Grad school- can’t decide between MacBook and Pro

[royinla14]

I’m about to start grad school and can’t decide between MacBook or MacBook Pro. Price aside, I love the portability of the MB but then thinking the MBP isn’t that much heavier or bigger and you get the extra ports. I expect to use it mainly for taking notes, excel and maybe power point. I keep going back and forth when I am at the Apple store and have the two side by side. Any suggestions?
As a separate question given the expected use of MS Office tools am would it be smarter to purchase a Windows based laptop?

 

[Mike Boreham]

I’m about to start grad school and can’t decide between MacBook or MacBook Pro. Price aside, I love the portability of the MB but then thinking the MBP isn’t that much heavier or bigger and you get the extra ports. I expect to use it mainly for taking notes, excel and maybe power point. I keep going back and forth when I am at the Apple store and have the two side by side. Any suggestions?
As a separate question given the expected use of MS Office tools am would it be smarter to purchase a Windows based laptop?

Not quite a parallel situation but a lot of relevant comments in this thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/macbook-or-macbook-pro.2126778/

 

[Sciomar]

I’m about to start grad school and can’t decide between MacBook or MacBook Pro. Price aside, I love the portability of the MB but then thinking the MBP isn’t that much heavier or bigger and you get the extra ports. I expect to use it mainly for taking notes, excel and maybe power point. I keep going back and forth when I am at the Apple store and have the two side by side. Any suggestions?
As a separate question given the expected use of MS Office tools am would it be smarter to purchase a Windows based laptop?

I bought my wife a MBP for grad school, it's pretty much overkill for what she's doing but I had the funds. A MB will do everything you're wanting to do and cost much less to be honest. I also bought her the MS Office suite for Macs and it works just fine although she seems to be using Google's online suite more often for all the group projects, mostly whoever is the group lead sets the medium standard and nine times out of ten it's on Google.

tl;dr: the regular MB with MS Office will do everything you need for school and save you cash

 

[Chundles]

I'd get the two-port MacBook Pro. More power than you need but the convenience of that extra port and the battery life is much longer than the MacBook.

 

[royinla14]

I bought my wife a MBP for grad school, it's pretty much overkill for what she's doing but I had the funds. A MB will do everything you're wanting to do and cost much less to be honest. I also bought her the MS Office suite for Macs and it works just fine although she seems to be using Google's online suite more often for all the group projects, mostly whoever is the group lead sets the medium standard and nine times out of ten it's on Google.

tl;dr: the regular MB with MS Office will do everything you need for school and save you cash

Thanks. I wonder did your wife ever had issues when it comes to MS on Mac in terms of productivity or was it on par with Windows PC?

 

[sosumi99]

If you'll be doing a lot of heavy Excel work, my suggestion is to go for a Windows ultrabook. MS Office for the Mac is a second-class citizen. The thing is, a lot of Excel use these days depend on plugins and such, and almost all of them are optimized for the Windows version or only work for the Windows version. It will take only a few incompatibilities before you wish you had gone the Windows route.

 

[Sciomar]

Thanks. I wonder did your wife ever had issues when it comes to MS on Mac in terms of productivity or was it on par with Windows PC?

It didn’t give her any issues, the groups just chose the Google versions for their ease of collaboration so she went along out of necessity. Truthfully she hates tech but finds the Mac to be very user friendly, I think she likes the launch bar setup.

I myself use only Windows computers but that’s what I grew up with and built, I do appreciate the clean look of the Macs and am thinking of switching over later on when I start school.

What grad school program are you starting? That may help determine your need for office or if the Apple or Google versions might be good enough.

 

[royinla14]

It didn’t give her any issues, the groups just chose the Google versions for their ease of collaboration so she went along out of necessity. Truthfully she hates tech but finds the Mac to be very user friendly, I think she likes the launch bar setup.

I myself use only Windows computers but that’s what I grew up with and built, I do appreciate the clean look of the Macs and am thinking of switching over later on when I start school.

What grad school program are you starting? That may help determine your need for office or if the Apple or Google versions might be good enough.

I am stating an executive MBA program and while I get the feedback related to excel use I’m not sure how heavy it will be vs regular MBA program therefore I’m thinking it might be ok. I prefer the Mac for ease of use and my only reservation is the excel and possibly plug ins that were mentioned in a previous comment. I also asked feedback from the school and was told the ratio is probably 60/40 for Windows

 

[EugW]

A 13" MacBook might be a great compromise. There are rumours a 13" MacBook might be released by October. Is that too late?

Unfortunately, even if the 13" MacBook does get released, it may be too late for the Back-To-School sale. I think that ends Sept. 25.

 

[royinla14]

A 13" MacBook might be a great compromise. There are rumours a 13" MacBook might be released by October. Is that too late?

Unfortunately, even if the 13" MacBook does get released, it may be too late for the Back-To-School sale. I think that ends Sept. 25.

Too late...I need one by next week...

 

[EugW]

Too late...I need one by next week...

OK then.

Performance wise, the 12" MacBook is totally fine for your workload most likely. However, you may prefer having the larger screen on the 13" MacBook Pro, esp. if you're going to be using spreadsheets and the like, but it means a 50% increase in weight. Having a 12" MacBook is actually lighter than an iPad with decent keyboard. A 3 lb 13" MacBook Pro is by no means heavy, but the 12" MacBook is so petite that it's very easy to just pick it up and go with it at any time. The 12" is also less awkward to carry and less awkward on a small table. For me that means it's more pleasant to use on a plane, but for you it may also mean it's easy to use on one of those fold up tables in auditorium seats. (I'm not sure though, since I don't need to use my laptop that way.)

Having two ports would be nice though. That way you could charge the Mac while using say a USB drive at the same time. In reality for me though, having the single port hasn't been an issue. Generally when I take it to work I will use it a few hours only, and the battery charge from the morning will be sufficient. However, if I do need to charge it, then I just charge it. For the few minutes I may need to use the USB drive, I can unplug the charging cable and then plug it back in as necessary. There are also USB hubs that allow for charging passthrough if necessary, but they're a bit annoying to carry around.

I had purchased a combo 4K p30 HDMI + USB 3 dongle which also includes charging passthrough but I rarely use it. In fact, the only time I use it is when I need HDMI support, and even then it's at most 1 hour (for a presentation). For USB-A I don't need it because I keep a USB-C to USB-A adapter on my keychain at all times, and use that as necessary. I'm now going to buy a 4K p60 HDMI adapter instead and forget about charging, just so I have a smaller dongle.

So with my 12" MacBook, I bought:

Note that it has on the left front edge a USB-C charging port. However, as mentioned I basically never have to use the charging passthrough, and it's annoying to carry around. Instead, for USB I usually just use what I always have on my keychain:

And I will be buying a simple HDMI 4K p60 dongle for occasional use, something like this:

Note that unlike the MacBook Pro's Thunderbolt 3 port, the USB-C port on the MacBook does not support simultaneous 4K p60 and USB 3. You have to choose, so for a combo dongle it means 4K p60 plus USB 2 or else 4K p30 and USB 3. In my case I will choose to separate them completely, as illustrated above.

tl;dr:

The MacBook is more than fast enough for MS Office. Having 2 USB-C ports would be nice, but most of the time I don't actually need it. What you may prefer is the increased screen real estate of the 13", but for me I much prefer having the smaller and lighter laptop.

 

[Randall2018]

I would go with the MacBook for that usage.

 

[mj_]

Office for Mac is a slouch even on the latest and greatest $10,000 iMac Pro, and when it comes to Microsoft Office (or LibreOffice for that matter) a $500 Windows notebook will be so much faster than aforementioned iMac it'll blow your mind. That's the indisputable bad news - everybody who has experience with both will agree. The good news is that the MacBook will be just as fast running Office for Mac as the iMac so if all you're looking at is Office performance than the MacBook Pro won't have any advantages over the cheaper MacBook. Other than an improved Butterfly keyboard (if you get the 2018 model with Touch Bar), a Touch Bar (which most people consider utterly useless junk), Thunderbolt 3, and extra USB-C ports of course.

Personally, I would go with the MacBook because it'll do a great job doing what you require for grad school. In addition to Office I use mine (2017 base model m3/256/8) for Java software development with Eclipse and it's not any slower than my stationary 2017 iMac.

 

[cdcastillo]

If you are going to use it mainly for note taking, excel and powerpoint, you should consider an iPad Pro, it's more than suitable to those tasks and is much cheaper than both your stated options.

 

[EugW]

If you are going to use it mainly for note taking, excel and powerpoint, you should consider an iPad Pro, it's more than suitable to those tasks and is much cheaper than both your stated options.

The iPad / iPad Pro sucks for MS Office IMHO, at least for parts of it. The interface just doesn't cut it.

I tried using my iPad Air 2 with a nice full sized external keyboard and it was a royal PITA. Trying to use the touch screen to navigate around Excel is horrible. The MacBook is light years better for usability. It's also lighter, and less awkward to use. Furthermore, transferring Office files is infinitely easier on the MacBook for obvious reasons.

 

[throAU]

If there is any chance you may want to plug a GPU into the machine, the Macbook won't be able to do that.

 

[thei3ug]

Regular MBA (not executive) experience - worked great 95% of the time.
At least compared to what I did in law school (yeah, I go to lots of skool), MBA courses were less dependent on laptops for note taking in class. To be fair I was one of the handwriters as much as possible, but what I saw in the MBA program so far was focused on reading, exercises, and discussions, instead of rote.

Never had an issue with unavailable plugins for excel. Any group projects using G suite... no problem, like anything. I'd say roughly half the MBA students were working on a Mac. For that matter, same with JD's. Honestly, both populations were about 10 years younger than I was so why they made the decisions on hardware I have no insight on, but my point being, it's about what you're comfortable using. the OS and hardware won't give you an advantage or hold you back by itself.

Main issue: R. When working with obscenely large datasets in one particular class, the mobile processor choked. What should have taken an hour took 8. Made correcting errors on the final difficult. This was a marketing course a quant heavy school. Your mileage may vary.

I absolutely do not recommend using an iPad. I tried that for about a month on a pro 12 in law school. What a waste. Was not fast enough to switch between various references and notes or productions. The touch screen was a productivity sink. It's a distraction to the others in class who are using it when you keep reaching up to the screen to interact.

I didn't notice if people are using it in the MBA program, but I can't imagine how they could. Once again, if you have to do statistical modeling, it's not going to work. Nor would the native excel app be sufficient.

 

[Dave245]

If I was you I would go into an Apple store and try out both machines, the 12” MacBook is really impressive with it’s thin and lightness but it’s also very capable, the MacBook Pro is also impressive with the design (one that I really like) the new MacBook Pro 13” has quad core processors which would be more than enough for what you want at the moment.

Apple are rumoured to be working on a 13” version of the MacBook for later this year (rumoured around September to October time) that could tip the scales for you, the only thing is I don’t know what processors Apple would put in a 13” version of the MacBook, would they be the same as the 12” or higher?

Also the 12” MacBook is due an update, it’s rumorued to be a processor update but if you can wait you would be getting more for you’re money.

 

[HappyIntro]

Hi, I'll put my 2 cents in and will recommend the MacBook Pro. I would make that choice in your shoes based on these factors: 1) superior screen of MBP, 2) stronger CPU and GPU, 3) 3rd gen keyboard, 4) more and better ports and 5) the MBP feels to me like it will be more durable than the MB.

I am typing this on my MacBook, and I must say I love my MacBook. It is working great for me, and I love how it just disappears into my backpack, barely noticeable with its light weight. However I made the choice for my MB before the new 2018 MBP came out, and the addition of quad core CPUs and the 3rd gen keyboard would have tipped my choice to the MBP.

Also, FWIW I'll just add that I use Office for Mac on my Macs and it works great. In my job I use the Windows version of Office, as I've done since the 90's. I can say that the Mac version of Office used to be really far behind the Windows version, however in the past 5 years or so, Microsoft has worked hard to bring Office for Mac up to the Windows version level, so the experience is almost the same these days. However I am not a power user, so there may be many advanced functions or plug ins that are not available for the Mac version. Most people will not be affected by this.

Overall, both laptops should work well for you. However since the MB won't be updated until well after you need a new one, I say - go for the cool new MBP!

 

[asoksevil]

I went with the MacBook Pro and I regret choosing it over te MacBook. The MacBook is way lighter which for me it's a temendous plus as I have to carry it every single day and 400gr makes a real difference when you factor in the rest of the books and stuff.

I don't use overly complicated programs that require the MBP power so I was really an overkill for my needs.

 

[zhenya]

The MacBook is noticeably lighter than even the 13" Pro, but if it was my only machine - either for grad school or professionally, I'd almost certainly choose the 13" - not for the performance - it's fine for Office tasks on the MacBook - but for the screen real estate. That little bit of extra size and the larger natively available workspace on the Pro will really come in handy when you want to have two things open side by side - say a spreadsheet on one half of the screen and a PDF or web page on the other. I'd add the app Magnet from the app store to bring Windows 10-like quick snapping of windows to OSX.

Good luck!

 

[Dave245]

The MacBook is noticeably lighter than even the 13" Pro, but if it was my only machine - either for grad school or professionally, I'd almost certainly choose the 13" - not for the performance - it's fine for Office tasks on the MacBook - but for the screen real estate. That little bit of extra size and the larger natively available workspace on the Pro will really come in handy when you want to have two things open side by side - say a spreadsheet on one half of the screen and a PDF or web page on the other. I'd add the app Magnet from the app store to bring Windows 10-like quick snapping of windows to OSX.

Good luck!

It also depends on the student discount, if there is not much difference in cost then yea I would say get the 13” MacBook Pro as it seems like you get more for you’re money with the 13” especially now that they have been updated with the quad core processor.

 

[jpn]

the MacBook is a better machine for you.
the only computer thats good is one which is always with you.
the MacBook is the only way to go.
you are fooling only yourself if you insist on talking yourself into a MacBook Pro.

 

[automan98]

I’m about to start grad school and can’t decide between MacBook or MacBook Pro. Price aside, I love the portability of the MB but then thinking the MBP isn’t that much heavier or bigger and you get the extra ports. I expect to use it mainly for taking notes, excel and maybe power point. I keep going back and forth when I am at the Apple store and have the two side by side. Any suggestions?
As a separate question given the expected use of MS Office tools am would it be smarter to purchase a Windows based laptop?

If weight is the number one priority then go with MacBook. Originally it was my priority but felt like I was giving up too much with reduced screen side and compute so I went with pro.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

MacBook user here and the minute that you mentioned Excel, I became a little worried. Personally, I wouldn't want to use Excel on a tiny 12" screen. The MacBook Pro would be better unless you buy a larger screen for home use I guess.

I try to only use Excel for keeping records of client billing & tax returns etc.

Has anyone BTW tried Apple's Numbers? Again you could use this and save as a Excel document.

As someone who NEVER could get my head around Word, I took to Pages like a duck to water.

I have the old MS Office on my Mac and OMG it's truly HORRIBLE. Takes forever to launch - 3-5 minutes and overtime I use Word, I get constant beachballs. I try to use Pages instead and save it as a PDF for clients.