best laptop for pharmacy school

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dima123

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What is the best laptop for pharmacy school?

I was thinking about getting a thinkpad x201 for battery life or maybe hp envy 14.. What are you people using ??
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dima123 said:
What is the best laptop for pharmacy school?

I was thinking about getting a thinkpad x201 for battery life or maybe hp envy 14.. What are you people using ??
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HP just came out with it's newest convertible tablet - TM2 (older version) with the upgraded Core I5 processor. Unlike most tablets, it has discrete graphics to handle multimedia + it has both pen and touch input.

In pharmacy school, I made the switch to strictly digital notes. The pen allows you to ink (via Office 2007 +) on Power point lectures and in Word itself. It was awesome for Med chem / organic structures. For studying, I would scribble notes in the margins and highlight (like I did with my paper notes). The only difference is that I have all of my school notes with me now - and I can search for a topic whenever I choose.

It really is a functionality needed while in school. Later on, the need for a tablet is less so.
 
dima123 said:
What is the best laptop for pharmacy school?

I was thinking about getting a thinkpad x201 for battery life or maybe hp envy 14.. What are you people using ??
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My interns tell me that every class they have taken has a policy of no electronics including laptops. In their case, I would tell them to invest in a good desktop.
 
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I'm not really a fan of tablets, so I don't think I'd get one. But several people in my class have them and seem to enjoy them. The x201 seems like a pretty bad choice as far as battery goes.

I'm gonna go ahead and say it, and bring down the ensuing storm, but I'd get a 13-inch MacBook Pro.

Edit: Apparently some people on the internet can't review laptop batteries, because I was seeing 4-ish hours for the X201. Turns out it's closer to 10. That's much better. Still kind of pricy though.
 
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DrPepsi said:
My interns tell me that every class they have taken has a policy of no electronics including laptops. In their case, I would tell them to invest in a good desktop.
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Old school isn't bad... But nothing we do as pharmacist is done without a computer. Whatever school that is needs to pickup and move out of the 80s.
 
Either Macbook or Macbook Pro would be great for Pharm school with the Office package. Everyone in our lab has them and we love them. My battery life is about 6 hrs and does everything that I need it to do.
 
aboveliquidice said:
Old school isn't bad... But nothing we do as pharmacist is done without a computer. Whatever school that is needs to pickup and move out of the 80s.
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Oh, I thought the OP was implying that this was a computer they were going to bring to class and not use outside of class for work.

If that's the case then why go with a laptop? I say desktop all the way.

edit: Is the school that usually supplies me with interns stuck in the 80's? I'll keep the schools name private but the interns tell me that computers aren't allowed in lecture.
 
i made it through my first 3 yrs of pharm school with my good ol' dell desktop.

then i just fell into peer pressure/hype and bought a macbook pro for my 4th yr... but not cuz i needed it, just cuz i wanted to be cool!
 
I have an HP tablet also (tz2 model i think.) It is great for school. I love the MS OneNote software. You can upload .ppt lectures and then handwrite or type notes directly over/onto the slides...pretty sweet. With all that being said, I would not prefer this over something like a macbook, for long term use. I plan to use the tablet PC to get me through school and then upgrade when I start making some money.
 
joe melby said:
I have an HP tablet also (tz2 model i think.) It is great for school. I love the MS OneNote software. You can upload .ppt lectures and then handwrite or type notes directly over/onto the slides...pretty sweet. With all that being said, I would not prefer this over something like a macbook, for long term use. I plan to use the tablet PC to get me through school and then upgrade when I start making some money.
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I have the HP tx2 tablet. I would say an iPad once those have full functionality (office software, multiple apps, etc.) but they don't yet so it's not worth it now. The tablet has been incredible for me. It's pretty much the only item I take to class with me. The battery life isn't great, but I just plug it in anyway.

And if your school doesn't allow laptops in lecture, I would think it is very much stuck in the 80s or perhaps the early 90s. Not that a preceptor could do much to change that, but it surprises me that you couldn't use a laptop during a lecture.
 
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The mobile version of my laptop.
 
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aboveliquidice said:
gaming + laptop = Fail

No matter how you shape / package the argument. You will always pay too much for a bloated less-than-mobile laptop.

If the above laptop manages to be "portable", its price will be inflated to match.
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I have the M17, it weighs 20 pounds with the power brick and the laptop bag. And I knew the price was going to be insane on it, but I really couldn't get over not having gaming capabilities when I'm away from home.
 
My school requires us to purchase a laptop from them that they do all the upgrades and tech work if needed on site. all the info is on the laptop so its all electronic here.
 
Ugh, that alienware is fugly, not to mention an 11" screen. If you want a good laptop try shopping around for Acer timelinex series or the Asus ultra light series...Toshiba's are pretty good too. I personally gave up on dell and hp although macbooks are always an option too.
 
I'm still using my 5-year old Dell laptop and never had any trouble with it.
 
I have a Sony Vaio and love it. It's always worked well, pretty resistant to carrying around, and has held up well overall. No problems with the OS or anything. I would recommend it.
 
And if your looking a good laptop, my MSI has been amazing.
 
You need to get a mac and don't bother with anything else.
 
Don't limit yourself by getting a Mac; save yourself the headache. You want something practical and functional...like a lenovo or even a dell. If you want something more flashy, then I would suggest a sony vaio.

One of my friends got a Mac, and some of the orgo programs that we used couldn't run on it. He had to install windows and then dual boot it, and it created a bunch of instability issues.
 
Quiksilver said:
You need to get a mac and don't bother with anything else.
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He said he wants a computer for school, not a fashion accessory that will make him look like a hipster that enjoys overpaying for technology.

...

Oh, and the answer is the HP Pavillion DM4.
 
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Every student in our campus/distance programs gets issued one of these. Microsoft One Note is a must for any student these days.

Fujitsu LifeBook T4215 Tablet (Core 2 Duo 2GHz, 1GB RAM, 100GB HDD)


fujitsu_lifebook_t4010_tablet_pc_1.jpg
 
CUpharmD2013 said:
Microsoft One Note is a must for any student these days.
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Could you explain that to me? I've tried to use it and I just have no use for it. It's an annoying version of Microsoft Word in my opinion.
 
For those of you with tablet laptops, I was considering getting a tablet netbook. Do you find it pretty smooth when writing with the tablet pen? How do you guys deal with switching back and forth between typing and writing on a power point slide? It seems like you'd have to flip the screen back and forth a lot.
 
I've had my MacBook Air since I started pharm school...i use Skim for taking notes (somewhat comparable to OneNote for Windows, if you set it up that way to take notes).
 
DrPepsi said:
Could you explain that to me? I've tried to use it and I just have no use for it. It's an annoying version of Microsoft Word in my opinion.
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For the PDFs! Especially if you have a tablet, then you can write directly on them. I bought some software called PDF Annotator that lets you draw with your tablet pen right on the PDF file.
 
I've been considering getting a tablet Notebook as well. So I am very interested in what others have to say.

I've been scouting out notebooks at the comp stores to do the whole "try before you buy". There aren't any tablets they come through the store - and the people I have been talking had mixed thoughts. Issues with the screen breaking. One guy said the drawing ability was fine - better than how you sign your name for credit card purchases - but just it's not a common type of laptop to get.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
He said he wants a computer for school, not a fashion accessory that will make him look like a hipster that enjoys overpaying for technology.

...

Oh, and the answer is the HP Pavillion DM4.
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all the windows based computers I have come across were junk. Everyone I know despises their computers and will be purchasing macs. You pay for it but at least it lasts more then 3 years.

oh, and I do look like a hipster.
 
Quiksilver said:
all the windows based computers I have come across were junk.
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That's why you get an Eee with Linux like I did. None of the useless Windows crap taking up space, you customize it however you want, the software's free and you don't have to worry about viruses, no matter how lazy you are.

But if you want to play Starcraft 2 during class, go with the Alienware. :laugh:

Thank god I have my next rotation off...:soexcited:
 
Quiksilver said:
all the windows based computers I have come across were junk.
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Come visit me, I'll show you some that aren't. I haven't had Windows fail on me since Windows 98. Ever. I should write a book. Apparently, I have some sort of magic touch that eludes others.

oh, and I do look like a hipster.
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Well, that explains everything. Carry on.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
Come visit me, I'll show you some that aren't. I haven't had Windows fail on me since Windows 98. Ever. I should write a book. Apparently, I have some sort of magic touch that eludes others.


Well, that explains everything. Carry on.
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either that or you don't use your computer for anything except SDN. :)
 
Quiksilver said:
either that or you don't use your computer for anything except SDN. :)
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I edit HD video as a hobby. I mostly rip college football and basketball games at insanely high quality. Try editing 4 hours of raw mpeg2 1080i video at like 17000kbps and then compressing it to 5000kbps h.264 HDAVC video and see how great your Mac is. Hence, I've got a top of the line i7 quad core. Upgraded recently from an older q6600 quad core I bought a few years ago. Going to completely upgrade all the guts over when the six-core gets cheaper and/or this job prospect I got works out. I guess my computer doesn't "last" 5 years...mostly because I actually enjoy the upgrades. I'd love to see someone try to do what I do with a 2 year old Mac, let alone this mythical 5 year old Mac that can "do everything" like the Mac cultists swear they own.

I mean, the old eMachines I used to own back in 2006 does still works fine. It's just useless to me for my applications. I gave it to my sister and she uses it to surf the internet. The only thing she calls me about is whenever she can't figure out how to plug the keyboard back in or whatever.

Mac people make **** up. I swear to God they do. That or I am the greatest computer user in the history of the planet. Somehow able to avoid all of these alleged problems with Windows.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I edit HD video as a hobby. I mostly rip college football and basketball games at insanely high quality. Try editing 4 hours of raw mpeg2 1080i video at like 17000kbps and then compressing it to 5000kbps h.264 HDAVC video and see how great your Mac is. Hence, I've got a top of the line i7 quad core. Upgraded recently from an older q6600 quad core I bought a few years ago. Going to completely upgrade all the guts over when the six-core gets cheaper and/or this job prospect I got works out. I guess my computer doesn't "last" 5 years...mostly because I actually enjoy the upgrades. I'd love to see someone try to do what I do with a 2 year old Mac, let alone this mythical 5 year old Mac that can "do everything" like the Mac cultists swear they own.

I mean, the old eMachines I used to own back in 2006 does still works fine. It's just useless to me for my applications. I gave it to my sister and she uses it to surf the internet. The only thing she calls me about is whenever she can't figure out how to plug the keyboard back in or whatever.

Mac people make **** up. I swear to God they do. That or I am the greatest computer user in the history of the planet. Somehow able to avoid all of these alleged problems with Windows.
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There are plenty of Macs that will do that just fine. My former boss' Mac Pro would do a wonderful job, but it's only a year old. And probably cost a whole-lot more than you paid. Honestly, I love my MacBook Pro. But if my primary concern in buying a computer were sheer power, I'd likely not buy a Mac, because I can build a desktop for way less money. But if I had money to burn, I might consider it, because I rather like OS X and the layout of the Mac Pros.

Also, I also have no idea how people trash their Windows installations so badly. Honestly, what the eff are they doing? I've never had any problems. Not even with Windows ME (shudder).
 
dima123 said:
What is the best laptop for pharmacy school?

I was thinking about getting a thinkpad x201 for battery life or maybe hp envy 14.. What are you people using ??
Click to expand...

I'm using an HP tx2500 which I think is the predecessor to the tx2z. It works like a charm but sometimes it does tend to get a little hot. I find it useful when I am tutoring a small study group and drawing in pictures that the professors have drawn on the screen.

:laugh:
 
Quiksilver said:
either that or you don't use your computer for anything except SDN. :)
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this is the misguided thinking of the average mac-user. those who think this way tend to not be very knowledgeable about computers:

"macs never get viruses and they never crash because steve jobs is god reincarnated. windows is crappy and your computer will blow up if you use it and will fall apart and kill your baby."

macs are nicely built computers but with sub-par specs and an OS that is more limited in the programs and games it can run than windows, though that is slowly changing. i mean you can run bootcamp, but that's extra money to buy Windows and a hassle to boot/reboot. if your needs are simple, you don't care about specs (because they suck on macs unless you are willing to shell out 324342342 dollars), want a pretty, well built computer with good battery life and have a lot of money to throw around, then a macbook laptop is a good computer for you.

however if you want a laptop primarily for gaming, or running more intensive programs, and care about specs and price, get any of the windows running pcs out there.

windows 7 is a good OS from what i've heard, and if you aren't stupid, you won't get viruses.
 
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desklamp said:
this is the misguided thinking of the average mac-user. those who think this way tend to not be very knowledgeable about computers:

"macs never get viruses and they never crash because steve jobs is god reincarnated. windows is crappy and your computer will blow up if you use it and will fall apart and kill your baby."

macs are nicely built computers but with sub-par specs and an OS that is more limited in the programs and games it can run than windows, though that is slowly changing. i mean you can run bootcamp, but that's extra money to buy Windows and a hassle to boot/reboot. if your needs are simple, you don't care about specs (because they suck on macs unless you are willing to shell out 324342342 dollars), want a pretty, well built computer with good battery life and have a lot of money to throw around, then a macbook laptop is a good computer for you.

however if you want a laptop primarily for gaming, or running more intensive programs, and care about specs and price, get any of the windows running pcs out there.

windows 7 is a good OS from what i've heard, and if you aren't stupid, you won't get viruses.
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Dollar-for-dollar, Macs are underpowered compared to their Windows-based counterparts. But you make them sounds like they're positively anemic and incapable of doing anything, which is not at all the case. Admittedly, they're not the best for gaming, even if you do put Windows on them, but I'm firmly of the opinion that games do not belong on a laptop of any kind. That said, even the Mac desktops pack underpowered 3D accelerators, which is quite sad. However, for non-gaming applications, my MacBook Pro suits me just fine. It's plenty fast for what I do and serves every purpose that a laptop should serve. I've yet to come across anything that I've wanted to do that it can't do. Of course, unlike Mikey, I don't edit HD video in my spare time.

People are stuck in this idea that the only thing that matters about a computer is the raw processing power, but there's much more to it than that. I've owned and used countless Windows laptops and built dozens of gaming desktops myself, and I still love my MacBook Pro. It does what I need it to; it does it quickly; and it does it well. And I wouldn't say that my needs are THAT simple.
 
Quiksilver said:
all the windows based computers I have come across were junk. Everyone I know despises their computers and will be purchasing macs. You pay for it but at least it lasts more then 3 years.
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Why do all the Apple fanboys talk like this? Stop being so angry...it's all kool dude. It's just a computer...99% of the people don't care for shiny logos...they just need to get their work done...
I don't see why anyone would limit themselves by getting a Mac for school...that's just doing an injustice to yourself...not all the programs will work (if u end up doing research-based work in school), no tech support from your institution, and limited upgrades.

Once you're out of school and you need a shiny laptop to show every at starbucks how successful you are and that you can blow away money on a Mac, then it's fine.
 
Quiksilver said:
all the windows based computers I have come across were junk. Everyone I know despises their computers and will be purchasing macs. You pay for it but at least it lasts more then 3 years.

oh, and I do look like a hipster.
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Stick to things you know about. My first Acer Power laptop Circa 1999 just retired. I still have my 2002 Celeron M notebook. My prsent laptop is a 5 year old Acer Travelmate 4000 series. Still going fine and survived a 3 foot drop from my workbench to the floor.

A friend's kid has macbook. The hard drive died. With simple windows based PC I could back up the data, install the new drive, install the OS and restore the data in 2 hours. The cost would be less than $100.00. The MAC (*****s Always get Crap) got replaced at the apple store for $350.00. There are 32 screws to take out just to expose the drive bay. What an over engineered POS. While this is about the Iphone, it applies to all MAC fanboys as well

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]


Warning: Adult Content. Strong Language​
 
Old Timer said:
Stick to things you know about. My first Acer Power laptop Circa 1999 just retired. I still have my 2002 Celeron M notebook. My prsent laptop is a 5 year old Acer Travelmate 4000 series. Still going fine and survived a 3 foot drop from my workbench to the floor.

A friend's kid has macbook. The hard drive died. With simple windows based PC I could back up the data, install the new drive, install the OS and restore the data in 2 hours. The cost would be less than $100.00. The MAC (*****s Always get Crap) got replaced at the apple store for $350.00. There are 32 screws to take out just to expose the drive bay. What an over engineered POS. While this is about the Iphone, it applies to all MAC fanboys as well
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No...please.. don't hold back. How do you really feel?

:smuggrin:
 
Old Timer said:
Stick to things you know about. My first Acer Power laptop Circa 1999 just retired. I still have my 2002 Celeron M notebook. My prsent laptop is a 5 year old Acer Travelmate 4000 series. Still going fine and survived a 3 foot drop from my workbench to the floor.

A friend's kid has macbook. The hard drive died. With simple windows based PC I could back up the data, install the new drive, install the OS and restore the data in 2 hours. The cost would be less than $100.00. The MAC (*****s Always get Crap) got replaced at the apple store for $350.00. There are 32 screws to take out just to expose the drive bay. What an over engineered POS. While this is about the Iphone, it applies to all MAC fanboys as well

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FL7yD-0pqZg&feature=related[/YOUTUBE]


Warning: Adult Content. Strong Language​
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I think the ***** in this case is the person that took his computer somewhere and paid someone to repair it for him. It would cost a lot more than $100 to pay someone to fix a Windows-based PC, too. In fact, the new hard-drive I bought to put in my MacBook Pro just died on me about an hour ago (ironic), and I'm back in business using a spare hard drive with no data loss at this very moment. Just because the person in your story paid someone an exorbitant rate to fix the product, that doesn't mean there's something inherently wrong with the product.
 
Marcus X said:
Dollar-for-dollar, Macs are underpowered compared to their Windows-based counterparts. But you make them sounds like they're positively anemic and incapable of doing anything, which is not at all the case. Admittedly, they're not the best for gaming, even if you do put Windows on them, but I'm firmly of the opinion that games do not belong on a laptop of any kind. That said, even the Mac desktops pack underpowered 3D accelerators, which is quite sad. However, for non-gaming applications, my MacBook Pro suits me just fine. It's plenty fast for what I do and serves every purpose that a laptop should serve. I've yet to come across anything that I've wanted to do that it can't do. Of course, unlike Mikey, I don't edit HD video in my spare time.

People are stuck in this idea that the only thing that matters about a computer is the raw processing power, but there's much more to it than that. I've owned and used countless Windows laptops and built dozens of gaming desktops myself, and I still love my MacBook Pro. It does what I need it to; it does it quickly; and it does it well. And I wouldn't say that my needs are THAT simple.
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well of course they're still operable computers, they're just much more expensive for the same innards (which is why i specified that you can still get the same power in a macbook if you shell out 2000$ or more). for many people who don't use GPU intensive or CPU intensive programs, a macbook pro 13" with dual core and the 320M is more than enough for their needs (and light gaming, too), and though you can get a laptop with better specs for 1000$, you are essentially paying extra for the brand name, customer service, and the extremely nice looking, well built design (the screen is nice too! though the resolutions are lacking). it's definitely a great computer, though i personally don't understand the bashing of windows based pcs and vice versa. i can totally understand the apple fanboy bashing though :p. when i saw the huge line of people camping outside at 7 am or something for the iphone 4g i died a little inside.

tbh, if not for the mac OS (which i hate) and the fact that I quite enjoy gaming, i'd probably shell out for a macbook pro 13" since it's on sale now for 999$.
 
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desklamp said:
well of course they're still operable computers, they're just much more expensive for the same innards (which is why i specified that you can still get the same power in a macbook if you shell out 2000$ or more). for many people who don't use GPU intensive or CPU intensive programs, a macbook pro 13" with dual core and the 320M is more than enough for their needs (and light gaming, too), and though you can get a laptop with better specs for 1000$, you are essentially paying extra for the brand name, customer service, and the extremely nice looking, well built design (the screen is nice too! though the resolutions are lacking). it's definitely a great computer, though i personally don't understand the bashing of windows based pcs and vice versa. i can totally understand the mac fanboy bashing though :p.

tbh, if not for the mac OS (which i hate) and the fact that I quite enjoy gaming, i'd probably shell out for a macbook pro 13" since it's on sale now for 999$.
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You can definitely get a more powerful Windows-based laptop for $1,000, but the 13" MacBook Pro does everything the vast majority of students need it to, short of gaming. I also think that you're getting more than just the design, the brand, and the customer service (which I've never used) for that $1,000. By having a stranglehold on the specifications of their hardware, it's much easier for Apple to ensure that everything plays nice more often than not, same reason console games get much better graphics than their hardware would suggest. This way the hardware is much more well-integrated with the software. No issues with the hardware maker's special software interfacing with the OS, as I've so often had on Windows laptops.

As for OS X, it really isn't that bad. When I first started using it, I described it as doing everything left handed, which is a lot like how it feels. You know more-or-less what you're supposed to do, but it doesn't quite feel right. After using it for a while it becomes just like any other OS. I won't go so far as to say that it's BETTER than Windows, because that's really a subjective thing, despite what some people would lead you to believe, but it is a really nice OS that has some really slick features. And the trackpad is effing sublime.

So, if you're interested in a by-the-numbers pissing contest, by all means, get a Windows-based PC. For my needs, I find that the few extra bucks gets me a few niceties and a computer that is more than competent for what I need, a productive work platform that lets me get what I need to do done.

EDIT: I firmly believe that if you're gaming on a laptop, you're just plain doing it wrong. That's why I build my own desktops for that.
 
desklamp said:
i can totally understand the apple fanboy bashing though :p. when i saw the huge line of people camping outside at 7 am or something for the iphone 4g i died a little inside.
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Fun side effect, since I've gotten my MacBook Pro, everyone assumes I know nothing about computers. It's both annoying and awesome. Annoying in that no one listens to me. Awesome in that no one ever asks me for help; it's always, "Oh, nevermind, you have a Mac."

And I rather like my iPhone 4, but I sure as hell didn't stand in any line for it. I walked into a Best Buy a week later and got one. It's just a phone.
 
Marcus X said:
Fun side effect, since I've gotten my MacBook Pro, everyone assumes I know nothing about computers. It's both annoying and awesome. Annoying in that no one listens to me. Awesome in that no one ever asks me for help; it's always, "Oh, nevermind, you have a Mac."
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I'd think the same thing.
 
WVUPharm2007 said:
I just hate Apple the company. They are dirty, underhanded...and manipulate people. It's like the computer version of Scientology.
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Whew. Good thing no other company does that.
 
Marcus X said:
Whew. Good thing no other company does that.
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I'm pretty sure Apple takes the crown...when you, as a company, blame your own customers for a defective product, it's a new low.
 
EMSOP10 said:
I'm pretty sure Apple takes the crown...when you, as a company, blame your own customers for a defective product, it's a new low.
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Admittedly, telling people to just "deal with it", as they've more or less done is pretty low. They should just give out free bumpers to everyone, or offer a $35 refund/rebate, to at least try to make things nice. But, in all honestly, the antenna issue is WAY overblown. Like... hugely.
 
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