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Which Mac/iPad Combination For Incoming College Freshman?


11" Air and 15" rMBP is excellent combo I think. I'm considering the same set up.

How much do you use the 15" versus the 11"? Do you use the 15" mostly on a desk or often as a portable too?

How's it for footprint and weight for typing with it on your lap and away from the desk?
 
I suggest avoiding the iPad. It isn't flexible enough to perform day to day tasks. Unless you are a very casual user, you will miss Mac exclusive operations and apps. Example, if your colleague sends you a Windows format file, good luck getting it to work. The iPad is not meant to replace your computer. The touch screen is just not precise enough for word processors. For example, if you make a mistake, it's a pain to correct it with clicking on the touch screen. Sure, you can use an external keyboard, but the lack of keyboard shortcuts and the extra bulk makes me ask why you wouldn't get a MacBook Air.

Ask yourself, what do you plan on doing with this computer? And more importantly, what do you need this computer to do? If you plan on simply taking notes, I would recommend the MacBook Air. It's a sleek machine, and the SSD it comes with is fast to boot (heh, good pun there). All it lacks is an optical drive (which is becoming obsolete, worst comes to worst, you can get an external one), an Ethernet port (adapter is available if needed), and a decent GPU (it's still able to run games at low settings though). If the SSD isn't big enough for you, you could always purchase an external drive.

Really, the only reason I would go with the Pro series is if you plan on using it for intensive tasks, such as games, editing film, etc. And if so, go for 15". Keep in mind the difference in memory the nVidia 650M carriers between the 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz models.

One last thing to keep in mind, if you wish to play games on your computer, it might be better to stick with the MacBook Air for school activities, and to purchase/build a desktop computer to run games. I'll leave that topic for another time though.

Good luck with your Macintosh purchase! :-D
 
I just graduated from undergrad, and I can safely say that as of right now, iPads are completely unnecessary. You'll be better served in the long run by not buying an iPad and instead taking that money and putting it towards a high end macbook. Get the best Macbook you can afford. The more future-proofed the better. You can do all the same functions on a MBP that you can on the iPad and then some. You'll appreciate the MBP for projects, presentation, and papers.

iPhone (or any smartphone really) and a MBP are all you need.

I just ordered the retina MBP for law school.

Airs are convenient for taking to and from class, but their specs are pretty low and probably wont be future-proofed enough to get you through all 4 years. I've had a black MacBook from 2007 and it took me all the way, but its definitely showing its age now. Airs also lack the capacity if you also want to store archives of your work from throughout the years, plus music and photos. If you have a bookbag to put the laptop in, a full blown MacBook Pro (especially the retina model) wont seem that heavy compared to text books (which you don't really take with you to class anyway).
 
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Unless your going into something that needs a lot of CPU power get the 13" Air. It'll be much easier taking back and forth to class. When your loaded with books every pound makes a difference. Take some of the money you saved and get a monitor for your room. Research and paper writing is much easier with two screen to me. A 15" screen with both going on is cluttered, I find it much better on two different screens.


Skip the iPad. If your school has books available then look at it as an option but a good old fashioned book is my preferred way to go. For hours of reading and good old fashioned highlighting it's what I prefer but to each his own.
 
entatlrg said:
11" Air and 15" rMBP is excellent combo I think. I'm considering the same set up.

How much do you use the 15" versus the 11"? Do you use the 15" mostly on a desk or often as a portable too?

How's it for footprint and weight for typing with it on your lap and away from the desk?
Click to expand...

Funny you ask that as I've been thinking about my usage lately since I got the RMBP.

I find myself using only the RMBP, but only because it's brand new and I smile every time I look at it. In a couple of weeks when I'm used to owning it, I'll start using my 11'' Air as I did again. Before my RMBP, I had a 15'' MBP that I used exclusively on a desk. I never moved it around, except for a rare use case where I'd need a larger screen. Anytime I'd need to do anything portable, I'd just use my 11'' Air. For example, on my bed, in classrooms, at the kitchen table- I'd use my Air exclusively because it's easier. I was also a lot more protective about my 15'' MBP as I am with my new RMBP because it's twice as expensive of a machine. That's part of the reason I don't like moving it around, because I'm afraid I might ding it. Also, on my 15'' MBP, I didn't like moving it because I've had several HDD failures in other notebooks stemmed from too much movement.

As far as footprint, the 11'' as well as the 13'' Air hit the sweet spot when not using a desk. Laying in bed, the 11'' Air is about as ideal a machine as I could imagine. This is also true about in class because several times you're forced to use a small desk, and the Air fits perfectly. Like I said, when I'm moving around I use my Air, and when I'm stationery I'll use my RMBP.

When you think about it, it would make more sense for me to have a desktop instead of the RMBP as well as the 11''. When you first think about it, a 27'' iMac coupled with my 11'' would be perfect. However, I for some reason dislike desktops. They feel last gen to me, because laptops are the future, and I just enjoy using a laptop much more than I do a desktop. I had a $2000 gaming machine pretty maxed out a few years back when I also got a 13'' MBP (my first Mac). I found myself using my very unpowered MBP compared to my gaming machine because 1) it was a Mac and 2) it's just a more enjoyable experience.

Overall, if you can afford it, I'd definitely recommend my setup of a RMBP and an 11'' Air. Both laptops have their strengths and weaknesses and when you use them each for what they're made for, it's the best possible setup IMO. The nice thing about my Retina is that if I want to use it mobile, which I do especially lately, I can move it anywhere and enjoy the display. IMO, for a college student, the iPad just doesn't accomplish much. An 11'' Air is 1000x more productive than an iPad, as well as being much more useable because of the keyboard/trackpad. It's almost as thin and small as an iPad as well, and IMO it's more comfortable to use, in any situation. Couple an 11'' Air with a RMBP and dropbox, and you've hit the sweet spot.

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CFoss said:
Keep in mind the difference in memory the nVidia 650M carriers between the 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz models.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by this? The 2.3 and 2.6 models both have 1GB GDDR5 memory.
 
Unlike most people, I would recommend getting the ipad with the computer. I recently downloaded 90 percent of the books I will need for my classes and thats going to save me more than the price of the Ipad. Plus I get a nice toy. I wouldnt recommend it as an alternative though.
 
Where can i get the textbooks for iPad from? Is there a way I can check what ones I can get on the iPad and their cost?
Thanks
 
I'm guessing he is getting unauthorized copies of books. I personally prefer to not break copyright laws :)

I've gotten some e-books for my textbooks but the cost isn't usually a huge savings. Generally, getting previous versions of the current text book is a huge savings.

My science course I'm taking right now had a book that cost $200 new. Previous version, $12 through Amazon. I can also easily sell it back on Amazon for similar price if I wanted to.
 
caleba94 said:
Random Question, If I buy a Macbook for college is that a Tax Deductible expense? Thanks!
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Only if the school required for you to have a computer:

• Tuition and fees required to enroll at or attend an eligible educational institution, and
• Course-related expenses, such as fees, books, supplies, and equipment that are required for the courses at the eligible educational institution. These items must be required of all students in your course of instruction.
 
The iPad is a toy. A great toy, but a toy. I would say if you don't have a coffee table, you probably shouldn't get an iPad.

(they are great on coffee tables... ex.- Oh they mention Ostrich Eggs on TV hmm.. what is the average size of Ostrich Eggs... and when do they give birth... and what about the Ostrich?? - iPad is great for that)
 
caleba94 said:
Where can i get the textbooks for iPad from? Is there a way I can check what ones I can get on the iPad and their cost?
Thanks
Click to expand...

I checked my schools online bookstore to see which books I needed and you can then look on amazon for the ebooks. As a bio major the price difference between a hardcover and a digital version is tremendous. Instead of 150-200 a book your looking at 60-80. Used books are always another good option but then I wouldn't have been able to justify my purchase.
 
windows pc and macbook pro the best set up!

i have same hard situation with you last month and i choosing to get the windows PC and newiPad..
i like to do browsing in ipad and open an office stuff and ebook while iam in class.. after i using this set up for a couple weeks i feel there is so many restriction in ipad.. exemple if you find an intresting stuff in browser with flash you can't open it, if you find something that you have to download it first sometimes you can open/ download it maybe u can open it but with a thousand step in utube via your pc browser, if u have to work on office on the go ,it's not comfort typing in ipad virtual keyboard, and the UI is confusing.. and there's many things that you will still have the comfort if you just open it in your iphone.. ipad is great stuff not a toy like everyone said.. but for a collage man u don't need an ipad.. u need a laptop for carrying and a powerful PC at home,windows/MAC up to you but i prefer a windows highend PC you will learn many thing about computer there.

and now i sell my iPad an get hooked by a classic hi-res macbook pro...
for you retina high end model if u can afford or the hi-res clasic highend model.
 
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