I'm going to humble myself in this thread and beg for help while I show my ignorance about new tech. Please bare with me and help if you can because it has been giving me an irrational amount of stress.
Right now I plan on getting a tablet and a new laptop for dental school because it's easiest for me to handwrite on slides (and don't want to have to lug around a giant notebook like I did all through undergrad) and I need something to have at home that's easy and quick to type on (a laptop). I'd love to have a desktop but I don't think I'll have the space for a comfortable setup in my apartment. Also I've been trying to use the winter break to learn about tech and what all the specs mean but it's just not meshing together well and I don't know what is actually "needed" for what I want to do and I don't trust consulting sales people.
My wants/priorities:
1)Something that will last all 4 years in a good state. I got my current Dell at the beginning of undergrad and it has a plastic frame that is now held together by duct tape and frequently overheats. I'll admit I'm not the gentlest on it but most of the cracks came from transporting it in my bag to classes freshmen year which wasn't worth the effort in hindsight. I've heard Macs are best for this so I'm leaning towards them but I have almost no experience on apple equipment aside from my Ipod (and Itunes is terrible lol).
2) Easy connectivity between tablet and laptop. This is where my ignorance really starts to show through, so I apologize. I think it'll be important that I can get stuff from my laptop onto my tablet (and vice versa) easily, I'm guessing cloud storage is the way to do this but I'm worried about differences in file types, say if I'm opening a word document on a windows that I started on my Ipad. I'm pretty sure there used to be an incompatibility with the file types but I'm not sure if there is anymore.
3)Best notetaking programs/ programs for dental school. I think Ipads have a special app that seems popular which isn't available for google/windows tablets. If someone can confirm or explain this it would be appreciated!
4)I'd like to be able to play Minecraft without terrible lag or overheating which I currently experience. This question is really asking more for what type of specs I would realistically need to do this. Do I really need a high end laptop for this? I'd say my current is/was middle of the road (around $700 at time of purchase) and it can only do 20-30 minutes before overheating.
Where I'm at right now: I'm leaning towards a Mac laptop because everybody says they are super durable but I'm really put off by the price of Ipads when there seem to be comparable tablets for much cheaper- but I'm a little hesitant because of the possible compatibility issues. If I go the Mac route should I do Air or Pro? If I go PC what are the best brands + models for somebody with needs like mine? Also with tablets, if I don't go Ipad is there any next-best contender, a lot of them seem fairly similar but I'm most interested in the Galaxy at the moment personally. I know I asked a lot, feel free to PM any suggestions if you'd rather do that than clog up the thread. Thanks!
Jophiel, you asked many questions that I also have about getting a laptop/tablet! If people PM about connectivity between PC tablet/mac laptop, please PM me as well! Thanks!
You're right, never trust sales. Their job is to sell you a product whether it be a car, computer, fridge. Im gonna try to help ya out.
First of all, Im sorry to say that regular windows laptops are not going to be cutting it out for you. It will end up giving you more frustration than benefit. So you may have to go with the more expensive option of Apple laptops. BUT if you manage to become sufficient in fixing minor problems, you may have a chance with a windows desktop and saving you heaps of $$$.
And dont you dare bash on iTunes. As much as I do not like Apple computers and laptops (way overpriced), their music department is amazing.
What you are looking for is almost exactly what I am also looking for notetaking in Dental School. Handwriting notes on powerpoint slides and have a more powerful machine to process everything else: media, entertainment, documents, etc.
iPads will most likely be able to handle any in-class work such as note-taking, powerpoint slide viewing, event planning. But in the end, it is only a tablet and is limited as such. Which means your multi-tasking won't be as quick as on a laptop and limited to only app. Which aren't bad as the App Store have millions of apps. As good as they are, they will never be as good when putting it on the same task as a full program. Unfortunately, there is almost no tablet out there that are good at handwritten notetaking. The App Store has something for the iPad but it is horrible. Yale Med gives out similar iPads with keyboards (along with the pen) to all of its students and my friend still types all of his notes. He used it once and never used the handwritten option again. But for all intends and purposes of Dental School, it is perfectly fine (I'd still check with your school though). In my opinion though, as of pure tablets. iPads win out in the end. Your next best bet is Windows Surface Pro 3 or 4. It is very pricey, but it combines the power of a laptop in the form of a tablet. And its pen writing technology is miles ahead of any laptop/tablet in its class. It uses the same technology (N-trig) as some comic book artists use. I have one and it is perfect for my purpose.
No matter what you pick for a laptop, Mac or Windows, MS Word will be compatible with MS Word. There is also a method you can access iCloud from a PC. So it is flexible there.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a laptop, go with MacBook Pro. Never Windows Laptops, I hate them with a passion and if I hate them, you wouldnt stand a chance. But otherwise, I highly suggest looking into a windows desktop. For $700, it would be more powerful than any Apple Laptops if you're smart about it (I can actually help you out when you are picking one out). And you can just stick to your iPad for portability. There would not be any overheating issues. And yes, it will play Minecraft flawlessly. Brands usually don't matter unless it's a Dell. Your other option is to go for a Surface Pro 3 or 4. Mind you, it is like a tablet with the power of a laptop so it is quite unserviceable on your own, just as bad as trying to open up an iPad, meaning you'll have to send it back to OEM for repairs. While I am not use to that, many Apple users have no problem sending products back. The Surface Pro 3 is quite pricey, starting at $799 plus a $123 keyboard (if you want to use the tablet as a laptop, though it is a VERY good keyboard).
Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about what I said. I know kind of just blasted words onto a post.
EDIT: Added some more info
