<p>Got it. I agree. There is a one time start up cost.</p>
<p>Can Macs be purchased below the Smith price? The prices listed in the Smith brochure are the same as those listed on the Apple site, and genterally, Apple products are not discounted.</p>
<p>Speaking of costs, we just popped $135 to update D’s laptop from 512Mb of RAM to 1.5Gb of RAM…it seemed the most cost-efficient way for her nurse her computer through one last year of undergrad…she’ll need another one for grad school, whenever that comes. A four-year-old computer is I don’t know how many dog years… (We try to stretch things out but our home computers, one Mac and one PC, seem to be on about that cycle.)</p>
<p>If I remember the site correctly the Apple through Smith is the same price I paid yet since it’s an intel it has superior stats.</p>
<p>“mini, so what are we doing wrong? How do your costs decrease over time?”</p>
<p>They like us? It’s not like we paid a heck of a lot to begin with, but they were very, very understanding of my wife’s illness. In addition, living at Hopkins has cut her food expenses. In addition, the Kahn Fellowship for senior year adds funds to the kitty. Costs in Italy came in on budget, but we had to purchase Smith’s health insurances while she was there, whereas when she goes back to Northampton, we only pay the basic health fee.</p>
<p>We have always figured our costs as being what we lay out in tuition, plus airfares, plus “settling in” funds, plus the smallish required loans, and overall, there has been a modest decrease over four years in absolute terms, and a larger decrease in relative terms.</p>
<p>We bought D’s Macbook through Smith, although the computer cost the same as it did on the educational Mac website. We DID like the bundled add-ons, simply because they eliminated our going out to get them: messenger bag, memory stick, ethernet cable, MS Word, etc. DH liked the iPod Nano he got for free (DD already had an iPod.)</p>
<p>Although AppleCare (the service for Macs) isn’t nearly as comprehensiive as the service offered for Dells (check the fine print), we were glad we didn’t have to worry about connectivity issues. Of course, because we paid for AppleCare, the computer didn’t have any problems. :)</p>
<p>Just a word of warning for the non-technologically savvy: some students showed up with non-Dell, non-Mac computers, and had some issues connecting to the Smith network. I’m not sure why, or whether this has been fixed, but it’s something to keep in mind.</p>
<p>Most students buy the Dell, but a growing percentage choose Macs. In fact, most of my D’s friends wish they had gone with the Apple once they saw from her how easy Macs are to use.</p>
<p>Macs are the “hot” computer on a lot of campuses these days, which I think has largely to do with the popularity of the iPod, and the fact that Macs are ultra thin and portable. Also though, if you get a mac, you don’t have to deal with the hassle of the internet security procedures Smith makes PCs go through every time they log onto the network. It’s a new thing they started last year called “Clean Access” to help protect from viruses and such (which macs are not susceptible to). Sometimes the Clean Access thing breaks down and you can’t get onto the internet from your room. It usually adds extra time to getting on and off the network. Not so much that I would say absolutely don’t get a PC, but something to think about. </p>
<p>Of course, Clean Access is there for our protection, and any amount of hassle is better than having a virus. I like that with my Mac I don’t have to worry so much about security. it’s more the hardware problems you have to worry about (flaming batteries, broken screens, etc)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Don’t be so sure about that. I got on of the 13 known viruses for macs (and my friends are still making fun of me for it. apparently I have a greater chance of being hit by an asteroid. =/ ) The hardware problems are understandable though. Right now I’m typing on my laptop but using an external monitor since my screen broke and apple charges 700+ to fix it. The flaming batteries, well…go to CompUSA when they’re giving out external laptop fans for free. That worked for me (even though i never used the thing after a week)</p>
<p>One modest add-on that D talked us into covering: decent headphones. D does listen to background music while she works but in terms of roommates, neighbors, etc., headphones are a necessity. We didn’t get ultra noise-cancelling ones or anything like that but they cover her ears and are easier on them than the mini-phones, buds, etc.</p>
<p>If you’re planning on getting a PC from somewhere other than Smith, I’d recommend that you go with XP Pro rather than any version of Vista. I’m currently typing on my new ThinkPad T61 and while I haven’t had any problems with my computer (knock on wood), I know of many with Vista who have had BSOD issues. It isn’t so much the computer nor the operating system but the fact that most software isn’t up-to-date. </p>
<p>Another factor: a lot of science, math, and engineering programs are written for Windows with no options for Mac. However, I know that Tiger comes prebuilt with the option to dual boot OS X and Windows and there are plenty of computers on campus that run the software you need.</p>
<p>An IT guy I know bought a new laptop with Vista on it. He junked it in less than three months for a dual-OS Mac.</p>
<p>Heh. I’m a Windows person and even I won’t touch a new OS in its first year.</p>
<p>As the tech support guy said, “Well kiss my patch.” Yeah, I’m wary of 1.0 of any software.</p>
<p>I made the mistake of switching to Norton 360 from Norton Internet Security…what a dog. I’m switching back. It’s a really touchy program and it may or may not be incompatible with a long list of software. But the killing thing is, that it’s back-up function, which is inadequately described in its promo materials, does full back-ups only, no option for incremental back-ups.</p>
<p>While perhaps most prolific at colleges, Dell laptops are among the most unreliable in the marketplace. There are a lot of them because you can negotiate with the Dell salespeople about price and many colleges offer them in their purchase programs. I’ve noticed, though, that the college offerings tend to be more expensive. Personally, we have a number of family friends whose own/and their students’ Dell laptops crashed and burned.</p>
<p>There undoubtedly is a local tech service shop in the Noho/Amherst area that can handle authorized warranty repairs for any laptop one purchases.<br>
We use dell desktops at home, and each of us has a Thinkpad laptop. All are wirelessly networked. The desktops have been very reliable and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one of those, although the Dell desktops I’ve used at my office have not been as reliable.</p>
<p>I’ve had several laptops over the past 15 years, having used them as a destop replacements and for business travel. Without question - in my experience - Thinkpads absolutely are the most durable and reliable and have the best keyboards. After having dropped and banged them over the years, I did not hesitate a moment when deciding which laptop my S/D was going to purchase for college. Even since the sale of the Thinkpad brand to Lenovo, the machines are still top notch, though perhaps plain in some circles.</p>
<p>I also hear that the Apple crowd has similar reliability experiences, and those machines do have nice thin profiles. However, I looked at Apples last week while wandering around a mall, and the things really do have a less robust feel to them. I’m not an Apple-basher in general. Buy what you like.</p>
<p>Bottom line advice…with a little research, buy what you can afford and don’t get too hung up on service availability (unless you’re buying a Dell laptop). $750 can buy a very powerful wireless laptop for most people. BTW, HP makes a $100 laser printer that works like a charm (1020, 1040, etc.)</p>
<p>If purchasing “on the cheap”, I strongly recommend <a href=“http://www.refurbdepot.com%5B/url%5D”>www.refurbdepot.com</a> The prices are great, and you KNOW the machine has been very thoroughly tested before they ship it to you. I bought a Compaq Presario from them at 45% of list about 3 years ago, and have taken it around the world three times now, and it has performed flawlessly. The recommendation I’m making is not for Compaq per se (though certainly they earned my trust), but for a place where you know the quality control is first rate.</p>
<p>Hello, everyone!</p>
<p>I’m not much of a computer person at all. I have heard certain stereotypes such as “Macs are best for you if you’re into photography and music” and “PCs are reliable as far as word-processing and other technical things go.” Based off of this, I am inclined to buy a Mac laptop although my iMac desktop of about 6 years has certainly had its issues. Any opinions on said stereotypes/which is preferred?</p>
<p>I think the general rule of thumb is Macs for photography, music, video editing, etc but PCs for math, science, and engineering. Apple is known for its well-built computers but if you’re going to go with a PC, get a ThinkPad. I’ve also heard good things about HP, Sony, and Toshiba but I don’t have first-hand experience with any of those so I can’t tell you more. </p>
<p>Macs seem to be really user-friendly so if you want an easier computer to work with, go with an Apple. Because Apple makes nearly everything that you can use with its computers, there really aren’t that many compatibility issues whereas there are many makers of PC products so some techie knowledge is helpful when you run into problems.</p>
<p>Actually for my engineering class this year I preferred to use my Mac for CAD but I guess that falls more under an arts category than engineering. My reason: it was easier and the drawings were a lot prettier. =)</p>
<p>What kind of Imac do you have? Some did have a lot of problems but it was that certain model. I have one mac from almost every generation so I know which ones are crap.</p>
<p>I’m not referring to preferences, I’m referring to practicality as most engineering software won’t even run on Macs. Matlab and Engineering Toolkit are two that come to mind right away but there are others.</p>
<p>I, too, have a 6 year old Mac desktop, although it’s not an iMac (G3, I think.) I <em>much</em> prefer my MacBook to the 6 year old model since it’s much more powerful and has a lot more memory. </p>
<p>BTW, my husband is a computer science prof – and he <em>hates</em> Dells. He no longer uses a Mac (up until recently, you couldn’t run Linux on a Mac, so they were automatically ruled out), although he won’t use a Dell either. He opts for the Windows platform with either HP or Toshiba for day-to-day stuff. Because he has several computers, including a Dell desktop, I can’t say which is the most powerful/useful for computer science and engineering.</p>
<p>Architecture firms almost always use Macs for CAD design.</p>