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A Macbook or a Sony Vaio- I would like advice

S

sportsfreak

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 22, 2008
64
0
Hello everyone,

I have been contemplating for a while as to which laptop i would like to purchase. I am saving up for a laptop for next year as i am off to univeristy. I have been torn between the new mac book and the sony vaio z series.

Portability is key as i will have to lug this around with me preety much everywhere i will be going. I also must be able to withstand some shock that comes with carrying a laptop. I love doing a bunch of media stuff on my computer and also enjoy watching movies. The laptop must have an integrated web cam and mic- i believe both do contain both. But i want to make sure the video quality is great. Money is of no issue at the moment. I must also be ideal for web surfing, downloading and much more.

I have a few questions about the Mac. First of all, i have used macs at school for video and photo editing and i am familiar with the user interface. However, i was told that it is harder for a student because i will have to buy programs spcifically for that operating system. And at the moment the norm is the windows system. The mac books are not compatable with an windows software. Also will i have an issue in univeristies with the programs they may suply us with since i am using a different operating system.

I love the look of the sony the best. I would like a fast processor and a good amount of ram. Both laptops offer somewhat the same specs. Its just a matter of choosing the correct laptop to fit my needs.

I know most of you all love your macs but will it be the correct choice for what i am looking for.

Thanks for you help.
 
i suggest you get a mac because its the best of both worlds, osx and you can always put windows via boot camp or parallels/vmware fusion
 
If the university is going to give you a free copy of Windows software, but not OS X, stick with the Vaio. You could always use Fusion to run Windows, but if you're going to work mostly in Windows, I'd go for the Windows laptop.
 
well. to be honest. The Macbook seems best for all the thing you are describing there. but it depends on what type of software. you could obviously install windoze on parallels or boot camp.
plus macbooks are just really nice :D
 
well. what exactly is boot camp.

Does it run windows well on the mac- are there any problems associated with it. Also how much does it cost to purchase.
 
Boot Camp is built into the OS, so it won't cost you anything, but you will need to purchase you're own copy of Windows. Only downside is you have to reboot into Windows to use it.
Fusion runs Windows whilst you're logged into OSX, so no restarting.
 
You could also always use Crossover as an alternative to purchasing a costly windows license, however sometimes apps don't work with it properly.
 
If you really want to make a good, informed decision, you should wait until you actually get to university. Then you can make your decision based on what your instructors are recommending, and what other students in senior year are using. This would be better than taking advice from a forum.

On the other hand, if you absolutely can't wait, just go with your gut feeling, and get whichever you like better. As you said, if you think Vaio is sexier, go for it. If you want to be more versatile, then get a Mac, which runs both.
 
Everything, apart from software issues, seems to suggest that a Macbook would be suited best for you. That said, you can use Bootcamp (as others have said) and the software issue will disappear.
 
I've been to three different colleges and have yet to see any college give a student free software...so I'm not sure why they are telling you this. Most universities you purchase software for discount at the college book store and they usually always have mac and windows versions.

As for programs which you may be using what will your major be? If its anything in the creative field get a mac hands down. ZBrush, Maya, and Adobe Creative Suite on my MBP run circles speedwise around my windows workstation at work. Not to mention, like others stated, its a much more versatile machine. You can run windows on the mac, you cant run mac on the windows machines.

As for sony vaios...they're alright. They look pretty but other then that they're about average. The battery life on vaios are usually pretty short but I cannot speak for the model you are looking at because we have a whole different series of vaio's where I work. Honestly if you want a windows laptop Id take a peek at what Asus has to offer. I never have to fix those things and you can usually get a lot more bang for the buck the you can with a sony.
 
I used VAIO (T-350) for the last 3 years and I loved it. Fortunately it had windows XP on it and I had not a single crash for the 3 years I used the VAIO. About 6 months ago I bought another VAIO (all in one LT series desktop). I loved the design, but unfortunately it has Windows Vista, which has been a big time headache for me. I finally decided to move to a mac (macbook air). I have had it for the last 3 months and it is a beau. Mac OSX is far far superior to windows vista especially when it comes to reliability. Almost all programs you need (e.g., windows office) comes in Mac version (student editions are a lot cheaper and you should be able to buy them from the univ book store). There are some exceptions here - e.g., SAS, which comes only in windows version. When I have to use SAS, i just use the built in bootcamp in my mac.
 
It seems like the Vaio may be your best bet. If I didn't have a Mac, that's what I'd have - Sony makes the best looking laptops after Apple.

But like said above, you can run Windows on your Mac, whereas, it's a hassle to run Mac on a Windows based computer. So you just need to decide what OS will suit your needs better.
 
chrono1081 said:
I've been to three different colleges and have yet to see any college give a student free software...so I'm not sure why they are telling you this. Most universities you purchase software for discount at the college book store and they usually always have mac and windows versions.

As for programs which you may be using what will your major be? If its anything in the creative field get a mac hands down. ZBrush, Maya, and Adobe Creative Suite on my MBP run circles speedwise around my windows workstation at work. Not to mention, like others stated, its a much more versatile machine. You can run windows on the mac, you cant run mac on the windows machines.

As for sony vaios...they're alright. They look pretty but other then that they're about average. The battery life on vaios are usually pretty short but I cannot speak for the model you are looking at because we have a whole different series of vaio's where I work. Honestly if you want a windows laptop Id take a peek at what Asus has to offer. I never have to fix those things and you can usually get a lot more bang for the buck the you can with a sony.
Click to expand...


My university gives us free software.
 
youssefm said:
...you can always put windows via boot camp or parallels/vmware fusion
Click to expand...

Sky Blue said:
...You could always use Fusion to run Windows...
Click to expand...

The Samurai said:
...you can use Bootcamp (as others have said) and the software issue will disappear.
Click to expand...

Just a clarification: The only scenario were you won't be able to use your mac at (neither on OS X nor on Windows) is if you are going to a law school that uses a certain exam software. This is not because the Mac is not able to run the specified software, but because several of these schools won't let you bring a mac to those kinds of tests. Every other situation I can think of, the Mac is a better solution.

This is why it's important that you specify what will be your field of study (as chronos have asked before).

Did I mentioned that I also think that a MacBook is a better choice?
 
chrono1081 said:
I've been to three different colleges and have yet to see any college give a student free software...so I'm not sure why they are telling you this. Most universities you purchase software for discount at the college book store and they usually always have mac and windows versions.

As for programs which you may be using what will your major be? If its anything in the creative field get a mac hands down. ZBrush, Maya, and Adobe Creative Suite on my MBP run circles speedwise around my windows workstation at work. Not to mention, like others stated, its a much more versatile machine. You can run windows on the mac, you cant run mac on the windows machines.

As for sony vaios...they're alright. They look pretty but other then that they're about average. The battery life on vaios are usually pretty short but I cannot speak for the model you are looking at because we have a whole different series of vaio's where I work. Honestly if you want a windows laptop Id take a peek at what Asus has to offer. I never have to fix those things and you can usually get a lot more bang for the buck the you can with a sony.
Click to expand...

My University gives us a free copy of Vista Ultimate and Office 2008 if we have a Mac. Of course it has a decent sized art department so that could be part of it.

OP knowing your concentration would help determine what you should use.
 
well i will be doing my BA- bacheors in business administration. Bacially i will be going into business
 
Macbook hands down. You want to get all business-ish and roll with the corporate crowd? Get a lenovo x300.
 
My 2 cents,

Forgetting the Mac vs. PC thing for a moment. I personally find Sony products to be very poorly designed and very vulnerable to failure.

At least that has been my experience with Sony products. We are talking computers, stereos, PS1,2, and 3, and pro audio gear and recorders. Everything.
 
I'd go for the MacBook, the Sony is flashy and claims all these high-end features that wasn't implemented well. You're also using Vista, which causes extreme panic and fear in the corporate world. You say it, someone will faint. If you like OS X, go with the mac. The OS is more important than software. You can always use Boot Camp, or Parallels/Fusion. If the university is nice and fair, they'd give you a free copy of Windows, I know my local college does.

Regarding the Lenovo X300. Currently, the graphics is even worse than my laptop. Not worse by a whole lot, but worse, since my graphics (X3100) is the crap of all crap graphics. The MBs, including the Air, has the new nVidia. I know that Lenovo will update their graphics, but as of now, they have not.
 
sportsfreak said:
Hello everyone,
I have a few questions about the Mac. First of all, i have used macs at school for video and photo editing and i am familiar with the user interface. However, i was told that it is harder for a student because i will have to buy programs spcifically for that operating system. And at the moment the norm is the windows system. The mac books are not compatable with an windows software. Also will i have an issue in univeristies with the programs they may suply us with since i am using a different operating system.
Click to expand...

Somebody is either lying to you, or has no idea what they're talking about. I' estimate (based on looking around in lecture), that Macs account for at least 50% of notebooks at my university. Everywhere I look people are tapping away on MacBooks, ProBooks, or even old PowerBooks. There are lots of PCs, for sure, but most of the new laptops I see are Macs, not expensive Sony Vaios.

There is absolutely no software that will not run on a Mac. If worst comes to worst, you can always install Windows under Bootcamp or through virtuaization and run anything. And since Apple went to Intel chips, more and more software is available native. For example, my program requires a dedicated statistical software package. It's available for OSX and Windows. I believe some very specialized software is only available on windows (especially applied science programs).

But I've never had a software issue with any of my courses. That said, one of Mac-using housemates has run into a Windows-only software requirement, but there are lots of options to get around that. I'm sure your school will have computer labs...
 
Go for the macbook, you will see the difference. Keep in mind that Sony uses the same exact components as other laptop manufacturers.
 
sportsfreak said:
well i will be doing my BA- bacheors in business administration. Bacially i will be going into business
Click to expand...

Honestly in business you will want to know windows like the back of your hand. I am personally not a fan of Sony products and would recommend a Lenovo (the vanguard of the business market) but I would say that a PC would serve you well.

If you have saved up for a computer I assume you won't want to replace it every 1.5 years and are looking for a machine that will last you through university. Personally as a computer support technician at my school as well as a geek in general I would seriously recommend you look at Thinkpads. They are not as flashy as Sony or Apple but they are bulletproof laptops.
 
Demosthenes X said:
There are lots of PCs, for sure, but most of the new laptops I see are Macs, not expensive Sony Vaios.
Click to expand...

+1. I hardly ever see anyone with a Sony Vaio be it in a coffee shop, business environment or internet cafe. If they are not using a Mac they are generally using a Dell. Macs are a bit pricey but they are the most versatile computer, you can do it all on a Mac. Sony Vaio's are pricey and aside from looking good they do nothing more than any other common Windows PC and I've known Sony's to fail at very early stages.
 
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