Opinions Needed! Future college kid needs a MBP

[Medic278]

The current generation of MBP are great. So what it really comes down to is buying when you need it. There is always going to be something better faster and slimmer coming on the horizon so no computer is really future proof. But I have a late 2011 MBP and love it, its a great machine and is very fast and will serve you very well, especially if all your doing is college work assuming its not crazy intensive work. I would wait as long as you can and if they update great, but remember if you like the current generation MBP you may not like the update!

 

[Davewithak]

I would get a Windows laptop to be on the safe side. I wouldn't want to risk my education because I didn't buy the right laptop at the time. Take a tour of the school if you haven't done so already and ask to sit in on some classes if you can. Look around and see what people are using.

I've been to the college (it's Radford University, btw) and it seems they support Macs over Windows. They have multiple Mac labs and a section in their bookstore just for Apple products.

I think I'm going to wait, regardless. Like I said, I don't need it right now and the Back to School sale will be a nice plus.

 

[shanshor]

Im in the same situation you are. I decided yesterday, tho, and ordered a 15 inch model. Its the high end one, and it'll serve me fine through college

 

[JacaByte]

It would suck to buy a Mac too, and have your curriculum say you need a Windows computer. Been there, done that, and having to now buy the daughter a Windows machine for engineering school because they refuse to support windows bootcamped or in a VM.

If they don't realize that running Windows in Bootcamp on a MBP is exactly the same as running Windows on any other brand of laptop they're not real engineers. Engineers don't care about the tools, just as long as they can get the job done with what they have.

Edit:

Technically it could work, but it is not a supported option and therefore not
recommended for everyone at this time.

This right here? That's ************. As long as Bootcamp is supported by Apple, running Windows on an Intel Mac is supported. Perhaps not by the university's IT department, but who needs them when you're an engineer?

Edit: I love the word filters on this forum.

 

[SavMBP15]

Also, need to change your thinking. Title should be: "Opinions Needed! Future college kid wants a MBP". There's nothing one "needs" a MBP for at college.

That is the key. No student (in an engineering program) needs a MBP. A capable laptop? Yes, but not a MBP.

 

[Ccrew]

I've been to the college (it's Radford University, btw) and it seems they support Macs over Windows.

You'll be too busy partying at Radford to worry about a computer.

 

[punchwalk]

If you're dead-set on a Mac for college:

• Wait a few months and see what comes down the pipeline. I think we're certain to see at least some kind of refresh before summer officially starts and I doubt the price point will change significantly.
• If you can't wait, or if little to nothing changes, get an MBA. Portability is always nice when you're lugging a full backpack around campus.

I'm assuming money isn't a problem for you since you're insisting that you need a MBP for college, but if it is, a Mac in general might not be the right choice. Between a hectic schedule, intermittent states of intoxication and sobriety, sleep deprivation, and trysts with sociopathic people, things have a tendency to get lost or stolen and maybe you'd be better off with something that's cheap and crappy but won't bankrupt you to replace.

Also, I wouldn't sweat the non-support doctrine of the college's tech support team. With the rising perception of Apple products as being trendy and cool amongst younger users (and older ones too), it seems archaic not to support them. Then again, you can find the answer to most software support questions online and I wouldn't trust the university to tend to Mac hardware problems anyway; I'd go directly to an Apple store for that.

 

[rockyroad55]

Just wait. I usually wait until late summer if I ever want to upgrade because of the back to school deals.

 

[Ccrew]

Then again, you can find the answer to most software support questions online and I wouldn't trust the university to tend to Mac hardware problems anyway; I'd go directly to an Apple store for that.

Where he's going to school there isn't an Apple store for a few hundred miles.