Midwestern laptop

[Blarelli]

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I just got the email to select a laptop, and the sony option isn't there, just dell and apple. I guess I'm about to find out which is stronger, my violent anger for all things apple, or my contempt for all things dell.

What are my fellow midwesterners leaning towards?

 

[ll REVOFEV ll]

I'm not going to western but apple is so much better than dell or sony any day. I used to have a PC but bought a macbook pro last summer and will never go back to a PC ever again.

 

[herkulease]

why would you choose what your class mates choose?

You should pick which one you are more comfortable with.

If you cannot use a mac why would you choose that.

 

[Blarelli]

why would you choose what your class mates choose?

You should pick which one you are more comfortable with.

If you cannot use a mac why would you choose that.

I am fully capable of using osx, windows 98,xp, 2000, vista, 7, ubuntu, fedora, etc. What I'm worried about is build quality because even if I go with the mac I'll be using windows on it.

 

[jeffity]

Not a Midwestern student, but something I noticed while visiting is that when the Apple kids wanted to use their laptops for presentations, they always had to scramble to get it all hooked up with the correct adapters and such. I'm not sure why some aren't just left at each presentation area. Not a big deal, just an observation. Maybe a current student can shed light on this.

As for just a random opinion on platforms, after about 15 years of Windows, I'm only Mac now. It's just better for me. Just get what works best for you. If you don't want to mess with learning something new (which isn't a huge deal), then stick with what you know. I'm sure you probably have, but if you're not too familiar with it, play with someone else's Mac for a while or camp out at the Apple store. Perhaps seek out both suggested models and try them both out.

Edit: Nevermind on testing stuff out. You've laid out your skills while I was typing.

 

[herkulease]

which dell series are they letting you pick?

the business line generally has a better build quality than the really cheap consumer line. But even within the business line they some really cheap stuff.

I personally dread being forced to buy a laptop.

I'm guessing they tacked on extended warranty for the dell and apple care for the macbook?

 

[BoxerRumble]

What model and what's the price of each? Also remember you probably also want one with portability. I bought an Asus which was like 7 lbs for school but decided I can't keep lugging that thing around so got an Acer netbook instead and it has been so much better. I know though you can't use a netbook, well you can, but there are those dental software that you need to use and not sure how much processing power you need.

 

[Blarelli]

which dell series are they letting you pick?

the business line generally has a better build quality than the really cheap consumer line. But even within the business line they some really cheap stuff.

I personally dread being forced to buy a laptop.

I'm guessing they tacked on extended warranty for the dell and apple care for the macbook?

It's the Latitude E6420 w/ a nvidia 4200m tacked onto it. The dell comes with 4 year accidental damage, and the mac comes with 4 years of applecare.

 

[Osity]

I am fully capable of using osx, windows 98,xp, 2000, vista, 7, ubuntu, fedora, etc. What I'm worried about is build quality because even if I go with the mac I'll be using windows on it.

I think you go with the MB Pro, which is years better than Dell. I am writing this to you on a Toshiba, and I am a Windows fan, but given the choice, I'd definitely go MB over Dell. Also, the touchpad on the MB is awesome. If it was a different brand (not Dell), it would be a tougher decision.

 

[ll REVOFEV ll]

If you are worried about the build quality then always go with apple...there build quality is excellent. My girlfriend has a dell and it fell apart in two years and my friends have macbooks from high school ( so like 3 to 4 years old) that are still in one piece and running smoothly. My girlfriend doesn't beat her stuff either she takes care of it. My girlfriends roommate also had her dell break at the hinge. My roommates all have macbooks and the build quality is great. One of my roommates actually spilled a full glass of soda all over his keyboard and it still works perfectly fine. The keys were sticky for a while but he has had no other issues with the macbook.

 

[Blarelli]

If you are worried about the build quality then always go with apple...there build quality is excellent. My girlfriend has a dell and it fell apart in two years and my friends have macbooks from high school ( so like 3 to 4 years old) that are still in one piece and running smoothly. My girlfriend doesn't beat her stuff either she takes care of it. My girlfriends roommate also had her dell break at the hinge. My roommates all have macbooks and the build quality is great. One of my roommates actually spilled a full glass of soda all over his keyboard and it still works perfectly fine. The keys were sticky for a while but he has had no other issues with the macbook.

Yeah, my grandma's dell fell apart after only two years. However, my little brother works as a computer tech for a school district and they stopped using macbooks this year because they have almost a 20% hdd failure rate within one year, and I know lots of people that have serious problems with their optical drives. I really wish they'd just give us specs and let us buy our own.

 

[schen140]

i think i'm gonna go with the dell

don't you guys want to play games in your spare time? i heard mac's are no good for that. plus i prefer a larger screen size, and the given options are 13 inches for mac and 14 inches for dell

 

[Blarelli]

i think i'm gonna go with the dell

don't you guys want to play games in your spare time? i heard mac's are no good for that. plus i prefer a larger screen size, and the given options are 13 inches for mac and 14 inches for dell

Neither one of them will be much good for real gaming. That's what my desktop is for, although for the $1,500 they're charging us they could totally get an alienware.

 

[schen140]

one more advantage of the dell is the 4 year accidental care warranty. if both laptops come out to 1500 then from a risk perspective wouldn't the dell be more worth it?

i dont have a desktop, so my laptop will serve as my gaming device as well. i know the Lattitude series isn't designed for gaming, but with the sandy bridge cpu and 4 gb ram, i still have high expectations for it

 

[schen140]

"As a follow up to the email you received recently from your Dean"

that was from the email regarding the laptops. any fellow midwestern students know which email it's referring to? i can't recall anything

 

[DownFracture]

I'm not sure what the email from the Dean was referring to either...never got an email from him.

I think I'm going with the Dell. It has gotten good reviews since it came out, has a longer battery life than the Macbook (8:59 for the Dell, 8:33 for the Mac - laptopmag.com), has a larger display with a matte finish, has accidental damage protection, and I've never used a Mac in my life.

Plus my desktop and other laptop are PCs. I've owned two dell laptops before and they have done great. One is almost 6 years old (its been upgraded, though still using the original processor, graphics card, etc).

 

[camshaft]

I've built very very hardcore PC desktops - solid aluminum cases, custom water-cooling fanless systems, over-clocked to the bleeding edge, all the while making fun of macs as for people too stupid to know how to use 2 mouse buttons.

I'm now typing this on a 13" Macbook Pro, the best computer I've ever owned, and if it died today I'd go to the Apple store and by another without thinking about it. In academia more and more people are using Apple's, so compatibility issues are quickly fading and even then are minimal compared to the typical PC-hassles you avoid.

Build quality and aesthetics are pretty important to me too. The MBP is machined from a solid block of aluminum, and is the size of a Mead notebook. My family's dells and HP's are bulkier and plastic painted to look like metal. I mean really....

 

[jeffity]

I've had better response from Apple warranties/Applecare than other manufactures in the past too. They're more quick to just replace things and send you on your way. If you have to go a day or two without a laptop, it'll suck.

 

[schen140]

hey bconway good to see you'll be at midwestern as well

camshaft can you explain what makes the mac better? is it due to a more intuitive operating system, with less bugs, etc?

 

[SoulPower]

I honestly very dislike Apple and it's our way or the highway mentality. But if you are forced to pay $2500 I would go with the mac because I do like their build quality over most PC manufacturers and your bang for your buck, which you have to pay for, is going further with the mac.

 

[gt123]

hey bconway good to see you'll be at midwestern as well

camshaft can you explain what makes the mac better? is it due to a more intuitive operating system, with less bugs, etc?

mac OS is superior to windows - it's more intuitively designed and more robust due to the unix-based os. simply doesn't crash. i'm the guy that was building computers and compiling linux kernels in 7th grade b/c it was fun.. with that said i have been a mac fan through and through since i bought my first macbook as a freshman (on my 3rd now). apple gets bad cred because their hardware is usually more expensive than windows analogs, but that is because apple subsidizes their software development by overpricing their computers. mac lion - the next OS - with no limitations, will only cost $29. compare that to windows which starts their "home" editions at around $100.

given that we're being offered both the dell and the mac at the same price, now is a really good time to try out a different platform. it's honestly not a tough learning curve at all. one of my fav things abt mac OS is that it is sophisticated enough to keep me happy, and simple enough that my 80 yr old grandma can use it too (she never figured out windows).

if you have any q's abt the switch i'd be happy to help out. i'm in the c/o 2015.

 

[gt123]

I honestly very dislike Apple and it's our way or the highway mentality. But if you are forced to pay $2500 I would go with the mac because I do like their build quality over most PC manufacturers and your bang for your buck, which you have to pay for, is going further with the mac.

the man behind the development of singapore once said, "if singapore is a nanny state, then i am proud to have fostered one." by controlling hardware and guiding user experience, apple is able to avoid many of the problems windows faces like viruses and ugly/glitchy software.

 

[Blarelli]

the man behind the development of singapore once said, "if singapore is a nanny state, then i am proud to have fostered one." by controlling hardware and guiding user experience, apple is able to avoid many of the problems windows faces like viruses and ugly/glitchy software.

Apple is able to avoid viruses because their marketshare is so small, not because of anything they do.

 

[gt123]

Apple is able to avoid viruses because their marketshare is so small, not because of anything they do.

yes, i hear that a lot. about a year ago, google was hacked (rumored to be the chinese) and has since entirely switched away from windows to mac and linux, citing security concerns. just offering a contrarian viewpoint.

 

[jeffity]

contrarian

very nice

 

[SoulPower]

the man behind the development of singapore once said, "if singapore is a nanny state, then i am proud to have fostered one." by controlling hardware and guiding user experience, apple is able to avoid many of the problems windows faces like viruses and ugly/glitchy software.

I've been to singapore actually, and having people live in fear of getting absurd tickets for trivial things like chewing gum or throwing cigarette butts is not my cup of tea. But I digress, I enjoy freedom to do what I want with my windows based computer with components that I chose to use in it without paying some absurd Apple fee for similar components, imo.

 

[gt123]

I've been to singapore actually, and having people live in fear of getting absurd tickets for trivial things like chewing gum or throwing cigarette butts is not my cup of tea. But I digress, I enjoy freedom to do what I want with my windows based computer with components that I chose to use in it without paying some absurd Apple fee for similar components, imo.

i feel you. i really hate paying so much for apple comps when i could hackintosh a pc. in our case though the mac and dell are the same price. and nowadays, the build quality of apple machines just destroys the competition. a single piece of metal and liquid batteries?? just ridiculous.

i just wish midwestern were giving us the next revision of macs as they are set to be updated (with a new body) this year.

 

[SoulPower]

i feel you. i really hate paying so much for apple comps when i could hackintosh a pc. in our case though the mac and dell are the same price. and nowadays, the build quality of apple machines just destroys the competition. a single piece of metal and liquid batteries?? just ridiculous.

i just wish midwestern were giving us the next revision of macs as they are set to be updated (with a new body) this year.

I agree. And if you look to my first post in this thread I said I would go with the mac as well.

 

[camshaft]

hey bconway good to see you'll be at midwestern as well

camshaft can you explain what makes the mac better? is it due to a more intuitive operating system, with less bugs, etc?

Well I originally bought my mostly MBP 13" for the design and build quality. I loved the aluminum unibody design. It's difficult to match how thin and solid the construction is. The backlit keyboard is also very nice. PC laptops are usually a stamped steel frame with plastic overs over the frame. The mbp is milled from a block of aluminum and then given a matt finish. You can see in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxbiIpXZfG8

When I first bought it I planned on just installing windows alongside OSX on it, and using both. Once I got past the OSX learning curve though I found myself with no reason to keep using windows, deleted the windows partition, and haven't looked back. The week I got the computer, I bought a 500g Western Digital HD for $80, put it in, installed OSX from the CD and went from there.

I'll try to name some reasons off the top of my head why I like it much more. Firstly, programs don't really need to be installed like on a PC, and there's no registry. For example, say you want to get Firefox. You got to firefox.com, which recognizes you're on a Mac, and puts a Firefox icon in front of you. You then drag this icon into your applications folder. Done. You now have Firefox. Don't want Firefox anymore? You just delete the icon in the applications folder. Done. No windows registry with leftover junk in it, no incomplete uninstalls.

Although at first OSX looks a bit cartoony, the UNIX-like kernel system is actually very powerful and has some pretty neat fail-safe features. If for example you think something may have gotten corrupted in the operating system, you can have the system check it's own file structure for errors and then repair them. If something bad enough to stop your computer from booting happened, you can boot from the cd and have the computer compare your OS with the cd to look for discrepancies.

The newer mouse pads with gestures have also spoiled me, and now when I sit down at a PC laptop I start swiping my fingers around wondering at first why nothing happens. One finger on the pad moves your mouse just as it normally would. Using two fingers to slide up or down though scrolls the page up or down, and likewise left and right. This is much better than the PC's that have the little scroll areas on the edges because it doesn't take away from the usable mouse pad area, so while you're moving the cursor with your index finger you can put your middle finger down too and scroll the page. Likewise, sliding 3 fingers left or right navigates your forward and backward in your browser - far faster than having to click the forward and back buttons. Have multiple windows open and want to see them all at once or select one of them? Pull down with 4 fingers and all your windows shrink to be visible at once. Likewise, pushing up with 4 fingers pushes all your windows out of the way to the edges, revealing your desktop.

The OSX system is also much better at maintenance and housekeeping. Unlike with the PC's I've had, several years into ownership you don't find yourself having to do registry cleanings, defrags, accepting minor problems with the OS as being part of your computer's 'character', and eventually wondering whether you should just do a full reformat for a fresh start.

I'm sure I could think of more, but I'm getting bored typing... Need to get some work done.

Clear skies

P.S. If you go with the mbp download this free driver that lets you plug windows formatted external drives in and read/write files on them. Something every Mac owner should have http://www.tuxera.com/community/ntfs-3g-download/

 

[schen140]

thanks guys for sharing your input. sounds pretty convincing that mac provides the superior OS experience as well as build quality.

in my particular case though, there are some games i want to play that i know won't run on macs. i think that's a Mac deal breaker for me - i'll definitely be needing these games to relieve stress haha

 

[camshaft]

thanks guys for sharing your input. sounds pretty convincing that mac provides the superior OS experience as well as build quality.

in my particular case though, there are some games i want to play that i know won't run on macs. i think that's a Mac deal breaker for me - i'll definitely be needing these games to relieve stress haha

Haha that's what my PS3 is for. Netflix instead of cable, and things like Guitar Hero for when people come over. Then when you consider games like the Uncharted series, Mass Effect 2, and soon Skyrim, I no longer miss my PC games.

 

[schen140]

wow you're pretty stocked up with games haha. i dont have any consoles, and only play free games such as fear combat (a first person shooter based off f.e.a.r.) and alien swarm.

 

[cjb04]

I'm a current D3 at Midwestern. We had 4 choices of laptops: macbook, sony, and 2 Dells (only difference between the Dell laptops is one came w/ a larger battery.) In the end, it really doesn't matter what you choose. The Sony is no longer available b/c it was the one w/ the most issues. The dell and mac have both been reliable and either will be well-suited for the work being done. Mac comes with better software for designing powerpoint presentations and tends to get better internet reception/speed in the classrooms. If I had to choose again, I'd probably go with the mac, but I don't really regret choosing my Dell b/c it has served me well. Good luck with your decision, and congrats on getting in to dental school.

 

[coolslugs]

If I am paying $1500 for a laptop, I would choose a Mac > Dell. If a Lenovo T420s is in the mix, then it would be a different story.