Laptop? Tablet? Whatcha gonna get?

[Glimmer1991]

HI GUYS!

I'm curious to see what you are all getting for school, technology-wise. (Oh, and this isn't isn't a "laptop vs. iPad" thread. If I get an iPad, it will be definitely be in conjunction with a good ol' laptop.)

Right now, I'm having a hard time deciding between a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro. I've used the same 15" Pro for 5-6 years and it is still chugging along quite nicely. I basically maxed it out when I bought it during my junior year of high school.

However, the new MacBook Pros, when maxed out, are SO much computer. That's certainly nice and all, but do I really need that? The most taxing thing I *might* do is use 3D programs for anatomy studying, if UNC even offers those. I'm not sure if I'll be viewing x-rays or patient files on my computer, but there's maybe those as well.

The maxed out 13" MacBook Air looks to be a really nice little workhorse. Super portable. Battery life is around 11 hours, but I bet it will be a bit less with upgraded features. You can max it out at 1.7 GHz dual-core i7 processor, 8 GB RAM, and 512 GB Flash storage. The price comes in at $1,849 before you get the student discount.

The maxed out 15" Macbook Pro (okay, almost maxed out, I don't need 1 TB of memory) comes in at $2,799 before the student discount. You get a Retina display, 2.6 GHz quad-core i7 processor, 16 GB RAM, and 512 GB Flash Storage.

Should I splurge on all of that, or will the 13" MacBook Air really be all I need? I don't game, and I don't edit videos. If I plan on studying primarily on my computer, will the Retina make a big difference? I'll be honest and say that a lot of those spec numbers are gibberish to me... but I've tried to start researching what they all mean.

So, onward from my predicament. What computer are you guys thinking about getting, and what kind of specs does it have?

Are you thinking about getting a supplemental iPad or other type of tablet? If so, which one?

P.S. I know there are threads out there about this... but they usually end up in the medical forums.

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[gentlerwave]

If you don't do anything graphically intensive, you don't even need a maxed Mac Air. If you are getting an iPad, I'd say go ahead and buy the 512GB 13' Mac Pro for the processing power. The iPad already gives you the nice portability, which is the Mac Air's best asset.

I'm actually planning to have a Mac Pro too in dschool with an iPad, but I'll wait for the new one to come out before buying it

 

[Glimmer1991]

If you don't do anything graphically intensive, you don't even need a maxed Mac Air. If you are getting an iPad, I'd say go ahead and buy the 512GB 13' Mac Pro for the processing power. The iPad already gives you the nice portability, which is the Mac Air's best asset.

I'm actually planning to have a Mac Pro too in dschool with an iPad, but I'll wait for the new one to come out before buying it

Aren't they slated to probably come out in October? I've been looking into that, and sources say it looks like they will be pushed back by production problems that Haswell is having. I really want a brand spankin' new one, though! I wish there would be a summer release.

The main reasons I'm looking to max out my computers is because I want them to really last. As time goes on, I don't want any of my specs to be outdated. I feel like the reason my laptop still works so well now, 5-6 years after it was purchased, is because I didn't skimp on the specs!

 

[free99]

I'm hoping to push my 2009 macbook pro as far into dental school as I can go. I think swapping out the SATA drive for an SSD, replacing the battery and doing a factory restore may buy me another year or two until it's relegated to a home-only pc. In your position @Glimmer1991, I think either of those computers would more than suffice for any task you'll ask of it in dental school. But, being as frugal/money conscious as you seem to be, why replace what isn't broken?

 

[Glimmer1991]

I'm hoping to push my 2009 macbook pro as far into dental school as I can go. I think swapping out the SATA drive for an SSD, replacing the battery and doing a factory restore may buy me another year or two until it's relegated to a home-only pc. In your position @Glimmer1991, I think either of those computers would more than suffice for any task you'll ask of it in dental school. But, being as frugal/money conscious as you seem to be, why replace what isn't broken?

Honest answer? My parents are buying. Still, though, I'm trying to be relatively money conscious.

However, I'd still be splurging on a computer if I was coughing up the money. I personally paid the $2,700 for the one I have now (yep... that was the majority of my savings back when I was 17, haha), and I use it ALL the time. It is entirely worth the money for me if it lasts 4+ years. When I first bought a Mac, my parents were thoroughly convinced it was a total waste of money... but after they saw how well mine worked, they ended up buying their own MacBook Pro. At my suggestion, my brother got an Air for college last August, and seems to really like it. It is a tough choice between the two. The only thing I worry about with the Air is the longevity, since that is an unknown to me. I know a Pro will last.

I just bought a new battery for mine off of Amazon, and it is working extremely well! In all honesty, the only problems I've ever really had with my computer are the battery going to crap. It is slower now than it used to be, but still totally usable.

The prices are better for the Anker battery than buying directly through Apple, and they actually have better reviews than the Apple batteries. Mine is the 2008 version, so you probably need a different one... but here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=anker macbook pro battery&sprefix=anker macbook p,aps&rh=i:aps,k:anker macbook pro battery

 

[Ferneezy]

same deal. was thinking of jumping the windows ship for an MBA. actually specced one out last night and decided since the only things i'll be doing with it are going blind with powerpoints, streaming porn netflix, and daydreaming about what luxury cars i'll be able to afford in about ten years...i decided i would go with the most basic version.

does it make sense to run with a laptop and a tablet (like an ipad or a surface)? or is that just repetitive wastefulness?

 

[ktran17]

I'm going to be upgrading my current laptop to 8 gigs of ram and replacing my cd drive with a 120 gig ssd Hardrive.

Additionally, I will get the surface pro 3 with the new intel broad well chip that comes out soon

 

[Slumber]

MBA 13" or even 11". I'm thinking about maxing out the CPU and RAM if nothing else because they will enable the machine to run a lot smoother and faster. But I'm torn because I kind of need the money for other things before the start of DS. So yeaaa, it's a lot to contemplate.

 

[tbond5]

Midwestern az buys the students just the regular MacBook pro for school, no upgrades. And they use the computer for everything. Anything other than that is the exact reason I have a quad core i7 desktop at home I made for 700 bucks.

 

[lmr9y]

I was debating if a tablet is necessary in conjunction with the laptop. I feel a tablet might be easier to take notes on and listen to lectures and such than a laptop. I already have a MacBook Pro so I wouldn't buy another laptop. Any advice from current dental students that have an iPad or Surface??

 

[Dgeorg6]

My school requires you buy a new laptop upon entrance. You either get a Mac Pro or a Dell Latitude. I already have a fairly new Dell Latitude so I guess I'll get the Mac lol

 

[bimmer]

Laptop at home, but ipad in a clamcase case with the notability program for lecture. (highly recommend looking into this option especially the notability program, its geared to just dominate taking notes for a lecture style)

 

[NavyDDS1990]

I don't know about your state school, but at least my state school requires a specific laptop for school of dentistry.

 

[hitmans45]

I'm going to be upgrading my current laptop to 8 gigs of ram and replacing my cd drive with a 120 gig ssd Hardrive.

Additionally, I will get the surface pro 3 with the new intel broad well chip that comes out soon

I was considering the pro, mostly because it seems so great for powerpoint/note taking. But do you really think adding a laptop is necessary as well? (Keep in mind this is coming from someone who is technologically ignorant) All these "two in one" products are interesting, but at this point in time I'm worried they're just a gimmick.

 

[techyguy]

I'm studying notes on my iPad 2 right now, that are in PDF form, uploaded to my Google Drive account. These notes are annotated slides made from PowerPoint files created on my MBP. I've made large Google Doc outlines, and I've scanned handwritten notes (orgo/gen chem) for studying as well. Having the iPad handy to study during downtime has been incredibly helpful.

I haven't used it much to actually take notes, because I have almost no use for text-only notes, and drawing diagrams and such requires too much zooming in and out on the small screen to keep up with the lecture. However, all homework where I would normally print something out just to take notes and write equations and such, gets turned into a PDF and annotated in Notability instead. I have all of my online Physics and Chem homework on this thing.

I also have about 50-odd books on here, including my Psychology book. I did get Amazon to refund my purchase of one other advanced textbook, though, because I just couldn't flip back and forth in it easily enough to follow the long, extended examples (complicated ones across multiple chapters in the book).

Lastly, it appears that VitalSource, who some dental schools use for textbooks, has an iPad app, but you might have to just call your school to find out more about that stuff.

 

[Glimmer1991]

...I'd say go ahead and buy the 512GB 13' Mac Pro for the processing power.

I'm curious about this....

The 15" Pro allows you to have a quad-core i7. However, you can only have a dual-core i7 on the 13" Pro. (I am not considering an i5.)

Supposedly, the quad-core is much better... but probably not for anything I would use. The thing I wonder about, though, is whether or not programs 3 years down the line will utilize all 4 cores.

Any need to upgrade to 16GB RAM (instead of 8 GB)? Most things I see say it isn't too useful. The upgrade is just $200 bucks, though, and if it could help me out in a few years...

I also wonder how much of a difference the Retina display makes over prolonged usage. I don't *think* I have issues with my non-Retina display, but then again, I might just not know what I'm missing!

 

[techyguy]

You definitely want the Retina display and 16GB of memory. If you go with the Mac, you may occasionally need Windows, which you can either install natively with bootcamp or use in a virtual machine; the latter requires a decent amount of memory. Plus, you can't upgrade the memory in these new Retina Macs. The display really does make it difficult to go back to any lower-res monitor.

It's highly unlikely you will ever need the quad-core CPU - it's just a nice-to-have for professionals who keep several CPU-intensive apps open at a time.

That said, for me, I could never go down to a 13" screen. I think if you can handle that, you'll be perfectly fine with the 13".

 

[Glimmer1991]

You definitely want the Retina display and 16GB of memory. If you go with the Mac, you may occasionally need Windows, which you can either install natively with bootcamp or use in a virtual machine; the latter requires a decent amount of memory. Plus, you can't upgrade the memory in these new Retina Macs. The display really does make it difficult to go back to any lower-res monitor.

It's highly unlikely you will ever need the quad-core CPU - it's just a nice-to-have for professionals who keep several CPU-intensive apps open at a time.

That said, for me, I could never go down to a 13" screen. I think if you can handle that, you'll be perfectly fine with the 13".

Well, if I want the Retina display, then the MB Air is out! Haha.

I'll be running Windows, but I'm not sure if I should just stick with Bootcamp (free!) or get Parallels. It would be nice to run it "within" the Mac OSX, but I wonder if it eats up way more battery that way.

For $200, might as well get the 16GB.

I thought the 13" would be weird to use after having a 15"... but it is what my parents have, and I actually like the less bulky size. It might make it a bit harder to study on, though--especially if you are trying to view two documents at once, which I often do.

 

[ktran17]

I was considering the pro, mostly because it seems so great for powerpoint/note taking. But do you really think adding a laptop is necessary as well? (Keep in mind this is coming from someone who is technologically ignorant) All these "two in one" products are interesting, but at this point in time I'm worried they're just a gimmick.

Let me clarify, I am not buying a new laptop at all. I am just going to upgrade the internals of my current laptop because it is already really fast. I will be buying a new battery, new hardrive (SSD), and more ram. This is more than sufficient. In addition, I am also getting the surface Pro 3.

During lecture, I will have my laptop and surface out at the same time. I will use my laptop to type notes while I use my surface as a tablet to copy diagrams and formulas. (Using One note). Afterwards, I will go back home and immediately combine the two notes. (This is the time I use to review my lecture notes). I know I can get the iPad, but I decided to splurge on the surface because of its ability to be a full computer and thus allowing me to run full programs as well. I also think One Note > Ever note.

To some people this might be overkill, but since I'm not buying a new laptop, I don't think I'm really overspending anyways.

Now, whether these new devices are "gimmicks" is totally dependent on how you utilize them. In my opinion, you're going to need a laptop with a real keyboard to type and some sort of tablet to write on. Gone are the days of printing out lectures and annotating them.

Pm me if you need help deciding and I can go in more depth.

Here's an introduction video to one-note.
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/onenote-help/onenote-getting-started-VA102998434.aspx?d=2012-12-31 00:00:01

Here's a more indepth tutorial.


As you can tell, I highly recommend one note!!!

P.S.:

Microsoft one-note's search bar can search all your notes, including text within a image!! That's right, the program has optical recognition. This feature will allow you to quickly search through ppt images that your professor used. Sometimes professors will not type actual text onto a powerpoint, but instead just copy and paste an image because its faster. With one note, you can search the text within an image!

 

[Luna724]

I am surprised no one mentioned Surface Pro 2 yet. This I will certain get for my 4 years in dental school.

 

[sjv]

Waiting for retina Air to come out, hoping for it next refresh.

 

[Aetherius]

Just a few days ago, I got the Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga (Not the Ideapad version you see in retail stores).
The difference between the two:
Thinkpad: More for business professionals; Ideapad: More for consumer market (craaaazy high resolution, it is more than 1080p)
I am liking it so far since the build quality is excellent and the engineering that went into it was very well thought of -- I can definitely see it lasting 4+ years -- which is what I need.

I tested out the Surface Pro 2 for a few weeks, but realized that my eyes will definitely be too strained because of its small 10.6-inch screen. But the main pro of this would be when you are working in small places where you need to have a quick reference to something (ie. sim lab, clinic), it won't need a large footprint for it to do its job. Also, I found that I occasionally want to work on my lap and on weird angles, and this is hard to achieve with the SP2, because of the limited hinge mechanism. The compactness and mobility that SP2 offers may be good for some people, but my productivity is usually higher with larger screens (give me 2 screens and I'll be flying).

The Yoga is good because it is a good balance of mobility and having a large enough screen size that's perfect for me. The Yoga is also like the SP2 in that it can switch from Laptop to Presentation to Tablet mode. The main downside is that at 12.5-inches, it may be too big for a tablet (but perfect for note-taking, because it is just like a 11.5x8in paper!) and it is less flashy than the SP2 :/

Plus I got a good deal on my TPY

 

[Glimmer1991]

I am surprised no one mentioned Surface Pro 2 yet. This I will certain get for my 4 years in dental school.

Ktran has mentioned the Surface Pro 3 more than once.

 

[Glimmer1991]

Waiting for retina Air to come out, hoping for it next refresh.

That would be killer. I know there are rumors of it, but do you think it is likely?

 

[sjv]

That would be killer. I know there are rumors of it, but do you think it is likely?

It would be the logical next update, every other manufacture sells ultrabooks with higher resolution.

 

[Combine33]

Like a lot of other people on this thread, I will carry over my trusty workhorse 4 year old MacBook Pro with new RAM cards, and a new SSD. My school gives us a new MacBook Pro so I will buy a monitor and use my old MacBook as a stay at home option. And an iPad is a good idea but I also feel that the new Note Pro from Samsung is a good option as well.

 

[Meat Gyver]

.

 

[Longcatislong]

I am surprised no one mentioned Surface Pro 2 yet. This I will certain get for my 4 years in dental school.

I'm considering getting of these. Currently, I use an Ipad 2 and one of the note-takign/pdf-annotator apps to write my notes. It's nice enough, but it's annoying to have to always write on the palm guard. Also, let's face it, iPad is more for play than it is for work.

I recently got a chance to try out writing on the Surface Pro 2 and it felt so natural! just like writing on a piece of paper. However, coming from the iPad world, I'm a bit annoyed by how heavy and bulky the Surface Pro 2 is. Is it compatible with Macbook Pro? Anyone out there use a Surface Pro and care to comment?

 

[CleverThought]

I recently bought the same 15 inch MacBook Pro that you're looking at, I love it completely. It's probably much more power than I really need, but if I ever do have to run a heavy duty program or put complete charts on my computer, I don't have to worry about running short on power.

Conversely, my sister has the 13 inch air and absolutely loves it. The biggest benefit to the air over the pro is battery life and lightness.

I'm probably going to supplement with a iPad, but going to try my best to wait for the newest version.

Lastly, my husband uses a Lenovo Yoga for work and loves how it folds into a tablet or can be a full laptop. A good option if you like the windows interface.

 

[kingenamel]

I don't think anyone is in worse shape than me in regard to being up to date. I used a notebook throughout my undergrad, ya know the one with Spiral Lock®, Neat Sheet®, and a durable poly front cover...

Looks like I've got some money to shell out

Yess! Five star rules!

 

[eggiweggi]

i've had the samsung note 10.1 (2014 edition) for my last semester at undergrad and i'm very satisfied with it. i use it to take notes on ppts during class, and because it's a wacom stylus it's basically like writing with a regular pen. much more accurate than the clunky styluses used for ipads. i think it's the same technology that surface pro 2 has... i also recently got an imac 21.5" and this combination has been golden so far. debating whether or not a laptop will actually be necessary next year for dental school..... hopefully, some current dental students can provide input!

 

[kingenamel]

i've had the samsung note 10.1 (2014 edition) for my last semester at undergrad and i'm very satisfied with it. i use it to take notes on ppts during class, and because it's a wacom stylus it's basically like writing with a regular pen. much more accurate than the clunky styluses used for ipads. i think it's the same technology that surface pro 2 has... i also recently got an imac 21.5" and this combination has been golden so far. debating whether or not a laptop will actually be necessary next year for dental school..... hopefully, some current dental students can provide input!

Do you use the wacom bamboo stylus? Im thinking of getting that stylus for the iPad. It got some good reviews online and I have a rubber tip stylus that lags a little bit when writing which can get annoying at times.

 

[techyguy]

Which iPad do you have, @kingenamel? It may not be the stylus, but the iPad itself suffering from some writing latency. My iPad 2 strokes are always ever so slightly behind the pen. I'm pretty sure we can thank Steve Jobs for not having a proper stylus input system on these things.

 

[kingenamel]

Which iPad do you have, @kingenamel? It may not be the stylus, but the iPad itself suffering from some writing latency. My iPad 2 strokes are always ever so slightly behind the pen. I'm pretty sure we can thank Steve Jobs for not having a proper stylus input system on these things.

Hey techyguy I also have the iPad 2, I tried to use all the different note taking apps available, notability, upad, evernote etc but they all have that delay when writing notes with the stylus. Have you had the chance to play around with the newer air or mini? Not sure if anything has changed with stylus input in the apple line.

P.S. did anyone find a good app that does palm rejection really well? I tend to get stray markings w/ the iPad

 

[bimmer]

Hey techyguy I also have the iPad 2, I tried to use all the different note taking apps available, notability, upad, evernote etc but they all have that delay when writing notes with the stylus. Have you had the chance to play around with the newer air or mini? Not sure if anything has changed with stylus input in the apple line.

P.S. did anyone find a good app that does palm rejection really well? I tend to get stray markings w/ the iPad

I have a mini and notability works seamlessly for me.

 

[eggiweggi]

Do you use the wacom bamboo stylus? Im thinking of getting that stylus for the iPad. It got some good reviews online and I have a rubber tip stylus that lags a little bit when writing which can get annoying at times.

it's definitely the ipad that's the issue. stylus-writing just isn't a priority on apple products i used my boyfriends and i found it really annoying to have to keep moving the palm rejection guard, when on my samsung it does it automatically so there is no stray marks.

 

[techyguy]

Hey techyguy I also have the iPad 2, I tried to use all the different note taking apps available, notability, upad, evernote etc but they all have that delay when writing notes with the stylus. Have you had the chance to play around with the newer air or mini? Not sure if anything has changed with stylus input in the apple line.

P.S. did anyone find a good app that does palm rejection really well? I tend to get stray markings w/ the iPad

Nope, I haven't. I really want to upgrade, but this is high on my list of things they'd have to have improved. I haven't even started looking at reviews, though, so I'll probably just wait for the next update.

 

[Illfavor]

I bought an iPad a few years back for my studies. Turns out it's ****ty for that. I take notes on paper, pretty much always have. I have heard great things about the OneNote app and it sorta seems like it was made for someone like me...I just love Macs. Dunno what to do. I...dunno.

 

[nowaysurvey]

If I was in your situation, I would buy a max'ed out 13'' Macbook Pro Retina. I would definitely get 16GB of ram instead of 8GB.
I'm sure either of the current generation i5 or an i7 processors are sufficient for your needs, however, when you want to heavily multi-task (or running your MBP for weeks without restarting (like I do), Bootcamp, video editing, etc) just remember you need more RAM to do so.

I have been using a 13'' Macbook Pro for the past 5 years, and I personally think upgrading to a 15'' would be a problem because 1) it's much more bulky and 2) it'll weigh more and 3) battery life is a bit shorter.
I'm sure you would feel the same way if you downgrade to a 13'' for the opposite reasons, since, if you do choose to downgrade you'll notice that 1) it's less bulky, 2) weighs a lot less than your current MBP (if you get the Retina), and 3) battery life is significantly longer.

MBP's are usually refreshed at a early (~Feb), mid (~Jun-Jul), and late (~Oct) year cycle (statistics are based on past models). So if you can wait a few months, I suggest you wait until June or July when the refreshed MBPs are out. That way you can buy the new ones if you're interested in them, or buy the old ones at a lower price.

If I have to give you another advice, I would say don't look at the Retina MBP if you're not going to get it. The clarity/resolution/HD-ness of the Retina MBP will blow your mind away. Once I saw the Retina MBP, I was like there's no way I was going back to the normal screen MBPs.

 

[fatham878]

When I had an iPad (sold it) for notetaking I found that any stylus I bought for it wasn't sensitive or accurate enough. However, this little doodad http://www.cregle.com/pages/ipen2 makes me want to give it another go. And it seems like it could be a good investment for the future. The ad video even has a dentist in it! If I splurged on another iPad I'd definitely get this too I think.

 

[ToothbrushBuddy]

I actually managed to make it through undergrad without buying a laptop lol, but I got a Toshiba on Black Friday because it was a good deal and I am now worried about the battery life though and making it through a whole day of lectures. Some current students say that battery life is very important because you will basically be sitting taking notes for around 8 hours and if your lecture rooms don't have outlets at the seats, it might be a while before you can charge it.

 

[Shazzam]

The amount of uninformed statements / poor advice in this thread is pretty astounding.

 

[tbond5]

The amount of uninformed statements / poor advice in this thread is pretty astounding.

Then enlighten us with informed advice?

 

[JCLewis90]

I'm just going to use my 2011 MacBook Pro. The battery is just starting to get where it needs to be replaced, but other than that, it's perfectly fine. Later, if I feel like I need an iPad, I may try to get one. I, personally, would just use the one you have if it is working perfectly fine.. And just get an iPad if you want that. Save some cash

 

[Glimmer1991]

The amount of uninformed statements / poor advice in this thread is pretty astounding.

Then enlighten us with informed advice?

Agreed with tbond5. I don't see anyone here who claims to be a computer wizard. In fact, some of us seem sort of unsure about what to get... hence this thread. If you know better than we do, why not help?

Lemme guess--you're not a Mac person? Or maybe you are. I may not know tons about computer specs, but having used both Macs and Windows, I will never go back. I am all about longevity and reliability, and I have had an outstanding experience with my MacBook Pro. So has everyone else I have convinced to make the switch!

 

[kingenamel]

Agreed with tbond5. I don't see anyone here who claims to be a computer wizard. In fact, some of us seem sort of unsure about what to get... hence this thread. If you know better than we do, why not help?

Lemme guess--you're not a Mac person? Or maybe you are. I may not know tons about computer specs, but having used both Macs and Windows, I will never go back. I am all about longevity and reliability, and I have had an outstanding experience with my MacBook Pro. So has everyone else I have convinced to make the switch!

Totally Agree. Ive had my macbook pro for 5+ years and it still runs like the day I bought it.

 

[techyguy]

Well, whatever everybody decides, here's something to give you instant buyers remorse :
Nvidia’s mobile Maxwell GPU is a monster, beating all current AMD and NV graphics cards by a huge margin

 

[Shazzam]

Then enlighten us with informed advice?

It would take longer than I'm willing to commit to correct everything.

Agreed with tbond5. I don't see anyone here who claims to be a computer wizard. In fact, some of us seem sort of unsure about what to get... hence this thread. If you know better than we do, why not help?

I never stated anyone was a computer wizard. I just pointed out that a lot of the information here is incorrect.

Lemme guess--you're not a Mac person? Or maybe you are. I may not know tons about computer specs, but having used both Macs and Windows, I will never go back.

A unix based OS > Windows. That said, I do dislike the stereotypical ignorant Mac user.

I am all about longevity and reliability, and I have had an outstanding experience with my MacBook Pro.

A quick google search of failure rates will absolutely disprove this common myth. Various other manufacturers have a higher consistency than Apple.

 

[ktran17]

Please explain how a unix based system would be better for dental students? Especially in the context of lab and clinic?

While we're at it, are you talking about a non-certified unix based system like linux ?
Because as far as I'm aware, Apple's OS X is also unix based...

We are not arguing which OS is better overall, but for the typical dental student.

 

[Shazzam]

Please explain how a unix based system would be better for dental students? Especially in the context of lab and clinic?

While we're at it, are you talking about a non-certified unix based system like linux ?
Because as far as I'm aware, Apple's OS X is also unix based...

We are not arguing which OS is better overall, but for the typical dental student.

You've misunderstood my statement. I responded in a generality; a typical user (including students) wont know / care about the differences between operating systems beyond the GUI. In the case of DS, its a touch absurd to spend nearly 3k on a laptop when you can run everything and anything DS would require for sub 500 dollars. To put things into perspective, you could buy a tablet, a laptop, a desktop, and have money left over if you know when / where to look for 3k. Assuming your school doesn't force you to purchase a laptop, a tablet is a convenient alternative (not to mention MUCH cheaper). Imagine pulling out a laptop to reference a diagram during a cadaver lab. If they don't allow tablets, I would suggest inquiring about / looking into a convertable.