I understand that there are many threads regarding this question, but I am having trouble finding a solid response. I’m currently a high school senior and will be going into biomedical engineering this fall. I honestly don’t know what computer performance or software this major requires. Anyone in this major have a laptop of preference? For my whole life, I have been using Windows, so I have no experience with the ios operating system.
Macs run OSX, iPhones/iPods/etc run iOS (minor detail, but #geek).
I’d say if you have been using windows your entire life, it would be fine to stick with it. Generally for engineering stuff, windows is more accepted because more programs run on it (you can run windows programs on a mac using Parallels or bootcamp and stuff, but it can be a real pain). I have no idea what biomedical engineering necessitates though, so other opinions would be valuable.
IMO, windows will be good, it would be a harder question if you have used a mac all your life (like me), and have to try to deal with learning windows for college.
It also is OK to ask your department for a recommendation. They may have specific models that they prefer you to have, not just Mac vs PC.
I’m an iOS Developer myself so I would be a little biased but Mac would be a better choice.
(also, iphones, ipads, etc run iOS. Macs run OS X)
if you’re going into computer science get a mac. Windows does NOT have all IDE’s while mac does. if you don’t know what an IDE, don’t even bother applying as a comp sci major. (but you are not so you’re fine)
Macs have their own app store which has lots of apps good for school.
Is your school Windows-friendly or Mac-friendly?
PC Gaming Master Race!!!
On a serious note, it depends on the school. Specs and OS preferences vary by institution. For example, Stanford is pro-mac (I believe) while RPI and Purdue are pro-pc.
Check with the college itself. Some programs are very explicit about their preferences. Find out what sort of service and repair are offered on campus. An accepted students’ or parents’ FB group might be helpful for exactly this sort of inquiry.
I don’t like anything I can’t fix myself if needed and costs 4 times more than a comparable product from another company… So I would say Windows PC takes the cake, although I do want to try Linux and Mac eventually as well.
On a serious not though, If you are using it for work/school/design Mac is probably a better choice overall although PC is fine as well. For casual/home use get a PC because there is no real reason to buy a product that can’t run as many programs as Windows that generally costs 2-3 times as much. If you like messing around with coding get Linux, you can mod Linux out WAY more than Windows/OSX and you get free upgrades.
Totally irrelevant from an academic point of view. Pick the one you like best.
Get both.
Speaking as a current BME major it doesn’t REALLY matter which one you get. I personally got a PC because i’ve been a windows guy for my entire life, but I know several people who use Macs and who haven’t had a problem .
When you choose a specialty you might find that one OS or the other serves your needs better . For example if you choose to go into instrumentation and robotics you’d be best served with a windows PC since some specialized programs (most notably SolidWorks) only work on Windows. On the other hand if you chose to go into computational Biology you might find a Mac or Linux machine more useful. But that’s something you can decide later.
Also, dual booting and virtual machines are your friends.
Thanks for all the advice everyone! I’m planning on buying the HP envy 17. Think it will suffice?
What are the specs?
It should be sufficient for most of the stuff you’ll do, though it may be a bit lightweight for more complex labs or projects. A version with a higher voltage i7 may be better. The MQ-labeled i7’s offer much more performance than the U-labeled i7’s.
The 17", 6.33 lb. model is going to be large to lug around for four years. Many want 13 - 15" max.
@ItsHydro - “if you don’t know what an IDE, don’t even bother applying as a comp sci major”
Really? That’s more than a bit harsh and not true. You don’t need to have programming experience starting out to be a successful CS major. I’ve seen it plenty of times. Sometimes it’s the students with loads of programming experience who are the most frustrating for me as a TA, since they think they already know everything and refuse to ever admit their ignorance. (I’ve been a TA for an introductory CS class for 5 semesters, and I was one of those who started with no programming experience.) Sorry if you didn’t mean anything harsh by it, but this sort of attitude is what intimidated me about CS and turns off a lot of other people who think they could never be good programmers because they don’t already know how to code. Everyone has to start somewhere.
Also, to the OP - from experience, I recommend against getting a 17" laptop if you’re going to be carrying it with you everywhere. It’s a hassle. I now have a 14" laptop and it’s much more manageable. It doesn’t feel that much smaller in terms of screen real estate since it has the same resolution (1600x900, same as the one you posted about). In this case, Mac vs. PC is mostly a matter of preference. I don’t like Mac because of the price and Apple’s company philosophy for highly proprietary, closed systems. I’m a programmer, though, so Windows is a mess. I love my Thinkpad with Ubuntu, but plenty of other options would work fine as well for what you need.
@nanotechnology I didn’t meant to be harsh, I just know people who got into Computer Science only because of the salaries… they ended up being very frustrated with coding and ended up transferring majors.
It is sad.
But I know lots of people like you who wanted to learn to code at college, which I absolutely love.
My mission right now is finding people in my county and getting them interested in learning to code and the amazing things you can do with it. 
There is nothing better than sharing that programming feeling with other people 
Yes, I totally agree that there are people going at it for the wrong reasons! If you pick something just for the money and you end up hating it or being bad it, you’ll be miserable!