MacBook Air for a college student

[ayeying]

I'm a bit confused, why would a CS major need a MBP? If I'm not mistaken, don't you guys do programming, not graphics? At UIUC most of the CS majors I know have small Sony ultraportables because they carry them around all day, not big rigs with dedicated video cards. When I was an aerospace engineering major, I only had a 12" Powerbook and used the school labs for CAD work.

Compiling can be extremely processor intensive. The MB's integrated video card will chew up some processing power so the MBP would be an better option.

Not to mention the current generation MBP is only 0.4 lbs heavier then the current MacBooks. So for a lot more power, you get only a slight weight increase.

 

[sushi]

As a prior EE/CS major, I say get the MBP.

You get more bang for the buck, plus you have added flexibility over the MBA.

 

[effer]

Get the MBP. You will want the biggest display and resolution possible while still remaining reasonably portable. This is much more important than any other feature you could be comparing, IMO.

 

[SFStateStudent]

Definitely the MBP for any CS majors out there, b/c you're gonna' need the extra GB on the hard drive...

 

[holysmoke]

I'm a bit confused, why would a CS major need a MBP? If I'm not mistaken, don't you guys do programming, not graphics? At UIUC most of the CS majors I know have small Sony ultraportables because they carry them around all day, not big rigs with dedicated video cards. When I was an aerospace engineering major, I only had a 12" Powerbook and used the school labs for CAD work.

I'm at uiuc, (Comp Engg), and most of my friends have a laptop, but nobody really uses it for coding. Most of the coding is done in lab computers, what with the EWS labs everywhere, and most classes require softwares that you cant really get at home, like qemu or mentor

 

[sebpayne]

Compiling can be extremely processor intensive. The MB's integrated video card will chew up some processing power so the MBP would be an better option.

Not to mention the current generation MBP is only 0.4 lbs heavier then the current MacBooks. So for a lot more power, you get only a slight weight increase.

Graphics processing isn't really a big issue, unless you start getting into games design, which isn't a large part of most CompSci courses. Most of it is basic GUIs and focusing more on the core coding skills, that just need a good text editor (cough TextMate cough )

The MBPs are 2.47kg compared to 1.36kg of the Air. There isn't much different between the MacBooks and the MBP but the difference between them all and the Air is staggering. I find it far easier to have all your work on your machine, so you can get it whenever needed.

 

[gooddeal]

Graphics processing isn't really a big issue, unless you start getting into games design, which isn't a large part of most CompSci courses. Most of it is basic GUIs and focusing more on the core coding skills, that just need a good text editor (cough TextMate cough )

I agree. I think many people here either they don't know about CS major (classes) thus they think that CS students need to have the most powerful computer out there to run their programs OR they don't know the diff. b/w CS, Comp. Eng., and Comp. Graphic Design and Media degrees.

 

[coupdetat]

I'm at uiuc, (Comp Engg), and most of my friends have a laptop, but nobody really uses it for coding. Most of the coding is done in lab computers, what with the EWS labs everywhere, and most classes require softwares that you cant really get at home, like qemu or mentor

Yeah, that's what most people I know did with Pro/E and Inventor classes. It just isn't worth paying ~$2000 when there are great school resources you already paid for.

I'm at UConn now I really miss UIUC. I miss Joe's!

Just remember that laptops play a huge role in college, and you'll probably be carrying it everywhere. That's what makes the Air worth it for me.

 

[*Sandy*]

Having had both, stick with the MB or MPB.

 

[RobT]

I'm a college professor and a big fan of the MBA. I would love to tell you to go for it as the MBA truly is a great machine. However, because you are a CS major, you should go with the MBP.

For students who are majoring in subjects like History, English, Sociology, etc., I would highly recommend the MBA.

 

[deeddawg]

This is a three year old thread. OP is (hopefully) entering his/her senior year shortly.

This thread popped up due to a spammer earlier this morning, the post is gone, but apparently this is still showing up as recent and thus would make someone think it was a current question bot from three years ago.