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Univerity in Future, Buy MB or iMac now?

D

dingdongbubble

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 1, 2007
538
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Ok most probably I will be going to University after atleast two years, possibly three. One of the Universities I am considering gives the students laptops (windows though:( ).

I also need a computer upgrade now but I will be able to hold off a purchase. If my Univeristy was not going to give me a laptop, I would certainly go and buy a Macbook NOW. It would come in handy at the U.

But considering that the Univeristy will be giving a laptop, maybe I wont go to the University and all the other possibilities, what do you think I should go for a Macbook or iMac.

iMac because it will have some more power and should be able to last longer and the screen!
 
If you do not intend to attend University in the next 12 months I would say buy now. It seems you will be attending in about 3 years, that to me is too long to wait. I'd do the upgrade now.
 
I was thinking of the same. Thanks for the suggestion BUT there is a problem. If I were to buy a Macbook, I would have an extra laptop at U. If I were to buy an iMac and the U I attend did not give laptops then I would be without a laptop and would have a big iMac which I wouldnt want.

What I can do is buy a Macbook and use it like normal and if I end up going to the U with lappys then I sell my MB and buy whatever desktop there is at that time? This would be hard cuz my parents would be paying for the Mac.
 
I am all in for a Macbook but I would have an extra laptop unnecessarily if I go to the specific Univ.
 
I would to with the iMac. More computing power and screen size for the money. You probably don't need the portability now.
 
Portability is vital for uni, but it might be worth considering a separate monitor and if required a keyboard.
 
Father Jack said:
Portability is vital for uni, but it might be worth considering a separate monitor and if required a keyboard.
Click to expand...

Portability is NOT vital for college. It seems about half have desktops and half have laptops. That being said, most of the time they bring a computer to class, they end up surfing the web during lecture.

I had a desktop my first three years and I had no issues with the fact it was not portable. I got a macbook last year and honestly I've only taken it to campus twice. Also think the more you carry it around, the higher chance to break it.


So why do you think it is vital to have portability? To me and many others I have observed, it is a seldom used convenience.

Plus the imac is more bang for your buck so I'd go with that if I had to redo things.
 
I think that 2-3 years is too far in the future to legitimately sway your decision today, especially an uncertain future. You're not even sure you'll go to that specific University. There's no way to predict if the University will even have the same policy in 2-3 years.

If you want a portable machine now, buy it now. Heck, in three years you'll probably want something faster in either case. :)
 
dukebound85 said:
Portability is NOT vital for college. It seems about half have desktops and half have laptops. That being said, most of the time they bring a computer to class, they end up surfing the web during lecture.

I had a desktop my first three years and I had no issues with the fact it was not portable. I got a macbook last year and honestly I've only taken it to campus twice. Also think the more you carry it around, the higher chance to break it.


So why do you think it is vital to have portability? To me and many others I have observed, it is a seldom used convenience.

Plus the imac is more bang for your buck so I'd go with that if I had to redo things.
Click to expand...


Not necessarily for getting distracted for class....but using between classes, taking to the library. Going to some one else's dorm room. I'd say the ratio is greater now, with more people having laptops.
 
aaronw1986 said:
Not necessarily for getting distracted for class....but using between classes, taking to the library. Going to some one else's dorm room. I'd say the ratio is greater now, with more people having laptops.
Click to expand...

As that may be true, I don't see the majority of people carrying laptops on campus. I know my library has many computers as do many other buildings to check email and the like between classes. Not saying it isn't useful as it can be for sure but when you can check out laptops from the library, its hard to justify bringing my own as more chance to have something happen to it.

Oh comeon, taking it to other dorm rooms is not a productive setting in most cases haha.


My point is that it is not AS vital as everyone says it is. I even think you could get by college without even having a computer with all the resources campus offers you (ie 24 hr labs and everything).
 
I couldn't get by without my own computer. I am a computer science major, and we don't have 24/7 labs.
 
If I go to that specific Univ, they WILL be giving me a laptop (Windows). So in that case a Macbook would be a bad buy unless I can sell it and buy a new desktop then, low chances cuz my parents will pay for it and see no reason for me to buy another computer (they dont understand how good Mac OSX is).

If I dont go to that specific Univ, then it will be good for me to buy a Macbook as I would want a laptop for classes (maybe use Schoolhouse :)

If this Univ thing wasnt in consideration, then I would be buying a Macbook as I am sick of sitting on my desk without portability (but if I buy a desktop then I guess I will have to continue sitting on the desk).
 
If you won't be going to college for another two or three years, I wouldn't really take college into consideration. Like many have said, things change and the computer that you will want/need at that point might be different from the computer you want/need now.

If you really want portability now, go with the MacBook.
 
aaronw1986 said:
I couldn't get by without my own computer. I am a computer science major, and we don't have 24/7 labs.
Click to expand...

ouch i would hate not having 24/7 labs. lol i have been in those labs many times till 3am and it is so nice to have that option.

goes to show all schools requirements are different. i was just speaking baout mine
 
I'd say get an iMac. Nobody I know takes their laptop out of their room, taking notes on a laptop is a disaster if your course will involve any sort of diagrams and you'd really appreciate the extra screen and hard drive space and power of an iMac over an MB.

I bought an iMac for uni next year, and don't regret it at all. In fact, I sold it to buy one of the new iMacs yesterday.
 
dukebound85 said:
Portability is NOT vital for college. It seems about half have desktops and half have laptops. That being said, most of the time they bring a computer to class, they end up surfing the web during lecture.

I had a desktop my first three years and I had no issues with the fact it was not portable. I got a macbook last year and honestly I've only taken it to campus twice. Also think the more you carry it around, the higher chance to break it.


So why do you think it is vital to have portability? To me and many others I have observed, it is a seldom used convenience.

Plus the imac is more bang for your buck so I'd go with that if I had to redo things.
Click to expand...
Have you tried to take an iMac to lectures ? .... ;)

Don't forget that the iMac is basically a laptop in a fancy box with a screen .. :)
 
Ok lets say I buy an iMac now and end up in a Univ with no laptops, then what should I do? Wont I be needing a laptop for my work? Or are you sure that most people end up not using it or end up MISusing it. I ask this cuz I have not been to a Univ before (high schooler).

If the Univ was not taken into consideration, I would definitely buy a Macbook for the portability.

Oh I guess I will just go for the Macbook and maybe sell it and buy the latest iMac if I end up in the Univ with lappys.
 
Personally, I bought a laptop before going to college and found it useful for entertaining myself between breaks when I didn't want to go back to the dorm, or when I went home for the weekend, but otherwise it wasn't necessary to have a laptop at school. I never used mine in class, and at most there were only one or two people who brought laptops to class. Your milage may vary, of course, based on your major and your school. I bought a desktop during my junior year and much preferred it to the laptop, because it was more comfortable to use at the desk and had a bigger screen.

Of course, you could always buy the MacBook now and later, when going to college, buy an external monitor and set your laptop up as a desktop replacement.
 
dingdongbubble said:
If the Univ was not taken into consideration, I would definitely buy a Macbook for the portability.
Click to expand...

If you were definitely going to go for a Macbook then even if you do get a laptop at university you could just use the Macbook as a desktop, maybe get a big external HD for it, and use the Windows laptop for lectures? Or the other way round of course.
 
Buy an iMac, with the money you save relative to a similar laptop, you could afford a G3/G4 iBook or Powerbook which you wouldn't have to worry so much about. You'd then have all the bases covered, and you could sit on your bed watching a DVD on the big iMac screen while typing up essays on the PB.
 
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