So the college I am attending has Apple, Dell, and Lenovo discounts. I’m using an ASUS now that is actually quite good.
8gb ram. Intel i7 2.4ghz. 1000 terabyte hard drive. Nvidia FeForce graphics card. Win 8.1 pro.
But… my dad bought it for me last year as a gift and his current laptop is having some major hardware issues. I plan on buying myself a new computer and giving him this one while it’s still relatively new.
I’m VERY interested in a 13.3" Macbook Air. 12+ hours of battery time would be perfect for me since I travel a lot.
You could say I’m a light user. Web browsing, class work (no video/photo editing), powerpoint, excel, access, itunes, youtube, netflix. For school work I’ll just need it for Business and some Industrial Distribution classes. Nothing that would be very demanding.
I’ve had PC my entire life. Usually the top of the line Vaio’s and Dells. I don’t HAVE to get a Mac… just like to try something different every now and then. I’m only worried about compatibility.
I was reading over the Syllabus on a class I’m taking this Spring and it says
“PC computer to use for SAM – since SAM is not compatible with Macs. If you don’t have a PC, you can use the ones in Bate 3001, a friend’s, a roommate’s, a relative’s.
The College of Business requires that all students enrolled in a College of Business course acquire and have available a laptop or mobile computer for use in and out of the classroom environment. The laptop or mobile computer must be capable of running Microsoft Windows and the latest version of Microsoft Office.”
So does that mean the Macbook Air is off my list? I’ve heard people running Windows and Office on them. If it’s a lot more difficult than that I might as well go with a new ThinkPad.
edit: holy crap I put 1000 terabyte hd up there. lol. an obvious mistake
I’ve had a MacBook since 8th grade (been through 2 of them because I work them like no tomorrow), but if you get a Macbook, DO NOT GET THE AIR. Just get the Macbook Pro, honestly my friends who have airs have had the most problem with them. I think there’s a way you can get windows on a Mac. I use office on mine now and it works fine.
I just looked at what was available in the store. I could get a 13" Macbook Pro with the retina screen for a few hundred more. The 15" models would be overkill for my usage.
I’ll think it over for a few more days. If I really needed a pc for specific schoolwork I think I have a few old (like 2002-2005 old) laptops that run xp somewhere deep in the closet I could get working again. They are just so slow I’d rather keep em where they are at
The software that you’ll need windows for will probably not be compatible with windows xp. You’ll probably need 7 or 8.
Macs can use bootcamp to boot into either OSX or Windows. You can also get software like Parallels that can run Windows inside OSX as a virtual machine.
@someguyinNC I have the 13" its perfect. Don’t get the 15", it’s a waste of time. If you were spending the extra money for the 15, spend it on a higher operating system instead.
Thanks you all for the advice.
It looks like a 13" MBP is what I will be purchasing later on this week. Til then I’ll be YouTube/Googleing some information on how to get bootcamp working. After all these years on PC i’m quite excited to learn a new OS.
@someguyinNC you’ll be very happy with your purchase. Macs are easier to learn how to work around than PCs. Best of luck to you!
“Macs are easier to learn how to work around than PCs.”
That’s not really a true statement. It all depends on your level of experience with PCs. I’ve used mostly PCs for the last 25 years, and my wife as a Mac. I’d say Macs about 10 years ago were easier to use, but I’ve come to really like Windows 7 (not sure about the Metro interact on Win8). Some who’s used to the Windows interface will know where to look for everything and how to tweak things to customize the experience. I find it frustrating on my wife’s Mac that Apples doesn’t allow the level of customization and tweaking that I can do on the PC, and you have to do things the Apple way. On another note, I dislike the trend Apple started with the sealed box computer. You can’t do anything with your Mac except maybe add more memory. I may be wrong, but is the CD drive no longer a standard item in Macs? You can’t replace the battery yourself, and have to send he computer back to Apple to have that done. Those things are nits that drive me up the wall about Apple.
I agree, I meant to say for me but I forgot to put that. @NoVADad99 There is a way to replace things yourself, it’s just a long process and a lot of work.
I’ve used primarily Linux for the past 6-7 years, and personally find both Windows and Mac counter-intuitive and confusing at this point. It’s all a matter of what you’re used to! That said, it doesn’t take long to adjust to a new system (I just went from its so android), and none of them are horrendously designed.
To the OP: if you’re looking to dual boot a mac with Windows, you will still need a Windows license. That can be pricy, but you may be able to get a free or thermoset copy through your university.