Mac vs PC in medical school

[ReggieD6868]

I love Macs, but I wish Apple would make laptops with larger screens as they did in previous versions of their laptops.

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[Amba]

Except you can't import PDFs, powerpoints, or Word documents. I was a huge fan of OneNote in undergrad but am really disappointed with the Mac release. Why Microsoft hasn't addressed those features - or didn't included them in the first place - is beyond me.

Because it's Microsoft...

It's worth noting that Microsoft updated OneNote for Mac today, and you can now insert and annotate PDF printouts

 

[deleted407021]

I love Macs, but I wish Apple would make laptops with larger screens as they did in previous versions of their laptops.

15 inches is enough for most people...

 

[mcrobbit]

It's worth noting that Microsoft updated OneNote for Mac today, and you can now insert and annotate PDF printouts

1,000 Thank You's to Microsoft for bringing this much needed update to OneNote for Mac. You can even directly add .PPTX and .DOCX files!

Now all they need to do is make OneNote for Mac searchable.

EDIT (My thoughts on PC vs. Mac): Macs to me just have really good build quality that I have not seen in PC laptops I've owned. In fact, I purchased my first Mac after getting tired of having to deal with Tech support to get my PC laptops repaired. Another big reason was the superior battery life, my MBP lasts for an entire day without charging no question. PC laptop battery life generally sucks, and I would have to charge once or twice a day.

 

[Ar2]

Hello all.

I'm in the market for a new laptop as well. I'm currently thinking either a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga Ultrabook or a MacBook Air. I honestly know very little if anything about computers :/. What are some of the things I need to look at when comparing the two, or is one of these the obvious better choice? I would greatly appreciate any helpful information that could be offered.

 

[el_duderino]

Thinkpad Yoga has a touchscreen and runs Windows. I actually just got one, and it's pretty rad. I think it's a little heavier than a Macbook Air and the battery life isn't quite as good.

 

[deleted407021]

Hello all.

I'm in the market for a new laptop as well. I'm currently thinking either a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga Ultrabook or a MacBook Air. I honestly know very little if anything about computers :/. What are some of the things I need to look at when comparing the two, or is one of these the obvious better choice? I would greatly appreciate any helpful information that could be offered.

After using a PC for years and a macbook pro for the last 3.5 years, I can only recommend a Mac. The OS is very efficient, clean and easy to use. Those 3rd party apps you may have needed to keep you PC running well are totally unnecessary on a Mac, as the software does a great job of managing and taking care of itself. The battery life on a Macbook Air, 13 in is marketed as being 12 hours, and you should get that on average for the first year or so, if you practice good battery etiquette.

I prefer the Macbook Pro line because they are very upgradable and I rather like the feel of a more substantial machine, however, my brother and some friends have Airs and they swear by them.

Another great feature of having a Mac is that there is a huge online support community on Apple's website which is a forum for troubleshooting and answering any questions you may have. It's like SDN for you mac, if you will.

Here's some links that might help you:
http://buyersguide.macrumors.com/#Mac
http://www.apple.com/mac/

The macbook air has recently been updated, so now would be a good time to purchase one.

 

[irnrnortal]

I'm a die-hard Windows fan, but if you're buying a new laptop and you're willing to pay the money for a Mac, you should buy a Mac. I say this strictly because it's EXTREMELY easy to run Windows (and even Linux) on a Mac (you can use VirtualBox to run the other OS virtually, or you can use BootCamp to physically install an actual operating system to dual- or multi-boot), but the reverse is not true: it's very difficult (almost impossible) to run Mac OS X on a Windows machine. For the sake of being able to run absolutely anything anybody may throw at you, you should get a Mac if you have the money for one (and then install Windows either virtually or in BootCamp so you have both OSs available).

 

[knv2u]

Apple replaced my laptop for free because my SD card slot stopped reading cards correctly. At first they tried to replace the whole motherboard, but apparently it didn't work, so they just replaced my 2009 with the newest edition 2013 macbook pro in the store.

You're lucky. My MacBook Pro (mid-2010) model has had its logic board fail three times in about three years, and they fixed only the logic board. I would rather have had a new computer, even with lower specs. I don't abuse the computer, so I think it might be something with that one specific model/configuration.

With regards to those of you mentioning replacing laptop components, keep in mind that this might no longer be feasible as Apple (and an increasing number of PC laptop manufacturers) are soldering the hard drive, video card, and RAM to the logic board. So now, when one component goes, the whole thing pretty much needs to be replaced. The exception would be the battery.

 

[styphon]

Some schools include a laptop - but it is not free, it will included in your costs.

Mac vs PC is a personal choice. I know of people who are die hard fans either way, and both will try to convince you whatever they use is the best.

 

[wwulf2k13]

I would recommend a Mac. I say this because the apple customer support is simply incredible.

After 3 years of use, an iMac I had died due to severe hardware issues. Since it was still under warranty, apple handed me a brand new current iMac with scaled specs.

 

[optimistic3]

I just got a Lenovo yoga 2 pro and I've been pretty happy with it. It's super light and thin and folds back 360 degrees into a tablet if I want (it's touchscreen). Only problem with it is that they only make it in 11 or 13 inches. I wanted 15 but it seems very difficult to find a 15 inch ultrabook. I'm not a fan of macs but I'm also not in med school yet so I'm not sure how it'll differ. I'm getting about 5-6 hrs of battery life on this one.

I do love the touchscreen aspect (although windows 8 is still a bit annoying). I'm sure Apple will eventually make touchscreens but I hate that they are always so behind on everything!

 

[Greasy Pete]

Well OP I used to have windows laptops, then I got a 15 inch retina Macbook pro and realized that non-macs are complete trash with a build quality akin to those little toys that dentists give out to kids getting their teeth cleaned.

mac has the ONLY laptop touchpad that actually works. You will realize this in short order if you get a mac. Also anything less than retina is an eyesore. not to mention the keyboards on windows laptops belong in history museums.

Literally 15 inch retina or bust. Its the only laptop worth owning and I mean that sincerily. However, it seems obvious that you should ask wherever you are enrolling what they recommend. because I would not want to show up with a macbook and find a PC is required to interface with some godawful program they require you to use.

 

[el_duderino]

Well OP I used to have windows laptops, then I got a 15 inch retina Macbook pro and realized that non-macs are complete trash with a build quality akin to those little toys that dentists give out to kids getting their teeth cleaned.

mac has the ONLY laptop touchpad that actually works. You will realize this in short order if you get a mac. Also anything less than retina is an eyesore. not to mention the keyboards on windows laptops belong in history museums.

Literally 15 inch retina or bust. Its the only laptop worth owning and I mean that sincerily. However, it seems obvious that you should ask wherever you are enrolling what they recommend. because I would not want to show up with a macbook and find a PC is required to interface with some godawful program they require you to use.

Wow.

 

[ReggieD6868]

15 inches is enough for most people...

And...

 

[ems2doc]

We use Macs and iPads.