My college-age daughter is Looking to buy a MAC computer

[JanetRose]

Any suggestions? It will be her first MAC.

 

[dash]

I used to prefer macs, but I don't think they're worth the extra money unless your daughter is a bio major. Even then, at her level, I'm not sure it is worth it.

 

[Froggyswife]

I used a mac when I worked for local newspaper and loved it. It is quiet different from a pc took me a while to learn how to do all the keyboard commands but I had a very good teacher.

 

[SueM in MN]

Is she looking for a laptop or a desktop system?

That's the main thing you need to know.
The best thing to do is go on the www.apple.com web site and look at the choices.
There are 2 choices of desktop; the imac includes everything you need to get started. The mac mini has just the computer and then you pick out a keyboard and monitor (or use ones that you have).

The current laptops are the MacBook and the MacBook Pro. Both of them are new (brand new), so I haven't seen them, but they look very nice. We have the older versions in our house - older DD and I have PowerBooks (the MacBook Pro is the new replacement for that). We also have an iBook in our house (the MacBook replaces the iBook).
If she is going into something like graphic design, art, etc, she might want the MacBook Pro because it has a 15 or 17 inch screen (MacBooks have a 13 inch) and is faster than the MacBook. It also has a larger hard drive.

Macs are very nice computers and I think are worth the money. I have to use a Windows laptop for work (I've had an IBM Thinkpad, a Compac and my current one is an HP). They are OK, but the keyboards have never felt comfortable for me on any of them. The Mac keyboards do and are designed to have a place to rest your hands (so they are more ergonomic).
Also, the batteries work longer on one charge on the Mac (my 18 month old PC from work will only hold a charge for an hour - we have a 3 year old iBook that still goes for almost 4 hours). I am also glad to have an IT person at work because keeping a PC going virus free can be a job. We never have to do anything with any of our Macs. Having Macs since 1984, we have never had a single virus. My work PC has had several and I am working in a large company with a good IT department.

If you have an Apple store nearby, she should go and try one out and talk to the people there. CompUSA also sells Macs, but may not have anyone that knows a lot about them. If she goes to an Apple store or the Apple website, she can get a student discount.

PS - I have not had to learn keyboard commands with the Mac; I know very few for the Mac because all the commands are in the pulldown menus at the top of the screen and that works best for me - but you do have the option of learning them if you want to. They tend to be more consistent across programs than the keyboard commands in Windows programs.

 

[lap3]

I used to prefer macs, but I don't think they're worth the extra money unless your daughter is a bio major. Even then, at her level, I'm not sure it is worth it.

I'm not sure I understand you mean by this. What would being a bio major have to do with owning a Mac? The value of a Mac(or just about anything for that matter) is perceived by the owner. IMO, I think they're worth every penny. For me, I use PCs at work and Macs at home. I like them both but if it were up to me, I'd be using Macs at work. Just wondering what you mean by this, that's all...

As for OP's question, they offer several models depending on what you daughter will be using it for. Does she need a laptop or desktop? How much do you want to spend? I know Apple just released the Macbooks. This is something you might want to look into. If you have an Apple store near you, pay them a visit and play around on them...

 

[HaleyB]

Just wanted to add that you should make sure to ask for the education discount.

Apple makes a wonderful product, I think she will be very happy with one. My son is in college in another state so we bought him a notebook (ibook) because it would be easy for him to take back and forth to school. It has worked out very well for him.

 

[pjpoohbear]

I work in a University computer shop, and the best I can say is check out the Education store on apple.com (look on the right hand side bar) If you can get to an Apple store, go in and play on both the Macbook, a good choice, and the Macbook pro, a higher end choice.

Both choices can be customized with higher RAM and bigger Harddrive (only at point of purchase.)

If you go with the Macbook, and she isn't doing a video/graphic heavy program, then I would suggest a bigger HD on any of the models and maybe some extra RAM.

I got one of the last 15" powerbook's and I love it, no anit-virus software and no issues since I got it and it has been great.

We got our first shipment of the Macbooks last week and boy I really am impressed with it. It is a good deal for the price. Also check out the campus bookstore or library system and see if they offer student software licenses, this can save you a bundle on things like MS office 2004 for MAC.

Good Luck,

Pj

 

[RadioNate]

Another Mac user checkin in. I don't get the bio major comment either. We used them exclusively in the Journalism school.

She'll want the new Intel Core Duo processor because the next version of Mac OS will be able to run both Mac and Window's programs. IF that is of interest to her, she'll want the biggest harddrive, fastest processor and most RAM she can afford.

I adore my mac 99% of the time. the other 1%, I'm upset about freeware or other low cost programs that are Windows only.

 

[ktulu]

Another mac user checking in. When it came time for me to decide what to replace our aging PC's at work running Linux with, I chose G5's for the desktops, and a 17" powerbook for me. I later was able to get a G5 for myself

The imac's are really nice, if she wants portability, just find which one of the laptops suits her. I agree, visit an apple store if you can. The folks are really nice and they'll let you play with their toys as long as you want to.

I almost made an Apple commercial with a sony hdtv camera hooked up to a quad G5 one day. My wife made me leave the store

darren

 

[ChrisnSteph]

We got our dd a Mac Mini. It was around $500 or so, and it's super small and compact. You can check it out on Apple's website.

 

[arminnie]

Check if her school has any deals with Mac for a discount.

 

[hmgolden]

DH just bought me one of the new MacBooks. I've had it for a week, and I LOVE it. I would highly reccomend them. The battery life is amazing, and the screen is awesome.