MD & DO Thoughts on MacBook Pro?

Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine
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Neuronom

Neuronom

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Current students!

I've seen threads on "what laptop should I get," but specifically to those who have put miles on their newer macbook pros -

I'm considering investing in a macbook pro for my next 4 years - and beyond. I'm not terribly tech-savvy, but I do have my complaints with windows OS and my older PC.
In college, I used an apple desktop and did enjoy the IOS. Plus, the school I'll be attending seems to favor apple devices.

Thoughts on upgrading to the new macbook pro released this year? Keyboard issues? Should I invest in an older model?

There may be a better place to ask this, so let me know!
 
honestly it doesn't really matter what computer you have for medical school. you will be using some sort of video software to watch lectures, powerpoint, qbanks, streaming online board review content, with about 15 open tabs in your web browser. hardly takes much processing power. If you are willing to spend $1200+ to do that in an aesthetically pleasing package to look woke in front of your classmates, by all means. But you can also carry out all of those needs quite easily with any decent PC (which will have essentially the same specs) for $500 less. I bough a macbook pro in college and honestly i still feel stupid for having spent so much extra money just to have a nice looking computer.
 
MBP would be fine!
While I agree that most computers would be 100% fine for what you need in med school, I'm going to throw out one that absolutely couldn't handle that. The 12-inch "Macbook". I bought one last year for it's portability and while it's super lightweight, it's incredibly under-powered. Would NOT recommend. I have trouble loading a single web page at times. I'll be upgrading to a MBP most likely this upcoming school year.
 
FindMeOnTheLinks said:
honestly it doesn't really matter what computer you have for medical school. you will be using some sort of video software to watch lectures, powerpoint, qbanks, streaming online board review content, with about 15 open tabs in your web browser. hardly takes much processing power. If you are willing to spend $1200+ to do that in an aesthetically pleasing package to look woke in front of your classmates, by all means. But you can also carry out all of those needs quite easily with any decent PC (which will have essentially the same specs) for $500 less. I bough a macbook pro in college and honestly i still feel stupid for having spent so much extra money just to have a nice looking computer.
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Thank you for your candor! Yeah I used a cheaper PC through college, now 8 years old, and it definitely got the job done. Aesthetics aren't high on my priority list. Like I said, not terribly tech savvy but those that I've talked to have vouched for the macbook's long-term reliability (whereas my laptop started to become a major pain 2 years ago).

edit: gym accomplishes bolded 😎
 
I own about 13 macbook pros for my clinic. Many of them are 6+ years old and still doing great. No viruses or malware ever. Virtually zero time wasted troubleshooting. Occasional and reasonable hardware issues.

Quality has been going down past few years and keyboards suck now.

HOwever, I dont want to waste time dealing with viruses and malware and quick obsolescence.
 
Yeah, there's not much overall difference in experience between a macbook and a higher-end PC. It'll just depend on your preferences. Get a reliable, updated model with a decent screen and battery life and you're set. You might want to think about if you'll want to be able to handwrite any notes - I found it super useful compared to typing. In that case you want either a Surface pro (if you want a full laptop too), or an iPad pro (better as a tablet but not a laptop at all)
 
Dr. Brightside said:
Yeah, there's not much overall difference in experience between a macbook and a higher-end PC. It'll just depend on your preferences. Get a reliable, updated model with a decent screen and battery life and you're set. You might want to think about if you'll want to be able to handwrite any notes - I found it super useful compared to typing. In that case you want either a Surface pro (if you want a full laptop too), or an iPad pro (better as a tablet but not a laptop at all)
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They give us an iPad for books
 
First MBP lasted almost 8 years and it was retired mostly because of the battery,?which realistically could’ve been replaced. They’re good machines. Look at Apple’s certified refurbs, better deal than buying brand new IMO.
 
Neuronom said:
Current students!

I've seen threads on "what laptop should I get," but specifically to those who have put miles on their newer macbook pros -

I'm considering investing in a macbook pro for my next 4 years - and beyond. I'm not terribly tech-savvy, but I do have my complaints with windows OS and my older PC.
In college, I used an apple desktop and did enjoy the IOS. Plus, the school I'll be attending seems to favor apple devices.

Thoughts on upgrading to the new macbook pro released this year? Keyboard issues? Should I invest in an older model?

There may be a better place to ask this, so let me know!
Click to expand...
Have put my MBP through a lot and really like it. The touchbar is really handy esp when printing a slide deck to .pdf as shortcuts auto-appear. Do that for a few hundred/thousand decks (?) and the convenience pays off. Also, Mac recently came out w an update where you can screen capture a pre-selected portion of your screen off the touchbar and save it to clipboard.

That way you can make ankis off your board review videos/class lectures w a keystroke.

Macs are awesome esp MBP. I also do a lot of data-heavy research so the more powerful processor was worth it. If you get one max our the RAM. If you end up getting a Mac take a look at notability. Way better than one-note
 
Ligament said:
I own about 13 macbook pros for my clinic. Many of them are 6+ years old and still doing great. No viruses or malware ever. Virtually zero time wasted troubleshooting. Occasional and reasonable hardware issues.

Quality has been going down past few years and keyboards suck now.

HOwever, I dont want to waste time dealing with viruses and malware and quick obsolescence.
Click to expand...
I've honestly not had to deal with an actual computer virus since maybe middle school or early high school? I'm sure they're a thing, but they're hardly the common "soooo glad I have a Mac" factor that people seem to tout.

My experience with PCs mirrors yours with Macs...no viruses or malware, occasional hardware issues, all repaired under warranty, and no troubleshooting unless I'm trying to get my computer to do something outside the box, such as building my own custom keyboard configuration to include all Greek and mathematical symbols, plus shorthand (arrows, etc) and Spanish accent letters, etc...which case that's just part of the process. I'm not going to count "troubleshooting I do to do something most computers don't offer" against the PC.


Really, it all comes down to which do you like more. And we can't help you with that.
 
I just switched from MacBook 2016 13" to HP Spectre x360 15.6" touch screen, and I'm incredibly happy with the switch. My HP costs approximately half that of my MacBook, and it has more RAM, storage, and processing capability, so I'm pleased about that. It also has a touch screen, which is great for taking notes with the smart pen that it came with. I agree that iOS is a great processor, but I have found that my Windows 10 laptop has more to offer than my Mac did and at half the price. Just my 2 cents!
 
Your PC sounds great, but it is also highly open to virus and malware. Mac OS has virtually zero such issues.

Nobody can argue you get more horsepower for your buck with PCs. Ease of use and security however are different.
 
Ligament said:
Your PC sounds great, but it is also highly open to virus and malware. Mac OS has virtually zero such issues.

Nobody can argue you get more horsepower for your buck with PCs. Ease of use and security however are different.
Click to expand...
When you say things like this, it makes it sound like you haven't actually used a PC in 15+ years.
 
Ligament said:
Your PC sounds great, but it is also highly open to virus and malware. Mac OS has virtually zero such issues.

Nobody can argue you get more horsepower for your buck with PCs. Ease of use and security however are different.
Click to expand...

Honestly could not be more wrong lol

But given that fact that most of our attending lecturers can barely work powerpoint, I am not surprised.
 
7331poas said:
Honestly could not be more wrong lol

But given that fact that most of our attending lecturers can barely work powerpoint, I am not surprised.
Click to expand...

Not really...

Mac uses BSD Unix; it’s much better than Microsoft’s proprietary OS in terms of security.
 
I've been looking at some windows computers too, like xps 13. I just want something that won't need replaced in a few years, or become unreliable.

Thank you all for your thoughts!

266285
 
Get a macbook pro (13 or 15, personally think 13 is more maneuverable), I bought mine in the summer of 2012 and haven't looked back. I know friends at the time persuaded me to go for the cheaper and more "powerful" PCs, and most of them are on laptop # 2 (or 3) at this point...
 
7331poas said:
Honestly could not be more wrong lol

But given that fact that most of our attending lecturers can barely work powerpoint, I am not surprised.
Click to expand...

Oh? Whats the incidence of virus and malware on Mac OS? Its virtually zero.

All these ransomware attacks? All PC.

These things are real threats when you are a business owner.

I'm not saying dont go PC, its cheaper for sure. Just be prepared to deal with security issues and increased maintenance.

I personally own and administer 10-13 macbook pros at my private practice clinic and have done so since 2010. Zero malware, zero virus infections. Minimal hardware failures and excellent longevity of my older macbook pros, some of which are very old now but still perfectly serviceable.
 
Ligament said:
Oh? Whats the incidence of virus and malware on Mac OS? Its virtually zero.

All these ransomware attacks? All PC.

These things are real threats when you are a business owner.

I'm not saying dont go PC, its cheaper for sure. Just be prepared to deal with security issues and increased maintenance.

I personally own and administer 10-13 macbook pros at my private practice clinic and have done so since 2010. Zero malware, zero virus infections. Minimal hardware failures and excellent longevity of my older macbook pros, some of which are very old now but still perfectly serviceable.
Click to expand...

If you are getting a virus in 2019 then its because you click on any link that pops up in your email.
 
Ligament said:
Employees will click on any link that pops up and get viruses and malware.
Click to expand...
I assume OP has enough sense to not click on links that advertise "GO HERE FOR C*ALIS WITHOUT DR PRESCRIPTION." Individual computer needs and practice- or system-wide IT needs are quite different, in any case. OP can probably get a sturdily built PC that offers more functionality and with better specs for cheaper or comparable price to a MacBook Pro, like the Surface book.

Comparing Apple to other computer manufacterers is comparing (no pun intended) apples to oranges, as Apple restricts its lineup to a few premium laptops, whereas with other PC brands, you can get anything from a low-powered $300 HP Pavilion laptop with a crappy plastic chassis, to a premium $1000+ HP Spectre x360.
 
1. I draw the line at <4 inches. I dont just provide my SS# for anything
2. I'll have to reevaluate my budget, but I agree. My purposes may not require anything in those tiptop price points
Edit - quote ginsengreset
 
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