MAC vs. PC College Student?

Question

I cannot decide which route to take i need a laptop for college and have delt with a Dell PC my whole Life. the apple laptops really interest me but it sounds troublesome to switch files from a pc to a mac when i currently use ms word for documents and school work.

Answer 1

The current MacBook runs Intel processors. It comes with iLife 08 which has iTunes, iDvd, iMovie, iPhoto, Garage Band, Safari and more. The basic word processor that comes with it is called Text Edit and it will open Word documents. But it is a basic word processor, buy the new iWorks 08 for about $79 (a couple hundred less than Office). It will read and write Word, Excel, and Powerpoint documents, so you don't have to change anything. Just transfer your document files (flash drive, CD, etc.). You can save the word files as .rtf which any Windows computer can open. You can get an entry level MacBook for $999 at the apple education store, they'll give you a free iPod Nano. The MacBook is wi-fi ready out of the box and you don't have to worry about viruses, malware, or adware. You might want to upgrade to a DVD burner (it comes with a CD player/burner, DVD player), you should also add free versions of Firefox and Flip4mac. Good luck in college.

Answer 2

Mac all the way. They are virtually virus-free, which will save you a ton of money on anti-virus software. Overall, the Macs are a great buy and they will help you accomplish a lot! Switching files between computers is not a huge burden actually. If you have an iPod or external hard drive, it will be easy. Just go on the Apple website and search for "switch to Mac" and it will give you a list of results and a link on more info on how to transfer files from your PC to your new Mac via iPod, external hard drive, or network. As for your MS files I recommend getting Office for Mac 2004. That program will give you Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Outlook so, you can still use Office for your new Mac. Macs are a nice change from the usual PC laptop that are out there. Plus, they have a buy a Mac, get a free iPod nano for free promotion going on right now so, make sure you take advantage of that. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

I've been using Mac and PC for years - I've not had a Mac crash on me in 6 years (since moving to OSX 10.2). I've also never had a virus. You can now run Windows on a Mac (if you have a copy of Windows), and amazingly, the fastest laptop to run Vista is a MacBookPro (Yahoo search it if you don't believe me). Get VMWare or Paralles and you can run OSX, XP, Vista and even Limux all at the same time (well, I'd only one 2 at a time, unless you have a LOT of RAM). Personally I prefer the Mac - the interface is much more user friendly, the software is beautiful and stable, and I can do anything a PC user can do on it - check out my Delicious for the best Mac software delicious/nikachu/mac. Looks like new Macs are coming out on the 14th October.

Answer 4

moving files from a pc to a mac is no problem. My friend has a mac with power point on it and i did a project on her computer with it. Then i emailed that power point file to myself and it worked fine. I have a Gateway computer.

When i get my extra FAFSA money i will be purchasing a MacBook. I would go with the Mac. You will have no problems. If you do you can always talk to someone from apple who can talk you through it.

Answer 5

You should get a PC instead of a Mac. I would highly recommend a Toshiba Satellite M65-S9092 for college.

Answer 6

Do you know what you plan to study? What you plan to major in? Some areas do use Mac's - journalism, perhaps the arts.
Others lean toward PC's: business, the sciences. Find out what your school recommends.

Answer 7

Pc hands down. Mac is great for the rich or the unique, plus it is uncompatible with alot of things

Answer 8

This question comes up a lot. Unless you have a lot of money burning a hole in your pocket and you don't like computer games, buy the PC.