MacBook this Xmas? Is Mac good for students?

[anotherarunan]

Out of interest, what uni are you going to? And again see if you can somehow get the higher education discount rather than the standard edu discount (give apple a call before you order), all you might need is a UCAS number and you'd be sorted (i dont think they're too strict)

Oh, and if you intend to use your macbook at your desk most of the time, investing in an external monitor may be a good idea as extra screen space (i.e for watching movies and TV shows that you miss because you're away from home ) is always useful!!!

 

[jnc]

Incase Neoprene sleeve, every respectable MacBook owner has one of these

And the bag I use is a dark blue tucano cobra horizontal limit

 

[zakee00]

I don't mean to rain on your parade, but I'm 17 and in your same position. I've decided to get a MacBook for college, but since I won't start attending until fall of next year, I've decided to wait for the next MacBooks to come out and buy one before school starts.

I'm fairly certain they will be updated by then. I have no use for it right now, but if you do, by all means, splurge for yourself

Whatever you choose I'm positive you'll be happy.

 

[DesignerOnMac]

Wireless and Word formats

Hmm...

Gaming would to be honest not be a big issue at all. I've got a desktop which I can use for that and at Uni I'm not planing on doing any gaming at all.

So I take it the Macbook Pro is simply for high-end video editing etc? If thats the case then there is no reason for me to get it, as the macbook is lighter and more portable isn't it?

I did think the macbook would be better.

Also, when should I get it? I would love to buy it for Christmas - but if it is likely to be upgraded soon then I'm happy to wait till May.

And finally is the mac fine at connecting to wireless connections and can it save in windows word format to send to a PC? Just checking lol.

1. macs can do wireless, no problem

2. M$ office etc. are available for PC and Mac, and you can exchange files no problem. (Do it all the time mate!)

 

[zakee00]

PS: Buy office right now if you plan on buying a Mac. You can buy Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition for $150 I believe, maybe cheaper, and get a free upgrade to Office 2008 Media Edition (a $500 value...) when it comes out.

Good luck

 

[Degradable]

Thank you all for the great responses

I'm still undecided over whether to get my Macbook now or to wait until October/September next year as it would be great to have it now and would help with 6th form work - essays especially as I wouldn't be tempted to go online and play games on my mac But yet again waiting for next year there will no doubt have a better macbook I dunno...

And someone asked which uni I'm going to - well I'm not sure yet to be honest, I have my 5 offers and I'm still deciding which one is best for me

Just one more question, are there any UK sites where I can find lots of Mac accessories? I still haven't seen a Macbook sleeve I really like which I can buy in the UK.

Cheers,

Andy

 

[Cloudane]

Based on the opening post, I'd say a Macbook is right up your alley. Great for organising things such as deadlines/todo's (especially with Leopard's Mail.app etc), produces superb looking reports etc that will blow your tutors away (if you get iWork), unrivalled usability, and you would get an educational discount too.

The only time I would suggest staying away from a Macbook is if you were spending most of your time on a .NET or C# course or something else that relies on Windows-only apps. You can run Windows on a Macbook, but it's a sacrilege

Edit: regarding MB vs. MBP, sounds like a Macbook would be enough for you. Use the extra money to buy iWork, some extra RAM, a decent case, Applecare, and whatever little shareware apps you may find useful (there's quite a bit out there for students AFAIK). MBP is only really important if you want to do processor intensive stuff like video editing or need a half decent GPU for gaming. You can still play most games on the MB, so I wouldn't go to all that extra expense unless I was an fairly frequent portable gamer personally.

Also, I wouldn't worry about waiting. Maybe wait to find out what this ultrathin model is like, but otherwise just check the buyers guide to see if it's a good time to buy when you do so. But I wouldn't just sit waiting for update after update as they're going to happen anyways... that's technology

 

[ivan1234]

I have ahd multiple macs for uni and its been great thus far!

 

[dwright1974]

PS: Buy office right now if you plan on buying a Mac. You can buy Office 2004 Student and Teacher Edition for $150 I believe, maybe cheaper, and get a free upgrade to Office 2008 Media Edition (a $500 value...) when it comes out.

Good luck

I posted a link yesterday to RM and their education price for Office 2004 is £42 including delivery etc, (About $80), so definately worth a look.

Not sure it will come with the upgrade coupon but you could always call/email them first.

HTH

- D

 

[jnc]

I'm still undecided over whether to get my Macbook now or to wait until October/September next year

No doubt there'll be newer MacBooks out by that time, it just depends if you can wait. I'm using a Core 2 Duo MacBook I picked up mid-2007, and a newer, faster one with a better graphics card came out six weeks ago.

It's a good time to buy now, if anything you can get one now and sell it on next summer before the free iPod promotion in the Autumn, as Macs hold their value well and you would probably still be able to sell it at half to two thirds its original price.

 

[zakee00]

I posted a link yesterday to RM and their education price for Office 2004 is £42 including delivery etc, (About $80), so definately worth a look.

Not sure it will come with the upgrade coupon but you could always call/email them first.

HTH

- D

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/go/promotions/supersuitedeal/

wow i can't believe you haven't heard about that!

such an amazing deal I combined it with the $100 black friday mail in rebate so i got office 2004 and 2008 for $50 i believe.