What laptop are you buying?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Thanks to the previous thread I made, I finally logged on to the IBM site through Harvard. </p>

<p>Unfortunately, the deals presented at the site did not all that impresse me. The site shows a high "Web Price" and a "Harvard Price" that is significantly lower than the "Web Price." For example,</p>

<p>T431.73GHZ 512MB 60GB DVDR XPP HARVARD QUICK SHIP MODEL
LEN 1871W8M<br>
"Your <harvard> Price" $1,115.00
"Web Price" $1,975.00 .</harvard></p>

<p>I think the website is trying to give you the impression that it is giving you a significant discount. But, I came to realize that the Harvard Price is actually not cheaper than what is normally transacted on the web.</p>

<p>Has anyone bought through Harvard & IBM?</p>

2

<p>that's a great question! I was on that site last weekend and although the laptops were around 43% off, they were still as expensive as the ones I had looked at over the summer. I asked a friend whether he recommends Thinkpads or iBooks and, in short, he groaned and said "why can't you get an HP?" Decisions, decisions!</p>

3

<p>Yeah--it does come with an extended warranty, though (4 years, I think).</p>

4

<p>So, I think the warranty that makes the difference. 4 year warranty is at least 200 dollars for that kind of computer. But then, in a fast-changing world like this, a laptop you buy will be obsolete in 3 years.</p>

5

<p>i got a sony vaio fs 742/w for $1100 with a free all in one printer. the computer has a centrino processor at 1.73 ghz, 80 gb hd, dvd rw (dual layer) and the Xbrite screen</p>

6

<p>tarun, are you satisfied? </p>

<p>i'm thinking of getting an apple for next year, but i'm so used to microsoft/PCs.</p>

<p>i have heard that microsoft will soon be working on apples soon so that should be cool.</p>

7

<p>i am satisfied, it works so well and sony displays are the best. you can run microsoft on macs now</p>

8

<p>so isn't it true that macs don't really get viruses and have less problems? so is it smart to get an apple laptop and install microsoft on it? am i making sense? lol bc i don't know much about computers..</p>

9

<p>if u havent use apple before than it becomes really hard</p>

10

<p>ilovecalifornia, i have a mac and it has never gotten a virus. as a matter of fact, i have never had a problem with the computer.</p>

11

<p>I can tell you from our experience, the IBM is much more rugged than any of the other consumer brands. Watch what the professional travelers buy. Harvard has on campus warrantee repair for IBM. When D moved into the dorm this year, she opened the IBM and was instantly on Harvard's network. The Dell and the Mac in the suite are still having network problems. I don't think you will find IBMs discounted very much anywhere but through Harvard. It's definitely not a straight comparison when comparing a 1.8 Ghz IBM to a 1.8 Ghz HP or Dell.</p>

12

<p>IBMs/Thinkpads are just generally more expensive computers (but with good reason). The H discount is really worth it.</p>

13

<p>ilovecalifornia,</p>

<p>With Boot Camp, installing Win XP onto a MacBook is quite easy.</p>

14

<p>could any of you check and tell me the price of the family series notebook of IBM, i havent got my PIN yet so id really appreciate that</p>

15

<p>Some of you say IBM is higher quality than other cheaper brands. I don't argue that since I never had IBM laptop. However, what I am trying to say is that Harvard discount is not as significant as the website try to make it to be. you can get the same laptop with similar price without harvard discount.</p>

16

<p>Ultimatemath-I have a 12 inch powerbook, and I think it's pretty ideal, but I've always been a mac user. There should be 12 inch "Macbook Pros" or something like coming up soon. The only two cons I've noticed are not that durable case (metal bent when laptop fell off my desk, but no problems otherwise), and sporadic wireless reception in areas with weak signals (apparently metal case interferes somewhat). </p>

<p>If you buy an Intel Mac, but then run Windows, your copy of Windows is just as prone to adware/virii/security flaws as any other copy of Windows. The advantage is A. Apple hardware is very high quality (Macbook Pros are winning a lot of benchmark tests) and B. You have Mac OSX also on the system (and Mac OS X has essentially zero currently known virii/adware applications (that's not to say it's immune though)).</p>

<p>Bandit_tx: I know registration for the wireless network is VERY easy for any computer with a wireless card. And if there are any problems, macs are supported by Harvard User Assistants (I can't see how there'd be a problem though, unless the wireless card was bad).</p>

17

<p>Again, I use windows and don't have problem with viruses. It depends on how you use it.</p>

18

<p>Just telling you what the suitemates are experiencing.</p>

19

<p>hey guys
i didnt get accepted to Harvard for 2010 actually. I'm waitlisted.
I know my chances are slim, but i was wondering
since u guys are talking about laptops, could any of you figure out how much an apple macbook pro would be with harvard discount?</p>

<p>w/ the colleges i got accepted to, the lowest possible price is $2389</p>

<p>here are the specs i'd love to have.
2.0ghz
1gb single so-dimm
100gb hdd 7200rpm</p>

<p>im trying to buy my laptop asap. but if harvard's price is a lot cheaper,
then i think it's worth waiting another month or two for the waitlist decision
then buy it from harvard if i get accepted and it's a lot cheaper.
if not, :(</p>

<p>thanks!</p>

20

<p>That computer is $2299 from Harvard, but I believe the hard drive is only 5400 rpm. Harvard has a "custom" apple store, which is actually really annoying because it makes it hard to do build-to-order, and the prices are almost always the same.</p>

<p>I'd suggest waiting though, if you can. There will probably be some laptop + iPod rebate later in the summer, as well as new laptops with intel chips.</p>