Battle of the Laptops: MAC vs. PC

[JeetKuneDo]

How is the battery life on the lenovo t410?

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[SN2ed]

How is the battery life on the lenovo t410?

Depends on if you get integrated or discrete graphics. 6-cell discrete, you're looking at 3, with the 9-cell about 5. For integrated graphics, add about an hour to both.

 

[Mattchiavelli]

if you don't know why you would choose one over the other then just get a mac.... because the PC will overwhelm you. I've had a mac all med school with no problems except one thing with clinical tracking software that was only a problem b/c my PDA was a POS [and got released back into the wild after m3]

 

[mleick]

This exactly

If you don't know much about computers, get an apple, they will hold your hand for you. If you have the intermediates down such as how to protect against viruses, get a Windows PC. If you are advanced and know your way around the Max OSX terminal, well then you won't get much advice from here.

If you want a fast sports car but don't know jack about cars, you would get a Ferrari (and earn cool points with the ladies). People who live and breathe cars would get a Supra and beef it up to beat some Ferrari's. Apple would be the Ferrari.

For the price of a macbook pro ~2k I was able to get an hp tablet tm2t with 4 gigs of ram and an intel i5 plus, plus built my own new desktop with 8gigs of DDR3, new sandybridge i5 and an AMD 6950 with a killer aftermarket cooler, power supply and case that maxes out windows experience index in every category (also got a crucial 128 gig SSD for 200$). BOTH of these combined for well under $2000.

90% of my class has Macs and they work great if you don't know what you're doing...but if you do you can save some change and vastly increase performance.

I haven't run antivirus or spyware software in the last 5 years and never had any problems. Recently I started running microsoft security essentials as a precaution-- super lightweight and simple.

 

[JDH17]

Went Lenovo.

Lenovo Thinkpad T-series are not budget laptops, nor are they inferior in quality to Apple.

It's not like Apple is the only company using quality parts. Many Lenovo owners have had no problems with them.

With all that said, our goal here is to get a good medical education. I don't think that someone with a $700 HP laptop is at a severe disadvantage to a person with the sickest $2500 Apple laptop.

Will Apple make you AOA?
Will Apple help you honor surgery?
Will Apple help you match (**insert competitive specialty**)?

In the end, I just need a good laptop and I have a budget to fit. The Thinkpad is a solid machine at a solid price, fitting my criteria. I don't want to go buy bootcamp and windows xp and be running all kinds of extra stuff/different software (that isn't hastle free ownership IMO).

Also, every time I buy something Apple they come out with a "better" version 3 months later that is supposed to make my old one a piece of crap.

Good choice. I doubt you'll regret it. I certainly don't miss my mac.

 

[Suncrusher]

Why did you go T-series instead of X-series tablet?

 

[MCAT guy]

Why did you go T-series instead of X-series tablet?

Just preference.

Milkman had mentioned not to buy a tablet, then I thought about it and agreed. The tablet laptops have lower performance and cost more. So to have the tablet ability you give up a lot. I think it comes back to the dilemma, "should I have one thing that is average in many areas or more than one thing that specializes in each." The iPhone is a perfect example, when it came out it wasn't considered a good phone, but it was off the charts in everything else. The tech lover in me wants to get the flashy, does-it-all model but the practical side of me knows a simple and proficient laptop will be best.

In the end, I think medical school will be more streamlined by just using a standard laptop, and if I want to write anything or have a reader, the iPad or some small tablet can complement and work better along side a powerful standard laptop.

Me happy with normal lappy.

I also agree with the notion that Apple is best for those who don't know much. But if you are able to learn a few things, like how to download free software and occasionally use it, you will be fine (and saving $ or getting a much higher performing machine for equivalent $) with a PC.

 

[MCAT guy]

Depends on if you get integrated or discrete graphics. 6-cell discrete, you're looking at 3, with the 9-cell about 5. For integrated graphics, add about an hour to both.

This is from online, as you know they usually overstate but...

There's also WiFi a/g/n or b/g/n, NVIDIA NVS 4200M graphics with Optimus GPU switching, up to 320GB of HDD storage or up to 160GB of SSD storage. Battery life is up to 15hrs with the 9-cell pack on the T420, or up to 11hrs with the 9-cell on the T520; the T420s can last up to 10hrs with both the 6-cell regular battery and snap-on battery slice.

Alternatively, pair the T420 with the optional 9-cell battery slice and it will run for a ridiculous 30 hours.

 

[MCAT guy]

If you don't know much about computers, get an apple, they will hold your hand for you. If you have the intermediates down such as how to protect against viruses, get a Windows PC. If you are advanced and know your way around the Max OSX terminal, well then you won't get much advice from here.

If you want a fast sports car but don't know jack about cars, you would get an Audi (and earn cool points with the ladies). People who live and breathe cars would get a Lexus and beef it up to beat some Audi's. Apple would be the Audi.

Fixed. Audi can be a bit overpriced and Lexus has the performance for the price.

 

[JeetKuneDo]

Depends on if you get integrated or discrete graphics. 6-cell discrete, you're looking at 3, with the 9-cell about 5. For integrated graphics, add about an hour to both.

This is from online, as you know they usually overstate but...

In the battle of battery life, I take it lenovo's t420 is the winner compared to the macbook pro 13inch? I've always heard that the macbook has incredible battery life, but 30 hours from the lenovo is amazing.

 

[wolverinepwns]

In the battle of battery life, I take it lenovo's t420 is the winner compared to the macbook pro 13inch? I've always heard that the macbook has incredible battery life, but 30 hours from the lenovo is amazing.

it is but you have to have the extra housing that the laptop sits on for that sorta battery life. frankly as an apple fanboy I have to go with the Macbook Air, you should wait till June and get the one that will be released with Sandy Bridge and thunderbolt 🙂xf🙂.

 

[Shadowmoses]

Off-topic Question for tablet users. Does having a tablet make your medical school life easier/more convenient as opposed to a laptop?

I'm looking into getting a tablet and I'm just trying to determine how much of a value there is for me to get one considering I have a laptop already. 😀 The digital pen/ink feature of the tablet is very alluring to me.

 

[jeepy]

I'm very interested in purchasing a tablet as well....

some good points made above about tablets vs a regular laptop, but I think overall the way I take notes and study, a tablet will ultimately benefit me the most and streamline my notes. shadowmoses, there are a couple other threads about tablets that I learned a lot about and helped me decide to get one. The function of handwriting recognition, using OneNote and being able to tag stuff (searching for the tag "exam" when studying for an upcoming exam seems very helpful), and still being able to type out notes seems great.

I noticed the Lenovo ThinkPad X220t just came out today. It looks amazing! Only the i3 is out right now, i5 and i7 supposedly coming later this week. I made a build just with the i3 and even with the student discounts, it's already up to $1400. I'd prefer the i5 and possibly larger hard drive, which would drive the price up even more.

I've also been looking at the much cheaper HP tm2t and am waffling. I custom built it for about $800, but it seems a lot less sturdy than the sleeker all-business ThinkPad.

not sure what to do. waiting another week or so to see more customization of the X220t but is it worth double the price? I currently also already have a new laptop from last May, so it's going to be hard to justify spending a lot.

New shiny things are so exciting.

 

[Suncrusher]

I think medical school will be more streamlined by just using a standard laptop,

how do you figure? Honestly, I can't get over the idea of a tablet, because it seems like drawing on a ppt graphic or pdf in order to make the graphic itself more self-explanatory and complete with information will be much faster and more useful than having to type out an entire accompanying explanation somewhere next to the drawing.

and if I want to write anything or have a reader, the iPad or some small tablet can complement and work better along side a powerful standard laptop.

I don't understand how you plan to make that work logistically...unless you're planning to draw and take notes during class only on the iPad+bluetooth keyboard and then transfer the notes to your laptop afterward? Or if you just don't care that much about being able to draw on a slide during class? Everything else I can think of is so much less efficient than a tablet PC would be.

I'm really wrestling with this problem because I'm short on money to buy a new comp...and I really think a tablet (like HP or Lenovo, not iPad) will facilitate the most efficient notetaking, leaving me more time in lecture to actually, well, listen to the lecture. But my school will give me a free laptop as part of my tuition/fees that would be perfectly fine for my computing performance needs--except that it isn't a tablet.

If I go with a third option (use the free laptop provided by my school, and hook it up to a graphics pad during class), can any current users tell me whether I would be able to switch seamlessly between typing on a slide using the keyboard and drawing on the same slide using the graphics pad? Or would I have to switch modes or anything before doing that? I have no idea how graphics pads work, or what software accompanies them, or if that software meshes easily with OneNote...If I could type on a slide in OneNote, and then could immediately pick up the stylus and start drawing on that same slide in OneNote with no delay or pesky settings to change, then a mere graphics pad would be the answer to all my problems. Thanks in advance for any opinions and advice

 

[MCAT guy]

Sun,

The way I see it is 90% of my notes will be typed. Only when I need to draw a pathway or diagram would I use a tablet like the iPad and save it as a pdf online.

I can type notes along side ppt just as well as on a tablet. Also, most of my notes will be done via bullet points on word docs.

The tablet, although having more functions, doesn't offer me any tangible benefits that a tablet like an iPad can't fill. And since 95% of my activities won't require a tablet, I'd rather have a faster computer for the $.

 

[MCAT guy]

Typing is faster than writing also. My tablet experiences so far leaves me wanting. The performance and software can improve a lot in 5 years.

You can also always scan in any docs necessary.

 

[MilkmanAl]

Basically, I look at tablets as a very expensive way to draw on PowerPoint slides. That's an ability you'll very seldom use since most med school slides are hopelessly detailed to begin with, and any clarification can be more efficiently entered in the notes box below the slide by typing. UAMS prints out the slides for people who want to scribble notes, so I have to imagine other schools do it, too. In other words, the tablet feature is a gimmick.

 

[adaptation1]

tablets aren't worth it, because as milkman says, med school powerpoints are dense, word filled pieces of crap--or, they're completely filled with pictures, with no explanations. in either extremes, a tablet user would suffer, first out of necessity and second out of speed. you'll either not need the tablet because all you need is to simply underline stuff that the lecturer says, or you need to write so much that the tablet becomes cumbersome, where typing or writing normally becomes much more efficient.

 

[MCAT guy]

Using Lenovo as an example, a similarly spec'ed tablet was around $600 extra. Plus the battery only offered 6 cell, no 9 cell. Again, I would rather spend that extra $600 on tangible benefits, and 33% less life on the battery is an important thing to lose.

The two previous posters also made excellent points on this.

The tablets I have used make the file saving, altering, and file compatibility cumbersome and restrictive. I wouldn't want that to be my primary note taking method in school. I always think, "I thought this was supposed to be easier."

But to each his own. Get whatever you like that fits your budget.

 

[xanthomondo]

Basically, I look at tablets as a very expensive way to draw on PowerPoint slides. That's an ability you'll very seldom use since most med school slides are hopelessly detailed to begin with, and any clarification can be more efficiently entered in the notes box below the slide by typing. UAMS prints out the slides for people who want to scribble notes, so I have to imagine other schools do it, too. In other words, the tablet feature is a gimmick.

I disagree. With the tablet you can really organize yourself and have everything available at your fingertips at all times. You can do much more with your notes on the computer (highlight, different color pens, etc) and you can erase until it's perfect.

On the right you can see every single lecture set that we had in the class. At all times I had every lecture note given to us/ever taken by me within seconds of opening. It was also amazing have a search feature. There were so many times when a few of us would be sitting in class and would be like "this drug/concept/whatever seems familiar" You can stick it in the search box (which even searches your own handwriting fairly well) and see that you got a lecture on it a year and a half ago in the first month of medical school. It was also nice always having my drug and micro charts with me at all times.

No need to lug giant stacks of paper around, either. My school provded the e-version of anything that it printed for the students in the syllabus, so that I could just "Print to OneNote" without any hassle. It's much easier to lug around your computer and not having to worry about which paper lectures you needed to have.

You could also upload your notebooks online (to back them up) which would allow you to pull them down to any computer to study if you didn't have your tablet.

 

[mleick]

Its amazing to me how few people use onenote and still type notes into every single powerpoint and amass giant folders of files that they have to review to study. Onenote seamlessly integrates multiple file types (powerpoints, pdf, etc) and allows you to type notes, insert screen clippings, or use a stylus in conjunction with a touchscreen AND makes single piece of text (including images) searchable for all your notes across all four years of medical school. The hp TM2T is ~800$ and a fully functional touchscreen + stylus. I've had it for a year with no problems, no virus and superior performance.

The added benefit of a touchscreen really shines in subjects like histology where there is no easy way to take notes using text in powerpoint.

Outside of a hospital where an ipad is required to run very specific proprietary software, I literally cannot see a single benefit to having an ipad. Its a vastly overpriced novelty with dated hardware. No one will use it as their sole computing source and it must be supplemented with a desktop or laptop and for the same price you can nearly buy a fully functional touchscreen that blows it out of the water.

 

[MCAT guy]

I think we may be over thinking this.

Somehow people got through medical school 10 years ago without tablets. They were also able to match their preferred specialties. Today, there are schools that have required laptops which aren't tablets, yet they achieve their goals.



Use whatever works.



The superior method is the one that works for you. Each system will have strengths and weaknesses. It just depends which methods you like most. Typing 60+ wpm is a lot easier to write down notes for me than any writing. It's just a laptop, a way to organize notes, and that's it. It will not be a driving difference in your success.

There are many roads to Rome.

Its amazing to me how few people use onenote and still type notes into every single powerpoint and amass giant folders of files that they have to review to study. Onenote seamlessly integrates multiple file types (powerpoints, pdf, etc) and allows you to type notes, insert screen clippings, or use a stylus in conjunction with a touchscreen AND makes single piece of text (including images) searchable for all your notes across all four years of medical school.

I wonder how many people who didn't use Onenote have scored a 230+ on step 1. I wonder how many have been AOA without Onenote. It's just a program.

 

[xanthomondo]

I think we may be over thinking this.

Somehow people got through medical school 10 years ago without tablets. They were also able to match their preferred specialties. Today, there are schools that have required laptops which aren't tablets, yet they achieve their goals.



Use whatever works.



The superior method is the one you like the most that works for you. Each system will have strengths and weaknesses. It just depends which ones you like most. Typing 60+ wpm is a lot easier to write down notes for me than any writing.

There are many roads to Rome.

That's why you get a hybrid! You get all of the pro's!

 

[mleick]

I wonder how many people who didn't use Onenote have scored a 230+ on step 1. I wonder how many have been AOA without Onenote. It's just a program.

Most doctors today never even used a laptop at all to get through medical school, does that mean there isn't currently a better way to go about things now? Yes one can bury their head in the sand and stick with an old method that works (i.e. many older docs refusing to switch to EMR) and achieve successful outcomes, but there are easier, more efficient, and superior methods.

 

[wudabum]

I'm very interested in purchasing a tablet as well....

I noticed the Lenovo ThinkPad X220t just came out today. It looks amazing! Only the i3 is out right now, i5 and i7 supposedly coming later this week. I made a build just with the i3 and even with the student discounts, it's already up to $1400. I'd prefer the i5 and possibly larger hard drive, which would drive the price up even more.

http://www.costcentral.com/proddetail/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X220_Tablet_4296/42962WU/11330708/

less than 1300 dollars for a lenovo tablet isnt too unreasonable if you still want to buy it, but its still gonna be significantly more than most non tablet laptops.

 

[richse]

I had this battle down to the Macbook vs Lenovo Thinkpad, but I don't know much about laptops.

If anyone has good laptop recommendations, please offer them.

I should add, I don't mind spending extra money BUT only when I get tangible benefits from the higher price.

I got this Lenovo ideapad (08772AU) at the beginning of 2nd year and I love it. It's fast, really really thin and has good battery life. http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/ideapad/u-series/u460

 

[MCAT guy]

Most doctors today never even used a laptop at all to get through medical school, does that mean there isn't currently a better way to go about things now? Yes one can bury their head in the sand and stick with an old method that works (i.e. many older docs refusing to switch to EMR) and achieve successful outcomes, but there are easier, more efficient, and superior methods.

Easier and more efficient? Arguable.

The goal is to learn medicine. Whether or not one has a tablet has little to do with success in medical school. I've yet to see advice given to incoming students leading off with:

-- Go buy a tablet
-- Use Onenote

More important: Studying high yield material, time management, being efficient in what you cover and how long you spend on it, diet/exercise, networking with higher ups in certain departments, social skills, repetition of the material, etc.

There are people today in the top 1% of their class without the tools you speak of.

Don't major in minor things. If you get really good at something that makes 1% of the difference in school, you don't get a brownie or a star.

But again, if a tablet works for you then that is great. To say it is "a superior way of learning" just shows your ignorance about learning. Learning isn't about having a tablet or Onenote. It's like new bike riders who ask Lance Armstrong what the best bike is, he always tells the newbies that it's not about the bike.

 

[mleick]

I said none of the things you ascribed to me. I was comparing onenote to taking notes in many pdfs or powerpoints. I think its pretty clear that using onenote (or another program to organize these individual files) is a superior method to organize one's notes. Its like comparing google as a search engine to askjeeves of 10 years ago. Both might eventually get you to where you want to go but there is clearly a more efficient solution--but I'm not claiming that you cant achieve the same final outcome with the alternative.

I said that I had a great experience with a tablet, but never said it was required. I specifically mentioned that most people (including the ones who do very well) do not use these tools.

And ******* jesus christ I never said that it was a "superior way of learning". I think it is immensely helpful and does help organize things, but I agree it does not account for a significant portion of how well one does in medical school.

 

[UofT9919]

I don't know about you guys but i used to type all my notes out, but realized that when I go to study I am less efficient than when i read printed out notes b/c I can fool around on the computer. But if i just leave the laptop at hope I don't have to worry about that. Also is it worth spending the extra money on a lenovo when they only may last 5yrs compared to a cheaper computer that lasts 3yrs? You can just buy a new one after three years? I'm trying to decide between a lenovo or some less expensive comps with the same specs.

 

[kedrin]

Just ordered an Mx11 this past weekend. Ive tried the tablet PC capabilities and I personally find it to be lacking with my style of learning. I went with the most powerful cost efficient sub 12 inch laptop I could find. I ended up with the alienware Mx11 with an i7 cpu, 8gb ram, 256 ssd, and 1 gb graphics card. I went above what is needed for med school but this device will be used constantly by me for at least the next two yrs. I upgraded to the ssd because all I do is pull open large sized ppts or pdfs constantly for reading and it saves on power consumption.

Anyways, pick a computer that best fits your learning style and computing ability... if you compare to a box of rocks get a mac, if you want more performance and use for your money get a PC. Tablets are cool in concept but poor in execution for people like me who have very poor hand writing and have little need for hand written notes. I barely take notes as it is.

 

[hrandani]

From my years in ITS I am left with the following wisdom:

1 Never buy a technology in search of a function. Sure it seems cool but if it was really that great then everybody would have one already. Yet whenever you see someone with an itouch they're playing angry birds, not getting the diagnosis from HAL 9000 or whatever.

2 If it's really that important, don't put it on a computer. Books and print outs > computer. Every time. When your $2000 tablet gets a virus or dies at 11pm the night before your physio final, where are you going to go? On that note, you can always sell your books back. Nobody wants a 3 year old tablet.

So yeah. Tablets have price, utility, battery life, ease of use, and efficiency all against them. Plus if something happens to it, you're screwed. Corrupt hard drive, platform change. So many things can go wrong.

Use your laptop for what you absolutely have to - q banks, wikipedia and goofing off. You'll get a lot more done if you get rid of the distractions. Don't justify incredibly expensive purchases of technology by saying they're going to make you a better student, because it never works out. I have a friend with an ipad and all he does is mess with it all day long highlighting ebooks and drawing goofy pictures. He also wonders why I'm always 10 chapters ahead.

 

[Geekchick921]

*Drool* I would play way too many games on that.

 

[armybound]

Don't get a tablet.

 

[jeepy]

Just ordered an Mx11 this past weekend. Ive tried the tablet PC capabilities and I personally find it to be lacking with my style of learning. I went with the most powerful cost efficient sub 12 inch laptop I could find. I ended up with the alienware Mx11 with an i7 cpu, 8gb ram, 256 ssd, and 1 gb graphics card. I went above what is needed for med school but this device will be used constantly by me for at least the next two yrs. I upgraded to the ssd because all I do is pull open large sized ppts or pdfs constantly for reading and it saves on power consumption.

congrats on the m11x! I purchased one last May and have had a very love/hate relationship with it. I've had a MILLION problems with mine:

my hard drive crashed after 2 weeks and they had to send a tech to come replace it. I lost a ton of photos, but luckily had my music backed up. they told me that I had to purchase my OWN external optical drive in order to reinstall windows 7, until I complained enough that they sent me one. jesus christ. a month later, the nvidia switchable videocard stopped working, and another tech had to come replace the entire motherboard. then just YESTERDAY, I've had non-stop crashing problems and have spent over an hour on the phone with dell and their conclusion was to factory reset the computer (which I may end up doing tonight).

WHEN the computer has been working, I've loved it. I have it hooked up to a big external monitor, keyboard & mouse and it's worked great in between all these issues. it has been a headache though, and I do somewhat regret purchasing it because of all these problems. I hope you have better luck!!

 

[Shadowmoses]

very interesting responses regarding the need for a tablet. It is certainly making me think about whether I should purchase one, and more importantly, how much more value can having a tablet add to my medical education rather than just using my current laptop instead. My current laptop is 14 inches and can get about 7 hours battery life when I put it on battery saver mode...and its pretty portable for a fully functional computer.

My first semester just ended and my note taking method was Cornell Note format on good old pen and paper. I just discovered Onenote and I think I'm in love with it simply because of the no paper hassle and easy organization. I'm going to use Onenote during my second semester to see how much more efficient it is...and get this onenote even has a Cornell Notes Template! On top of that there is a sort of method to create flashcards in onenote also. I can essentially turn almost every lecture into a flashcard format...and for any long lists of stuff that must be memorized I can just use flashcard exchange + mental case so I can look at digital flashcards on my ipod touch. 😍😍

 

[kedrin]

congrats on the m11x! I purchased one last May and have had a very love/hate relationship with it. I've had a MILLION problems with mine:

my hard drive crashed after 2 weeks and they had to send a tech to come replace it. I lost a ton of photos, but luckily had my music backed up. they told me that I had to purchase my OWN external optical drive in order to reinstall windows 7, until I complained enough that they sent me one. jesus christ. a month later, the nvidia switchable videocard stopped working, and another tech had to come replace the entire motherboard. then just YESTERDAY, I've had non-stop crashing problems and have spent over an hour on the phone with dell and their conclusion was to factory reset the computer (which I may end up doing tonight).

WHEN the computer has been working, I've loved it. I have it hooked up to a big external monitor, keyboard & mouse and it's worked great in between all these issues. it has been a headache though, and I do somewhat regret purchasing it because of all these problems. I hope you have better luck!!

Dammnnn yea i hope i dont encounter that many problems with mine. I got the one year accidental dmg warranty deal, so if it comes to it i will just pour a pot of coffee on it and hope the replacement works better lol. Did you have a ssd?

 

[shadowfox87]

Sun,

The way I see it is 90% of my notes will be typed. Only when I need to draw a pathway or diagram would I use a tablet like the iPad and save it as a pdf online.

I can type notes along side ppt just as well as on a tablet. Also, most of my notes will be done via bullet points on word docs.

The tablet, although having more functions, doesn't offer me any tangible benefits that a tablet like an iPad can't fill. And since 95% of my activities won't require a tablet, I'd rather have a faster computer for the $.

👍

 

[jeepy]

Dammnnn yea i hope i dont encounter that many problems with mine. I got the one year accidental dmg warranty deal, so if it comes to it i will just pour a pot of coffee on it and hope the replacement works better lol. Did you have a ssd?

haha that sounds like a good plan in case there are any issues. no I have the hard disk drive so hopefully if you have the SSD yours will be less likely to have issues. mine's the R1 version (bought it right before the 2nd release). I just saw today that the 3rd released m11x came out today! did you get that one?? they probably solved some issues with the computer since I bought mine.

 

[kedrin]

haha that sounds like a good plan in case there are any issues. no I have the hard disk drive so hopefully if you have the SSD yours will be less likely to have issues. mine's the R1 version (bought it right before the 2nd release). I just saw today that the 3rd released m11x came out today! did you get that one?? they probably solved some issues with the computer since I bought mine.

lol i just cancelled and re ordered.... thank you for saying this~!

 

[Suncrusher]

most med school slides are hopelessly detailed to begin with, and any clarification can be more efficiently entered by typing.

Okay...this is definitely the comment that helped me the most. I knew most text-filled med school slides would have enough detail to not need much annotating, but in undergrad, I encountered a ton of upper level bio slides that were just graphics. In all of those classes, I needed to take a ton of notes to make the undergrad-level graphics more self-explanatory and complete with testable information that the lecturer was adding, and I still think that a tablet would have been best for that (drawing on what's already there in order to make it more self-explanatory and complete is much easier than typing out a full explanation to accompany the graphic, or even trying to annotate the graphic in OneNote using only text). But if the graphics I'm going to be seeing are "hopelessly detailed," then you're definitely right--I won't need the tablet capability enough to make it worth the cost. Thanks 👍 I'm going to just use the laptop my school provides me with (annotating with text in OneNote), and get an external hard drive to back everything up on in case of crashes.

 

[MilkmanAl]

At all times I had every lecture note given to us/ever taken by me within seconds of opening. It was also amazing have a search feature. There were so many times when a few of us would be sitting in class and would be like "this drug/concept/whatever seems familiar" You can stick it in the search box (which even searches your own handwriting fairly well) and see that you got a lecture on it a year and a half ago in the first month of medical school. It was also nice always having my drug and micro charts with me at all times.

The notes you show don't look much different than an annotated copy of BRS Phys to me. It's nice to have all your lectures organized and easily accessible, but just flipping through a book (to the index, if necessary) has the same effect with maybe 5-10 more seconds of effort. Yeah, it's a little more convenient to just click on a lecture (assuming you know which lectures you had on which dates...), but again, that's just not worth it to me. I'd much rather flip through a couple pages - or scroll through them, if you have an electronic version - than pay a load for what amounts to the same organization.

I don't endorse the whole print+write on slides strategy since I think writing notes on anything in med school outside of huge concepts is a substantial waste of time, but some people seem to like it. I was just saying that you could do it for free if you really wanted to.

edit: In timely fashion, Lenovo just emailed me to check out their Great Outlet Deals! There are some pretty sweet machines in there with rather sexy discounts.

 

[jeepy]

lol i just cancelled and re ordered.... thank you for saying this~!

awesome! glad I was of help 😀

I also noticed I said the word "issues" like a majillion times in my previous post. go me. I swear I have a bigger vocabulary.

thanks for the lenovo costcentral link, wudabum! I'm still scoping out the possibilities....I don't think I'm giving up the tablet PC idea. However, I've half come to terms that even though it will be "mostly" for studying more efficiently, it will be for entertainment/fun purposes as well. And I'm okay with that I think 🙂

 

[Brent8927]

Just wanted to throw in my support for a tablet--I've used mine everyday for the past year and a half and wouldn't go back. I have a Macbook, so I bought an external tablet, the Wacom Intuos4, which is the perfect size to sit on top of my 13' Macbook so that it takes up no additional space and I can easily write with it on my lap.

It was kind of expensive ($200 for the small size, plus about $50 for a more realistic feeling stylus/pen), but I also bought the non-entry level tablet (which is closer to $80 I think, but I don't think they have an "eraser") because I'm a photographer and I also use the tablet for Photoshop. If my tablet failed I'd buy the exact same one in a heartbeat, without any hesitation.

Writing is definitely slower than typing. However, what I've found is (for me at least) there are lots and lots of times that I wanted to draw an arrow to something in a slide, or put a circle around it, underline it, etc. While you can do that on powerpoint, it takes a long time and is inconvenient. I draw arrows all the same (think of anatomy, metabolism pathways, pathology/histology slides, etc.) I also enjoy writing far more than typing. It feels more natural, and I really hated reading notes typed in Powerpoint. (In case others would say to just taking notes on paper, I got tired of spending so much time/money to print the slides, and like the fact that with a laptop I can have all my notes with me all the time. It was hard to accept that after taking notes on paper my whole life, but I can't deny how indispensable a computer is in med school)

A tablet just made more sense for me. In my class of about 150 students, there are probably about 2-3 with tablet PCs and another 10-15 that have external tablets like me (not all of them use them all the time--it depends on the lecture content. Regardless of content, I use mine all the time). PC users use OneNote, and Mac users seem to mostly use Powerpoint to write directly on the slides. I use Curio which preserves pressure-sensitive writing and also allows me to write on the powerpoint slide or off to the side of it, so that things stay more organized. I believe OneNote is really similar to Curio, but I haven't really used it. But OneNote and Curio are certainly far better than annotating directly onto the slide image using Powerpoint.

Regarding the thread, I'd vote for a Mac 🙂 But I hear great things about Lenovo--I believe Lenovo and Toshiba are the most reliable brands, followed by Apple, so obviously you can't go wrong with Lenovo!

 

[MCAT guy]

Just wanted to throw in my support for a tablet--I've used mine everyday for the past year and a half and wouldn't go back. I have a Macbook, so I bought an external tablet, the Wacom Intuos4, which is the perfect size to sit on top of my 13' Macbook so that it takes up no additional space and I can easily write with it on my lap.

It was kind of expensive ($200 for the small size, plus about $50 for a more realistic feeling stylus/pen), but I also bought the non-entry level tablet (which is closer to $80 I think, but I don't think they have an "eraser") because I'm a photographer and I also use the tablet for Photoshop. If my tablet failed I'd buy the exact same one in a heartbeat, without any hesitation.

Writing is definitely slower than typing. However, what I've found is (for me at least) there are lots and lots of times that I wanted to draw an arrow to something in a slide, or put a circle around it, underline it, etc. While you can do that on powerpoint, it takes a long time and is inconvenient. I draw arrows all the same (think of anatomy, metabolism pathways, pathology/histology slides, etc.) I also enjoy writing far more than typing. It feels more natural, and I really hated reading notes typed in Powerpoint. (In case others would say to just taking notes on paper, I got tired of spending so much time/money to print the slides, and like the fact that with a laptop I can have all my notes with me all the time. It was hard to accept that after taking notes on paper my whole life, but I can't deny how indispensable a computer is in med school)

A tablet just made more sense for me. In my class of about 150 students, there are probably about 2-3 with tablet PCs and another 10-15 that have external tablets like me (not all of them use them all the time--it depends on the lecture content. Regardless of content, I use mine all the time). PC users use OneNote, and Mac users seem to mostly use Powerpoint to write directly on the slides. I use Curio which preserves pressure-sensitive writing and also allows me to write on the powerpoint slide or off to the side of it, so that things stay more organized. I believe OneNote is really similar to Curio, but I haven't really used it. But OneNote and Curio are certainly far better than annotating directly onto the slide image using Powerpoint.

Regarding the thread, I'd vote for a Mac 🙂 But I hear great things about Lenovo--I believe Lenovo and Toshiba are the most reliable brands, followed by Apple, so obviously you can't go wrong with Lenovo!

FYI, some of those who were arguing against a tablet weren't talking about buying a few hundred dollar tablet sidekick. They were talking about a $1500-$2000 tablet/laptop single device.

I think having a little tablet sidekick is a good idea, especially at $200.

Anyway, I think this thread has been useful to the extent that it will allow future buyers to see the differences between Mac vs PC laptops while highlighting the pros and cons of the laptop/tablet. Thanks to everyone who added to the tech knowledge.

 

[BlackHouse]

People are paying for a name when they buy Macs.

 

[SoundofSilver]

I can get a windows pc with a much more powerful cpu, better gpu, more RAM, more HD space, and a 1080p full HD screen for about half the price of a mac with much weaker specs.

To someone who mentioned that macs are more expensive because they have a higher build quality, this simply isn't true. Speaking from personal experience, I've had an hp laptop for over five years and have never had any hardware issues and the thing still runs like a champ. In fact, Apple reaps disgustingly huge profit margins on their machines compared to other companies. That 600 dollar Ipad costs less than 300 dollars to build.

Macs are perhaps hipper and more trendy (only due to superior advertising/marketing), and if thats worth paying an extra 1000 dollars for a less powerful machine that can't run half the software that a windows pc can, then Apple must be doing something right.

 

[xanthomondo]

My favorite part about Apple/Mac is the "Genius" bar. I spent (about 20 minutes) this past weekend figuring out how to do something with a Mac that the "Genius" bar claimed impossible.

They pulled my friend's old harddrive contents off onto an external drive into a dmg file, but then were unable to open/do anything with it and load anything onto his new hard drive. They told him he was SOL and he lost everything.

It took 20 miles to find a dmg explorer program (for Windows!) and pull out the necessary files.

 

[biobossx99]

I got this Lenovo ideapad (08772AU) at the beginning of 2nd year and I love it. It's fast, really really thin and has good battery life. http://shop.lenovo.com/us/notebooks/ideapad/u-series/u460

I got the new E350 Fusion X120E from Lenovo. 400$ with the bigger battery. Runs really fast, battery lasts around 6 hours. 12 inch laptop with around a 11 inch screen. I used to have a lenovo s12. If you want something you can lug around and don't want to shell out the money for the macbook air, this is a great laptop for the price. I like using the red dot instead of the touchpad, but it has both.

 

[Geekchick921]

I really, really like what I read about the Lenovos, and my school seems to have deals on the Lenovo website. I just don't know how much I want to buy a new laptop for school when my 2 year old, $500 HP is still working pretty well (aside from a broken key and laggy video streaming). I'm kind of over the tablet laptop idea but I'm still thinking of getting a tablet peripheral (probably a Genius over a Wacom, they're generally cheaper and still very nice) since I like to handwrite my notes and that way I can handwrite right on the power points in the computer, right?

I know I could print them but 1, I never remember to actually print the damn things, 2, I'm worried I'll lose them (or my toddler will get her hands on them) and 3, I just don't want to lug all that paper around.

 

[FIREitUP]

I really, really like what I read about the Lenovos, and my school seems to have deals on the Lenovo website. I just don't know how much I want to buy a new laptop for school when my 2 year old, $500 HP is still working pretty well (aside from a broken key and laggy video streaming). I'm kind of over the tablet laptop idea but I'm still thinking of getting a tablet peripheral (probably a Genius over a Wacom, they're generally cheaper and still very nice) since I like to handwrite my notes and that way I can handwrite right on the power points in the computer, right?

I know I could print them but 1, I never remember to actually print the damn things, 2, I'm worried I'll lose them (or my toddler will get her hands on them) and 3, I just don't want to lug all that paper around.

That seems like a really good idea. I was gonna get the x220t but it was too much $$, and ended up getting the x220 and love it. I'm a really fast typer so the external tablet can serve as an adjunct, and I can actually type and write without having to open and close the PC. Let me know how it works for you geekchick!