I would go for the iMac, you can just write your notes down the iMac would be alot easier for you to do your work on. But i would definitly wait till you can get student discount.
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iMac For University?!
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HAHA! Yeah, I did seem a lil' too over-energetic there
I ordered my Macbook Air online and it didn't ask me for verification
Ahh yea, they'll send you an email though, you can oder it but wait until the order is processed.
I am already accepted into Uni and have my Student number and such even for next year, so I may just get one now!
HAHA! Yeah, I did seem a lil' too over-energetic there
Ahh yea, they'll send you an email though, you can oder it but wait until the order is processed.
I am already accepted into Uni and have my Student number and such even for next year, so I may just get one now!
Seriously?! Maybe I should check my email or they will take $50 back..
Well I was in a similar situation a month ago, just started an apprenticeship scheme for a major IT company and couldnt decide which to go with. I ended up going with an iMac i7 27" and have no regrets.
I went for power over portability in the end because its alot of money at the end of the day. The iMac and iPad combo sounds promising though, you should check out the clam shell keyboard cases, would be perfect for taking notes in class then all your power is at home
http://www.amazon.com/Gembox-Accessory-Keyboard-tablet-charger/dp/B004B8UZUM
HTH
I went for power over portability in the end because its alot of money at the end of the day. The iMac and iPad combo sounds promising though, you should check out the clam shell keyboard cases, would be perfect for taking notes in class then all your power is at home
http://www.amazon.com/Gembox-Accessory-Keyboard-tablet-charger/dp/B004B8UZUM
HTH
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Laptop
MBP but I'm partial to laptops and I travel a lot so that is my two cents. Also as other have stated I hardly ever saw or know people who actually took notes on anything other then pen and paper while at college. If they had a laptop they were on a social networking sight or playing a game.
That case is awesome. How does it feel to type on it. Maybe if that case/keyboard is comfy enough then an iMac and iPad combo would be the way to go.
I still would rather have a MBP.
MBP but I'm partial to laptops and I travel a lot so that is my two cents. Also as other have stated I hardly ever saw or know people who actually took notes on anything other then pen and paper while at college. If they had a laptop they were on a social networking sight or playing a game.
That case is awesome. How does it feel to type on it. Maybe if that case/keyboard is comfy enough then an iMac and iPad combo would be the way to go.
I still would rather have a MBP.
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Desktops are not ideal for college IMHO, at least as a single computer solution. You have to leave them in your room, and you have to rely on roommates remembering to lock the door at all times. And you're probably going to be doing most of your work in the library or coffee shop or classroom.
As a student, I lugged a TiBook around for four years. That was a light and thin computer for the time, but it was still a pain by the end of the day, especially if I had a bunch of books too.
If I were going to do it all again, I'd buy an Air without hesitation. I'd get the 11.6 with 4/128. Unless you're running heavy duty apps of some kind, I don't see the need for more. An external HD could hold extra media. To me, the extra portability is priceless.
Incidentally, I used to be a rare Mac user back then. Now, I audit a class most semesters and the classroom is usually a sea of Macs. It's amazing how much of a change there has been. Airs are rare still, but I fully expect to see many more of them in the future.
As a student, I lugged a TiBook around for four years. That was a light and thin computer for the time, but it was still a pain by the end of the day, especially if I had a bunch of books too.
If I were going to do it all again, I'd buy an Air without hesitation. I'd get the 11.6 with 4/128. Unless you're running heavy duty apps of some kind, I don't see the need for more. An external HD could hold extra media. To me, the extra portability is priceless.
Incidentally, I used to be a rare Mac user back then. Now, I audit a class most semesters and the classroom is usually a sea of Macs. It's amazing how much of a change there has been. Airs are rare still, but I fully expect to see many more of them in the future.
Yup its 100% compatible. However the only thing I've noticed when I've used MS Office on the Mac is that is takes ages for the applications to boot up. Perhaps its changed now, as I've only used the 2004/2006 version, but it certainly took a while
One way around it is to leave the applications such as MS word open the whole time your using the computer. Or if you have a SSD the booting issue won't exist
Its not really much of a problem, as long as you have the patience
Yup its 100% compatible. However the only thing I've noticed when I've used MS Office on the Mac is that is takes ages for the applications to boot up. Perhaps its changed now, as I've only used the 2004/2006 version, but it certainly took a while
One way around it is to leave the applications such as MS word open the whole time your using the computer. Or if you have a SSD the booting issue won't exist
Its not really much of a problem, as long as you have the patience
Office 2011 loads quick for me (I still dont use it mind
)Well I was in a similar situation a month ago, just started an apprenticeship scheme for a major IT company and couldnt decide which to go with. I ended up going with an iMac i7 27" and have no regrets.
I went for power over portability in the end because its alot of money at the end of the day. The iMac and iPad combo sounds promising though, you should check out the clam shell keyboard cases, would be perfect for taking notes in class then all your power is at home
http://www.amazon.com/Gembox-Accessory-Keyboard-tablet-charger/dp/B004B8UZUM
HTH
AHHH! Sick case haah, I would like to hear if anyone has tried this out.
I don't think the iPad would give me the portable power I would need so I agree with you there.
YES! That's something I haven't even really considered ahh ty.
Ahh yes! I agree an air would be just perfect!! I will be running Photoshop and Flash however,. so I need something moreee! I wish I coould afford both and iMac and air! Then bring the air to work on whatever and to presentations or something and do all that other shizz at home...
So, I would like to keep this under $3000 and an iMac/Mac Air is around $3500... ahh still don't know what to do.
I just don't know how much I'll be needing the portability but like jouster said, is a desktop in a roomate situation even good...
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going to doule-post here.. (cause imma rebel...)
Anyways,
I guess the real question here is: Does the Macbook Pro have enough power to run applications like Photoshop/Flash and a few others, and hold GB's of stuff and is able to work at high speeds doin' it..
I really don't wanna use an external, but I think for sure I would need to with all the GB's of film I got heerrre
Anyways,
I guess the real question here is: Does the Macbook Pro have enough power to run applications like Photoshop/Flash and a few others, and hold GB's of stuff and is able to work at high speeds doin' it
..I really don't wanna use an external, but I think for sure I would need to with all the GB's of film I got heerrre
I guess the real question here is: Does the Macbook Pro have enough power to run applications like Photoshop/Flash and a few others, and hold GB's of stuff and is able to work at high speeds doin' it
I really don't wanna use an external, but I think for sure I would need to with all the GB's of film I got heerrre
Photoshop isn't that CPU intensive and most of its functions are still single-threaded so the clock speeds plays a huge role (MBPs have pretty good Turbo).
You can upgrade the HD to up to 1TB from aftermarket and even replace the SuperDrive with 750GB to get up to 1.75TB of internal storage.
Ahh, now that's what I like to hear..
So where would I go to get the HD upgraded? Also, is more RAM a big factor in something like this: Say from 4GB to 8GB?
Go with the most powerful Macbook Pro you can afford. I made it through 4 years of college studying Mechanical Engineering with my 2006 2.0ghz Core Duo MBP (I graduated this May). I used SolidWorks (3D solid modeling program, check it out) and plenty of other industry common engineering programs in bootcamp no problem. Don't forget it's called the macbook PRO, so it should work just fine for a student. My experience in college is that laptops are king, the ability to work where ever you want is key.
My experience in college is that laptops are king, the ability to work where ever you want is key.
You can do it yourself, it's not that hard and doesn't void warranty (unless you damage something). Here is a tutorial.
I would get 8GB of RAM too, it's so cheap nowadays. 2x4GB goes for as low as 120$ and will definitely help when running the apps you mentioned
15" MacBook Pro with an i7 (Or i5, they're both dual cores) and an external monitor sounds like a good compromise to me.
EDIT: More in depth stuff
You said more power, so I'm assuming you're heading for a quad (correct me if I'm wrong)
So that's 2,000
Add and iPad
2,500, cheapest iPad
MacBook Pro route
MacBook Pro with i7
2,100
A Monitor
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/display/display/1/storefronts/WH344AA%23ABA
2,340
You may be able to find a better monitor.
Oh, also a bag to carry the MBP in.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H0617LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA2Ng&mco=MTcxNjE0MDA&s=topSellers
2,420
Still save around 100$.
So yeah, think about that.
EDIT: More in depth stuff
You said more power, so I'm assuming you're heading for a quad (correct me if I'm wrong)
So that's 2,000
Add and iPad
2,500, cheapest iPad
MacBook Pro route
MacBook Pro with i7
2,100
A Monitor
http://www.shopping.hp.com/product/display/display/1/storefronts/WH344AA%23ABA
2,340
You may be able to find a better monitor.
Oh, also a bag to carry the MBP in.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/H0617LL/A?fnode=MTY1NDA2Ng&mco=MTcxNjE0MDA&s=topSellers
2,420
Still save around 100$.
So yeah, think about that.
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Thanks Hellhammer! Nice tut there..
And woah, look at this! A personal shopper! I'm starting to think that a Macbook Pro is definately the way to go. At the beginning of this thread I was thinking 100% iMac, but now I think it's Macbook Pro.
I see that's exactly what I'm going for. I'm thinking maybe a 17" rather than a 15" but I'm not sure yet. Thanks Ultimalink!
the way i do it is that i run an imac 24" with dual screen...then a sony vaio laptop.
If i were to do it again, id have got a spec'd up 15" MBP and then custom built PC and dual monitors..simply because i like how portable the MBP is and that i could then modify the desktop for the power. But, that is only because i use a LOT of power hungry software. If its not an issue, then id say get an imac and later a netbook or something to take to lectures
If i were to do it again, id have got a spec'd up 15" MBP and then custom built PC and dual monitors..simply because i like how portable the MBP is and that i could then modify the desktop for the power. But, that is only because i use a LOT of power hungry software. If its not an issue, then id say get an imac and later a netbook or something to take to lectures
I dont agree that office for windows and mac are compatable. I just finished my degree this year and had a mac all 4 years. I studied engineering and made many spreadsheets, word docs and presentations. Charts and graphs can get adjusted moving from school windows computers to my mac. word docs equations and special characters disapeared. and powerpoint whoa dont even try to work on it on a mac to a pc. I was using office 2008 for mac. I dont know how much better 2011 is. My last year I decided to use parallels and install windows and office so I no longe had any of these problems. If you want a mac for school highley recomend this It may cost about $300 US to set it all up but it will be worth it to not have any compatability issues. I needed excell add ons that were only offered for windows and after the paralells it was possible.
have fun
have fun
OOhh! I see.. well I will consider using parallels for sure then. I'm definaely going to upgrade the Macbook Pro to 8GB mem. for sure. Awesome stuff.