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which mac to get for college
- Thread starter rt122
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Yup. Either will do you fine, but if I had to choose as a business student, I'd recommend the Thinkpad, hands down.
If you're doing CAD, MBP.
As for Business, get an MacBook or MacBook Air. The Air would make you feel awesome and feel savvy business traveler. It has more power than you really need for music, web browsing and note taking.
What are these features which make Lenovo essential for business majors?
No doubt it's very open minded of people to recommend a Lenovo on a Mac forum, but what are these business functions it has which make it better for business users than a MacBook/MBA/MBP running Vista Business and the latest version of Office? I admit I'm not a business/management person (I'm a philosophy college professor, I find Lenovo has an academic following as well as a business following), but I've been researching advertised features and reviews and I've found nothing specific. The nearest thing I can find is security options for protecting data, but obviously there are ways of protecting data on a Mac and I can't see how that's a deal breaker. According to one review, battery life is typically one and a half hours, which is pretty sad if it really is typical. The fact there's a college somewhere where business majors are required to buy Lenovos strikes me as rather creepy. I suppose there are some teaching advantages in getting everyone to use the same kind of laptop, but really only if you are a creepy control freak. Since obviously it is not the case that business users only use Lenovos, a business program which only deals with Lenovo might be considered to be failing in preparing its alumni for business life. Black or aluminium is going to look better for business purposes than white, so maybe that's the white version of the MacBook out. However, a BlackBook running Vista Business would be a great all round business laptop, an MBP would be perfect for those needing a bigger screen/better graphics and the MBA perfect for those where portability is most important. Really if people are going to recommend PCs, they should at least offer some slightly more detailed reasons.
No doubt it's very open minded of people to recommend a Lenovo on a Mac forum, but what are these business functions it has which make it better for business users than a MacBook/MBA/MBP running Vista Business and the latest version of Office? I admit I'm not a business/management person (I'm a philosophy college professor, I find Lenovo has an academic following as well as a business following), but I've been researching advertised features and reviews and I've found nothing specific. The nearest thing I can find is security options for protecting data, but obviously there are ways of protecting data on a Mac and I can't see how that's a deal breaker. According to one review, battery life is typically one and a half hours, which is pretty sad if it really is typical. The fact there's a college somewhere where business majors are required to buy Lenovos strikes me as rather creepy. I suppose there are some teaching advantages in getting everyone to use the same kind of laptop, but really only if you are a creepy control freak. Since obviously it is not the case that business users only use Lenovos, a business program which only deals with Lenovo might be considered to be failing in preparing its alumni for business life. Black or aluminium is going to look better for business purposes than white, so maybe that's the white version of the MacBook out. However, a BlackBook running Vista Business would be a great all round business laptop, an MBP would be perfect for those needing a bigger screen/better graphics and the MBA perfect for those where portability is most important. Really if people are going to recommend PCs, they should at least offer some slightly more detailed reasons.
It doesn't really matter which one you get. Both machines (either a Mac or Lenovo) are extremely well built and the keyboards are great on both brands. My friend bought an x61 tablet and it's amazing. Apple offers very competitive pricing for students so that's something to look out for.
You're on a Mac forum - obviously there's a little bias by some of us...
You're on a Mac forum - obviously there's a little bias by some of us...
the colleges that require lenovos, etc. do so because their licenses are for windows pc's and they want everyone to be running on the same platform so troubleshooting is easier
berklee school of music actually requires students to buy Macbook Pro's if that says anything about their multimedia performance
berklee school of music actually requires students to buy Macbook Pro's if that says anything about their multimedia performance
I think I would recommend the macbook pro if you can afford it. It's portable but also powerful enough to act as your "desktop" at home.
it says they are getting a kick back from apple, along with a lot of other universitys that have deals with apple. apple believes that if you hook people at the college level you will build a large following of new buyers...apple has always been "cool" and "trendy"... I have a MBP and like it a lot but I also have a windows machine.
also apple pre-intel, were always known for audio/video because of the way they processed things. since they are intel now things are somewhat different. (protools is the industry standard and can be used on both os's)
i have a penryn mbp and really like it. i also have a windows machine. both are very useful. no os is perfect.
for the price/specs windows machine hands down. if money isn't an issue and you didn't need windows for any programs (yes i dual boot my machine and it gets annoying going back and forth and running virtual sucks if you are using a heavy windows app) i'd go mac.
In all seriousness, what's so special about the IBM laptop(s) everybody keeps mentioning? I didn't even know IBM still made computers.
Also, being a homer, I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST GETTING ANYTHING WITH WINDOWS. If you need to run Windows-only apps, buy a MacBook and use either Boot Camp, VMware or Parallels. Office is available for Mac OS. I really am clueless as to the big business major apps outside of office, so you'd have to do some research on that. But for the major Internet/e-mail/other stuff you do most of the time, listen to the homer and get a Mac.
(This message was brought to you by a Mac-biased person)
Also, being a homer, I must HIGHLY RECOMMEND AGAINST GETTING ANYTHING WITH WINDOWS. If you need to run Windows-only apps, buy a MacBook and use either Boot Camp, VMware or Parallels. Office is available for Mac OS. I really am clueless as to the big business major apps outside of office, so you'd have to do some research on that. But for the major Internet/e-mail/other stuff you do most of the time, listen to the homer and get a Mac.
(This message was brought to you by a Mac-biased person)
business schools use thinkpads for whatever reason. I know 3 business schools that all require thinkpads. RPI also requires thinkpads and its an engineering school.
At Georgia Tech I'd say 5% of students have thinkpads, 20% have hp (every single person I know who bought an hp had it die in the first year by the way. no joke), 30% have toshiba or dell (including alienware) laptops, and the rest (45%) have macbook/macbook pros.
It's crazy how many people use macs. 90% of people with macbook pros do not need the pro. AT ALL... And I'm not even including the people who play games on it. 90% of people who bought a macbook pro just don't need or use any of the graphics power that differentiates it from the macbook.
(note: these figures are not exact).
At Georgia Tech I'd say 5% of students have thinkpads, 20% have hp (every single person I know who bought an hp had it die in the first year by the way. no joke), 30% have toshiba or dell (including alienware) laptops, and the rest (45%) have macbook/macbook pros.
It's crazy how many people use macs. 90% of people with macbook pros do not need the pro. AT ALL... And I'm not even including the people who play games on it. 90% of people who bought a macbook pro just don't need or use any of the graphics power that differentiates it from the macbook.
(note: these figures are not exact).
thinkpads have been the mainstay for "business" type computers.
The US Government issued IBMs until Lenovo started manufacturing them in China due to potential security reasons (when Lenovo bought their PC line).
but they have since granted IBM the deal when proven there was no security threat.
i guess its not really known here, but IBM has been associated with Business applications for years.
I have an old Thinkpad T41 (when they were still made by IBM, IBM) and it's a tank. Gets better Wifi reception than my MBP, and is probably sturdier.
The US Government issued IBMs until Lenovo started manufacturing them in China due to potential security reasons (when Lenovo bought their PC line).
but they have since granted IBM the deal when proven there was no security threat.
i guess its not really known here, but IBM has been associated with Business applications for years.
I have an old Thinkpad T41 (when they were still made by IBM, IBM) and it's a tank. Gets better Wifi reception than my MBP, and is probably sturdier.
The answer to your question is very simple.
-- Do you want to use Mac OS? --
If you don't or you don't care then there is NOT a single reason to buy an apple computer apart from the design.
They are expensive and offer less than corresponding pc. Furthermore, the current generation, in particular MBPs, is defect-prone.
If you want to use MacOS, then you do not have any other choice. That's why I bought a MBP: I'd have happily bought any other notebook if I could.
Based on my experience with all the current operating systems, productivity under MacOS increases: it's a joy to use on the right hardware.
So, if you want MacOS, my advice is to buy a macbook and to strictly avoid macbook pros.
-- thistle
-- Do you want to use Mac OS? --
If you don't or you don't care then there is NOT a single reason to buy an apple computer apart from the design.
They are expensive and offer less than corresponding pc. Furthermore, the current generation, in particular MBPs, is defect-prone.
If you want to use MacOS, then you do not have any other choice. That's why I bought a MBP: I'd have happily bought any other notebook if I could.
Based on my experience with all the current operating systems, productivity under MacOS increases: it's a joy to use on the right hardware.
So, if you want MacOS, my advice is to buy a macbook and to strictly avoid macbook pros.
-- thistle