<p>On October 14th, Apple is going to release newly updated Macbooks that I hear are supposed to be really good. I can wait till summer of next year before I head off to college to get a laptop, so is it worth getting my college laptop now? I'll probably be using my laptop A LOT in college for notes, internet phone via wi-fi, and everything else; and today software is mostly built for Windows so it might be inconvenient. I feel like I'll be getting it just because it's a Mac, so unless these new MacBooks are revolutionary, is it worth getting a Mac for college when I could get a really good Toshiba or Asus?</p>
<p>Thinkpads are a lot better than Toshibas and Asuses.</p>
<p>They aren't out yet so we won't be able to answer your question. Try to get XP if you have a choice though. I personally favor Dell products after Apple.</p>
<p>gettt aaaaaa maacccboookkk.</p>
<p>im from VA too. what city you live in?
:-)</p>
<p>btw, im getting the new macbook when it comes out.</p>
<p>"Thinkpads are a lot better than Toshibas and Asuses."</p>
<p>I'd pick the Asus any day ;) my M50 is doing great</p>
<p>Do you guys definitely recommend a laptop that is 15" or below even if you plan to use it a lot? I was thinking about a 17" powerhouse, but I don't expect to be playing games all the time or anything, but I still want a laptop that is somewhat powerful.</p>
<p>17' is way too big unless you plan on doing gaming. If you're getting a 17' just buy a desktop. It will be annoying to carry that around.</p>
<p>...btw, I had a Macbook during college (the ones released in 2006). I had a Compaq prior to that and it was a pain in the @$$.</p>
<p>I can't wait till tomorrow to see what they have seeing as my current laptop gets a ton of blue screens, thank God they're not coming while I'm working on college apps. 2 GB RAM is enough, but does 4 GB make a difference even when you're only using 1.5 GB of RAM? </p>
<p>Just one last question: software is different when downloading for a Mac, so if a website doesn't have a MAC version of the download, are you pretty much screwed? IS it really complicated to install Windows onto a Mac?</p>
<p>for the record, there is no such thing as a 17' computer...</p>
<p>if you never use more than 2GB of memory, having more won't help you. as for installing Windows, it's simple...if you still don't trust yourself, just ask someone else.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. Just a few more questions:</p>
<p>Do macs have a good battery life? And what really is different from windows? Some editing software with pictures, but what else? I'm not rich, so I can't just buy one laptop for our house and another 6 months later when I'm going to college. Unless these laptops tomorrow are really revolutionary, I'll probably wait a little, incase there are some bugs as there are usually with new products that are fixed in the upcoming months.</p>
<p>del xps m1330 or 1530 is what I recommend if you are looking for a windows laptop. Dell has really upped its game when it comes to laptops</p>
<p>macbooks (as of the feb '08 model) have above-average battery life (4.5 hours). it's not stellar, though, considering their size and specs. macbook pros, though, pack a lot of performance and get close to 5 hours (i can verify this). of course, you'll have to dial down the brightness and not do much besides word processing and surfing the internet to get those kind of numbers, but doing more shouldn't shave that much off. i lose about 60-90 minutes of battery when running XP.</p>
<p>there's nothing really special about the software packaged with OSX. some find iLife great, but i don't find it that useful. it's the OS that's different overall. if you haven't tried OSX yet, don't buy a mac. and don't go to the store to try one out right now, either.</p>
<p>anyways, i advise waiting for the first revision or buying a refurbished model of the ones being announced tomorrow (tuesday).</p>
<p>Apple</a> - MacBook</p>
<p>So now what? No way I can buy an $1800 MacBook Air without spending just $200 extra to get a more powerful MacBook Pro, but why spend $500 more on a Macbook Air when I can get a regular Macbook for $1300? Macbook Air definitely looks stylish and sleek for carrying around, but it's still asking too much! I'm guessing Apple won't come out with some new models till next year, but I'm sure companies like Toshiba and Asus will come out with more. I don't really know about Dell though because they're always a little expensive. I have a while to think about this, but everytime my laptop blue screens me (it also has a few design flaws), I keep thinking about getting a new laptop asap.</p>
<p>If you're on a budget...buying a macbook definitely isn't the way to go...</p>
<p>Didn't want to worry too much about computers when I'm working on college apps now, but whenever my laptop gets a blue screen, I always think about it. I think I'll go with a good Dell or HP maybe, a MacBook might have been nice for using at home and bringing to high school with me for notes but not for 4 years at college where I'll use it for a lot of stuff. I"ll probably get Windows for sure. What do you guys think about Dell laptops?</p>
<p>i don't understand why you're even looking at the Macbook Air...</p>
<p>if you can afford an Asus, get Asus. or Fujitsu. or IBM/Lenovo. no reason to settle for a Dell if you like and can afford one of those.</p>
<p>Rahoul:</p>
<p>You don't need to concern yourself over software. The only software that I've really wanted to get my hands on that I haven't been able to is Google Chrome and Google Talk, both of which really should've been developed for Macs in the first place. Almost every modern piece of software will be compatible with Macs... Apple marketshare is rather high, and companies are at a disadvantage if they don't market their products to Mac users, especially since a high percentage of college students use Macs.</p>
<p>At my university, I'd say that about 50% of students use Macs. Nobody seems dissatisfied.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, you can use Mac and install Windows on it. I own 3 machines with Windows and 2 with OS X. I prefer Windows over OS X. However, OS X is less troublesome for many people who just want things to work. It's very simple to use. And if you want to install Windows you can do that too. Don't worry too much about the price. Because in the end you'll find that the Mac will last you longer and hold better value in the long run than a PC. Why this occurs? I have no idea. I don't mind recommending Macs to people who just want simplicity when it comes to computers. Most applications out there have a Mac version as well. I had a friend who used Windows all his life and he made the switch just like that and he's enjoying his Mac. Last Christmas I got my sisters an iMac because I was fed up of having to fix the old PC we had with constant viruses and spyware they would install. They complaint for 2-3 days but I rarely get asked any questions about computers from them now unless it's something that's just too complicated to do. In either case did the people use Macs before. It's that easy to get used to.</p>
<p>Macbooks are extremely overpriced machines. Compare the specs of the $2800</a> Macbook Pro and this $720</a> Gateway laptop.</p>
<p>Key differences in that MacBook Pro and the Gateway Laptop:
Screen size
MBP:17" (viewable) LED-backlit glossy widescreen (1920 x 1200)
vs
GW:15.4" WXGA widescreen TFT-LCD with Ultrabright technology (1280 x 800)</p>
<p>CPU
MBP: an Intel Core 2 Duo 2.5GHz 800MHz FSB 6MB shared L2 cache
vs
GW: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83GHz 667MHz FSB 2MB shared L2 cache</p>
<p>Video:
MBP: NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT with 512MB of GDDR3 memory
vs
GW: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100 up to 384MB</p>
<p>Ports:
MBP: 3 USB 2.0 ports, 1 FireWire 400 port, 1 FireWire 800 port, 1 ExpressCard/34 slot
vs
GW: 1 ExpressCard/54, 3 USB 2.0 Ports, digital media card reader</p>
<p>Plus on the MBP's side, you have a multi-touch trackpad.</p>
<p>I'm not saying the price difference which is almost $2100 is worth it in this case. However it's a bad comparison because one computer is much better in CPU and GPU. This is of course due to the target audience. The person buying the MBP probably wants to do high end stuff on their laptop where the person getting the Gateway probably just wants a laptop for basic needs. I'd say find another laptop that has the exact same specs if not better as the MBP to get a better idea of the price difference. The $2100 may not all be justified but the MBP has a more powerful CPU and GPU as stated so that makes up for some of the difference already.</p>