qwerty999

The clear answer is a Mac. Steve Jobs doesn't like - Apple makes the best computers. Plus, many college students own Macs so any software problems affects hundreds of others. The PC-Mac migration is a growing one, including myself. Oh and you get a free iPod and $99 rebate on a printer with a student discount. So basically when I bought my iMac last year, i got a free iPod nano and a free printer with the Mac from the Online store.

thirdfloor

I've used Macs and PCs in various settings, and personally, I prefer Apple computers 100%. Ease of use, aesthetic, and customer service are all key selling points of the mac, and I've never been disappointed with any of them. I had an iBook laptop first, which I loved, and now I'm using a MacBook, which I love only slightly less. Apple offers great deals and rebates to students, so a Mac seems like the best option.

jk_91

Get a PC because it's more accessible and better if you plan on gaming.

A Mac, IMO, is more show than anything; it's overpriced for what it is.

redwingshockey

honestly nothing but smooth sailing with a mac after using a pc for many years

Mirabeau

I cannot recommend a Mac highly enough--it's far less annoying than a PC

fabrizio

After years of badmouthing Intel processors as inferior to Motorola and then IBM, Apple now uses Intel processors. As others have noted, what this means for you is that every new Apple computer can natively run Windows. (I don't care what the Parallels people say. Native > Emulation in terms of speed any day of week regardless of how "good" your hardware is.)

You said that you were afraid that you couldn't play games if you bought a Mac. One of my friends has a MacBook Pro, and he actually uses Windows XP more than OS X because he plays so much World of Warcraft and Starcraft.

I have a ThinkPad, and I couldn't be happier.

88888888

i just got a mac last week, made the switch from pc to mac. I don't think im going back. tiger OS is amazing. simplicity, easiness, appearance, and interface just blew me away. + the ability to run window's off bootcamp fixed all my compatibility problems.
Yea gaming.. im running battlefield 2 and call of duty 4 on my macbook pro on high settings. smooth frame rate.

You really gotta try one out @ an apple store or something. macs are great.

tomatoking

tiger? what happened to leopard?cod4 on high(not highest?) setting, with AA? Average fps?

which macbook pro? because i can find a windows based laptop with BETTER specs priced at least 500 books lower.

fabrizio

Regarding “ease of use,” a common pro cited by Mac users, there is at least one area where Macs are weaker than PCs: two-button mice. Some say it’s preference. I disagree.

I don’t think anyone would just know that the “right-button” on a new Apple laptop is activated by putting two fingers on the touchpad and then clicking the lone button. My friend who uses a MacBook Pro had to teach me that, and I didn’t immediately get the hang of it. (It’s easy for me now, but it took a good minute for me to get it.) In other words, it’s not intuitive. Furthermore, it’s not simpler than a PC laptop’s mouse. A Mac user needs two fingers and a thumb to use the right-button while a PC user only needs the thumb.

My ThinkPad actually has five mouse buttons, three of which are distinct. This allows me to instantly open a new tab in Firefox; I don’t have to use the right-button and then click “Open New Tab.” I can just press one button and have the tab open. I find that to be easier and more intuitive than what Apple offers by default.

Regarding intuitiveness, OS X’s “zoom” feature is definitely confusing at first. It’s the green button that when you place your mouse pointer over it reveals a plus sign. What does plus mean mathematically? Addition. What happens when you add two natural numbers together? You get a bigger number. It’s intuitive to think that the plus sign will make a window larger. However, clicking it a few times shows that it can actually make the window smaller. It’s always a plus sign, regardless of whether it gets bigger or smaller. By comparison, the maximize / minimize button changes in Windows XP depending on whether you want it to maximize or minimize.

The bottom line is that all the old reasons for not buying a Mac don’t hold anymore. Macs use Intel processors and can natively run Windows, meaning that there are no compatibility issues anymore and you can play games as much as you want. But, I would think twice before blindly accepting the “it’s easier to use” mantra. Maybe, maybe not.

tomatoking

"The clear answer is a Mac. Steve Jobs doesn't like - Apple makes the best computers. Plus, many college students own Macs so any software problems affects hundreds of others. The PC-Mac migration is a growing one, including myself. Oh and you get a free iPod and $99 rebate on a printer with a student discount. So basically when I bought my iMac last year, i got a free iPod nano and a free printer with the Mac from the Online store."


you basically just said the clear answer was a mac because everyone has one and because they offer an mp3(wifi isn't so convenient) player whose gimmick runs dry after a few usages,not to mention it's through a rebate. Stick to the pc vs mac issue without trying to lure him in because they offer "free" stuff.

88888888

yea.. i meant leopard.. lol

macs have better reselling value.

88888888

if you never owned a mac and pc then don't post.

tomatoking

lol books. i meant bucks

Leviathan08

I bought a macbook pro. Thanks though guys! =D

Valawe

For the same price as a mac you could get a pc with substantially better hardware.