MacBook vs Surface Pro for university?

OP

Original post by haj2244

I definitely prefer MacBook and have been using my current one for around 4 years now. However, the irritating things is that since most schools use Windows, I usually have to export my powerpoints and word, etc since it runs on a different programme which means that my work ends up looking a bit weird

but isn't there pwerpoint/word for mac?

Reply 3

haj2244

10

There is an Apple version of it, which literally looks the same and has the same functions, except you would have to export your work (which isn't hard to do) if the person receiving it does not use Apple.

Reply 4

Original post by martimrgp

but isn't there pwerpoint/word for mac?

Yes there is. And you might get it free from Oxford's microsoft educational licence (idk).

Also I'd consider the smaller MBPR 13" - it's v portable.... I'm using one right now.

We also have a MS Surface 3 (not Pro) and I'm not convinced. The detachable keyboard isn't great although I understand the new one you are considering is an improvement.

Reply 5

username612415

Original post by martimrgp

Hey guys, I'm new at the student room

I'm considering buying one of these 2 laptops for medical school.

Which laptop would suit me better?
(I'm planning to go to Oxford University I don't know if that helps).

Apple MacBook Pro 2017 15" 512GB
Microsoft Surface Pro 5

Both are massively overkill, I've never known anyone who's been through a medicine degree needing any more than a basic laptop. If you want to spend more then that's fine, but neither of these machines are going to badly suited to the job.

What features are most important to you in a laptop? Besides your degree is there anything else you'd like to use it for? Do you have an ideal budget? What screen size would you prefer?

Original post by martimrgp

but isn't there pwerpoint/word for mac?

Yes, there is Office for Mac. You can also export to Office compatible formats from within Apple's version of Office and pretty much any modern productivity suite.

Reply 6

haj2244

10

I think you can definitely get the usual Word/ Powerpoint on your Mac, but it naturally comes with the Apple version, which I use.

Reply 7

OP

I know that it's massively overkill, I'll use the laptop mainly for studying, my budget max is the price of 15" Mac Pro 2017

Reply 8

Tootles

Original post by martimrgp

I know that it's massively overkill, I'll use the laptop mainly for studying, my budget max is the price of 15" Mac Pro 2017

If you know it's overkill, why are you thinking of them still when you could get something like a Lenovo Ideapad for £170 that'll do everything you need it to?

Reply 9

username612415

Original post by martimrgp

I know that it's massively overkill, I'll use the laptop mainly for studying, my budget max is the price of 15" Mac Pro 2017

Literally just studying? What about my other questions?

Reply 10

Original post by martimrgp

I know that it's massively overkill, I'll use the laptop mainly for studying, my budget max is the price of 15" Mac Pro 2017

Which OS do you prefer?

And if you're in that budget I'll again recommend the 13" but with the chunky SSD (it's so fast it's amazing), and maybe an external 2nd monitor for those times when you want to watch Netflix or whatever...

Reply 11

OP

Original post by Doonesbury

Yes there is. And you might get it free from Oxford's microsoft educational licence (idk).

Also I'd consider the smaller MBPR 13" - it's v portable.... I'm using one right now.

We also have a MS Surface 3 (not Pro) and I'm not convinced. The detachable keyboard isn't great although I understand the new one you are considering is an improvement.

Yes, exactly my though, maybe I'll need to try both at a store

Reply 12

OP

Just studying, important feature would be battery life and speed

Reply 13

OP

Original post by Doonesbury

Which OS do you prefer?

And if you're in that budget I'll again recommend the 13" but with the chunky SSD (it's so fast it's amazing), and maybe an external 2nd monitor for those times when you want to watch Netflix or whatever...

I like both OS, do you think the 13" would do the job better?

Reply 14

OP

Original post by Tootles

If you know it's overkill, why are you thinking of them still when you could get something like a Lenovo Ideapad for £170 that'll do everything you need it to?

I could be wrong but, wouldn't the mac be good because of it's battery life and perfomance? Wouldn't the ideapad be too slow?

Reply 15

Original post by martimrgp

I like both OS, do you think the 13" would do the job better?

I think the portability makes it the winner. And the smaller FF means you can spend a bit on those extras.

But I'm not you... try it and see. :smile:

Reply 16

OP

Original post by Doonesbury

I think the portability makes it the winner. And the smaller FF means you can spend a bit on those extras.

But I'm not you... try it and see. :smile:

My only concerns are if there will be program incompatibilities and I don't want to look like I'm showing off with an expensive laptop, on the other hand I don't want have a slow laptop that will give me a pain in the neck

Reply 17

username612415

Original post by martimrgp

Just studying, important feature would be battery life and speed

Right, I'm gonna say right now that I'm not going to recommend the 15" MBP because it's p*ssing money away- nothing you will do over your degree will stress even a basic 13" MBP and even if you did want more power just in case the 15" MBP isn't even that powerful, in fact for a laptop that expensive it's downright pathetic. So working on the assumption that you want a premium laptop, I would recommend:

*Entry level 2017 13" MBP with TouchBar: It's as powerful as you need and you don't need to pay through the nose for extra storage, just buy an external HDD instead.
*Microsoft Surface Pro 2017 with Core i5, 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM: The cheapest model with 8GB of RAM which I'd consider the minimum requirement
*Entry level Microsoft Surface Book: Chunkier than the Surface Pro but you get an actual laptop-quality keyboard rather than a tablet cover.
*Microsoft Suface Laptop with Core i5 8GB RAM: Sits between the two other Surface devices- a full fledged laptop that's slimmer than the Surface Book but without the tablet mode
*Razer Blade: Essentially a black MacBook that runs windows and actually has specs that are futureproof.

As to which one you should buy, there are a few major choices to decide on:
*Do you want Mac OS X? If yes get the MacBook, because it's the only that has it.
*Do you want a detachable keyboard? If yes, get the Surface Pro or Surface Book. The Pro is better used as a tablet and is a slimmer, lighter package with the keyboard cover attached, but the kickstand and thin keyboard are not going to replace a proper laptop when it comes to usability. The Surface Book marries the best of both worlds, at the expense of being a larger overall package.
*Do you not care about the detachable keyboard and just was a classy Windows laptop? Get the Surface Laptop, it's really nicely designed and similarly spec'd to the other Surface machines.
*Do you actually care about getting a powerful laptop so you have growing space for more intensive tasks? Get the Razer Blade Pro, it's a great laptop for daily use and powerful enough for almost anything you'll ever throw at it.

Reply 18

BigYoSpeck

19

Original post by martimrgp

Hey guys, I'm new at the student room

I'm considering buying one of these 2 laptops for medical school.

Which laptop would suit me better?
(I'm planning to go to Oxford University I don't know if that helps).

Apple MacBook Pro 2017 15" 512GB
Microsoft Surface Pro 5

These two devices are so different I would think it would be fairly obvious which is for you.

A Macbook is just a standard laptop with macOS. This is the choice if:

You like macOS
Need long battery life
Don't have any use for a stylus
Don't like touchscreen
Need to use it on your lap

A Surface Pro is a 2-in-1, so it's the best choice if:

You like Windows
Can live with a shorter battery life
Would find a stylus for drawing on screen useful
Like using a laptop with touchscreen functions
Occasionally want to use as a tablet (Windows doesn't make a good tablet OS like iOS or Android but it's handy from time to time)
Don't plan on using it on your lap (you can but it's not ideal)

So yeah pretty different devices. I've got a Dell Latitude 2-in-1 and I'll be honest it's just handy being able to touch the screen when it's right there for certain actions. I can annotate things with the stylus. And then if I need to show work to people detaching it from the keyboard is really handy.

Other devices to consider though would be a Dell XPS 15 if you like Windows but want the standard laptop form factor.

Or maybe the best of all worlds in the Microsoft Surface Book. You get all the features of the surface pro, slightly bigger screen, and better battery life.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 19