Posted on 07/17/2017 9:04:12 AM PDT by jacquej
My grandson has been accepted into the Business School at the University of Michigan, and we are all happy for him.
Here is the dilemma. They strongly advise that all incoming student have a PC, not a Mac. Since we are all Mac users from way back, we do not know enough about PCs to make an intelligent purchase.
We do know that Macs can run PC software partitioned, but it seems that there are some software programs that do not run well on partitioned Macs (proprietary, maybe?)
So can you all offer to help, without turning it into a platform fight?
Maybe ask the PC list to offer their opinion on which might be the most reliable PC for use by a college student for business school - reliability, sturdiness, and most of all, help us with which anti-virus programs are best to use, and anything else us spoiled Mac users might not know.
You can boot Windows native on a Mac now you know, and as far as the network is concerned it is a Windows PC.
Hope you see this, and can ping the most helpful people.
Get a copy of VMware Fusion for the Mac.
I have used Acer pcs and they do well.
This was my suggestion, but my son tells me that they say some of the software required doesn’t run that well on Windows native.
Do you suppose that is factual, or in error? Is there software, (for business applications) that might not run on Windows native?
Ignore the University.
iMacs do everything PCs do only better and without all the protection programs which eventually fail.
The reason they said windows pc is that there may have been problems with Mac native windows.
Acer (4th largest computermaker in the world?) makes reliable computers. I have never had a problem with them. Dell, problems, hp, problems etc.
Don’t know if that is factual or not, but there’s nothing really special or proprietary about the hardware components in a Mac anymore. They use the same Intel x64 processors and the same memory types as a PC these days. I don’t see why booting native Windows 10 on Mac hardware would be a problem unless there is not a Windows driver for a particular component in the Mac.
I use the same Mac bought in 2011.
Trouble free.
Their may be software which will not run on macs that was developed in house. Go with the pc.
Because they said so.
A surface pro is a pretty nice adjustment if you are used to the finish level of an apple product.
You need to be somewhat savvy to use VMWare, Parallels, or BootCamp to run Windows 10. However, there is lots of how-to guides out there. I agree it’s kind of silly to buy brand new hardware if you already own something semi-current.
Not factual. Use Boot Camp and install Windows on any Mac and it is Windows. I haven't heard of any serious problems even using VMWare or Parallels, but just dual-booting Windows and OS/X with the built-in Boot Camp resolves any possible issue.
The MacBook Pro 13" is the best college device, IMHO.
I’ve found that old-school IT types are very diehard in their dislike of Apple even in the face of there no longer being any appreciable functional divergence as far as software and network connectivity. So, I’d lean toward thinking it’s error, but depending upon his planned course of study, crossing the poo-bahs might not be the wisest thing to do, just has so often been the case in the corporate world.
I use both Macs and PCs. They are different tools that do well at different jobs. I am buying a new laptop for my sons college use and he prefers a Windows based PC. After doing research we are ending up with a Dell Alienware. They are very sturdy if a little heavier. My son prefers the ruggedness and doesn’t care about a few extra pounds. The specs are very good and one that is loaded up will cost about the same as a Mac. By all means use Windows 10 and don’t be swayed by the Windows 7 aficionados. You’re just asking for trouble with viruses and programs not working correctly. Nothing wrong with windows 10. Since my son doesn’t go on suspect websites that are filled with bugs and viruses we are using just the windows 10 virus protection that comes automatically with it. We’ve been doing that for years, ever since Windows 10 came out and have had zero problems. My sons laptop with eight gigs of memory, a 256 GB SSD who drive and a 1 TB secondary drive and upgraded graphics card with 6 GB of memory came in under $1800. Strongly consider getting the Microsoft office annual subscription so your programs are always the newest and latest. Cost about 65 bucks a year for a single user.
To sort of quote Bush I, "wouldn't be prudent, not at this juncture."
The suggestions above are helpful but they may also be somewhat esoteric and/or require additional knowledge, administration, etc.
The school probably asks for a PC because it relies on standards supplied by software vendors and/or its own IT department, either or both of whom may be responsible for support down the road of a maintenance or troubleshooting variety.
If installation/configuration of software, networking tools, etc. is required by the school and/or a class then having a garden-variety PC is probably a must.
You didn’t mention budget but as always you get what you pay for. A solid state drive (SSD) is, in my view, crucial. No moving parts, less heat generation, less susceptible to damage or loss of data from jolts, drops, etc. which are always a danger to laptops.
Dell has taken its share of slings and arrows but they still have competitive pricing and can build/ship within 7-10 days and usually handle warranty claims well.
This might be a good ‘Chevy’ model for a student:
http://www.dell.com/en-us/work/shop/productdetails/inspiron-15-7560-laptop/cai157w10p7b2622
Thank you so much for the incoming advice. I hope to get as many opinions as I can, so the shopping can begin.
School starts in just a few weeks - and, while I wish he could use a Mac, it might be that the IT people there do not want to lose their jobs. (just a joke among friends!)
Their website explains their reasoning.
https://www2.bus.umich.edu/MyiMpact/technology/need-help/purchasing-your-laptop
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