A little disappointed I didn't buy a MBP, but will I be alright?

[suekitch]

I got a Toshiba windows laptop (17" beast) at the beginning of this academic year. I had decided not to buy Mac because I got worried about heat during gaming (I previously had an 8600GT MBP so my fears seem justified!!).

So I used that Toshiba for a while, hooked up to an external monitor, did its job. But... my setup was a mess. Laptop on a cooling pad hooked up to an external monitor that had horrible ghosting type marks, only permanent, and an external keyboard and mouse - it was all very 'clunky' and I thought more recently; wouldn't an iMac just fit in that much better?

And it does.. heh I even then got a 13" MBP for portability because I couldn't stand to be without OSX when away from my desk (ie when travelling or for class), but I don't regret getting the iMac, because my previous setup was doing my head in, and I love having a proper desktop system too for when I'm at my desk.

It was a lot of money to shell out, considering my Tosh still works fine. Well except for it being haunted and growling away when I hibernated it, making popping sounds and the like - bit scary. I don't know what to do with it because I'm not sure I could sell it if I tried. Nice to have a backup, I suppose.

So I live like a pauper for now. Well, not really. The truth is I've only really spent my student loan for the year as I hadn't touched it yet (also get funding from the health service for my course), so it's not too bad. And it is so worth it! But.. that's to me. I mean, I've since quit gaming so my previous concerns are a non-issue (although I do still dabble with The Sims 3; by quitting gaming, I mean giving up my WoW addiction), and additionally I've inherited some tasks related to web design and maintenance and we all know how much better iWeb is for such things!

I've got good use out of OSX all in all; and it wasn't just a simple case of fancying a change. It's a lot of money to commit if that's your only motivating factor for now, considering you've just bought the new machine.

 

[yellowmuffins]

Being a college student, I'd thought I'd chime in. I disagree with alot of you saying how, oh it doesn't matter, an HP will do the same thing/still get you through college. I know for a fact, if I had an HP I would not be nearly as productive and efficient. Once you get used to the large multi touch trackpad, expose, and spaces, doing large research reports becomes much much easier. I couldn't imagine doing school work on Vista (yes, I've tried, it's a nightmare). I would say as a college student, your laptop is probably one of the most important things you own. It's the center for your academic and personal work. You'll be on it in the library, in your room, etc for hours and hours...days and days. All that time adds up. Thus, do you really wanna skimp on your computing experience. Paying a couple hundred for the OS X experience is more than worth it. Sell the HP, suck up the loss, and know that the cost will more than make up for a much better computing experience.

 

[Harmless Abuse]

Being a college student, I'd thought I'd chime in. I disagree with alot of you saying how, oh it doesn't matter, an HP will do the same thing/still get you through college. I know for a fact, if I had an HP I would not be nearly as productive and efficient. Once you get used to the large multi touch trackpad, expose, and spaces, doing large research reports becomes much much easier. I couldn't imagine doing school work on Vista (yes, I've tried, it's a nightmare). I would say as a college student, your laptop is probably one of the most important things you own. It's the center for your academic and personal work. You'll be on it in the library, in your room, etc for hours and hours...days and days. All that time adds up. Thus, do you really wanna skimp on your computing experience. Paying a couple hundred for the OS X experience is more than worth it. Sell the HP, suck up the loss, and know that the cost will more than make up for a much better computing experience.

As a college student myself, I disagree with you.

I have a UMB 13" and love it, but I'm someone who really doesn't use the multitouch trackpad. Sure, it's nice once in a while, but it does not make typing easier, nor does it make me read books in the library faster.

I used Vista for a year as a college student, and it didn't harm me whatsoever. I still got the same papers written, and had access to the same books and websites others with OS X have.

This being said, I don't think it's the end of the world for the OP to stick with the HP. I doubt a replacement or refund will be given, and a couple hundred extra dollars is A LOT for college students, for me, that's at least 1 book, maybe 2 for a semester, or half of my food plan for the semester, 10 weeks of gas, 3 months of car insurance, or $200 less I have to pay back in a couple of years since many college students are forced to take out loans.

There will be other chances to get a computer running OS X, and Windows 7 looks very promising.

 

[oregon2]

Being a college student, I'd thought I'd chime in. I disagree with alot of you saying how, oh it doesn't matter, an HP will do the same thing/still get you through college. I know for a fact, if I had an HP I would not be nearly as productive and efficient. Once you get used to the large multi touch trackpad, expose, and spaces, doing large research reports becomes much much easier. I couldn't imagine doing school work on Vista (yes, I've tried, it's a nightmare). I would say as a college student, your laptop is probably one of the most important things you own. It's the center for your academic and personal work. You'll be on it in the library, in your room, etc for hours and hours...days and days. All that time adds up. Thus, do you really wanna skimp on your computing experience. Paying a couple hundred for the OS X experience is more than worth it. Sell the HP, suck up the loss, and know that the cost will more than make up for a much better computing experience.

I don't know how you can say it improves efficiency. Sounds to me like you are trying to justify the extra cost, just like everyone else on the forum. Sure, the touchpad is nice, but PC's also have innovative control devices (like the nub). I think you could achieve equal efficiency on either, especially considering that either way, using an external mouse (or keyboard shortcuts) is more efficient.

It all depends on you. You can choose to accept the PC, figure out how to use it properly, and you will have few or no problems. Or you can look for things to dislike and indeed you will dislike it.

 

[Krafty]

Another college students input (oh gawd):

I've had my 2006 MacBook treat me well throughout college. Although it chugs, and sometimes tries to run on one foot, it still got the job done in the end, and giving the fact that I'm asking enough from my parents, I still stuck with it without a pout. Plus, worse comes to worse, I would just make the short drive to the campus and use the tank-build Mac Pros.

My thing is, if a PC will do what you need, then go for it. People at my college purchase 17" MBP for the sheer joy of surfing facebook and iChat, but perhaps there will come a time for them to put it to good use.

I recently talked with my parents, and I saved up, was going to sell my MacBook, and pay half for a 15" MBP. But instead, I sold my TV and other accessories, and got a Mini + Acer monitor, save almost a grand. The mini's updated hardware will do everything I need, the 23" screen is amazing (better than a 15" MBP), and I can use my MacBook to help surf or display notes I need on the side.

It's all about priorities. If you want a MacBook but can't afford it, get a PC until you can (or, giving the Macs on my campus, I just say use the Macs there until you can afford one), but it's not really worth chopping off appendages, selling kidneys, and working the night shifts on the streets for a laptop.

 

[Ryuukumori]

Well with good news in mind, I registered for classes today (Astronomy being one), and I went to my university's computer store. They have Macs on super campus sales that are cheaper than the edu discounts on apple.com. That being said, I know with my university having connections with Apple, I'm positive this sale will be around for the following summers. I plan to keep studying with this HP for as long as it functions fast, until I see some hardware failures, then I'll buy a Mac. Just gotta win those scholarships!!