<p>I am undecided between getting an Apple or a PC. </p>
<p>By the time I have to buy my computer, I doubt I'll be able to get together the $999 for the 12 inch iBook (I'll probably have about $600). Apple offers a payment plan (about $23 a month) that I am willing to do, but I'm wondering if an Apple will last long enough that this would be worthwhile. I don't wanna have to continue paying for something that has already crapped out. Will it last (with care, of course)?</p>
<p>Oh, and my mother is being COMPLETELY unsupportive. She's a die-hard PC person but doesn't realize that in order to get a PC that is going to last that you have to shell out a little more and constantly update. Can she be convinced?</p>
<p>We have apples and love them....and I am a mom</p>
<p>We got a Word program for apples, so we have software for both</p>
<p>The funny thing is that my school is actually providing the whole Microsoft Office suite for macs free of charge to all of its students, and she's still not supportive.</p>
<p>My high school chem teacher has a Mac that he's been working on for about six years that he's never updated. He's now considering purchasing a new Mac, but his old one is still going strong with the original software and the original amount of speed and memory. He loves it. We just bought my mom a Mac for Mother's Day; she loves it and so do I. We use this one computer more than we use all the PCs in our house. It's a terrific computer and has more features than a new PC. Most software will work for both Mac and PC. I have to say, I was very much a PC fan until this point, and now I'm positive that I'll be getting a Mac for college.</p>
<p>Apple laptops are well built and run well under OS X. They are very reliable. </p>
<p>However, as of two weeks ago (at the Annual Mac Developers Conference), Steve Jobs announced that all Apple computers will, within the next two years, be switching over to Intel processors. Apple will no longer be using the G series processors from IBM. Jobs claims that IBM could not deliver a mobile version of the G5 chip that was comparable to the Intel Pentium 4 Centrino chipset used in Window machines. It is likely that sometime in 2006, Apple laptops will all be running with "Intel Inside". This opens the possiblity that the new Apple laptops will be able to run Window programs in their native format rather than running them under Virtual PC. </p>
<p>As most Mac users know, running Window based programs under Virtual PC is not a great experience. The new MacTel laptops should be able to run Window programs natively (i.e. just like they would in a PC environment). This makes the forthcoming Intel based Apple laptops a compelling purchase. Potentially, it would offer the best of both the Apple and Window worlds... Apple's superior OS X and the vast Window software base.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, this puts potential Apple computer buyers for the upcoming fall term in a bind. The Apple computers they buy will be replaced with completely new Intel based machines within two years (if not sooner). Most Mac watchers believe that laptops (which represents the majority of computer sales this year...surpassing desktop sales for the first time ever) will be the first to change over to the Intel chips. This may mean that sometime during your second semester, the new MacTel laptops will arrive. </p>
<p>This probably means that you'll still be making payments for what will be the last of the IBM based Apple laptops. Your laptop will not be obsolete and will certainly be supported for years to come. If you only need MS Office for the Mac, then you should be OK. If your college major requires a Window based program that does not have a Mac version or will run slowly in Virtual PC mode, then you need to really think through what your computer needs will be before making a decision. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>I think that I will stick with the iBook. The only programs I'll need for my major are MS Office and Adobe (which actually comes with mac, right?). </p>
<p>Although it might not be a bad idea to get a Dell and wait until it craps out to get a new mac with intel.</p>
<p>the intel thing is going to be gradual; you won't just wake up one morning in 2006 and not be able to use your mac. this shouldn't (and doesn't seem like it will) hold you back from buying now.</p>
<p>and adobe? photoshop? illustrator? no, doesn't come with macs. i haven't bought a new mac in a while, but mine surely didn't come with anything more than acrobat.</p>
<p>even so, if you buy through the mac education store (on their website) or if you school has a mac store on campus, you can get the MS office suite for like, under $50, and the adobe suite for $100-$200, if i remember correctly. you're only allowed 2 software purchases per schoolyear, though, i think.</p>
<p>that also goes for buying the mac-- GO THROUGH THE EDUCATION STORE. the lowest end ibook (the one that usually sells for $999) is $899-ish, i think.</p>
<p>if you don't need your laptop until august, you might want to wait on buying. they just had a promo $100 rebate expire yesterday for ibook purchases, and who knows if they'll run another 'back-to-school deal' before the summer's over. the ibooks are also long overdue for updates... so maybe they'll drop the prices before summer ends. that's kind of a hard game to play, though, so it's nothing to count on, just something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Computer Science/Electrical Engineer/Business major here.</p>
<p>I bought myself a 12 in iBook a while ago for college.</p>
<p>I'm also a computer consultant and one of the strengths of Mac's is that they last.</p>
<p>Also, I believe Apple said they'd continue supporting the G series until as late as 2012. I think you should go with the iBook :)</p>
<p>If you're interested in the current I-Book, you should either go through your college computer store or wait as late as possible to see if Apple will cut prices to clear out their inventory to make way for the new MacTel line. </p>
<p>Apple has already discontinued their 1.8G G5 Power Mac (single processor) from their on-line store. With luck, Apple may cut prices a bit get rid of their soon to be old inventory. A lot of Mac sites are worried that consumers will want to wait and see how the new machines will perform against Wintel computers.</p>
<p>When Apple switched from Motorola to IBM back in '92, their market share dropped from 12% of US sales to 10% in '93. A 2% drop for Apple was pretty serious. That history may make Apple more price conscious. As of 2004, Apple's market share has bottomed out to just 2.3% of US sales. Slow sales may work to your advantage...</p>
<p>Intel is begining to make processors for Apples...devolution or evolution?...we'll have to wait and see</p>
<p>I just got a 12" iBook yesterday. I love it to bits. :)</p>