<p>MacBook Pro, here! The free printer is nice, but there are some issues if you like to code in Java. I have only used Macs for a few years, now, but I prefer the operating system to that of a PC. :D</p>
<p>@AllPhillyFan and ilovebagels</p>
<p>To be fair, Mac does use a slightly different Java language, but you can bootcamp and not use Xcode.</p>
<p>I really wanted a MacBook Pro – the 13-inch – but at the time the discounts were really measly (only $50) and compared to the specs on the Sony I was able to buy, it wasn’t worth it at the time. Now they’ve lowered the price and raised the discount, plus the iPod touch rebate - I wish I had waited a couple of months (although I really needed a new computer).</p>
<p>The 13-inch MacBook is a really good deal; it’s now on par with other laptops in its class but is a much better buy than most of them since it gets more battery life and lasts longer, and is more virus-resistant. Although Mac users always rave about their computers being virus-resistant, but I never got a virus on my old Dell that I had for 3 years, nor on the IBM/Lenovo I had before that. In the end I think it just comes down to preference – I ended up getting a Windows-based PC primarily because of the cost but also because of what I had. I have a lot of programs that run some media files and emulators that aren’t Mac compatible, and plus I use EndNote and some other statistical and research programs that don’t have Mac counterparts.</p>
<p>I know someone will always pop up and say “You can just use BOOTCAMP!” but even the Mac enthusiasts on campus (which is just about everyone – Columbia is Apple central) told me that it’s not worth it to get a Mac if you’re just going to run Windows on it all the time, lol.</p>
<p>Honestly at this point doing price comparisons for features offered, I think that a Mac is a better buy – the 13-inch MacBook with 2 GB of RAM (which is all you need with XP and Mac OS) and 320 GB HDD and a 2.26 GHz processor will run you $1189 before tax with the discount. And you get a free iPod Touch, which sweetens the deal!</p>
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<p>i bought a mac thinking that i would just use windows all the time on it…until i noticed that windows kills your battery and that the mac operating system is superior by leaps and bounds! </p>
<p>it’s nice to have windows to fall back on and not have to worry about any compatibility issues but Mac OS X beats windows XP (and obviously vista) hands down.</p>