Dell Latitude or Macbook Pro for DSchool?

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I'm going to be a D1 at IUSD and we just found out we have two computer options.

• Dell Latitude E6220: 4 year warranty, 4 year accidental warranty, 3 year Battery coverage, onsite school repair with a 24 hr turnaround window.
  
• Apple Macbook Pro 13: 4 year warranty, no accidental coverage, no onsite repair, 1 year battery warranty

I have always had a PC so I don't know much about Macs(played around on my friends before and they seem pretty intuitive).



Which would you suggest for DSchool? Please don't say the cheaper one. The difference is ~$300-which is nothing compared to what Dental School will cost. I would much rather have the computer that will make note taking/studying/charting easier for the next 4 years. Thanks so much!

I think this is fairly easy to answer...

Stick with the OS you are familiar with, but more importantly you are receiving better coverage on the DELL compared to the MAC. You are going to be paying a premium for the "trendiness" and "aesthetics" of the MAC. If looks and being "cool" is important to you, choose the MAC. If you are afraid your computer is going to break and you have bad luck with computers go with the DELL. In terms of note taking, basic functionality both computers will do them just fine.

Originally Posted by tothepark

I think this is fairly easy to answer...

Stick with the OS you are familiar with, but more importantly you are receiving better coverage on the DELL compared to the MAC. You are going to be paying a premium for the "trendiness" and "aesthetics" of the MAC. If looks and being "cool" is important to you, choose the MAC. If you are afraid your computer is going to break and you have bad luck with computers go with the DELL. In terms of note taking, basic functionality both computers will do them just fine.

+1, definitely go with what you know. Nothing in a Mac makes is amazingly better or worse than a Windows machine. The coverage you get with the Dell option does make it better. Four years is an eternity for a laptop and having accidental is pretty sweet.

There is a reason the Dells have on-site warranty....

Just kidding.


Seriously, all kidding aside, the fact that your school allows you the choice of either should tell you right off the bat that they are nearly equivalent. As has already been said, pick the operating system you are most familiar with. The last thing you want is to be fighting to learn your computer first year. If you are indifferent with the operating systems, I would pick based on size/weight. If you are like me, the laptop goes with me everywhere, so with all the other gear, books, notes, etc, I want the laptop to be handy.


Also, get yourself a external hard drive if you dont already have one. They are cheap. Back up your stuff.

I would also look at battery life on both laptops as well.

If you have an ipad and iphone already, I would get the Mac. It makes syncing everything together very seamless and easy.

Thank you all for your responses!

Originally Posted by Duriel

I would also look at battery life on both laptops as well.

This is what I was really thinking! Don't macs get like 10 hours of battery life? They also seem to start-up a lot faster than PC's(which is nice when I'm jumping from class to class). I looked up the Dell and it gets 2 hours of battery life...

I do like the fact that the Dell has a 4 year accidental warranty. I could literally run over my computer the day before I graduate and get a brand new one!

I like apple products and I'm glued to my iphone and ipad. I just never really understood why everyone was so obsessed with macs. Which is why I posted this thread. A lot of programs I like don't even run on a mac. So why does everyone pay $700 more for macs- my guess is(like all apple products) they make life easier. If that is the case, then maybe that's the better computer for school.

Originally Posted by Smiley25

Thank you all for your responses!


This is what I was really thinking! Don't macs get like 10 hours of battery life? They also seem to start-up a lot faster than PC's(which is nice when I'm jumping from class to class). I looked up the Dell and it gets 2 hours of battery life...

I do like the fact that the Dell has a 4 year accidental warranty. I could literally run over my computer the day before I graduate and get a brand new one!

I like apple products and I'm glued to my iphone and ipad. I just never really understood why everyone was so obsessed with macs. Which is why I posted this thread. A lot of programs I like don't even run on a mac. So why does everyone pay $700 more for macs- my guess is(like all apple products) they make life easier. If that is the case, then maybe that's the better computer for school.

You can read many Mac vs PC wars online. Comes down to what you think will give you most for your money. Starting my undergrad I was fortunate enough to have a dad who was going to buy me whatever computer I felt was best. Even though I had never owned one (and talked bad about them most of my life) I chose a MacBook Pro, probably because it was most expensive and I wanted to show off (thankfully I no longer have that mentality). I can honestly say that I will never own another computer that is not made by Apple. The quality, simplicity (once you get used to it), durability, and reliability is just bar none compared to my past experiences with PCs. But to each his own.

Originally Posted by Smiley25

Thank you all for your responses!


This is what I was really thinking! Don't macs get like 10 hours of battery life? They also seem to start-up a lot faster than PC's(which is nice when I'm jumping from class to class). I looked up the Dell and it gets 2 hours of battery life...

I do like the fact that the Dell has a 4 year accidental warranty. I could literally run over my computer the day before I graduate and get a brand new one!

I like apple products and I'm glued to my iphone and ipad. I just never really understood why everyone was so obsessed with macs. Which is why I posted this thread. A lot of programs I like don't even run on a mac. So why does everyone pay $700 more for macs- my guess is(like all apple products) they make life easier. If that is the case, then maybe that's the better computer for school.

There's a couple of factors to consider. Most of the time when people compare Macs versus Windows PCs, they are comparing machines in completely different price ranges. You minus well have a heavy weight fight a bantam weight. If you went with something equal and price, you will likely see a big increase in the build quality in a Windows PC that Macs are well known for. What Macs do win on is hardware integration which increases efficiency, a perfect mac ecosystem which works awesome if you live in it but a pain outside of it, and the savings you get from not needing antivirus.

It's pretty awesome how well Apple products work with each other. If you already have an iPad and iPhone, you definitely could benefit from a Mac. Bottom line, Macs work great on the path designated by Apple and Windows works better for variety and fiddling.

Originally Posted by Smiley25

I looked up the Dell and it gets 2 hours of battery life...

That is a horrible battery life . Im not exactly "pro mac", but I recently bought a used macbook pro and its battery life is actually pretty good. It is around 6-7 hours of real life web surfing.

It was the 2011 13'' macbook pro by the way. I would also say that I probably wouldn't have bought the mac if it was brand new at full retail, they are super expensive. I only got mine because it was a good deal.

Also, not sure how your school is set up, as if they buy the computers before hand, or if they are on-demand purchases, but if rumors are true, Apple should be launching a redesigned mac book pro this summer.

The new MBPs are supposedly going to have the same resolution display they have in their most current ipads and iphones (retina display). Additionally, it is rumored that they may scrap their traditional hard drives for solid state drives. If they start using the solid state drives, you'll see that battery life jump significantly, as well as decreasing startup time.

My brother starts law school this coming Fall, and we are both crossing our fingers that the rumors are true.

Originally Posted by txaggie03

Also, not sure how your school is set up, as if they buy the computers before hand, or if they are on-demand purchases, but if rumors are true, Apple should be launching a redesigned mac book pro this summer.

The new MBPs are supposedly going to have the same resolution display they have in their most current ipads and iphones (retina display). Additionally, it is rumored that they may scrap their traditional hard drives for solid state drives. If they start using the solid state drives, you'll see that battery life jump significantly, as well as decreasing startup time.

My brother starts law school this coming Fall, and we are both crossing our fingers that the rumors are true.

Wow those improvements sounds awesome, you can currently get a solid state drive in them but they are super expensive. Quad core processor though is just insane. Most people who seem to ask questions like this probably don't need all the computing power of a quad core macbook pro, but if you want to know more you should just stop by an apple store and explain your situation. They'll be able to sit there and show you a ton of stuff that you could probably find useful in the classroom situation.

Like some others have said, it's all about preference and what you can afford. I can tell you though, I have a macbook pro that isn't a second slower than the day I got it 3 years ago. I really love it, plus I can still consistently get 5-6 hours of battery life.

I was a PC guy my whole life and now that I have a Mac, it's very hard and frustrating for me to use a PC now. I find them cumbersome compared to Macs, where as on a Mac, everything seems to be more intuitive. Also, you have a lot more product consistency since Apple is both the hardware (the actual laptop) and software (Mac OS X) supplier. It took me about a week to get used to it.

Having said that, you will pay a LOT for a Mac, but if you consider it an investment, I think you'll be pleased. I think about 85% of students in our school use mac so that's always nice to be in the majority if someone has problems with certain software. But we are a Mac school, meaning all the secretaries and dentists working offices all have macs, so there is some incentive to get one.

If you can, hold out for the summer. The pros should be getting some pretty awesome upgrades possibly as soon as June 11. Besides, if you already have an iPad and iPhone, using iCloud will be a breeze. I really like it a lot. I still use google for my main calendar and I use dropbox ALL the time for my personal files, but iCloud is great for syncing reminders, notes, bookmarks, and contacts across all my apple products.

The last big thing to consider is programs running on macs. You are very right, the Mac world is crippled compared to PCs on software. As for games... Mac loses every time. But with so many great online options (like mint.com and manilla.com for finance and bills, and dropbox.com for your file syncing) and the new Mac App Store, things are leveling out... ever so slowly haha. I don't use a lot of 3rd party software but I've always been able to find what I needed.

I just finished D1, have a MBP, and while I am sure there are equivalent programs out there on the PC, these are the ones that I have used most often.

Baylor (as i am sure most schools do) records lectures using a program called camtasia. Most professors save the files in both .wmv and .m4v formats.
To watch these I use VLC. VLC can be had on both mac and PC. The best feature of VLC is the ability to control the speed of the video/audio. I can watch a hour lecture in 30 min, and quickly review. A fine feature for skimming back, and also for finding that spot in the lecture where he said that one thing you are trying to find. VLC is free.

Of course i use a calendar/planner program, and I just use Apple's iCal. It is nothing special.

To record lecture's audio, in case the lecture isnt being camtasia-ed or just as a back-up, I use the program Audacity. It is super easy to use, and the built in mic in the MBP does a surprisingly good job of picking up the lecturer from across the room. It allows you to change everything from output format to compression. Audacity is free.

Of course I use apple's version of powerpoint and word, called Keynote and Pages, respectively. Only benefit to the apple version is the price, as keynote and pages are only 20 bucks each. There is some compatibility issues, but nothing unbearable (mostly fonts).

One program I have used quite often, but may have limited use for yourself or others is Text Wrangler. It has the sweet capability of displaying file/folder hierarchies. All you do is drag a folder into it's window, and it will list out the file/folder tree. From there you can search for files. This worked for me because the students and faculty had a shared drive where everyone could save files. However, it was on the school's network and couldnt be searched directly. This feature allowed me to search the text doc, and then find it on the network drive. Limited use, I know. Textwrangler is free.

One of the coolest programs i used is called Mental Case. It is a flashcard app, and learning app, rolled into one. You can pull images, audio, and of course text, into your card files. You can also share files with others. For example, i made card sets for anatomy: muscles and their origins, insertions, actions, innervations, etc. Also, you can find card sets on other online flashcard sites, and import them into mental case. Mental Case is now 29 bucks (used to be 19).


Good luck. I really dont think you can go wrong. I mean, the fact is, you got in; the hard part is over.

Can you decline the 2011 model? The 2012 model is coming out in a few weeks. That's the one I'm going to get

Originally Posted by txaggie03

I just finished D1, have a MBP, and while I am sure there are equivalent programs out there on the PC, these are the ones that I have used most often.

Baylor (as i am sure most schools do) records lectures using a program called camtasia. Most professors save the files in both .wmv and .m4v formats.
To watch these I use VLC. VLC can be had on both mac and PC. The best feature of VLC is the ability to control the speed of the video/audio. I can watch a hour lecture in 30 min, and quickly review. A fine feature for skimming back, and also for finding that spot in the lecture where he said that one thing you are trying to find. VLC is free.

Of course i use a calendar/planner program, and I just use Apple's iCal. It is nothing special.

To record lecture's audio, in case the lecture isnt being camtasia-ed or just as a back-up, I use the program Audacity. It is super easy to use, and the built in mic in the MBP does a surprisingly good job of picking up the lecturer from across the room. It allows you to change everything from output format to compression. Audacity is free.

Of course I use apple's version of powerpoint and word, called Keynote and Pages, respectively. Only benefit to the apple version is the price, as keynote and pages are only 20 bucks each. There is some compatibility issues, but nothing unbearable (mostly fonts).

One program I have used quite often, but may have limited use for yourself or others is Text Wrangler. It has the sweet capability of displaying file/folder hierarchies. All you do is drag a folder into it's window, and it will list out the file/folder tree. From there you can search for files. This worked for me because the students and faculty had a shared drive where everyone could save files. However, it was on the school's network and couldnt be searched directly. This feature allowed me to search the text doc, and then find it on the network drive. Limited use, I know. Textwrangler is free.

One of the coolest programs i used is called Mental Case. It is a flashcard app, and learning app, rolled into one. You can pull images, audio, and of course text, into your card files. You can also share files with others. For example, i made card sets for anatomy: muscles and their origins, insertions, actions, innervations, etc. Also, you can find card sets on other online flashcard sites, and import them into mental case. Mental Case is now 29 bucks (used to be 19).


Good luck. I really dont think you can go wrong. I mean, the fact is, you got in; the hard part is over.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was looking for. Greatly appreciated!!!

I'll support the general consensus...stick with what ur familiar with & yada yada yada but research which computer will be most portable & easy 2 carry to class everyday.

As much as I hate apples overpriced products, consider the macs light weight, solid construction (unibody)...I don't know the exact specs but compare which one surpasses each other in terms of weight, craftsmanship, size.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk

Read the first few responses and most of them seemed to be along the lines of:

- "get what you're used to"

or

- "mac is for ppl who want to feel cool and pretty"

I've used PC most of my life and finally made the switch to Mac by the end of first yr of dent school and I can tell you (like many others) I will never go back to PC. ppl don't love apple products because they're "cool" and "pretty" they love them because they are innovative with all the things in the OS that make your life simpler, these things you wont notice until you make the switch. Apple OS does not even compare to PC! macs RARELY freeze or lag, and when I say rarely, its usually after leaving my laptop on for 3-4 days in a row then you start notice things freezing, you simply restart and back to normal, this sort of luxury and convenience will not be seen on a PC. without fail, every time I use a PC, it is bound to freeze and lag and I simply cannot stand this any more after getting used to an OS that runs smoothly without glitches.

And as for "use the OS you're already used to" that a load of crap, really, unless you're 60 you're not gonna have a problem learning to use the new OS its very similar and you'll have your friend to call any time to ask him how to do things until you figure them out. take the leap and make the switch, my computer work has never been this efficient

Eh I bought a Mac just to see what the fuss was all about and ended up selling it and sticking with windows. No matter which PC you end up getting, it's all about knowing how to use it properly. Macs tend to be more "reliable" for the average user because Mac OS doesn't give you the option to mess with anything that really matters unless you tell it to. The only thing in the OS that really is awesome is the lack of a registry which makes things cleaner down the road. If you know what you're doing on a Windows PC, you won't have a problem.

The comparison is similar to an android v. mac comparison. They all do the same stuff, but android tends to be more complex and require some know how whereas apple products "just work". Pick the device based on what you know how to use and how you want it to work.

Hey I'm going to IUSD too. I have always had a pc (dell actually) and I have decided to switch everything over to the macbook for the new laptop we have to get. good luck with your decision and see you there!

Originally Posted by dmdluffy

Eh I bought a Mac just to see what the fuss was all about and ended up selling it and sticking with windows. No matter which PC you end up getting, it's all about knowing how to use it properly. Macs tend to be more "reliable" for the average user because Mac OS doesn't give you the option to mess with anything that really matters unless you tell it to. The only thing in the OS that really is awesome is the lack of a registry which makes things cleaner down the road. If you know what you're doing on a Windows PC, you won't have a problem.

The comparison is similar to an android v. mac comparison. They all do the same stuff, but android tends to be more complex and require some know how whereas apple products "just work". Pick the device based on what you know how to use and how you want it to work.

not to mention that you can play awesome games on windows and get crap on the mac. I should know cause I have a macbook and wish i had a pc laptop just so i can play diablo III. It doesn't help that my macbook is pretty old. Had it for about 4 years now. No real issues. I did have to erase the hard drive once or twice.

I should know cause I have a macbook and wish i had a pc laptop just so i can play diablo III.

Boot Camp.

Originally Posted by Smiley25

This is what I was really thinking! Don't macs get like 10 hours of battery life? They also seem to start-up a lot faster than PC's(which is nice when I'm jumping from class to class). I looked up the Dell and it gets 2 hours of battery life...

lol wut?

no laptop has a 2 hr battery life

http://www.laptopmag.com/review/lapt...ude-e6220.aspx

why don't you read reviews instead of making numbers up?

the reason why mbp seem to start up faster is because you're paying more for the ssd on it.

choose the dell with the ssd hard drive and it will boot up just as fast.

its not like apple has some sort of magic technology that makes them go faster. apple uses the same components used on window computers. ffs, thats why you can install windows in a mac (you used to not be able, but we all know how crappy the apple powerpc's were).

Originally Posted by BoomerSooner10

I can tell you though, I have a macbook pro that isn't a second slower than the day I got it 3 years ago. I really love it, plus I can still consistently get 5-6 hours of battery life.

that can't be true...

computing power has quadrupled in 3 years (staying pretty close to moore's law).

unless you haven't been using updated software, its more likely that you got accustomed to it slowing down.

Originally Posted by dentaljocks

ppl don't love apple products because they're "cool" and "pretty" they love them because they are innovative with all the things in the OS that make your life simpler, these things you wont notice until you make the switch.

lol wut innovative things?

Originally Posted by dentaljocks

Apple OS does not even compare to PC! macs RARELY freeze or lag, and when I say rarely, its usually after leaving my laptop on for 3-4 days in a row then you start notice things freezing, you simply restart and back to normal, this sort of luxury and convenience will not be seen on a PC. without fail, every time I use a PC, it is bound to freeze and lag and I simply cannot stand this any more after getting used to an OS that runs smoothly without glitches.

wow, you need to restart your mac after just 3-4 days?

i go about a month before i restart on my windows 7 pc. every night i just put it to sleep and it wakes just fine. nothing freezes on my pc. Lag is not due to OS, its due to aging hardware that is lagging behind the software requirements.

Originally Posted by dentaljocks

And as for "use the OS you're already used to" that a load of crap, really, unless you're 60 you're not gonna have a problem learning to use the new OS its very similar and you'll have your friend to call any time to ask him how to do things until you figure them out. take the leap and make the switch, my computer work has never been this efficient

the OS does not make you efficient. it is the software you run on the OS that allows you to be efficient. OS X does not support a lot of software = bad.

Originally Posted by dmdluffy

Eh I bought a Mac just to see what the fuss was all about and ended up selling it and sticking with windows. No matter which PC you end up getting, it's all about knowing how to use it properly. Macs tend to be more "reliable" for the average user because Mac OS doesn't give you the option to mess with anything that really matters unless you tell it to. The only thing in the OS that really is awesome is the lack of a registry which makes things cleaner down the road. If you know what you're doing on a Windows PC, you won't have a problem.

and macs do have virus (flashback anyone?) , and apple refuses to acknowledge them, whereas windows provides a free antivirus software. yay for head in sand strategy

if you want mac build quality or hipster look, then just install windows on the mac.

I'm so glad you are able to know that 90% of the people on this thread must be lying about their own personal experiences just because they don't agree with yours. It seems like you have quite a bit of knowledge about computers, therefore a PC may be better for you because you know how to do things with it to that most people don't. Unfortunately most of us are not computer geeks so we only go by what our experience is with them, and mine personally is that PCs are quick to slow down, obtain viruses easily (I mean, who doesn't pirate music?), and build quality is poor (Dells/HPs/Gateway, and yes I've owned all of those). I've never once had a problem with my MacBook Pro (2009 model) and sold it last year for 90% of the value I paid for it (2 years later) and bought a MacBook Air for lighter weight. I also didn't need to processing power a Pro offered so it was not benefitting me to carry a larger (but still smaller than most PCs) laptop around.

Like I said, it's about the personal experience someone has had that will make them want one over the other (say you had a Ford car that was a lemon, well you prob won't buy another Ford because of that). I will say this, I've heard 100:1 ratio of people say "I'll never own a PC again after owning a Mac" compared to the other way around. Can 99% of people I've talked to be wrong about this? Well no because it's a personal opinion.

Originally Posted by hmmmmm

that can't be true...

computing power has quadrupled in 3 years (staying pretty close to moore's law).

unless you haven't been using updated software, its more likely that you got accustomed to it slowing down.

I think you misunderstood what I said. It looks like you interpreted what I said as "my computer is still on par with computers on the market today, just like when I bought it". Obviously my MacBook Pro, being 3 years old, is slow compared to computers today, as are all 3 year old electronics compared to their more recent counterparts (thus, your reference to Moore's Law). I meant to say that my individual computer's speed and performance has been maintained since I purchased it, not compared to any other computer.

Just want to make sure the OP is getting good first hand accounts so they can make the best decision on their purchase.

the reason why mbp seem to start up faster is because you're paying more for the ssd on it.

wrong. First, not all apple laptops even have ssd drives. Second, start-up time can be very OS dependent: windows services and os driven hardware use.

its not like apple has some sort of magic technology that makes them go faster. apple uses the same components used on window computers. ffs, thats why you can install windows in a mac (you used to not be able, but we all know how crappy the apple powerpc's were).

They dont have magic technology. You are correct. However, they do write their software and OS to match their tailored hardware. This is something that no PC can accomplish without additional work. Windows was written for a multitude of hardware configurations, one of it's strengths. And you can keep your powerPC argument; that talking point has been dead since 2006.

Lag is not due to OS, its due to aging hardware that is lagging behind the software requirements.

Wrong again. Windows relys on a registry system. If the users are installing/uninstalling very many programs and not deleting old drivers, it very much is an OS problem. In fact, if you are going to use the argument that most stalls are because you've updated software without updating hardware, you've inadvertently made an argument for the mac system: they write the software and design the hardware. So, no software upgrade will better match old hardware than mac software upgrades.

the OS does not make you efficient. it is the software you run on the OS that allows you to be efficient. OS X does not support a lot of software = bad.

Obviously you've not spent much time in the new Mac OS. I will concede that the mac doesnt support a lot of programs. However, since purchasing my first macbook pro in 2006 for personal and work use, I have only once felt cheated (I needed to run autoCAD). I installed windows on a small partition via bootcamp and found myself only using windows when i needed autoCAD. But guess what program works on Macs now?

and macs do have virus (flashback anyone?) , and apple refuses to acknowledge them, whereas windows provides a free antivirus software. yay for head in sand strategy

http://mac.appstorm.net/roundups/uti...-we-need-them/





If you want to nit-pick, at least do your homework.

You guys know that you can have both Windows and Mac OS on the Macbook Pro, right?

There really is no debate about which OS is better if you can partition your HD using Bootcamp on the MBP and install Windows on there, which is what I've had to do for work when I work with Adobe programs.

Originally Posted by aquafoam

You guys know that you can have both Windows and Mac OS on the Macbook Pro, right?

There really is no debate about which OS is better if you can partition your HD using Bootcamp on the MBP and install Windows on there, which is what I've had to do for work when I work with Adobe programs.

I can only assume the OP knows this, as it has already been mentioned.

However, I think the debate has happened over the price difference (buying a license of windows in addition to the hardware difference).