Mac or PC?

[KateNix]

I am getting a new computer and was just wondering what people thought about getting a Mac vs. a PC. Ever since my iPhone I'm pro Apple, but I heard its harder to have a Mac in law school because of the specific computer requirements, however on all of my school's websites they have said a Mac or a PC are acceptable. I currently have a Dell and never want another after all the issues it has given me during undergrad. I'm open to suggestions!

[Emma.]

I am getting a new computer and was just wondering what people thought about getting a Mac vs. a PC. Ever since my iPhone I'm pro Apple, but I heard its harder to have a Mac in law school because of the specific computer requirements, however on all of my school's websites they have said a Mac or a PC are acceptable. I currently have a Dell and never want another after all the issues it has given me during undergrad. I'm open to suggestions!

I'd say more than 50% of my class at UChi use macs. A lot of people use CircusPonies Notebook for note taking, which seems like a pretty sweet program. I'm running OneNote on my Mac via Parallels and so far it has performed flawlessly.

[3|ink]

A lot of people will give you subjective answers to this question, but it basically boils down to this:

If you know relatively little about computers, get a mac. Your life will be much easier once you get used to the layout of their OS.

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7. People who know their way around computers are better able to avoid and combat viruses and other problems. A knowledged PC user can get more out of his PC than a knowledged Mac user can get out of his Mac.

[vamedic03]

A lot of people will give you subjective answers to this question, but it basically boils down to this:

If you know relatively little about computers, get a mac. Your life will be much easier once you get used to the layout of their OS.

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7. People who know their way around computers are better able to avoid and combat viruses and other problems. A knowledged PC user can get more out of his PC than a knowledged Mac user can get out of his Mac.

If you're a knowledgeable computer user, you know enough to make a rational decision between a PC and a Mac. If you're not knowledgeable, macs tend to be easier to use.

[3|ink]

A lot of people will give you subjective answers to this question, but it basically boils down to this:

If you know relatively little about computers, get a mac. Your life will be much easier once you get used to the layout of their OS.

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7. People who know their way around computers are better able to avoid and combat viruses and other problems. A knowledged PC user can get more out of his PC than a knowledged Mac user can get out of his Mac.

If you're a knowledgeable computer user, you know enough to make a rational decision between a PC and a Mac. If you're not knowledgeable, macs tend to be easier to use.

To each his own. My PC would rock the best Mac on the market.

[vamedic03]

A lot of people will give you subjective answers to this question, but it basically boils down to this:

If you know relatively little about computers, get a mac. Your life will be much easier once you get used to the layout of their OS.

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7. People who know their way around computers are better able to avoid and combat viruses and other problems. A knowledged PC user can get more out of his PC than a knowledged Mac user can get out of his Mac.

If you're a knowledgeable computer user, you know enough to make a rational decision between a PC and a Mac. If you're not knowledgeable, macs tend to be easier to use.

To each his own. My PC would rock the best Mac on the market.

Again, if you're a knowledgeable user, you can make the rational decision based on your needs. Mac's fill a nice role for a school laptop, regardless of your computer experience level.

[rinkrat19]

I don't buy Apple products at all, personally. They annoy me, the creepy white stores annoy me, and the people who obsessively love them annoy me. And they're hella overpriced.

But whatever you choose, make sure your school's IT department supports it. I think there are still some schools that don't support Macs for online exams and campus networking stuff, etc.

[Tanicius]

Actually, OP, I believe the line is "PC... or Mac?"

[whymeohgodno]

I like PCs. I've only used PCs my only life and I've never had problems with them. I think people who get their computers rampaged by viruses must be technologically retarded.

[AreJay711]

I bought this $500 HP from Walmart (not inc. software) and it is by far the best comp I have ever had. I think Macs are too expensive if all you do is basic tasks

[sundance95]

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7.

I see what you are trying to do here, but you need to be knowledgeable about PCs to own a PC-not necessarily be able to build one.

[BriaTharen]

Get a PC with a good warranty, and you'll probably still pay less than you would for a Mac. Use the remaining money to help pay for books.

[glewz]

I am getting a new computer and was just wondering what people thought about getting a Mac vs. a PC. Ever since my iPhone I'm pro Apple, but I heard its harder to have a Mac in law school because of the specific computer requirements, however on all of my school's websites they have said a Mac or a PC are acceptable. I currently have a Dell and never want another after all the issues it has given me during undergrad. I'm open to suggestions!

Here is the lowdown on Mac

(+)
- Userfriendly: really user friendly if you currently know less about computers.
- Fashion: part of a rising/peaking fashion trend.
- Art/Design: provides better design features that cannot be obtained on a PC; better operability in photo editing / some movie editing.
- Keynote: is an awesome presentation software (IMHO better than PowerPoint)
(-)
- Operating Speed: Macbook 13'' DOES NOT have the new i5 and i7 processors; its physical structure simply can't fit it. This means the Macbook 13'' will almost definitely have less operating horsepower than a competing, lowerpriced PC. (keep in mind this does not apply to the Macbook 15'', 17'')
- Price: You are clearly paying a premium for fashion
- Battery replacement is a hassle ($)
- Lion is soon to succeed the Snow Leopard OS...so hopefully the Macbook you buy has the hardware to run Lion. Honestly though, if a computer is not preset with an OS (or if the OS is not a customization option), then you cannot conclude that Lion will be remotely efficient on your outdated Macbook. And even then, if you are not computer literate, you will have the hassle of reformatting & reinstalling everything.
- Mac's Office Excel is not half as good as the Windows version
(+/-)
- Windows partition: Can run windows, in addition to the Mac OS; does take a hit in memory, but since Snow Leopard is in the 7th? 8th? version, this is no problem. At the end of the day, are you more comfortable with windows or the Mac OS?


Conclusions:
(1) Mac is pricey, and you def. pay a premium for its fashion
(2) Make choices based on preference for Windows vs. Mac applications
(3) Do not buy the 13'' Macbook; it is still hung on the Core 2 Duo processor, and we are in the age of the i series already.
(4) If you can wait, then wait for the 2nd version of the Mac Lion OS; 1st version is out in 2011, probably not too buggy, but you never know.

See post below for comments on PC. FYI, I prefer PC.

[glewz]

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7.

I see what you are trying to do here, but you need to be knowledgeable about PCs to own a PC-not necessarily be able to build one.

+1

Do you know how complicated building a perfect PC is? It's really difficult to truly know which components are ideally compatible with each other.

That said, you Definitely Definitely don't need to know any of that for regular PC usage. Press Power. Clickity Click.

[glewz]

I am getting a new computer and was just wondering what people thought about getting a Mac vs. a PC. Ever since my iPhone I'm pro Apple, but I heard its harder to have a Mac in law school because of the specific computer requirements, however on all of my school's websites they have said a Mac or a PC are acceptable. I currently have a Dell and never want another after all the issues it has given me during undergrad. I'm open to suggestions!

Lowdown on PC:

(+)
- Everyone's using it. The world still revolves around PC however much anyone is loving the Mac revolution - this will likely be the case for years to come. Because of this:
-->Getting software is easier: MS Office software spreads like wildfire; this includes both illegal copies (bad) And group discounts because you are more likely to find people to purchase software together
-->Schools and Companies (except for design industry/some marketing places) use PC so you will never have an issue of incompatibility. Banking firms and consulting firms (and probably law firms) for instance, will definitely have PC both because of Window's Excel version and because of its pervasiveness.
(-)
- Reliability: Parties on BOTH SIDES will argue this point to death, but I'd still say Mac has fewer viruses and is a bit more reliable.


At the end of the day, I use a PC. I like Excel, and I can design things on PC's Photoshop just fine. But I can't really recommend one system over another.

I mean...I'm thinking that virtually no one is a true "new user," and that most people have been raised on the PC...you'd likely be just fine with either PC or Mac. So just choose the system you're more comfortable with, given some of the more common pros and cons I've outlined. (and your personal experiences of course)

Do some more research and make sure you understand differences among the computers you are considering. For example, would it be better to spend $1500+ on a Macbook or would it be better to buy a Netbook (10''-12'' @ $250) for taking notes @ school and have a fully decked out Desktop @ home ($700+)?

I dunno, best of luck on your decision though.

[mpj_3050]

With the education discount I believe a 13" Pro is $1150. It is nice that you can run Windows on a Mac, but as another poster said it does take a memory hit. Right now I have one of the older White Macbooks but the thing is amazing. The battery when you charge and calibrate it properly will last for a very long time. Basically, just comes down to how much you know about computers. I know less so I am more comfortable with a Macbook.

I plan on buying a Mac before school but I am amenable to considering a PC so I have definitely got to find out some more info too.

[glewz]

With the education discount I believe a 13" Pro is $1150. It is nice that you can run Windows on a Mac, but as another poster said it does take a memory hit. Right now I have one of the older White Macbooks but the thing is amazing. The battery when you charge and calibrate it properly will last for a very long time. Basically, just comes down to how much you know about computers. I know less so I am more comfortable with a Macbook.

I plan on buying a Mac before school but I am amenable to considering a PC so I have definitely got to find out some more info too.

13'' Pro still runs on the Core 2 Duo though - at this point, it's not a good buy ($1000+) when you look at any 12''-14'' PC running on the new i5 processor with as good or better additional specs, priced at $700.
Frankly, what Apple calls the "New Macbook" is actually really really old..it came out a while ago, and the specs have not been improved according to the pace of technological advances.

If you're gonna buy a Mac, at least go with the 15'', which is noticeably faster.

[3|ink]

If you know a good bit about computers (can you build one?), get a PC with Windows 7.

I see what you are trying to do here, but you need to be knowledgeable about PCs to own a PC-not necessarily be able to build one.

True, but I didn't intend to apply it was necessary. Your life will be much easier if you know how to take some of it apart. For instance, it is advised that you replace your memory (RAM) at least one time before replacing your PC. I suppose this is easy enough for laptops, but someone who didn't know their way around a desktop PC could screw this up. I worked in the IT department in college and I saw some hilarious cases. Someone once tried to stick his new video card in one of the RAM expansion slots.

[nealric]

Go with what you feel most comfortable with. The Mac interface drives me nuts, but others like it.

One thing to consider is that the mac will cost you double what a decent PC will.

[r6_philly]

I have both mac and windows xp (7 works the same) running at the same time on my mac book pro. You can drag/drop between windows and use the same "My Documents" folder.

http://www.parallels.com/

Recommended to my whole class this semester which requires PC only software, no one had issues. Only $40 for the software + windows + whatever else you want to put on there. Best of both words at your fingertips.

[r6_philly]

Go with what you feel most comfortable with. The Mac interface drives me nuts, but others like it.

One thing to consider is that the mac will cost you double what a decent PC will.

Only at the sub $1000 last-generation processor level. If you are looking at Intel i5/i7 with similar hardware it's much closer.

[3|ink]

I have both mac and windows xp (7 works the same) running at the same time on my mac book pro. You can drag/drop between windows and use the same "My Documents" folder.

http://www.parallels.com/

Recommended to my whole class this semester which requires PC only software, no one had issues. Only $40 for the software + windows + whatever else you want to put on there. Best of both words at your fingertips.

Very interesting. I assme this is the case, but you can run VBA from this Mac/Windows application? One of my biggest problems with Macs is that you can't run VBA in Mac's version of office.

[patrickd139]

Need poll. I vote mac, as long as you can a macbook pro or new macbook air.

[Curry]

I have a mac. Thought it would be a nice switch after my PC crashed on my the last day of finals in high school. I can say with absolute certainty that I wish I hadn't made the switch. Macs are beautiful systems but they are very closed to customization. Its hard to get exactly what you are looking for a lot of the times because there just isn't the right software etc. out there. That being said, if you don't know your way around a pc, get a mac. Its absolutely the easiest thing to use once you get used to it. Quicksilver is an app to absolutely die for. Its fantastic and nothing on windows comes even close.

[thunderflesh]

If you want something for school work, internet, and not much else, get a cheap PC.

If you want to do music recording/production, media work, film editing, etc., get a mac.

If you want something very user-friendly, get a mac.

If you want to play games, get a PC.

If you want to tinker with your computer a bunch, get a PC.

99% of people will clearly fall into one of those categories.