MacBook Pro for college or Windows?

[Three141]

Yeah I'm doing all the liberal arts stuff like math , English and science class this semester and have one more writing class after this semester coming up.


One question though how is watching Netflix and stuff on the screen ? I'll be using this device as a tablet replacement ( either one) since I am selling my iPad to finance part of this purchase.

My MBP 13" was before retina but that screen was good and so were the speakers, the colours really popped and as I mentioned earlier I can't tell you why but I definitely enjoyed leisurely stuff on my Mac including watch films/TV shows.

The SP2 is not bad by any means but it took a few days to get used too the smaller screen (13" to 10"), but going to a 12" SP4" from an ipad screen will be an improvement experience I imagine and another plus is you will have the kick stand.

 

[Closingracer]

I wish I could win the lottery lol. This way I can just have both devices.

Guess I convinced myself to try out the MacBook at best buy after work .

 

[Closingracer]

There is a learning curve to using the stylus, and no it's not quite as fast, but after having used a SP as digital paper on and off for several years now and daily for the last year, I just recently tried going back to paper for a day and realized how spoiled I am by the SP. Once adapted to the differences, digital note taking is way better.

Really? Ok guess ill give it a while and see how much better it is at least until I have to decide on returning this or not .

 

[zhenya]

Have you tried the iPad Pro? Other than the inconvenience of having two devices, I think that in many ways the IPP stylus is better than the Surface's (and it has far less lag) although OneNote is a much more complete note-taking solution on Windows than either the Apple Notes app is or OneNote is on iOS. (Although this will also require winning the lottery, but it would be good to compare the stylus just to see the difference).

 

[Closingracer]

Have you tried the iPad Pro? Other than the inconvenience of having two devices, I think that in many ways the IPP stylus is better than the Surface's (and it has far less lag) although OneNote is a much more complete note-taking solution on Windows than either the Apple Notes app is or OneNote is on iOS. (Although this will also require winning the lottery, but it would be good to compare the stylus just to see the difference).

I thought about it but I really want a full desktop OS with a mouse pointer. I have tried out the pencil and I like it but I guess ill just get used to the surface pen . I haven't really used something like this since I had a Note 4 and a Note tablet

 

[motime61]

Is this the one with OLED display? Will apple be moving to OLED?

It even seems to have a stylus, it might be a better option than the surface pro, around 9 hours of battery life too...

 

[zhenya]

Is this the one with OLED display? Will apple be moving to OLED?

It even seems to have a stylus, it might be a better option than the surface pro, around 9 hours of battery life too...

Looks great except that Lenovo insists on keeping that stupid 16:9 aspect ratio which is bad enough on a laptop but downright miserable as a tablet.

The SP4 has 9 hours of advertised battery life as well.

 

[PTLove]

The answer is it doesnt matter. For all purposes of school, either will run all software and do all tasks you need to do. Both will be stables, and both will have good perfomance.

Id personally recommend the SP4, as being able to take real, hand made notes is a huge huge plus in certain college classes. Super huge.
But I also think the typing experience on the MBP is better, so when it comes to writing papers id prefer that.

At the end of the day MUCH better note taking trumps a better typing experience though.

 

[Closingracer]

Looks great except that Lenovo insists on keeping that stupid 16:9 aspect ratio which is bad enough on a laptop but downright miserable as a tablet.

The SP4 has 9 hours of advertised battery life as well.

Yeah 16:9 is great for phones and I thank Apple for that but I prefer the 3:2 on the Surface pro 4, 4:3 on the iPad and 16:10 on the Macbook Line. I had a few Samsung Galaxy tablets and sold them mostly because of poor performance and poor battery life but 16:9 wasn't that great outside of Netflix.

 

[Closingracer]

The answer is it doesnt matter. For all purposes of school, either will run all software and do all tasks you need to do. Both will be stables, and both will have good perfomance.

Id personally recommend the SP4, as being able to take real, hand made notes is a huge huge plus in certain college classes. Super huge.
But I also think the typing experience on the MBP is better, so when it comes to writing papers id prefer that.

At the end of the day MUCH better note taking trumps a better typing experience though.

Well in theory the answer is mostly based on wants over needs lol. If you need a laptop a cheap windows $300 laptop will do the job. Yeah I could get a 13 inch Macbook Air for cheaper then the sp4 or Macbook Pro but I prefer the screens on both.

 

[motime61]

I never got into the surface pro, the keyboard and trackpad doesn't compare to other slightly larger ultrabooks and also the need for a stand at the back makes it even more gimmicky. I guess the pen option is good for taking notes, but the x1 yoga should have that as well.

 

[btbam91]

Definitely stick with the Surface Pro 4. I wish I could do college all over with a Surface Pro. Would have been awesome.

 

[Closingracer]

I never got into the surface pro, the keyboard and trackpad doesn't compare to other slightly larger ultrabooks and also the need for a stand at the back makes it even more gimmicky. I guess the pen option is good for taking notes, but the x1 yoga should have that as well.

I have a 17 inch gaming laptop by msi and love the keyboard on that. The surface pro 4 type cover isn't that bad I'm comparison given its a hybrid imo.

As far as the X1 goes I rather stick with the surface or Macbook over lenovo

 

[radus]

Stick with the SP4 there is nothing better available.
I use the SP3 with the SP4 Pen and Keyboard together with Onenote 2016 -- it is awsome.

 

[hojx]

It really depends on the kind of student you are. If you are into writing notes, get a notepad and an actual pen. if you are into typing, Macs have great keyboards and trackpads.

 

[Closingracer]

It really depends on the kind of student you are. If you are into writing notes, get a notepad and an actual pen. if you are into typing, Macs have great keyboards and trackpads.

I don't want to carry all that. I ended up with three of them. Also want it saved in the cloud or I'm storage.

 

[thermodynamic]

If you're a Windows guy don't go to college with something new just go with what you know and focus on whats important the computer isn't one of those things.

Why not learn both? The more skills one has makes one more valuable. Or so the theory goes. And the only real differences are ones a person will never use, since the applications and fundamental theories behind design, programming, baking a pie, whatever, don't change between platforms because of a branding logo.

I was an exclusively Windows guy until going back to college, when I picked up a MacBook Pro since some of the instructors indicated that some shops are Mac-only, and I knew the lower-end Macs were much slower (coming from Windows, which uses the same Intel hardware and knowing what it's capable of...) The applications that run on Mac and Windows are 99% identical in most cases, though the Windows version of certain Adobe applications were far more stable. Performancewise neither OS had a big advantage. On certain details, OS X was better and for others Windows has it. Neither terribly impacted what I was learning in college, but learning both platforms gave me a lot more insight into each's strengths and weaknesses.

It honestly didn't take long to learn how to use OS X and make backups of data. Keystroke shortcuts and the new location of close/minimize/maximize buttons were simple. If it took long to learn an OS designed for "ease of use" then the word "embarrassing" comes to mind. Where and how to save data or school files was identical.

Plus, lots of students asked various questions on both platforms. Again, with registry issues, there are reasons OS X is better. and on the flip side, I think Windows handles preemptive multitasking smoother... like rendering 3D in a couple applications I use, I can load a game and have no ill effects in Windows. In Mac OS X, same Mac hardware, the same conditions cause stuttering. So it's better just to go for a walk and let the computer have 100% of the processor time for the rendering task...

Now if people are going from Mac or Windows to, say, a portable Commodore 64 or Timex ZX81 or anything running CP/M and have to learn a CLI... Or Unix/Linux prior to the creation of "X Window System" (and even then, LOL), then I agree. But windowing operating systems came about because people did not want the complexity of command line interfaces.

 

[thermodynamic]

I don't want to carry all that. I ended up with three of them. Also want it saved in the cloud or I'm storage.

Be sure to read terms of service. If the cloud owner says that your free storage is effectively paid for by giving them a royalty free copy of what you store on it, and you've got an idea that might make you rich, do you want to hand it over so freely? They might have more resources than you do and, you being in college, unlike them, say "Hi" to a huge 5- or 6-digit student loan figure depending on field because demand for college degrees has been going up since the 70s, and especially since the great recession began where people went back to college to get updated credentials for jobs.

 

[thermodynamic]

It really depends on the kind of student you are. If you are into writing notes, get a notepad and an actual pen. if you are into typing, Macs have great keyboards and trackpads.

Mac owner here. Those chiclet keys in such a tiny space are atrocious. But I have big hands. People with small hands probably don't mind a compact layout as much. The trackpad is rather exceptional, though.

I agree - notepad and actual pen. Going digital has two tiny drawbacks:

1. Lack of fast response by the system, for writing or even tapping virtual keys
2. Instructor/Professor will instantly accuse student of playing video games instead of taking notes (even though note taking is what one is doing!)

 

[Closingracer]

Be sure to read terms of service. If the cloud owner says that your free storage is effectively paid for by giving them a royalty free copy of what you store on it, and you've got an idea that might make you rich, do you want to hand it over so freely? They might have more resources than you do and, you being in college, unlike them, say "Hi" to a huge 5- or 6-digit student loan figure depending on field because demand for college degrees has been going up since the 70s, and especially since the great recession began where people went back to college to get updated credentials for jobs.

I don't have any loans since I'm going to a public college which I live in the state so the tuition is quite low. I don't get how this factors into my question other than you have an agenda which is purely focused on your views on cloud storage and them deciding or not deciding to "steal" my stuff.
[doublepost=1451977620,1451948962][/doublepost]I have been messing around with the SP4 today and took it off the charger around 12 AM and its now around 2 and I already have 50% battery life. I have the screen at 50% the whole time and mostly been viewing the web and some youtube videos. Honestly I am heavily leaning towards a MacBook pro but ill give it a day or two and see if its going to get better.

 

[friedkimchi]

I personally use a Nexus 7 2013 to record/write/view notes in college.

I prefer to travel light and just carry my tablet, wireless headphones and an actual pen and paper notebook as well.

You already have your gaming laptop to finish up assignments. Save money during college, you will need it for other expenses!!

EDIT: I think you can get an external battery pack if you need to juice your device back up.

 

[Queen6]

I have been messing around with the SP4 today and took it off the charger around 12 AM and its now around 2 and I already have 50% battery life. I have the screen at 50% the whole time and mostly been viewing the web and some youtube videos. Honestly I am heavily leaning towards a MacBook pro but ill give it a day or two and see if its going to get better.

You will have to work with the power settings/profiles to get the SP4 to even approach the battery life of the 13" rMBP or even the 12" rMB, that said the SP4 offers far more utility; set the SP4 to hibernate not sleep, kill Cortana, reduce CPU if not needed, don't run needles background applications etc.

FWIW I use predominantly the 12" & 13" Retina`s for work purpose, I can get 8-10 hours of use from the 13" rMBP (2014), the 12" rMB I can get 7-9 hours (2015) with a little reserve left. I also find that the 12" rMB power supply is so small I just keep it with me and keep the battery topped up as the charging speed up to 80% is very rapid, I would apply the same to the SP4.

Personally I am considering a Surface Book as it offers the utility of the SP4 combined with a very strong battery runtime. i am not a prolific tablet user so the limited battery life of the "clipboard" would not be negative to me, however for limited tablet use and pen input I can see the Surface Book adding significantly to my workflow, my only concerns are it being a Gen-1 product.

Q-6

 

[Closingracer]

You will have to work with the power settings/profiles to get the SP4 to even approach the battery life of the 13" rMBP or even the 12" rMB, that said the SP4 offers far more utility; set the SP4 to hibernate not sleep, kill Cortana, reduce CPU if not needed, don't run needles background applications etc.

FWIW I use predominantly the 12" & 13" Retina`s for work purpose, I can get 8-10 hours of use from the 13" rMBP (2014), the 12" rMB I can get 7-9 hours (2015) with a little reserve left. I also find that the 12" rMB power supply is so small I just keep it with me and keep the battery topped up as the charging speed up to 80% is very rapid, I would apply the same to the SP4.

Personally I am considering a Surface Book as it offers the utility of the SP4 combined with a very strong battery runtime. i am not a prolific tablet user so the limited battery life of the "clipboard" would not be negative to me, however for limited tablet use and pen input I can see the Surface Book adding significantly to my workflow, my only concerns are it being a Gen-1 product.

Q-6

I decided to get the 13 inch Macbook Pro since it's on sale at bestbuy. All in all it costs me $47 more and love the screen...seems to fit the high res screen more than Windows does.

 

[Samuelsan2001]

I decided to get the 13 inch Macbook Pro since it's on sale at bestbuy. All in all it costs me $47 more and love the screen...seems to fit the high res screen more than Windows does.

I've had my 13 inch rMBP for the last 2 years and I can honestly say I think it's the best all round portable computer currently available, I'm sure you'll love it.

 

[Queen6]

I decided to get the 13 inch Macbook Pro since it's on sale at bestbuy. All in all it costs me $47 more and love the screen...seems to fit the high res screen more than Windows does.

I have absolutely no complaints with my 13" both OS X & Windows have positive & negative regarding HiDPI displays. The 13" rMBP is by far Apple`s most balanced portable and offers the best value for money, given it`s specifications. I have to admit that as much as I like the SP4, going back to a limited battery life is not where I want to be.

"Murphy`s Law" always applies, when you need to recharge the most, there is never an outlet available I am now at a point where I want a minimum of 8 hours, if not the trade off needs to be tangible & beneficial on several levels to make this compromise.

Q-6