<p>My son will do comp sci or electrical engineering at college in the fall and I want to get him a robust computer. Should I choose the Mac Book Air or spend the money for the Pro? What's the difference between the two? i</p>
<p>Definitely not an Air. I love MacBook Airs but they don’t have the power or ports vs. the MacBook Pro. They’re great travel computers. But before buying him a computer, it would be a good idea to check with his program and see what they recommend. </p>
<p>Definitely check with the school. Engineers and programmers are much more likely to us PCs than Macs. </p>
<p>My comp sci major has/had a PC and ran Linux on it. He had very definite ideas about what he wanted. </p>
<p>I think for a comp sci major you need a PC - check with the school before you buy</p>
<p>Schools, of course, often have very good deals on computers. At S’s school, you could order through them in advance and pick it up on move-in day, loaded with software and ready to go. And they would provide tech support.and do repairs. </p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. No idea why I never thought of checking with the school.</p>
<p>My CS son has Mac. (he’s gone thru many of them). He ordered his first thru the school, like Consolation’s son. </p>
<p>Mine has alienware and he’s loaded several different operating systems on it. The biggest issue is that it can’t be stored over the summer, and he can’t take it on a plane so we end up having to drive him back and forth to school. But he loves it.</p>
<p>Definitely check with the school and department. </p>
<p>For example, state flagship UW-Madison has a DoIT (dept of info tech) which states to use the OS you are used to with different cost levels available to buy through them. But they also state engineering has its own requirements while some fields that are graphics intensive may prefer a MAC. Son used Windows - math/comp sci and used to diss Apple. Last year he actually got himself a MAC, used Windows and whatever his company chose now both at his jobs post college. In son’s day he kept his desktop from home. Times change quickly in tech. </p>
<p>Check to see what he’ll use in his school’s computer lab as well ( son was required to use their lab computers for assignments- likely to be sure they were the ones doing the work).</p>