Should I take my iMac to college, or get a new laptop?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>I've had my iMac for about 3 years now, but it's still going strong. I'm going to college this fall, and I was wondering if I should take my iMac.</p>

<p>I feel like I should buy a laptop so that I can take it to class and take notes, be able to move around campus with it, ect. With an iMac, it would be chained to my desk.</p>

<p>But then on the other hand, I feel like it would be a waste of money when I have a perfectly good computer.</p>

<p>I had in mind getting a Macbook pro, with an external hard drive</p>

2

<p>If you take your iMac, you’ll regularly want a laptop.</p>

<p>Have you been using your DVD drive? If not, consider the Air, or even with the external DVD drive (but our D bought the external drive and never opened the box). Compare the weight of the Pro and Air at the Apple store. Both D and I had a Pro and prefer the new Air for its thinness, weight and lack of moving parts (but for the keys).</p>

3

<p>You could take your iMac to college and buy a tablet like Nexus 7 for $199… You can use it on the go to take notes and do your general work!</p>

<p>Or if you think your iMac is too old and its time to upgrade, Take a look at the ultrabooks and macbook retinas</p>

4

<p>In terms of technology lifespans, 3 years is middle-of-the-road. Consider, though, the fact that you’re looking for a computer for (assumedly) ~4 years. How’ll your 7-year-old Mac fare in your senior year? I imagine you’ll have to get a new computer at some stage during college, so it’s a question of whether you want to get one now or in a year or two. My suggestion is to get a laptop now and bring it with you. You can bring them to class and not be tethered to a desk when you’re studying.</p>

5

<p>Why not do both?</p>