<p>I'm thinking about buying a college computer. I'm a business/econ major; I'm looking for something that is versatile, sturdy, nice looking, fast, and better if there is a longer battery life.</p>
<p>About the Tablet PC's... are the writing things actually useful in the college lecture? or simply paper and pencil the old solution?</p>
<p>There are two threads on your topics. One thread is on the new Macbook Air and the other is on Tablet PC note-taking. Look further down on the College computer page.</p>
<p>The Macbook Air is considered a second or third computer for most users. It is not a replacement for a standard laptop. There is no optical drive except as an external option ($99). There is no wired ethernet connection. Again, a USB/ethernet dongle is needed. There is a wireless N built in, but that may not do you any good in a typical dorm room where there may only be a wired ethernet connection.</p>
<p>Finally, while the shiny aluminum looks cool, I hope you don't have greasy or damp fingers. I would be concerned about it slipping out of my hand. A $1800 "Ouch"!</p>
<p>As for Tablets, they can be as expensive as the MacBook Air. You can take notes using paper and pencil, but you can't search your paper notes like you could notes taken on a Tablet PC. And you can't annotate your paper notes with web pages as you can with a Tablet PC. </p>
<p>You could use a regular laptop to type in your class notes, but in math and econ classes, a laptop does you no good. It's back to paper and pencil or using a Tablet.</p>
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The Macbook Air is considered a second or third computer for most users. It is not a replacement for a standard laptop.
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<p>because a tablet PC is....? the OP is asking Air or tablet, not Air or Inspiron or something, remember.</p>
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Finally, while the shiny aluminum looks cool, I hope you don't have greasy or damp fingers.
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<p>there are plenty of laptops with metal cases (Dell latitude...), and it's not as if most of the plastics manufacturers use are much stickier.</p>
<p>just thought i'd address those two things. the rest, as the above said, can be found elsewhere. but do note that the dock for a tablet PC is still more expensive than just buying peripherals for an Air, if you wish to use it as a normal computer.</p>
<p>They do make tablets that can pull enough to be a full on laptop. Maybe not a desktop replacement, but a wide variety of ports and expansion slots. </p>
<p>MBA: Waste of money in my opinion (everyone is entitled to their own). It's expensive for what you get. You get weight and thickness... battery is going to suck by the end of four years, the internal hard drive is a more fragile (1.8", the same style as iPods) and not very fast. Virtually no ports...</p>
<p>Tablet PC: Depends on the one you get. I've read that the Lenovo ThinkPads are the closest to the true "pad and paper experience".</p>
<p>There are two types of tablet screens: pressure and pen. Pressure relies on how hard you push. Upside is that you can use fingers if you want, downside is it's much less precise. Pen ones require a specific tablet pen (it comes with them), but they are much more precise and closer to true pen and paper.</p>
<p>Two tablet types: Tablet only and convertible. Convertibles are usually a little bit more expensive and thicker, but you get a real keyboard that has a hinge- it'll rotate into a tablet mode.</p>
<p>Tablets are really a "try it" thing, your local Best Buy / Circuit City might have them (although I wouldn't get them there b/c they are not price competitive). Try the tablets, and if the writing onscreen seems intuitive, order one.</p>
<p>My handwriting is garbage, so I wouldn't get a tablet ;)</p>
<p>how about the IBM x61tablet PC? I've taken a look at that one.. and it doesn't seem so bad</p>
<p>I have the Lenovo x61. It's really very excellent. Great writing and stuff. MS OneNote (not-taking software) can be a bit buggy, but otherwise great.</p>
<p>compare the MacBook Air to the ThinkPad X300 if you want to compare similar computers.</p>
<p>I've been using a laptop all through highschool (my handwriting/spelling is so bad teachers prefer i type all assignments). I have the IBM X40, a 12in 3lb laptop with a new 8hr battery. This doesn't have a CD/dvd drive; and in four years I have one 20-30 times. I can download all of the software/music/videos I want to. </p>
<p>As for the Mac Book Air, they look cool are light weight, but they don't have enough ports. You can not plug in a mouse and a keyboard at the same time without buying a usb-splitter. Also, on many occation I have run a projector off of my notebook, but with the mac u will need to carry an adapter ($$). </p>
<p>having used a laptop for notes a tablit is easier for diagrams and graphs drawn on the bored. If ur going to a school that uses a lot of powerpoints, u can get them from their. or for the same price it costs to get the touch screen u can buy a cheep camera/cellphone and take a picture of the bored after class. </p>
<p>I have heard, but don't kno first hand, but i've heard that companies have not figured out how to make the joint on tablet computers sturdy. I have also heard that the touch screen makes the lcd more fragile. don't kno if either are tru, but things to worry about.</p>
<p>Either way I highly recommend a program called Microsoft OneNote. This is imperative for note taking. organizes ur notes, allows quick access, and fast searches. you can use ur mouse to draw on the screen, not as easy but... I don't kno if its out for mac's yet, but I'd buy windows just for it.</p>
<p>thanks so much skijon</p>
<p>Sure the macbook air is great and all. It's good for college too. But yeah skijon has a point. </p>
<p>You might want to consider a macbook air after college when you're rich and all:D</p>
<p>Good luck</p>
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As for the Mac Book Air, they look cool are light weight, but they don't have enough ports. You can not plug in a mouse and a keyboard at the same time without buying a usb-splitter.
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<p>i agree with the not-enough-ports deal, but the Air has a full-size keyboard...so an external one isn't really required.</p>
<p>well why cant i just get a usb hub or splitter? are those expensive? I doubt i'll need 23 USB ports on the go anyway.. right?</p>
<p>But by carrying around a USB hub, it's another thing to lose, it's thicker than the MBA itself, if you want powered USB hubs (many devices without seperate power adapters require quite a bit of juice) you have a power brick to carry around.</p>
<p>You may not need a ton of USB devices, but you'd probably want more than one.</p>
<p>From a coolness standpoint, the MBA is neat. From a value standpoint, the MBA is horrible.</p>
<p>Who carries around a USB hub (serious question)?</p>
<p>well i mean when im stationed... so in my dorm room i will have a hub... my point is... do i really need more than one usb hub when im outside/away from my dorm? because i have a full sized keyboard, my touchpad is really neat... I COULD stick a flashdrive if i need it.. what else?</p>
<p>oh one more thing, does the macbook air usb drive support the projector? if i get one of those usb -> projector inserter thingies.. how much would it cost? thanks</p>
<p>you can get a cheap minidvi --> dvi or vga and use the projector. </p>
<p>I also rarely use usb ports or even the dvd drive (can't remember the last time I popped in a disk). </p>
<p>For external mouse/keyboard, bluetooth rocks. Apple has a wired keyboard with 2 extra usb ports on it too.</p>
<p>like eveybody said, a MacBook air is more like a second/backu/mobility laptop. The battery life is pretty short...around three hours</p>
<p>The MacBook air, while it looks nice, offers horrible bang for the buck. With it, you are buying the right to say "I spent at least 1800 on a computer that, from any other maker that didn't care about how thick it was, would cost at least half that." The MacBook Air is to look pretty while not doing anything work intensive.</p>