Switcher...just in time for college

For my graduation present, my parents are letting me choose the laptop of my choice in any configuration... the catch? It has to be an Apple. So I've decided on a Macbook Pro 15". Certain math classes require me to use Windows so the only time i'll be using bootcamp or parallels will be during those times.

Is it wise to upgrade from 2gb of memory to 4gb knowing that it would require 1gb to run windows?
or would that be overkill?
is Applecare protection plan worth it?
And is MS office for mac as good as the version produced for the pc?

Also, Is it difficult adjusting from a pc to a mac? It worries me how some important keys, which would regularly be found on a pc keyboard, isn't found on a mac notebook. In addition, OSX and the windows layout and function are completely different. I'm starting school mid-august and I don't want to fret over learning how to use a computer system while having a busy schedule. I'm pretty tech savvy so perhaps it won't be as difficult..if i can learn how to utilize it in a few days then im fine. anyway, I just wanted to hear some opinions from users who have made the switch.

 

Did they give you a reason for having to switch? Seems like total bs to me. I can't think of a reason why your parents would MAKE you switch to Apple... unless of course they were professional photographers and used them constantly.

 

Its not difficult to switch to Mac, I've probably recommended this at least twenty times but these two articles are very good for switching:

http://www.apple.com/support/switch101
http://www.apple.com/support/mac101

The most important key on Windows is Control. The most important key of Mac is the Apple key (also known as Command). Its not too complicated.

4 GB won't be necessary. 2 GB will be fine, you probably won't use up to 3 GB of RAM.

AppleCare is worth it especially for a notebook. Notebooks are constantly moved around and parts are more compacted together so they will break and fail more easily than desktops.

Microsoft Office for Mac is mostly the same as the Windows version, of course with a more Mac flavour. Keep in mind the current version of Office for Mac is 2004, which is the Office 2003 equivalent. The Office 2007 Mac equivalent, known as 2008 (ignore the year) will be released later this year.

 

Seth13:
they said they're reliable and get good customer service? idk, if you dont think its a good switch then please tell me the reasons so i can forward them to my dad since its his money im spending. plus, my dad doesnt want me to get anything that isnt made in America.. which narrows my choices quite a bit i think. i was actually looking into Lenovo's but he adamantly told me to stay away from them... i like their keyboard, their joystick mouse, and their build--i just like the businessy look. It's my parent's money though and apple's are nice so i'm not going to argue with them unless theres something majorly wrong with their products. I hear they get awfully hot.. which is a turnoff. But then again, I'm thinking all laptops get hot at some point.

btw, your post wasn't very helpful.

 

Tinapay,

Its true with all laptops that they get hot...especially laptops with graphics card. The MacBook Pro is no exception. However, I have to say the MacBook Pro will probably be a bit hotter than a similar PC, because its designed to passively cool down the notebook, through the casing and the aluminum, rather than lots of vents and loud fans that the PCs have. They do have fans, they do have vents, but I gotta say the fans are much much quieter, at least in my MacBook. I imagine its the same on a MacBook Pro.

 

How do you like your macbook? I was only considering MBP because it has more screen real estate and i can do a little gaming (although, gaming isn't important to me so i can live without it). Would it damage the components of the laptop more because it retains more heat in the inside since its not an aluminum casing? I need it to last me 4 years of pre-med, intensive writing, and research on the web... plus instant messaging, webcam, and downloading music/episodes from itunes, and playing dvds on roadtrips or flights. And how is your macbook battery life on average?

 

No, the components won't be damaged from it.

My MacBook can last me 3+ hours. I never officially tested it though.

I really like my MacBook. Awesome design, great features, fantastic software and OS. If your parents are willing to pay, go for the MacBook Pro. The screen is larger, resolution is higher, graphics card included and Expresscard slot. The only reason I got a MacBook and not a MacBook Pro was because I won this MacBook .

Mac OS X is good with handling DVDs on battery. When OS X notices you're watching a movie in full screen, whenever possible they will turn off the hard drive, keeping temperatures low and reducing their drain on battery. I notice I get lower temperatures watching a DVD than surfing the web and listening to music.

 

whoa i never knew that.. thats so cool
you've been a big help Sam, thank you so much!

 

No problem, Tinapay. Happy to help out .

 

Reliability is questionable. The initial generation of macbook pros had spotty issues. And in my research for a laptop, it seems like quite a few people have issues with their magsafe adapters (mind you the second link is to the macbook adapter). The customer service can be good. I think a poster in the apple forums has replaced his laptop 3 different times with little fuss. But I've also heard other stories too so do your research and not rely solely on your dad - although him paying for it greatly inhibits your ability to do anything about it :tongue:

Hate to break it to your dad but EVERY laptop is either made in a foreign country or has parts from a foreign country and are "assembled" in the United States. The macbook pro is made in China. In fact, most laptops are either made in Taiwan or China anyway.

I have a distinct feeling that your dad's reason for telling you to "adamantly stay away" from Lenovo is because they are a Chinese owned company. But in this day and age, they actually have offices in America. Now they've laid off some of their American staff but that's business in today's environment. Again, what can you say when your parent's hold all the purse-strings? Get a work-study scholarship or something. They pay well and the work is easy. Then you'll have your money to spend your way.

Yea, tough to argue with (almost) free money. They macs do get hot but I believe that some third party software can change the point where the fan is supposed to operate.

I don't think his post was supposed to be helpful. His post was meant to question why your parents insisted on getting only an Apple computer.

However, I do hope this post was helpful :wink: . I am researching whether or not I should get a macbook pro. Really, the only reason why I'm looking at the macbook pro is because of the stated six hour battery life. From my research, real world use is somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 hours.

 

You can always buy extra ram later and install yourself for much much cheaper.

 

Well as stated above all notebook are made in Taiwan or China nowadays. As for Lenovo, it seems their level of service is beginning to drop. It is a shame, but I do not think there is a bright future for the Thinkpads under Lenovo.

As for your switching, it is your parents money, however it is going to be your notebook and you will be the one who has to deal with using it. If you do not think you can make the switch, then you need to express that to your parents.

Having said that I think you would be pleased with a Mac. I think it would suit your needs well, and with virtualization and Boot Camp, would be a very valuable tool for you in school. I would say rest easy and be open to making the switch, but if you can't, tell your parents and hopefully they will allow you to make the choice. And if they will spring for 4 gigs, get it. The more RAM the better, especially when you are going to run two OS's at once.

 

My thoughts exactly - if your parents are paying for it, trick that thing out. I'm talking a 17" MBP with 4 gigs of RAM and the largest hard drive Apple offers. It'll run just under 3k, if I remember correctly - but if they want to pay, let them.

 

True, but where the company's HQ is located is what really matters.

 

I hear macs are still susceptible to virus' and bugs.. are there any recommended anti-virus softwares compatible with mac?

 

They have holes as any OS will, but to date there have been zero viruses in the wild for OS X. Until, that changes I would not recommend installing any AV software. Just be sure you are behind a hardware firewall (router), turn the OS X firewall on and run as a limited user and you will be fine.

 

this will be my first year of college and i'm switching to a mac. I know at the college I'm going to, the majority of people use macs, and the college has its own IT service for macs. This might be the case with your college. I also reccomend you get the 15 inch $2299 model (with student discount) because its a fast computer, and its small enough to carry around.

 

You're going to a college where the *majority* of people use macs? As in, the majority of the student population are owners of iBooks, iMacs, Powerbooks, Macbooks, MacbookPros, and MacPros...or majority as in the majority of computers available in the labs run OSX?

If the former, might I inquire where you're going to college, and how you found out the majority did?

 

Its possible, especially if it is an art/creative/entertainment school. Art loves Macs .

 

im going to stanford, and from talking to the students when i visited, about 60% of the students and professors use mac computers. I'm pretty surprised too, this is basically the reason why i'm buying a mac.

 

Yeah tinapay good thing you are going to be getting a mac instead of a Lenovo, because I currently have a T60 Lenovo notebook, it is sweet and powerful and all, but it has really been bugging up on me recently. I think its due to the IBM customizations complicating things in the system. I am planning on switching to a mac for my next computer. Good thing you are getting it straight away.

 

My university is well known for their art school and has been consistently nationally ranked in the top 10 for their art programs. So a lot of people use Mac since its required. People who aren't majoring in the arts use Macs too... i'm not saying students never use a pc because my roomate is buying a sony vaio (we're both going into premed)...but from my observations from my school message boards, many people are purchasing macbooks or imacs.

 

:-( i wish Lenovo would get their act together... i tried my friends IBM thinkpad and i just absolutely fell in love with it.. but ever since Lenovo came along it just seems like their level of service is disappointing from what i've read on this site

 

btw, how is the wireless connection on the mbp?? I'll be using it around campus so i want to take advantage of their free wireless connection. I've just heard some ppl are having trouble connecting???

 

It shouldn't be a problem, Apple uses the same standards as everyone else. In fact, Apple was the first to add WiFi into a laptop, with the iBook. Trivia .

 

what's the weight of the 17" MBP? would it be an inconvenience to carry around since its big? i probably couldnt take it out while in an airplane... does anyone know the battery life on it considering it doesnt have the same type of screen as the 15"?

 

I don't think you would want to consider a 17-inch MacBook Pro if you're planning to move it around everywhere in college/university. Its lightweight for a 17-inch, 6.8 pounds, but its size is too big in my opinion.

 

if i buy parallels... does that mean windows and mac os will always be running at the same time?? or can you log out of windows os if youre not using it?

 

Actually both. It takes Mac OS X to run Parallels but at the end of the day when you are done with Windows you can shut off Parallels and run Mac OS X.

 

Nopes. You run Windows by opening the Parallels application. If you don't open the application, Windows won't be running.

 

if you order a lenovo laptop you'll get it in 2012 lol...but seriously, their shipping times are quite long and you may not get it in due time.

the mbp is a good laptop for you - it has been recently refreshed with a super fast video card, LED screen, more standard ram, and LED screen to boot. a very nice machine.

office:mac is essentially the same in that its files are completely interchangeable with PC ones. on the other hand, it runs sooo much slower because it was made before intel chips came out. make sure to get 2 GB ram. then it'll be just "okay", but it won't scream.

 

do you have have guesstimate on when the new version of office:mac will come out?? would it actually run better if i ran the windows version by doing parallels??

 

I have 4 gigs of ram in my MBP and Ihave never seen it use more than 1.5 gigs so save your money....as for the heat issue the MBP runs cooler than any other laptop I have.(m1710,m1210,gateway and mbp all in my house) it seems to idle at around 50c and both my dells idle at 60c. Battery life is great for the hardware that comes in the MBP and screen looks amazing. My wife bought this for me as a present (I did not need another notebook) but I cant put it down. OSX is awsome!!! As they say "Ive seen the light" Enjoy your new notebook!!!!