Master's course requirements include a laptop but.... (please read)

....it seems they require a windows (Windows XP SP2 machine with Office XP Professional) and also install college software Blackboard and other recommended hardware requirements i.e. RAM/CPU etc

I have been a longtime Mac user and currently own a Powerbook and a Mac Mini. I also have a wintel setup but rarely use it.

I was really looking forward purchasing/using a Macbook Pro. I am still considering it as I know its possible to dual boot XP for college and Mac OS for personal use.

What I want to know is if dual booting stable/good enough to use for college or should I buy a Dell Latitude (preferred Vendor with discount for the college I am attending in Ireland). Will there be any conflicts with drivers etc that may make life miserable for me?

I read a few niggling things like no standby in windows boot etc...anyone else have other annoying issues in windows mode? anyone that dual boots those macbook (pro) how is it on a semi permanent basis?

tbh I cant see life without a mac and it would be a dull experience using windows - be it on a Dell or any other manufacturer.

Thanks for help/advice/input in advance - really appreciate it

Dave

 

Very few problems. iSight (built in) does not work. CTRL+ALT+DEL key sequence is not recognized, this might be a trouble for logging in. And finally, two-finger right click does not work... and that's all. It seems power management not as good as well.

 

Do you really need standby for schoolwork?

I don't really see any need for a separate Windows notebook.
Of course, it'd be helpful if we knew exactly what they required, and what it was for, but regardless, a Macbook works fine in Windows

 

ctrl-alt-del is recognized with input remmaper pressing fn-ctrl-alt-backspace. Right click is also recognized with inputremaper with ctrl-click. Function keys are also recognized, volume and brightness.

 

the fact alone that you mentioned dell to represent windows manufacturers shows that you may have experienced windows on some of the cheapest machines possible..its almost like saying asian car manufacturers can't make decent cars and comparing a bmw to a kia...trust me there are PLENTY of good windows machines out there (don't forget amd)..and for the record you don't need to install anything for blackboard..i've used it..but if you do decide to go macbook pro as it seems you already have..just know that you are also an intel user

 

Not entirely sure what the point to that post was.

Here is what I say, get the MBP. Try using with OS X, see if everything works, you might be suprised. If it does not use Boot Camp for XP and format XP into FAT32. That way you can access all your files from OS X. You may also want to look at Parrallels which runs Windows in a virtual machine within OS X. No rebooting.

 

Also, you may find that CrossOver for Mac makes it possible to use Windows software in the Mac OSX environment.

 

JTERP: Sorry to come accross anti-windows -didnt mean it to sound so biased.

However the reason I mentioned Dell - wasnt to compare the two but to say that that was primary alternative due to the fact that its the universities preffered vendor, i.e. business class support on campus and heavily discounted.

Personally a Dell Latitude would be up there on shortlist with a Sony or Asus.

I don't mind using a Windows machine and am sure I would enjoy using one - esp with vista on the way..its just that I like OS X and the aesthetics of MBPs.

regards dave

 

Yeah, my school uses blackboard, there is nothing to install for it because it's all web based.

Yeah, saying Dell is becoming almost natural these days as the majoirty of notebooks seem to be Dell, I see them ALL over my school, I wouldn't be surprised if someday people start referring to PCs as Dell.

Yeah iSight doesn't work, Windows is reported to run much hotter than OS X, this is mostly due to OS X having better power management.

 

That is good news, daveh can most probably run everything just fine under Safari or if that fails, Firefox. At the very least, install Parallels and XP under it so you can run IE and MS Office, all there together with OS X. Crossover might also do the trick, as noted. So you can buy your good-looking MBP and ditch that ugly Dell (forgive me, but Dells are plainly ugly; the only Windows based notebooks that I could compare to a MBP would be some models from Asus, Panasonic and Sharp - and I kind of like the new HPs too, tough I really prefer Apple's minimalistic approach).

 

if you've been using mac the whole time i see no reason to switch at all since you won't be satisfied with the looks and the fact that you're used to the OS..for the record im using a w3j which has similar specs from a hardware standpoint..x1600..dual core..and is probably one of the better looking notebooks out there barring of course the macbooks