What is best for a high school student, a mac or a pc, a laptop or desktop?

Question

I'm a simple user of computer where games are less important for me than cool applications such as those provided to make websites and organize and edit your music and photography, although i like style, design and creative color like in Windows and not always gray like in Mac, but some mac software works more smoothly. I have a restricted budget and I need to decide before the next school year begins, between Vista and Leopard, between a lap- or desktop.

Answer 1

Go for macbook (light, small (13" screen, comfortable to carry), stylish, longer battery life than other laptops, wireless network support, bluetooth support, secure Mac OS X ). Now added advantage is macbook are Intel based i.e. you can use both Mac OS X and Windows XP/VISTA (you have to buy window separately) on macbook and take advantage of both the operating system. Windows have lot of application while Mac OS x is secure and user friendly. Macbook is widely used by student community.

No to desktop - you cannot carry to high school for any presentation, exchanging notes (data files), checking mail or using your school network.

No to intel pc laptop: - Windows is virus prone , resource hungry and less secure . Some feature like bluetooth maybe missing. Battery life is not good.

PS:- Mac OS X leopard will be release at the end of this year or starting of next year.

Answer 2

Don't get a Mac, they're over priced. If you just want to get a Mac because it looks nice, you can download and install (for free) a Linux OS and make it look exactly like a Mac with the use of Compiz Fusion. The majority of programs won't run on Macs (most programs don't have a Mac version), Macs are terrible for gaming (the graphics card is sub-par; most games aren't Mac compatible), the upgrade/repair cost of Macs are twice that of any other computer, you have to use Apple hardware, less devices are compatible with Macs. Macs aren't too much safer than Windows. In 2008 it took under two minutes during the PWN2OWN competition for someone to hack OS X. Windows fell first, but OS X wasn't too far behind it. In fact, OS X was the first to be hacked during this years PWN2OWN competition. Macs DO have viruses, and they'll be more on the rise in the next few years if the popularity of Macs continue to increase. And the only reason Macs don't blue screen is because you can't use anything other than Apple hardware. Most blue screens are the result of using hardware with the wrong drivers (new hardware with your old hardware's drivers). The drivers will then conflict with the hardware, causing a blue screen. A Mac could blue screen if the RAM is bad though. For the price of the Macbook ($999.99) you can get a more powerful Windows based computer.

Answer 3

Another thing to keep in mind is how big the school you go to is... and I say this because you may have problems if you have a mac. I've used a pc for years (and I have a mac now) and used to work in the tech support section at the university I attended. My school had 9 pc support people and 3-4 mac people. This could be a problem if your school is smaller they may have trouble helping you with problems with your internet connection and software you are trying to run.

I think everyone else is right about the decision between what software you want to run and price because it sounds like you would rather have a mac (for software) but might be limited by price as they are more expensive (its worth it ;0). Just some additional stuff to keep in mind from my prespective.

Answer 4

Get a desktop pc; it's cheaper, more reliable, easier and cheaper to fix and repair. Besides, most high school kids probably know how to fix a pc these days, good luck on a mac. Only thing I'll agree with from the previous posts is vista, you'd be better off going with XP.

There isn't anything a mac can do that a pc can't, ppl need to put that one to rest. If that were the case companies like Dreamworks and ILM wouldn't use pc's now would they.

Macs are overrated, you can polish a turd but it's still a turd. This whole argument is pointless anyway, the next person to post will tell me how stupid i am and counter every point I made with their own opinion. So get whatever you're more comfortable with using. PC for reliable powerful performance, mac if you want widgets, lame.

Answer 5

Let's put a few things into perspective to help you choose:

-You're going to want something that is versatile
-You're going to want something that can be easily serviced
-You're going to want something that is going to last

That being said, a few other points to ponder based on what you're looking for. If you're wanting to do music and photography, a desktop would be your ideal choice. Desktops can support more memory than a laptop and are easier to maintain/service. With your budget in mind, a Windows-based machine would be the way to go. Macs are nice, but they are grossly overpriced for what they are. Besides, with a Windows machine, you have access to a whole lot more software, therefore getting a lot more value out of your system.

Answer 6

well, with the software that you are want to run it sounds like you want a mac... they are geared more toward multimedia. but a windows vista pc or laptop is usually sufficient, unless you are going to be getting very serious about it. if you get a mac you should be good to go, if you get a windows pc you should make sure that you have a minimum of 1.5 gigs of ram. and since you are using it primaraly for school you want to get a laptop.

Answer 7

If you have a limited budget, I belive you would want to go with a Windows-based Desktop PC. They are the cheapest and you can usually get a printer and whatnot for free with it. Check out Dell:
http://www.dell.com

Answer 8

hmm...

if you have money first buy PC computer not lap top

then when you be older buy some good laptop

but not buy mac

you must to find some special softwares for mac and....

only if you go on some porn or something like thet sites buy mac becouse in he cant go virus

Answer 9

i would go with a mac---fewer problems.
how many people - even on answers--do you see write in about mac problems....(almost none).

good luck :)

Answer 10

go for a PC with vista