<p>Hi every one, i am new here and i will go to hotchkiss this fall. I have a few questions about the school. First, i gonna buy computer and i cant decide between Mcbook Pro and Vaio. I heard that Hotchkiss has mac-based system. However, i never use mac before. So mcbook or vaio is better? Second, i came from school in asia that i am not in sci program so my sci backgroud is weak. I wonder what is easier between Chemistry and Bio at hotchkiss for a student who is not ghod at sci? And the school allows TI 84 or not? Thank you very much :D</p>
<p>If it is between a mac and a Sony Vaio…definitely get the Mac. If you must get a PC notebook…Lenovos are the machine to get. </p>
<p>Sony Vaios IME tend to be overpriced for what you get and have mediocre build quality so they must be babied a lot. When clients ask me for advice on buying computers…Sony’s one brand I tell them to AVOID. </p>
<p>Repaired dozens of them over the years over the last 15+ years.</p>
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<p>People generalize too much when talking about computer brands and companies.</p>
<p>Apple is one of the only makers that make “business” class business as their main computers so you should be comparing the business divisions from each maker.</p>
<p>Apple actually makes the most over priced computers right now.
Lenovo’s quality has went down since a Chinese company bought them out but they still make a few business class machines.</p>
<p>Consumer grade laptops for the most part are junk.</p>
<p>Macs are definitely overrated but they have good overall build quality. But for someone who knows almost nothing about computers , Macs are a great choice.</p>
<p>The disappointing part is that the specs for Mac laptops are low for the price ( e.g. no IPS panel LCD screen, no modular battery , etc ).</p>
<p>Since many laptop companies besides Apple make for the consumer and business market there are quite a few differences.</p>
<p>IIRC , Sony does make some GOOD Vaio models but not they are not all equal in specs or even build quality.
Dell makes some good laptops such as the m4600. Fujitsu makes some good laptops such as the lifebook series , etc.</p>
<p>If I had the choice between a Sony Vaio and a Macbook , I would check if the Sony Vaio was one of the good ones first. If not I would get the Macbook.</p>
<p>One model of a Sony Vaio might be bad while another might be great.</p>
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<p>That’s not what I’ve seen…and IT departments I know of who tried adopting Sony Vaio notebooks/desktops tended to drop them quickly for other OEM vendors due to poor quality, high price, and inconsistency of support. </p>
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<p>Agreed…though they weren’t always this way. The Toshiba Satellites of the late '90s were great for their day and built like tanks. </p>
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<p>Ironically, my friend’s company issues that very notebook for his work. He and the company’s IT staff aren’t impressed considering the issues they’ve had with the hardware and support from Dell.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your help. I am leaning towards Mac now bur one thing worries me. I wonder is Mac easy to use for someone never uses it before (i uses microsoft windows solely and no nothing about mac). Thank you :)</p>
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<p>If you are used to Windows, transitioning to the Mac shouldn’t be that big of a deal. For most people I’ve known…took them less than a week to get comfortable enough to do what they needed to do. More often…a few days.</p>
<p>Yeaa Thank you! I decided to but mac now :)</p>