brooklynrats

I just got the computer purchase brochure frm BC. It offers two Dell and two Apple options. Which one is better for an undergraduate business major?

miragemage

Honestly, it doesnt really matter. Pick whichever computer you are most comfortable with; being the operating system, interface, or other factors.

PAHreen

I was fairly surprised by how inexpensive BC's recommended laptops are relative to retail and the options that other colleges offer. The Macs' discount is minimal (and that is to be expected from Apple), but the Latitudes (which have a great build quality unlike the Inspirons, which should be avoided in favor of the XPS if you're into the trendy, retail iterations of Dell notbeooks) are priced very competitively ($800-$1000 discount). The "Standard" should be sufficient to accomplish anything a normal user wishes to do, but the "Multimedia" with superb memory, a discreet graphics card, the new Penryn processer, and a decent hard drive at 7200 rpm as opposed to slower 5400 rpm hard drives (for accessing data quicker) is a fantastic option for anyone that uses 3D software (CAD, engineering, gaming).

One note, though: Dell is releasing the new Latitude E-series (using LED back-lights, competing with any thin and light notebook on the market) in late June, so prices for BC laptops may change as a result. If they do not, it may be best to purchase the Standard for one year and then give it to someone in your family or whatever to get whatever new configuration BC offers the following year (if you don't mind transferring data).

metfan2121

i know also that apple is releasing new macs in mid june as well. im not sure if BC will still sell the older models (which are in the catalogue they sent) or if they'll sell the new ones. id imagine they still have the old ones, so i think for macs it might be better to buy from apple.

ColdCase

When you order through the BC store, you are redirected to the Apple store. You are actually buying from Apple. Purchasing through the BC store link gives you maybe $300 more in discounts off the everyday education store price, which has maybe a $500 discount over retail.

The June update is probably a slightly faster processor upgrade. The next big upgrade (possibly a redesign) will likely be in the fall time frame. These laptops were upgraded in Feb, the pro getting the new style mousepad.

ColdCase

By The Way

I agree with miragemage, they all will work just as well for business, and just about anything else at BC. Check out the screen size and resolution at a local Best Buy to see if it makes any difference to you. Check out the feel of the keyboard.

In general, the Dell will cost less and works well. The Mac is very popular with college students because it just works, is more reliable, and the OS is feature rich, stable, and deadly virus proof. Is it worth the $$? Thats a judgement call you will need to make. There are lemons and laptops take a lot of abuse, so the 3 year warrantee is highly recommended.

The latest version of Microsoft office for Mac is currently full of bugs, but the older version works just fine.