<p>Does Dartmouth have a preference?</p>
<p>I don't know about that - but my son bought the MAC this year as a first time Mac user - and loves it.</p>
<p>No preference - computer helpdesk provides support and free apps for both. Public computers are probably half and half, though I think most blitz terminals are macs. I bought a PC from the school and there's really no reason other than personal circumstances/preference to choose one over the other.</p>
<p>Like phase2, my D got her first MAC freshman year at Dartmouth. She is joined at the hip to it, loves it and says that she will never be a PC user again.</p>
<p>sybbie:</p>
<p>Is your D planning to ever work in Corporate America (90% PC)? :)</p>
<p>K. I personally prefer Mac, considering its ease of use and array of features.</p>
<p>I can't wait for Apple's summer sale.</p>
<p>My son got a Mac. The reason was that all the PCs were being populated with Vista, and we've heard incredibly bad things about Vista. Mac seemed the safer choice. He's happy as can be.</p>
<p>My son is a freshman and he also got his first Mac at the start of the school year and LOVES it- I doubt if he would ever go back to a PC.</p>
<p>Get a mac! get a mac!!! Good Luck sneamia! Rock your brain off at Dartmouth! :)</p>
<p>Yeah, it really just comes down to what your personal preference is. Both are equally compatible with anything on campus that you'll ever need to do.</p>
<p>If you get the Dells... I know a current student. His Latitude has had a lot of issues (A LOT).</p>
<p>However, Dell has paid more than the value of the machine and bent over backwards to serve him. If you buy the warranty through the school...3 years "CompleteCare" (Drops, spills, etc. are covered) and 3 years "Gold" next day onsite (including weekends!) support. Having the Dell guy do work on a Saturday in your dorm instead of mailing a laptop out or getting a ride to/driving to the Apple store is awesome.</p>
<p>When he went abroad, they had some repair issues (The Dell contractors around our area suck). They paid 1/3 the value of a laptop to ship a BRAND NEW to Europe, 1/3 of the value of the laptop to get the old one back. With his warranty work, they've spent over twice of what the laptop cost, and they didn't have to give him a brand new laptop.</p>
<p>His new Dell has been extremely reliable, and he's been running it for months without any incidences. He had the rare lemon.</p>
<p>Also, some students choose to... "drop their laptops in the bathtub accidentally". If you have no ethical qualms about lying (why I wouldn't do something like that- I'm so clumsy I'd damage it without trying anyways), you can get a new in 2 1/2 years.</p>
<p>A good friend of his is a Mac user- no issues.</p>
<p>Really, compatibility is a nonissue, it's preference. I think the Dell warranty makes them the better buy though.</p>
<p>You never have to mail your laptop out....computer services is actually really good about repairing laptops, and quickly (and free!).</p>
<p>Get a Mac. Spend more time using your computer and less time fixing it, wiping viruses and spyware off it, etc</p>
<p>From what i've heard from my sister, everyone at Dartmouth who doesn't get a mac ends up regretting it. But, if price is an issue, then it is not always the best choice.</p>
<p>That's not true. People that get PCs are just fine. I definitely prefer my PC to a mac</p>
<p>I'm a 09 and my dell latitude is my best buddy. I've had very few problems and nothing that the computer help desk couldn't fix in half hour or so.</p>
<p>Some of my friends have had major problems with their dells, some of seen their macs crash and burn.</p>
<p>I'd say the breakdown between dell and mac users at Dartmouth is about 65/35.</p>
<p>Haha, I see. What about desktop/laptop? I'll be getting the laptop for sure, would it be worth it to lug my desktop up to NH as well? I just don't want to have to worry about battery life constantly, among other trifles.</p>
<p>Actually, that was something I was kinda thinking about for college myself. The Macbook Pro that I want to get would cost me around 3k, but, the other option I could do is get an iMac desktop (for 1.1k), and get a macbook air too (1.8k), it would be less money overall, and it would be very convenient!</p>
<p>Hmm. I don't know anyone who has a desktop at Dartmouth. I think most people just rely on their laptops. Wouldn't it be hard to transfer all your files back and forth all the time?</p>
<p>Also, some desks can be a little tight just with your laptop and textbook on them. I think you'd be downright squished with a desktop on there as well.</p>
<p>I'm a freshman and I purchased the MacBook Pro and I love it. Dartmouth is an incredibly Mac friendly campus; most of the school owned computers are Macs. Every one of my friends who decided to purchase a PC has regretted that decision. The Macs are faster and more stable than the PCs. Also, you don't have to worry about viruses, spyware, etc. Another thing to consider: using BootCamp you can run Windows natively on the Mac; you get the best of both worlds (although you'll soon discover how great OS X is).</p>
<p>Ridonkulous0: I'm like you... I really like being able to have a desktop in my room. As nice as both the iMac and MacBook Air are (I have one at home), I wouldn't recommend getting two computers. This is why I did: I purchased a custom-configured MacBook Pro (15.4", 2.4 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 200 GB HD) that came out to about $3k with AppleCare and then purchased an Apple Cinema Display 20" (about $600), the Apple aluminum wireless keyboard, and an Apple Mighty Mouse. It takes me literally 10 seconds to plug my Cinema Display, speakers, and external hard drives into the laptop. As a result of my set-up, I have a very attractive looking desktop without having to deal with two separate computers.</p>