<p>I don't know weather I should get a Macbook pro 15inch or a Sony Vaio z? The Z weighs 3.5 lbs and runs windows 7 but the macbook pro weighs 5.5 lbs and runs OSX (plus I get a 15inch screen on the mac and only a 13 inch on the vaio z). What's better for college? A lighter computer or the macbook pro with the bigger screen. I really want a mac because they look like a more complete package (includes all kinds of great software). Macs also don't get viruses. </p>
<p>I KNOW BOTH ARE GOOD SO PLEASE DON"T MAKE THIS A FLAMING THREAD ABOUT HOW MACS ARE BETTERS THAN PCs OR PCs ARE BETTER THAN MACS. I just want to know if I can get away with OSX since I will be majoring in Microbiology.</p>
<p>Well, you can’t really compare those two models… the Vaio Z is meant for portability, while the MacBook Pro 15" is a less portable but more powerful laptop.</p>
<p>Anyway, I only have experience with OSX from school, but I tend to prefer Windows in general because it’s much more customizable. Also, I absolutely detest Finder in OSX. I find Window’s Explorer to be a much better method of browsing programs and files.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m leaning more for the Z because of program compatibility and customization options. The lighter Z actually has better specs than the 15inch MBP. The Z has a standard SSD drive, 1 gb standard graphics memory (on the same exact card that MBP has), and same exact processor options. </p>
<p>Portability wise, would the 15inch MBP be too big for class or to take to the library?</p>
<p>I currently have a 15in MBP and it works great. Long battery life is a huge plus when it comes to bring it to class, portability, etc. I have also never had a problem with it, and my girlfriend constantly complains about her Dell. Not to say Dell’s have bad, I’ve had 2, but you get the point.
While it its a little to big for class, its perfect for other school uses, such as typing papers, powerpoints, research, etc. That’s not to say its unusable for class though, it fits quite nice on the desks here the the U of Scranton.
I think a 13in or so would be best for notes in class, but it would be too small, for me at least, for anything other than that. Sort of a catch 22.</p>
<p>I have a 13.3" Asus that weighs <4lbs, and I have to vouch for the Sony Vaio Z. If you’re going to carry your laptop to class everyday like me, the non-existent weight is an absolute godsend. More than that, it’s a bit surprising what you can do on a 13" screen. When my desktop was in the process of being upgraded, I was still able to do all my work on my 13" laptop just fine :)</p>
<p>As for viruses, it’s amazingly simple keeping your PC virus free. Just don’t click on links you don’t know about (even if your friend sends you them), don’t go on shady sites, and don’t download files you’re 100% sure are safe. Sadly, many people ignore these basic steps, but I’ve followed them and I’ve been virus-free for years (and I don’t use an active anti-virus protection program). Safe online practices trump any protection program anyday.</p>
<p>Another problem with Macs is the monopolization of Apple. All accessories, programs, hardware, etc. costs a lot more on a Mac because of the excessive licensing fees Apple charges other companies, leading to a lack of third-party support. This means that Apple almost has a monopoly on anything Mac-related, so things for Mac cost a lot more. Conversely, with a PC, Microsoft has laxer licensing fees so if you need to buy something for your PC and Microsoft’s or Sony’s gear is too expensive, there are tons of cheaper third-party products you can get instead.</p>
<p>This last part is just my own opinion, but I don’t like Mas OS X. It’s great for people who aren’t familiar with computers, but for those of us who are it’s fustrating. It’s too dumbed-down to the point where I don’t get the fine level of control I’d like to out of the operating system.</p>
<p>Are you sure you would need to 15" MBP? Before buying the 13" that I got recently I really wanted a 15", but I now think that 13" is quite nice and the 15" would have been just cumbersome.</p>
<p>I went to the apple store and after reading some reviews online im going with the mac. Everything on it works great! No viruses and all the other “little” features add up (such as the multitouch trackpad which windows laptops can’t even compare to in terms of actually working correctly, oh and I found out you don’t ever need to defrag a macs hdd!). Apple is an innovative company and I don’t mind paying a little extra for a product that I will be using EVERYDAY of my life. As far as program compatibility, all file types work on Mac and most programs and such are moving to an “online app” type of thing anyway. I can’t argue with the 9 hour battery life either. Find me a windows PC that weighs 5.5lbs is less than an inch thick and gets 9 hours of battery life? It just doesn’t exist.</p>
<p>Truthfully a lot of what you said isn’t true =/</p>
<p>-Plenty of laptops have fully functional multi-touch trackpads. My own laptop is one of them.</p>
<p>-Like I’ve said before, it’s extremely easy to not get viruses on Windows. I’ve been using XP, Vista, and now 7 for years and have never gotten a virus despite not using an active anti-virus program or firewall. All it takes are some safe practices, such as not clicking on links you don’t know 100% about.</p>
<p>-All file types do NOT work on a Mac. </p>
<p>-It’s not innovative, it just happens to make itself appear so. Many other companies have the same technology but without Mac’s marketing.</p>
<p>-The Asus UL30A fits all your Windows requirements. It’s thinner than a MacBook, gets 10 hours of battery life on it in real life (12-hour marketing claim), and weighs less than 4 lbs. Not to mention it also runs a Core 2 Duo just like the MacBooks do.</p>
<p>FWIW: I faced the same decision as you and went with the Vaio Z. I’ve been getting about 5.5 hours of battery life with the standard battery and an extended, 9 hour, battery is also available. The speed of this thing is unlike anything else I’ve ever used. I carry it in my backpack everyday and I hardly notice it. I would recommend the Z, it’s faster than the mac, lighter, smaller, more compatible, and depending on your config, cheaper.
Also: The Z does not require defraging (SSDs), and it also has a multitouch trackpad, though I admit the Macbook’s is better, though the keyboard on the Z is better than that on the mac. The standard screen is also better than the standard screen on the macbook pro when it comes to resolution(same vertical, more horizontal pixels.)</p>
<p>If you try to look for everything in a computer instead of optimizing for one specific task, you will get the worst of both worlds. This is especially true of laptops!</p>
<p>I’d get the Vaio Z. The 13" screen doesn’t pose a problem, and as you said, you will greatly benefit from the portability and battery life.</p>
<p>As for the screen, just spend $100 on an external monitor and $20 on an external keyboard for home usage, and you will be much better off than even a 19" laptop in terms of egronomics.</p>
<p>Just to put in some perspective, I overestimated the importance of “portability”. I got a 13" as opposed to a 15", and it does make quite a bit difference in display size. I didn’t bring it around as often as I thought I would.</p>
<p>Ask the school’s Microbiology department if it makes any difference. If it doesn’t, if you’ve used a computer for many years, don’t change to the other platform unless you don’t like what you’ve been using. If you haven’t been using a computer, get the Mac; you’ll end up loving it, whereas Win users just tolerate theirs. Macs are much easier for beginners to learn to use. Plus, you can easily run Win programs on a Mac, but not vice versa. </p>
<p>Edit: Now I see that you already chose the Mac. :)</p>
<p>I’m not saying Windows is bad, because there are great things about windows and great things about OSX. The sony vaio z seems like a great computer; however, the 13inch screen with such a high resolution is definitely not as comfortable to use as a 15inch screen with the same resolution. I am affraid that having such a small screen will not be a good experience when I am writing long papers/lab reports. The vaio z is more portable and easier to carry, but the 15inch macbook pro only weighs 5.5 lbs which is light enough to carry around. </p>
<p>Yes, other laptops have multitouch track pads but they don’t work as well as apple’s. Go to the apple store and use the track-pad, then go to best buy and use the track-pads of windows pcs and you will see a HUGE difference in how well they work. My dad’s Dell studio XPS has a “multitouch” trackpad and it sucks. Does not work well at all. Apple is a great company and their current stock values and 1st quarter sales prove so. I’m ready to bust out of the box and get a Mac. It never hurts to try something once and I don’t know a single person who complained about their mac (while most windows users complain a lot more)! I’m going to the dark side!</p>