<p>So I kind of want to get a PC because 1) it's cheaper and 2) I'm used to the interface but I feel like Macs have WAY less problems! Any current/former/incoming students have any advice?!</p>
<p>I’d say go for the Mac because it has long battery life so you can take it around all day without having to charge it. Also, AA and umich is a very Mac friendly place, you see people on macs everywhere and there’s an Apple store at Briarwood mall not far from campus. Macs has waaaayyy less problems and it lasts longer. But yes, it does cost more…</p>
<p>Only get a Mac if it’s in your price range. While they are very good computers, they are definitely on the expensive side. (totally worth it in my opinion) If you are familiar with windows and can afford a Mac, you can install it on there and have the best of both worlds. I have an iMac with windows 7 and osx and I absolutely love it.</p>
<p>Lol… macs. …</p>
<p>I’ve never had problems with my pc laptops as long as I didn’t download stupid ****. I have an imac and a pc, and I honestly don’t see why everybody has a boner over macs. One could make their own pc for the fraction of a price of a mac and it could be twice as fast.</p>
<p>As long as you don’t download porn or from shady websites, a pc should be fine. I personally don’t see the point of paying more for a mac when all id really be paying for is the looks.</p>
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<p>Having taught in the Big10 and having 2 in college, I think that the general trend on campus these days is Mac’s. U-Mich says bring whichever you feel best with, they support both and students use both. My older student says it’s <em>cooler</em> to carry a Mac (but that’s her school-not necessarily UM). Her Mac is one nice computer, I can tell you, so easy to deal with. What ever you get, be sure to get some kind of insurance that will replace it when you or your roommate spills the coffee/soup/coke on it–not too fun to lose a <1-yr-old $1k Mac at final exam time, I can tell you that from experience.
If you are in engineering or some other specific major that might demand PC, that’s the only reason I’d get PC.</p>
<p>The mac’s just seem more stable to me and really aren’t all that much more money. The extra cost is usually offset by the cheaper software. By the way, getting your software is usually cheaper thru Umich. For a Mac you can get the MS Office (Excel, Word, and Powerpoint) for under $50 thru Umich.<br>
jelp - where can you get insurance for spills? My daughter spill coffee on her Mac and was out $1,000 (hey I only buy the 1st one!). But she hasn’t spilled again. Expensive lesson for her!</p>
<p>“What ever you get, be sure to get some kind of insurance that will replace it when you or your roommate spills the coffee/soup/coke on it”</p>
<p>I usually bust my coke out on the top of laptops anyways…</p>
<p>oh wait…</p>
<p>I’m going for a PC cause I’m going for computer sciences… Macs do seem more stable compared to most computers but I haven’t really noticed a difference between my pcs and macs when I don’t download torrents/porn to it… thank god for streaming pron!</p>
<p>If you’re gonna use a computer for graphic design/music production (only reason I have my Mac)/etc. get a Mac… If you’re just taking notes/going on the internet, get a netbook. My Computer Engineering major friend said it (the netbook) would be sufficient but a pain in the ass for a CS major (was thinkin about saving some cash), so I think it would be fine for the typical student.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about looking cool… cause those people with a bunch of apple stickers that never shut the **** up about Macs are definitely not cool</p>
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<p>The software is cheaper either way, Mac or PC. You’re not saving anything by buying it for the Mac. The cost difference persists.</p>
<p>“If you’re just taking notes/going on the internet, get a netbook.”</p>
<p>Really? Is screen big enough? Does it work for documents / assignments you have to submit? </p>
<p>A Netbook would be nice and easy to carry around campus, and cheap to replace if spilled or stolen…</p>
<p>1) Yes my daughter also fried her Mac by spilling something into it… after the fact I learned that we should have gotten a rider on our homeowner’s insurance which would have covered all electronics including her computer, camera, etc. including for dropping it in a lake or spilling coffee on it. The AppleCare from Apple is also good (her 2nd Mac had a hard drive meltdown within 1 year and Apple fixed it for free) but AppleCare does not cover spills. If you don’t get insurance, tell your student (before the fact) that if something gets spilled, turn off IMMEDIATELY and DON’T TURN BACK ON till you consult online forums which will tell you how to dry it out to minimize damage. And my daughter is also now very careful about liquids around her Mac-- better late than never I guess.</p>
<p>2) UMich told us that Netbooks were not recommended.</p>
<p>3) Looking at only moderately souped-up PC Laptops for our new freshman, I was really surprised to find out that it will probably cost MORE than a new Mac to get him something decent.</p>
<p>… what are you looking at that is only “decent” and more expensive than a mac?</p>
<p>Get a PC, it’s much cheaper, and more compatible with a lot of software. I’m not sure about what PC problems people are talking about. A lot of the people I know with macs partition their hard drive and get windows anyways, just so they can use the better version of M$ office, or play games that only run on windows.</p>
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<p>Same with the windows version.</p>