MacBook vs Surface Pro

Hi, I want to buy a new laptop for university but I’m unsure which to get as I do not know much about them.

I’ve come across a MacBook and a surface pro... I do not know which models are the best and which is the latest one etc...

Can anyone tell me the difference between the MacBook and surface pro and which is the better one to buy for university.

I’ve heard you can’t put a usb or anything on the side.... also wondering if Microsoft office (word, excel, ppt etc...) is available on MacBook as some people say it isn’t and when sending work in its different.

Please help!!!!

Thanks

Reply 1

Sonicalireza

Personally I would prefer surface pro because it's touch screen and I like writing hand notes on a tablet (HOWEVER I use an iPad not surface pro). I believe you also need to buy the pen, but if you would use it for that then it should be an easy choice.

Macbook is overpriced imo but it is a nice laptop, but I've heard it's good for things like video editing. I guess it depends on your course, if you simply just want to use it for notes I would prefer the surface pro since it's cheaper and I believe much more portable than even the macbook air (which is portable but surface pro is easier I think). The new macbooks only have USB-C (not USB-A) but surface pro does, if you want to get a mac I'm sure you could get an easy USB-A->USB-C cable for cheap.

Reply 2

Mr Wednesday

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve come across a MacBook and a surface pro... I do not know which models are the best and which is the latest one etc...

I would define your budget first if you want some well focused advice. "Best" is not necessarily "best value for money".

Reply 3

Josh.K71

Original post by Mr Wednesday

I would define your budget first if you want some well focused advice. "Best" is not necessarily "best value for money".

Tbh I don’t have a budget... just whatever is better

Reply 4

Josh.K71

I basically need one for uni studying finance.... likely I will be using Microsoft word, excel and etc... a lot so whichever is best for that.

Reply 5

OxMus

Original post by Josh.K71

I basically need one for uni studying finance.... likely I will be using Microsoft word, excel and etc... a lot so whichever is best for that.

I’ve got a MacBook and it’s fab.

If you have an iPhone as well, it’s even better (what with the Apple ecosystem etc.)

Reply 6

Josh.K71

Original post by OxMus

I’ve got a MacBook and it’s fab.

If you have an iPhone as well, it’s even better (what with the Apple ecosystem etc.)

Which MacBook do you have?

Reply 7

Josh.K71

Original post by Josh.K71

Which MacBook do you have?

And can you use word and excel on it?? Apparently you have to download an app to use it but then you have to transfer it onto something else when sending uni assignments in as Microsoft office on a Mac isn’t the original one or something...???

Reply 8

OxMus

Original post by Josh.K71

And can you use word and excel on it??

It's a MacBook Air, and it's a few years old now.

Yes, you can. Apple has its own word processor (called Pages) and other Microsoft equivalents (Keynote, Numbers etc.) but you can download anything else just like on a Windows computer.

Original post by Josh.K71

Apparently you have to download an app to use it but then you have to transfer it onto something else when sending uni assignments in as Microsoft office on a Mac isn’t the original one or something...???

I mean, if you use Pages for your essays, then you'd probably have to convert them into Word documents so that your tutor can read it (assuming he/she doesn't have an Apple computer); that's probably what you're thinking of. But... you can just use Microsoft.

Reply 9

username5383500

Original post by Anonymous

Can anyone tell me the difference between the MacBook and surface pro and which is the better one to buy for university.

The most notable difference is that a MacBook will be running Apple's OSX, whereas a Surface will run Windows. If you're more familiar with using one over the other, it's probably not worth changing. Other differences are that the MacBook is just a laptop, whereas the Surface Pro is both a laptop and a tablet. The Surface Pro has a touchscreen and an optional pen, but being a tablet means the battery life isn't as great as many laptops. It is however much lighter.

Original post by Anonymous

I’ve heard you can’t put a usb or anything on the side.... also wondering if Microsoft office (word, excel, ppt etc...) is available on MacBook as some people say it isn’t and when sending work in its different.

The USB issue will be referring to MacBooks having USB C ports, you can plug stuff in but will need an adapter.

Microsoft Office is available on both OSX and Windows and there are no significant differences between them.

In terms of which is better, neither would be my first choice. MacBooks are generally a terrible purchase choice right now, since Apple is due to release new MacBooks with their own CPUs. What this means is anything you buy now will be outdated within months and potentially lose support sooner than it should. If you waited for the new MacBooks, you'd most likely run into software compatibility problems, and it's entirely possible Office won't run properly on the new MacBooks. Besides that, the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are both quite expensive devices for what they offer, and neither one is particularly good value. So I'd be staying far away from any sort of MacBook right now.

As for the Surface Pro, it's a good device but not really a first choice for a uni student. If you desparately want the touchscreen capability then it's by far your best choice, but you'd be giving up some core laptop features including good battery life. It's hands down the device I'd pick when comparing a MacBook and a Surface, but not really something I'd consider for a generic recommendation.

In terms of what would be suitable, that depends what you are studying, what sort of things you want in a laptop, your budget, etc. You can get laptops for around £600 that will do everything the average student needs, with decent hardware to ensure it won't be outdated in a few years. You can spend £1000-1500 on various premium ultrabook devices, which are functionally similar to the £600 laptops but they're better built and typically smaller and lighter. You can spend anything in between, or more if needed. You can get more powerful devices if you need something for gaming or video editing. It depends what you want.

Reply 10

SouthBridge24

Original post by Anonymous

SURFACE PRO, SURFACE PRO! :biggrin:

omg the first major difference between the two are that they are completely different operating systems! I despise mac os so i would opt for the surface pro any day over the mac.