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Free PC want a Macbook pro 13 inch

M

Miller117

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 14, 2009
6
0
I have been a heavy pc user for the last 10 years, who hated macs until there switch to Intel processors and for the last 2 years I have been debating if i should switch to a mac. I have been fallowing this forum for the last year almost every day. I am going to to Bryant University this coming fall where they give you a laptop to keep that is included in the tuition, but i don't want it....lol They just released the specs on the machine that i am getting from them. Two years into using it they give you a free upgrade to the latest machine thats out as long as you turn in the old machine...so i cant sell it. My question is should i just buy my mac now (because of education discount)and is the os just that much better or should i want till snow leopard comes out and hopefully there is a spec bump or what would u do.

I planned on getting a 13 inch mac book pro with...
2.53GHz
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB Memory
250GB hard drive
SD card slot
Built-in 7-hour battery2
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
$1,499.00

Also planned to upgrade with SSD and 8 GBs of ram when prices drop.

This is the laptop that I am given..

Major hardware features of the Lenovo ThinkPad T400 series:
14.1" WXGA+ TFT Widescreen Display with LED Backlight
2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (P8700)
160 GB 7200 RPM Hard Drive
3 GB DDR3 SDRAM
ATI Radeon HD 3470 256 MB Video Card
Dual Layer CD/DVD RW
Integrated 16 Bit Stereo Speakers
Integrated 10/100/1000 Ethernet
802.11 a/b/g/n Intel Wireless Network Card
56 Kbps v.92 Modem
UltraNav Touchpad
Biometric Security (Fingerprint Reader)
Integrated 1.3 Megapixel Digital Camera
7-in-1 Media Reader (SD, SDHC, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, MMC, xD, xD H formats*)
USB 2.0 (3 ports)
1394 Firewire (1 port)
9 Cell Lithium Battery (approximately 4 - 5 hour battery life)
The Bryant Laptop Program provides students with the following accessories at time of laptop issuance:

Padded Carrying Case (backpack style)
USB Thumb Drive (4 GB storage capacity)
50 ft. Ethernet Cable
3 ft. Ethernet Cable
Kensington Lock (provided upon request)

Any help will be appreciated...
 
that t400 is an awesome machine.

i would keep it. later on when youre rich you can choose a brand based on perceived philosophies.

save your money for the girls. you can always buy a computer but you cant always get college girls
 
That lenovo is a nice machine, especially since it is "free". (I'm sure you pay for it through tuition/fees/etc.). Snow Leopard is not going to change much as far as how the OS operates on the front end. It will be a mostly "under the hood" type of upgrade. I'm sure you would love a mac, but the student discount will be good for you all through school. Save for now, and "switch" once you have the extra bank saved up.
 
Miller117 said:
...they give you a laptop to keep that is included in the tuition, but i don't want it....lol ...Two years into using it they give you a free upgrade to the latest machine thats out as long as you turn in the old machine...
Click to expand...

I seriously hope you're joking. If your school is going to give you a laptop for free, then upgrade it in two years for free, and you're thinking of turning it down - that's absolutely mental.

When schools issue computers to students, they usually have a very good reason for doing so - it may likely come preinstalled with all the software you need for your classes. They will be able to maintain it for you. It will play nicely with all the networks and other machines on the campus. You won't have to buy, download, or install any software.

And a free upgrade in two years? I don't even get that at work!

Don't look in this gift horse's mouth - this is one helluva deal.
 
It's not "free" - it's buried somewhere in school fees. Find out if you can opt out of the laptop program and buy your own machine... I'd be surprised if they forced you to buy a machine.
 
Demosthenes X said:
It's not "free" - it's buried somewhere in school fees. Find out if you can opt out of the laptop program and buy your own machine... I'd be surprised if they forced you to buy a machine.
Click to expand...

Most colleges that offer this charge you $1000 a semester for the laptop and replace it after 2 years. So, after those two years you paid $4000 for the computer. And when you graduate they give you the option to keep it (usually for a small fee of $50-100) so you end up paying $8,100 roughly for a laptop. Its a rip-off.
 
Heck, in two years they may be using Macs.

Uberamd, is there a way to opt-out of the "free" laptop?
 
ltldrummerboy said:
Heck, in two years they may be using Macs.

Uberamd, is there a way to opt-out of the "free" laptop?
Click to expand...

At most colleges, no. Its a required 'tech' fee, however in my experiences some of those schools did offer Mac's as well. However you were still paying $2000 a year for a white base Macbook.
 
I don't understand why the switch to Intel has suddenly made you interested. For one thing, the OS is roughly the same in terms of features as it was back then. There are a few new ones, but the Intel switch did not make them happen. If you hated using a Mac when it was running PowerPC then you'll still hate it now.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say you'd hate it more, primarily because Apple has made significant steps in the wrong direction with Leopard. Tiger was great, and the combination of it with a G5 processor was awesome. Leopard is buggy, crashes a lot more and takes way longer to start up and shut down.
 
neiltc13 said:
I don't understand why the switch to Intel has suddenly made you interested. For one thing, the OS is roughly the same in terms of features as it was back then. There are a few new ones, but the Intel switch did not make them happen. If you hated using a Mac when it was running PowerPC then you'll still hate it now.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say you'd hate it more, primarily because Apple has made significant steps in the wrong direction with Leopard. Tiger was great, and the combination of it with a G5 processor was awesome. Leopard is buggy, crashes a lot more and takes way longer to start up and shut down.
Click to expand...

when i first used an apple computer it was back in elementary school and the had some version of mac os 9 (Classic), which i hated. This was the reason why i hated macs. i really was just misinformed. it was back in i think 2006 when my cousin got an intel based mac and i really liked it.

When apple used the powerpc u were limited to using only mac software only when they switched to intel were u able to use windows software... There were at the time some programs that i needed that were windows based, but 90% of the programs i use would be mac.
 
Tomorrow said:
I seriously hope you're joking. If your school is going to give you a laptop for free, then upgrade it in two years for free, and you're thinking of turning it down - that's absolutely mental.
Click to expand...

Agreed, you should go with the school provided laptop.
 
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