think. I myself am solely a windows person, and thought that people at Cornell would be more computer savvy then they were, but that was not the case.</p>
<p>I helped fix a few of my friend’s windows based laptops last year in my dorm, and some had the regular slowdown from spyware and such, but there were some horrifying problems that even I had difficulty fixing. For example, this one Vista laptop suddenly stopped running any 32 bit programs, which is pretty much everything. The only solution I could find was replacing these certain files deep down in the Windows folder from an identical laptop, and half of the trouble was gaining permission to overwrite them. I myself also encountered a nasty virus on my laptop that was frustratingly difficult to remove, requiring safe mode and registry searching to disable and delete.</p>
<p>For the average student at Cornell, a encounter of something like that would be a nightmare, and imagine it happening the night before an essay is due? Not to say it couldn’t happen on a mac, but it is more likely on windows.</p>