Do I get a MacBook for Uni?
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Original post by BigYoSpeck
Slim and high performance aren't unique to Mac's though. In fact the slimmest and the highest performance devices are Windows devices.
The convenience of Apple stores and having macOS are all that is unique to a Mac.
The convenience of Apple stores and having macOS are all that is unique to a Mac.
Didn't say that was unique to Mac. I was merely stating the MacBook is much more suited to my work style and function - something to consider more than anything else when it comes to university gear I think!
I used the Olympus recorder alongside my Samsung but it would have been a lot more helpful to have had a programme that recorded and marked what point of the recording I was when I wrote a particular note etc. Perhaps this is available somewhere?? I don't know!
Original post by caithola
thankyou for these ideas! Sounds silly but I hadn't really thought about other options, I just thought Macbook or current laptop. I'm going to go and have a good browse in PC World!
I would never suggest an iPad or tablet or whatever could replace a laptop but it all depends on you and your individual style really! Some people spend money on the iPad Pro and then get a cheap Toshiba to work alongside it for their laptop.
It all does get a bit confusing haha.
As someone who comfortably uses both PC and Mac I'd go for Mac but as stated that's just personal preference!
Either way John Lewis has the best warranty offers and insurance! Many a time I've broken expensive gear and they've readily swapped it with no fuss
Original post by PerhapsPhysio
I would never suggest an iPad or tablet or whatever could replace a laptop but it all depends on you and your individual style really! Some people spend money on the iPad Pro and then get a cheap Toshiba to work alongside it for their laptop.
It all does get a bit confusing haha.
As someone who comfortably uses both PC and Mac I'd go for Mac but as stated that's just personal preference!
Either way John Lewis has the best warranty offers and insurance! Many a time I've broken expensive gear and they've readily swapped it with no fuss
It all does get a bit confusing haha.
As someone who comfortably uses both PC and Mac I'd go for Mac but as stated that's just personal preference!
Either way John Lewis has the best warranty offers and insurance! Many a time I've broken expensive gear and they've readily swapped it with no fuss
I've heard and seen good things from the iPad Pro, particularly from art students, but as I would need programming softwares etc I would also be needing a laptop so I see where you're coming from! I'll have a look
Original post by PerhapsPhysio
Didn't say that was unique to Mac. I was merely stating the MacBook is much more suited to my work style and function - something to consider more than anything else when it comes to university gear I think!
I used the Olympus recorder alongside my Samsung but it would have been a lot more helpful to have had a programme that recorded and marked what point of the recording I was when I wrote a particular note etc. Perhaps this is available somewhere?? I don't know!
I used the Olympus recorder alongside my Samsung but it would have been a lot more helpful to have had a programme that recorded and marked what point of the recording I was when I wrote a particular note etc. Perhaps this is available somewhere?? I don't know!
I don't want to seem like I'm taking a dump on the Mac. I fully appreciate the intangible quality of a device making you more productive if everything just feels cohesive and you feel more at home working on it.
The problem is most Apple advocates don't offer a balanced reasoning why they recommend Apple, they tend to just say it's great, I love it and note some features not unique to a Mac rather than provide any depth to the recommendation.
I think anyone considering a Mac needs to sit and use one. If it clicks and feels right then it's the device for them.
As for note taking I'm on the lookout for software that does what you describe myself. Is there an iPad app that does that?
Original post by BigYoSpeck
I don't want to seem like I'm taking a dump on the Mac. I fully appreciate the intangible quality of a device making you more productive if everything just feels cohesive and you feel more at home working on it.
The problem is most Apple advocates don't offer a balanced reasoning why they recommend Apple, they tend to just say it's great, I love it and note some features not unique to a Mac rather than provide any depth to the recommendation.
I think anyone considering a Mac needs to sit and use one. If it clicks and feels right then it's the device for them.
As for note taking I'm on the lookout for software that does what you describe myself. Is there an iPad app that does that?
The problem is most Apple advocates don't offer a balanced reasoning why they recommend Apple, they tend to just say it's great, I love it and note some features not unique to a Mac rather than provide any depth to the recommendation.
I think anyone considering a Mac needs to sit and use one. If it clicks and feels right then it's the device for them.
As for note taking I'm on the lookout for software that does what you describe myself. Is there an iPad app that does that?
Haha no I understand what you're saying! I personally use both and love both but its just the Mac is better suited to what I do.
I recently discovered OneNote which I think is fantastic for categorising notes - it's like building your own notebook with chapters, subjects etc. and its free so definitely check that one out! There is one that others use that uses the previously mentioned style of software but I can't quite remember the name so sorry
I do know its a paid for app though.Original post by caithola
I've heard and seen good things from the iPad Pro, particularly from art students, but as I would need programming softwares etc I would also be needing a laptop so I see where you're coming from! I'll have a look
OH. Sorry I know I'm rambling but just incase you hadn't thought - I always find it really helpful to search YouTube videos. Quite a few people have videos on how they take their notes / use iPad Pro or other devices for uni work and I suppose that can give you more of a visual feel of what might be better for you?
Original post by niteninja1
a lot of programming software has problems on MAC.
for instance SWI-prolog which is the most used prolog IDE doesnt work on MAC at all
for instance SWI-prolog which is the most used prolog IDE doesnt work on MAC at all
There's always Boot Camp / Parallels if it's really necessary to run Windows software. And Windows 10 is probably free (or very cheap) via your university Mictosoft license scheme.
(Do CS courses still use Prolog? Interesting...)
Original post by PerhapsPhysio
Haha no I understand what you're saying! I personally use both and love both but its just the Mac is better suited to what I do.
I recently discovered OneNote which I think is fantastic for categorising notes - it's like building your own notebook with chapters, subjects etc. and its free so definitely check that one out! There is one that others use that uses the previously mentioned style of software but I can't quite remember the name so sorry I do know its a paid for app though.
I recently discovered OneNote which I think is fantastic for categorising notes - it's like building your own notebook with chapters, subjects etc. and its free so definitely check that one out! There is one that others use that uses the previously mentioned style of software but I can't quite remember the name so sorry
I do know its a paid for app though.Yeah I use Onenote on my windows device, it's especially handy for digitising handwritten equations. But I don't think it has annotated audio recording unless I've overlooked the feature?
I also use an app called Nebo which is available on both iPad Pro with a pencil and Windows devices with an active stylus like the Surface Pro but that doesn't do annotated audio recordings. It's handwriting support though is the best I've seen. It comes so close to matching making paper notes.
I have a 12 inch MacBook which I managed to get for about 850 from eBay which is a massive discount as the asking price now is around 1200 if you buy it direct from Apple. this laptop has got me through the first year of uni and it's been such a wide investment; it's so light that I can happily put it in my bag in case I'll need it during the day and the battery life is around 8 hours as well so I can get away without needing to take a charger with me either. it's really great in terms of the screen resolution too and the speakers are excellent for blasting tunes.
Original post by caithola
I don't want an Apple/Windows fight, and I'm not looking to build my own computer as people on one post were suggesting. Just wondering from anyone at uni if it is actually getting a MacBook, if they're worth the hype or if they're just a waste of money? Looking to either be doing a computer science course or something art related at uni
Do not get a macbook. Get a Windows laptop. I know some people are more steered towards MacOS however for Computer Science it is essential that you are able to download and use all of the required software. This is impossible with MacOS as third party software providers mostly only release software for Windows.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Original post by Spratty
Do not get a macbook. Get a Windows laptop. I know some people are more steered towards MacOS however for Computer Science it is essential that you are able to download and use all of the required software. This is impossible with MacOS as third party software providers mostly only release software for Windows.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Eclipse is available for Mac.
If something is Win-only there's always Boot Camp / Parallels.
And OP is also considering an Art Foundation.
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by Doonesbury
Parallels.
And OP is also considering an Art Foundation.
And OP is also considering an Art Foundation.
No, they are doing Computer Science or something art related.
Original post by caithola
Looking to either be doing a computer science course or something art related at uni
Original post by Spratty
No, they are doing Computer Science or something art related.
See my edit.
Original post by Spratty
Do not get a macbook. Get a Windows laptop. I know some people are more steered towards MacOS however for Computer Science it is essential that you are able to download and use all of the required software. This is impossible with MacOS as third party software providers mostly only release software for Windows.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
thankyou!!
Original post by Doonesbury
See my edit.
I will be doing art foundation at my current college. Afterwards, the course I'm currently looking at is Creative Computing, a mixture of the two but leaning more towards the interactive end of computing and computer science. I'm currently studying Computer Science and Art at A-level, hence the unsureness of which path to go down!
Original post by caithola
I don't want an Apple/Windows fight, and I'm not looking to build my own computer as people on one post were suggesting. Just wondering from anyone at uni if it is actually getting a MacBook, if they're worth the hype or if they're just a waste of money? Looking to either be doing a computer science course or something art related at uni
Trust me, TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'd never get a non apple laptop now. Os x frigging never crashes, and is so much nicer to navigate... Apple laptops last longer too
Original post by caithola
I will be doing art foundation at my current college. Afterwards, the course I'm currently looking at is Creative Computing, a mixture of the two but leaning more towards the interactive end of computing and computer science. I'm currently studying Computer Science and Art at A-level, hence the unsureness of which path to go down!
A Mac would not disadvantage you.
Original post by fefssdf
I have a 12 inch MacBook which I managed to get for about 850 from eBay which is a massive discount as the asking price now is around 1200 if you buy it direct from Apple. this laptop has got me through the first year of uni and it's been such a wide investment; it's so light that I can happily put it in my bag in case I'll need it during the day and the battery life is around 8 hours as well so I can get away without needing to take a charger with me either. it's really great in terms of the screen resolution too and the speakers are excellent for blasting tunes.
I think the Retina MacBook is an underrated bit of kit because most people dismiss the Core M CPU inside it. My Windows device has the exact same CPU as the 2015 12" MacBook and it's 90% of the time indistinguishable from an i5 but the battery lasts longer, it doesn't run as hot, and the lack of fan noise is something I don't think I could do without.
What I would say though in terms of price is that my device was £410 refurbished with a 12 months warranty for the same specs as that device (Core M 5Y71 8gb RAM, 256gb SSD) and mine is a detachable 2-in-1 touchscreen device with stylus support. The keyboard of mine is also monumentally better than the shallow key butterfly switches that Macs have.
The MacBook is a nice device, but at about double the price with fewer features, you would have to really want macOS to justify it.
Original post by Spratty
Do not get a macbook. Get a Windows laptop. I know some people are more steered towards MacOS however for Computer Science it is essential that you are able to download and use all of the required software. This is impossible with MacOS as third party software providers mostly only release software for Windows.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Although Macbooks run on a Unix based operating system, from experience I dont think that will help you a lot. Judging from my CS course and many others, you'll mainly be using IDEs such as Eclipse for Java.
You will struggle with a Macbook.
Most courses now are platform agnostic because macs are just so damned popular they can't afford to restrict students. You can also bootcamp into Windows or run it in Parallels so you aren't stuck with just macOS.
On the Windows store, the Linux platform for Windows has been released which does provide a full Linux command line environment that can now run on top of Windows for developers who want to use it.
Original post by Ciel.
Trust me, TOTALLY WORTH IT. I'd never get a non apple laptop now. Os x frigging never crashes, and is so much nicer to navigate... Apple laptops last longer too
Macs freeze and crash just like any computer does. Especially when they're new and not as thoroughly tested. I don't know how they statistically compare to Windows devices but it's false to say they never crash (Google Mac rainbow wheel).
Yours may not have done, but then I could put forward that my current Windows device has never blue screened either. It doesn't mean it can't be a problem on some devices, with some software, for some users.
personally, I'm only going to get one if they do a beats headphone offer otherwise its honestly not that worth it. Most ultrabooks are going to exceed about a grand no matter which you go with so if you find windows easier to use get a dell xps 13 instead
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