Mac v. PC Ping!
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Also keep in mind that most colleges have computer labs and many computers will be tailored to specific class needs. This means that you can probably get by quite well on a lower end laptop (as others have said; check the college for specs and buy through the college vendor with the academic discount) and use the computers in the labs for specialized high end needs.
1) Ask the college what the curriculum requires. 2) Don’t skimp on graphics computers, particularly if used for video production. Buying a high-end computer should delay obsolescence more than a cheap one. 3) If your son is not a computer geek, a Mac would provide a safer choice to use on the Internet. Most viruses, worms, etc. are designed to exploit the Windows architecture. For that very reason, I use Linux for web use.
First, be sure of what you want. Google “what PC users can do that mac users can’t”
Macs are pricey, but fine for most people. PCs are pricy and require a bit more care and feeding, but are better now than they have ever been.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
From one mom to another:
First, just go ahead and bite the bullet. Get the MacBook Pro. But, shop around. Apple frequently offers educational discounts, not only on the laptop, but your son will be able to use his educational discount on software that he’ll need.
Why did I say to just bite the bullet? Because if you send him off to school with a Windows computer, you can count on him asking you to replace it with a Mac about 2 weeks into the semester. And, believe it or not, he’ll say “But Mom, everybody else has one!” and he’ll prolly be mostly right. Macs are known for their graphic abilities. Also, the MacBook Pros can run Windows applications, if he really needs to use one.
What you WON’T hear from him is “I can’t email you, my computer got a virus and can I have $100.00 to get it fixed?”
I bought the MacBookPro I’m typing on about 1 1/2 yrs ago. I have never had a virus, and only had to have some optical drive thingy replaced (the Apple store agreed, it DID sound like a helicopter was landing on my desk!) at no cost to me. Buy the service plan. Yes, I know it’s more money, but it’s totally worth it.
I have never had to have my son work on my computer, Macs are so easy to use that even I, who sometimes need help opening a jar of mayo, can handle whatever comes up. And when I can’t, Swordmaker has always been a great help.
Spend the higher bucks now, it will save you money in the long run. But remember, look for the education discounts. Also, Apple sells refurbished units on their website.
Oh, and these threads? Ignore the Mac bashers, they’re just jealous! Somedays I think the boys should just pull out a ruler and settle it once and for all!
If it was my son and I could afford it I would get him a Macbook Pro for the following reasons:
A) Unless he sits on it or drops it into water it’s going to last 5+ years at least.
B) It will do everything he will ever need, whether its writing papers, creating artwork, playing games, listening to music, research via internet & email.
C) It is a more secure system and less likely to come down with a virus. The hardware is superior to most Windows laptops. It just works!
D) Refer back to A)
Good luck to your son!
No matter the brand, a computer for graphics animation should be "top of the line", and have:
As I mentioned, I "do" animated graphic presentations and cartography (map making). A 17" Macbook Pro, configured as above, is my "indispensible tool"...
Good luck to both of you!
Pingapalooza
rule #1 of mac laptops: dont talk about mac laptops. rule 2: see rule 1.
In his animation class aren’t there computers for him to use? I mean computers that are up to the task whether they be Windows PC or Mac?
Or is each student expected to bring in a laptop suitable for animation and this is what they use in class? As others have said— Try to find what the professor expects each student to have as far as computers
With portable hard drives he could work on his animation projects in class with their computers and at home with his desktop computer (not laptop) A Windows desktop that can do proper animation in not so expensive. Maybe the school can get him discounts on anmiation software for PCs and Macs
Before jumping on the "Macs are far more expensive" bandwagon, take a look at a few things: If your son is going to be doing graphics-intensive work, then the $399 Wal-Mart laptop is not going to be very satisfying. For that matter, most PC laptops under $1K will fall into that same category. Low-end laptops, regardless of maker, usually use "on-board" graphics cards, which not only share system memory, but are overall, generally less qualified to do graphics-intensive (especially animation) work. Apple's MacBook uses on-board graphics right along with most other $1k and below laptops. That means you are looking at a higher-end laptop, regardless of platform. Take a look at Apple's web site and browse their refurb section. Apple's refurbs have the exact same warranty as brand new, and at a pretty nice discount. Do not fear Apple refurbs. But again - you are looking at a MacBook Pro if he is going to do serious animation on the 'book. Under the Windows OS, you are looking at HP or Dell machines that will be somewhat over $1k to start with. A MacBook Pro from Apple's Education price is $1100 - not such a huge premium. And don't forget about all the "other stuff" necessary on a PC - antivirus, anti-spyware, etc. So my suggestion - look at what he wants and will use, and get it. Avoid the MacBook Air - nothing wrong with it, but it has no optical drive, and is likely the most "limited" of the Macbook line. But again - you will NOT spend 3X the money, unless you were looking at buying a rock-bottom, basic (and unsuitable for the purpose intended) machine. Compare Apple's to Apple's - Equally equipped PC's vs. Apple's are not so greatly different in price, certainly not 3X difference in ANY segment.
I would recommend contacting the department at the university and asking what they recommend, then presenting those recommendations here for alternatives.
Although a MacBook Pro can run both Windows and the Mac OS, so a MacBook Pro would offer your son the flexibility and options available to both operating systems.
The best thing I can say about it was there wasn't any hassle or fiddling to download pictures or to get online, and updating the computer software was effortless, and generally, it was less hassle to use than a PC. But it is very expensive.
I think my dad paid close to $5,000 for it. I would switch to a Mac but they are just so expensive and the regular tower model that I priced for my needs, as a video editor, came out to about $16,000. I could get what I want in a PC for about $7,000. Mac also offers one year of personalized training anytime you have a question about the function of your Mac or how to use a piece of software. My dad and I went to the Mac store and our trainer answered all of our questions. My dad can go back any number of times throughout the year. I think the training is $99 for one year's worth. Good luck.
MacBook might work, but with animation he's going to need a good graphics card, and it's partially good graphics that separate a MacBook from a ...
... MacBook Pro, which is what he would need. The entry level for hard-core use is the 2.66GHz 15" at $2,000. That's when the graphic abilities top-out and you're not paying a bundle for a huge screen and faster processor. This means he gets low-power, long battery life if he uses one set of graphics for his regular classes, and he can switch to high-speed graphics at much lower battery life when he's doing hard-core animation. If he doesn't like the screen size he can get a cheap monitor for when he's in the dorm, which he'd have to do for pretty much any laptop anyway.
Get only that minimum configuration. Don't upgrade hard drive or memory from Apple or you'll get royally ripped-off. It's about a five minute job to add memory for a lot less than Apple charges. For the price Apple charges for upgraded hard drives, he can get himself a higher-capacity portable Firewire 800 drive that will be just as fast as the internal.
I had thought of a desktop and then a PC netbook for taking with him, but he seems to disagree.
With a netbook he won't be able to do animation in class, he'll have to take everything back. He might not even be able to play a high-quality video of his animations without it being choppy. If you're thinking a PC notebook, PC ones comparable to Macs across all the features usually don't cost much less, if not more.
So, my question is, is it that big of a difference?
What's the difference between a Lexus and a Chevy? Better engineering and build quality on the hardware. Plus you get a better OS, and never a castrated version like Vista Home Basic or some such, always Ultimate. Generally, people are happier with their Macs for longer. I always upgraded my PC every year or so, but I'm going two years with my iMac and have no desire to upgrade. If you get him a PC he'll probably be asking for another one halfway through school. He'll probably be happy with the above Mac until he graduates.
Better to get him the Mac. It promotes domestic tranquility. Mrs. Altair wanted to kill me after I bought her a Microsoft Windows XP notebook (which crashed all the time) and we settled the dispute by giving that notebook to one of her younger sisters and getting her a Macbook.
Macs may be more expensive, but they’re worth it.
Spend the money on a 13” Macbook Pro and get the extended warranty.
That way you only cry once.
I have been an Apple evangelist for 14 years but the 13” unibody Macbook Pro is the most amazingly beautiful machine I have ever seen.
Today it went 12 hours on a single charge.
Buy a Dell they come in pretty colors (Sarc!)
From email today...
MacBook Pro - 2.26GHz
2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
160GB SATA hard drive
Ships: Usually ships the same business day
List Price: $1,199.00
Your Price: $1,194.00
Mail-in Rebate(s): $100.00(8%)
You Save: $105.00(9%)
Final Price: $1,094.00
Book Pro - 2.26GHz
2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 memory
160GB SATA hard drive
Ships: Usually ships the same business day
List Price: $1,199.00
Your Price: $1,194.00
Mail-in Rebate(s): $100.00(8%)
You Save: $105.00(9%)
Final Price: $1,094.00
********
17” MacBook Pro - 2.8GHz
2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB DDR3 memory
500GB SATA hard drive
Ships: Usually ships the same business day
List Price: $2,499.00
Your Price: $2,494.00
Mail-in Rebate(s): $200.00(8%)
You Save: $205.00(8%)
Final Price: $2,294.00
http://www.macmall.com/ttsvr/n/macNavLinks-macNavLinks.222
bttt
The reason it seems there is a 3X difference is because you’re comparing a bargain shovel bought on sale at Wally World to a Caterpillar earthmover. There are significant differences in central processors, disk speeds, I/O hardware, displays and graphics processors between an inexpensive PC and any Mac. You would be wasting your money buying a cheap PC for animation work or photographic manipulation. They’re fine for web browsing and emails and word-processing, but you’d be straitjacketing your son’s productivity in his field.
I really have no dog in the fight. I use Windows XP, Windows 7, Linux and Mac daily. I’m on XP right now. Sitting across from me is my Sun workstation, running Sun’s flavor of Unix. So I’m reasonably objective and non-partisan about these things, although I usually end up on these threads advocating the Mac because of:
o Performance. Macs tend to be better than Windows at multitasking and really heavy-duty processing like animation and image manipulation.
o Stability. OS X is simply less crashy than any version of Windows I’ve used. And I use it hard, usually running at least one virtual machine and several apps at once. And Macs don’t come festooned with crapware and trialware and crashware.
o Quality. Even the cheapest models (such as the $600 Mac Mini desktop model) are beautifully designed and assembled, using premium components, connectors, etc. The inexpensive PCs you mention tend to be bendy and squeaky, use low-end processors and graphics chips and slow disk drives, etc.
o Security. Macs don’t need antivirus, firewalls, anti-malware or other utilities, which is a significant hidden cost. They just work. They even have a fantastic automatic-backup utility built-in as standard... the sort of thing you’d spend $100 or more on for Windows, and it still wouldn’t be as good.
o Low maintenance. Macs don’t need to have their disk defragged like all versions of Windows (including the upcoming Win7, I’m sad to say), and their OS doesn’t tend to get corrupted over time like Windows XP. The machine I’m typing on right now is about to suffer its third Windows wipe-and-reinstall in two years due to heaven only knows what. Gad that frosts me— all programs need to be reinstalled afterwards, too. It’s going to cost me a full day. And, it’s typical of our household experience with Windows. My wife’s XP laptop, for example, seems to get infected when she just connects to her school network, despite all my precautions. I have to spend hours each month disinfecting that thing. And, it’s falling apart after three years, whereas the Mac laptops my sons have been using for five or six years still look and run like new.
o Support. No one ever mentions the Apple Stores and their wonderful Genius bars, but they’re a real reason for preference in my book. As one who has spent countless hours on hold with “support desks” in central Bangalore waiting to be connected to an incomprehensible troll who can only read from a script, it is just incredibly refreshing to make an appointment online at the Genius Bar, then walk up and have a crisp, effective discussion with a trained, English-speaking technician who knows what they’re talking about.
Given what you’re probably paying for your son’s college education, don’t toss money away thinking you’re economizing on the computer. You will regret it. But not as much as your son will.
One bit of advice: for most products, extended warranties are a waste of money. But if you buy a Lenovo or Apple computer, the three-year extended warranty is quite a good buy. Recommended. Also, if you can, make your purchase on a credit card with a loss protection feature, in case your son’s laptop gets ripped off the first few weeks of college. It happens.