Mac vs Dell laptops

Question

Level 1

0 points

Mac vs Dell laptops

Hey. New Here.

Been a Mac user for several years & vowed to never go back to PC but I feel I may not have much of a choice. My son will be going to college next year and we want to buy a MacPro. As his high school uses Windows he had some trouble with his homework working on our Mac but managed only because it was just a few assignments on the computer (thank goodness). I have talked with several people and they mentioned going with a Dell would be easier as assignments and homework and what not is Windows based in most colleges but computer savvy people can work with the Mac. We are not computer savvy family. We know what we know for what we do daily on our Mac which I believe to be the average person.

I thought I would try Apple community as oppose to going into the Store where the sales person will tell me what I want to hear.

Any college student out there to give a little insight?

Thanks

Posted on Jul 26, 2014 10:03 AM

Reply

Answer 1

lllaass

Level 10

210,423 points

Jul 26, 2014 10:10 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

A Mac Pro desktop or a MacBook Pro? This is the Mac Pro desktop forum.

Purchase a copy of Windows 8 and install BootCamp on the Mac and then install Win 8.

You can also run Windows as virtual machine on OSX with Parallels, VirtualBox and others

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 26, 2014 10:22 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

most colleges

That is not the issue. The issue is the support of the exact college your son will attend, and the program in which he will participate. Some colleges are Mac-hostile. Call his department and ask what computer is required, and what computers can get support near campus.

My older son just graduated, and my younger son is heading out in September. Most colleges do not care at all what computer you have because the main activity for that computer is as a glorified word processor to write papers on. If he were willing to work only when the library and other computer clusters are available, NO computer is actually required. If you need some kind of specialized computer for specific course work, access to one will be provided for you.

Regarding Apple Sales people: Apple has a 14-day no-questions-asked return policy. Sales people are not on commission. If a sales person oversells, that system comes back the next week anyway. The main "problem" with Apple sales people is that they love their Macs, so they are not neutral.

Reply

Answer 3

Jul 26, 2014 10:17 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

Like lllaass said, you can purchase a MacBook Pro then install Windows on it as well as OS X through Bootcamp (free, included in OS X).

Reply

Answer 4

SharpieQ4Me Author

Level 1

0 points

Jul 26, 2014 10:30 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

Thank you for your responses. You all have made my research easier. The Mac-hostile comment from Grant Bennet-Alder I've heard many times before which left me stuck on what to do.

Thanks again........

Reply

Answer 5

Csound1

Level 9

59,985 points

Jul 26, 2014 10:39 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

The choice of operating system (Windows or OS X) will be decided by the college, or will not be important. If Windows is required it makes no sense to buy a Mac. It will cost more and (at best) be no better than a Windows machine at the job it was purchased for. But, Windows in Boot Camp is rather less reliable than Windows on a Windows machine, comprehensive backup of both partitions is an absolute must.

It will also be less likely to be stolen.

Get the tool for the job.

Reply

Answer 6

Jul 26, 2014 10:46 AM in response to SharpieQ4Me

My older son studied Engineering and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. The University was computer-brand agnostic. The campus store sold Macs and PCs, but only repaired PCs. There were three Apple stores in walking distance or an easy bus ride from Campus.

My son took a Mac, but installed Linux on it. He never needed Windows for anything.

My younger son will be attending a college in Boston. His school does not require a computer, but suggests one may be helpful. Recommended systems are recent PCs, or Macs with 10.6.8 or later. If you bring a PC, Anti-Virus software is required before you can connect to their network.

Reply