<p>Do most Penn classrooms/labs use Macs or PCs? I'm shopping for a laptop and using the same OS would help. I don't want to buy a PC and use Microsoft Office if Penn only uses Macs.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound harsh, but shouldn’t you wait until you get accepted to ask this type of question?</p>
<p>PC. And I wouldn’t recommend getting a laptop until about a month or so before you leave. That way you don’t clutter it up with useless files before you start college</p>
<p>Macs are a type of personal computer ;)</p>
<p>Do you guys know if macs are compatible with the software the school uses tho?</p>
<p>Most of my friends who go to Penn use the small 11 inch Macbook Air to take notes in class, and have either a bigger Mac Pro or PC back in their dorms.</p>
<p>I obviously won’t be buying one until next July to get the most advanced tech. I’m asking before getting accepted for the same reason someone would ask for chances before getting accepted</p>
<p>macfan all the way</p>
<p>in most libraries penn has PCs, but that doesn’t mean you should get a PC. most kids have macs (like 75% mac, 25% everything else).</p>
<p>it’s down to personal preference. MACs are high quality, and as of late Dell and HP are generating some pretty ass quality lappies, but there are some great PCs out there if you know where to look, and for much better value than MACs. watch out for what lenovo does this summer, and acer’s timeline series is pretty cool. high end HP (envy series) is also pretty good. windows 8 will also have more mature form factor by summer. also for high end, samsung and sony always have pretty good stuff, though at that point it’s basically just as overpriced as macs</p>
<p>If I was going to buy something now, it would be Lenovo IdeaPad U510</p>
<p>agreed. the entire ideapad line is incredible. great spec value + modern design + lenovo’s touchpad + lightweight (for notebook standard’s) + nice build quality. it’s the best out there for the 600-900$ range</p>
<p>I just wish the ideapad line could be upgradeable to a 900p or 1080p display… lenovo has yet to deliver something solid with 768+</p>
<p>all on personal preference. an overwhelming majority have macs but I know many people who feel like it’s pretty overpriced for what it gives you. </p>
<p>also, as far as I know macs are compatible with just about every software the school uses.</p>
<p>In my experience, the lab computers only use software that is compatible on both operating systems.</p>
<p>I’m sorry. but get a MAC! I love MacBooks, been using different versions since forever. It’s so much more user friendly, especially the subtleties! You can switch screens, move between applications, get to your desktop scroll up and down by moving your fingers on the trackpad! It’s the small things in pages (mac equivalent to word) and other software that make it super duper nice to use. The macbook air is so light I literally carry it as if it were a notebook around where as a 15 inch pro will run any software you want. People keep saying a mac isn’t worth the money, but it is! You don’t ever need to worry about viruses, it’s compatible with iPods, iPhones and iPads plus, if anything goes wrong you just go find an apple genius. </p>
<p>Okay… i sound like I work for apple but seriously, go steve jobs!</p>
<p>^Virus’s are a non-issue on both platforms at this point.</p>
<p>If it were me, I would be waiting for next year’s Windows 8 Intel and AMD tablets (with styluses and One Note). Going paperless is pretty awesome, I have all of my textbooks and all of my notes in one place, and the only things I do on paper are homework assignments that must be turned in. </p>
<p>As far as compatibility goes, the one thing that I use regularly that is platform specific is the Windows Internet Explorer only Thomson One database. You could view it on a Mac in a VM or via Boot Camp.</p>
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<p>With all due respect, most of the things you’ve said don’t differentiate OS X machines at all. If you have a PC, you can certainly switch screens, move between applications, and scroll via the trackpad. Nobody uses Pages because Office for Mac is a superior and more compatible product. Evidently you haven’t heard of a netbook (Macbook Air) or a gaming machine (Macbook Pro).</p>
<p>Some actual reasons for buying a Mac:</p>
<ol>
<li>If you’re a computer science major, your life will be one thousand times easier one a *nix machine.</li>
<li>Retina screen is pretty dope.</li>
<li>UI is prettier than Windows 7, arguably prettier than Windows 8 (although I haven’t made up my mind yet).</li>
<li>Syncing from iPhone to Mac is really nice for calendar events.</li>
</ol>
<p>Otherwise, I literally couldn’t care less about which operating system I’m on. I’m feeling increasingly bear-ish about Apple because they haven’t actually innovated in a couple of years, and their product quality is turning to total crap. My iPhone 4S is already going to the pits; I’m not sure whether this is planned obsolescence or if Apple actually just sucks this hard these days.</p>
<p>Disclaimer: I use a Mac.</p>