I perform most of my business functions on a PC – I’m a former Computer Systems Analyst and “grew up” working primarily on PC’s, so that’s where the bulk of my experience (and admittedly, my technical bias) is. That said, I also have an iPhone and an iPad2 and use all of them in my business. Apple is not better than Microsoft. Apple has its own domain, Microsoft has its own. But let me tell you why people love Apple more than any other brand. Why there are more fans of Apple than any other tech brand or company. The result is a gorgeous, all-in-one desktop Mac that has been setting industry trends since its debut in 1998. Every all-in-one computer requires at least a few tradeoffs. Before you decide that an iMac would look stunning on your desk, let's take a closer look at some of the tradeoffs and see whether an iMac is a good fit for your needs.
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The age old question appears once again. Windows and Mac are pitted against each other once more. This time we discuss whether Windows or Mac is better for college.
As always, this is a tough question to answer and it ultimately comes down to your personal preference and your needs in college. However, we’ll be going over the pros and cons of each in this post and hopefully crown a winner.
College is an amazing time of your life. You’ll see new places, make new friends, learn new things, have the occasional mental breakdown during finals. It’s an overall great time.
You’ll also need a great laptop to keep you going through all of this and hopefully make those breakdowns a bit less stressful. But is a Mac or Windows laptop right for you? Well there’s a few things to consider before you make your big decision.
Windows Vs Mac: Which Is Best For College?
1. Major
I know, I know. It’s the question every college student hates the most but it is important to know when deciding what kind of laptop is going to be best for you. Mac is known for its stellar performance and can run lots of intensive software needed for certain majors like art and media, for example.
Check out our article on whether or not Windows or Mac is best for programming if you’re looking into computer science or software engineering.
2. Budget
As a college student, you may not have a huge budget to work with. Macs are notoriously insanely expensive. With Windows you at least have more options to choose from and a lot of them can be quite inexpensive yet still rather powerful.
If you have a decent budget and can afford a Mac, you’re sure to be investing in a long-lasting, powerful machine.
If your budget is more modest, you can still find great Windows laptops that will last you your whole college career.
For example, I had an Asus ultrabook that lasted me all four years of undergrad and even through my postgraduate years so there are still plenty of great Windows laptops you can get that will work perfect for you.
3. Features
Do you want portability? Probably. You’ll have lots of classes, clubs, and meetings to be going to. Do you want something that is budget-friendly? Also, probably yes. How about a good battery life? Yeah, you’ll want that.
These are all important features for a college student but you may have more personalized features that are unique to you. Do you like playing games on your laptop? How about editing photos or videos? You’ll want to think about what features are you’re going to need to be happy at school.
4. Preference
To be completely honest, the answer to this question will always come down to your personal preference as a consumer of technology. If you’ve always used a Windows computer, this article should not be the nail in the coffin of your Windows days and vice versa.
If you’re most comfortable using one or the other, you will find a way to make it work best for your needs as a college student. The best way to use this article is more as a guide to finding what product is going to work best for you.
Pros & Cons Of Windows vs. Mac For College
Mac Pros
- Ultraportable
- Powerful
- Long-lasting
Mac Cons
- Expensive
- Limited selection
Macs are known to be incredibly powerful machines. They’re well made with powerful hardware which make for long-lasting devices that are well worth the expensive price tag over time.
They tick all the boxes for performance because of their streamlined hardware and software. However, it is possible to get a Windows laptop with the same specs as a Macbook Pro that is vastly cheaper.
Macs are going to be ultraportable which makes them a great traveling laptop. This is going to be important for the student who is constantly moving from building to building, class to class, coffee house to coffee house.
However, you can also get super portable Windows laptops so the Mac doesn’t exactly beat out Windows just yet.
Macs have great all day batteries and can easily pull 13 hours off the charger. That is another plus for the college student. You don’t want to have to worry about that battery and finding an outlet when you’re sitting in a lecture hall of 500 other freshman.
…If you’re doing art or media, you’ll find that your university will likely have a Mac lab for your use..
If you’re doing art or media, you’ll find that your university will likely have a Mac lab for your use that is going to have all the software and power you’ll need to get your work done.
This is because Macs are great for photo, video, and music editing and much, much more. They are specialized machines and work well with the software you’ll probably be using.
You may be inclined to use your university’s lab because it will definitely be more powerful than whatever laptop you’ve got in your bag, windows or mac.
However, if you feel more inclined to use your own laptop in the comfort of your dorm room or wherever you like to study, both Windows and Mac will be able to give you the performance you need.
The Macs biggest drawback (as has already been mentioned above) is the outrageous cost. There have been many polls and surveys taken of college students which show that Mac would be the most popular option for college students if cost was not a factor.
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Most students are like Mac for the brand, the style of their laptops, their ease of use, and their durability. However, a majority of the students taking part in the survey use Windows because of the cost.
If you’re willing to pay more than $2000 for a machine that can be matched in performance, durability, and versatility by a Windows laptop for far less, you’re likely shopping for the brand and not necessarily its features.
That’s perfectly fine. If you’ve always used a Mac, you’re going to be most comfortable on a Mac. But for those looking to get a laptop for college, the Mac is not your only nor your best option.
Windows Pros
- Budget-friendly
- Large selection
- Variety of features
Windows Cons
- Not as durable
- Susceptible to viruses
..Windows will almost always beat Mac in affordability and that is often the most important factor to the college student…
Windows will almost always beat Mac in affordability and that is often the most important factor to the college student when choosing their college laptops. Macs are simply not affordable.
College students stereotypically don’t have a lot of money to throw at a laptop. You have many more expensive things to worry about when you’re just starting out in college: tuition, textbooks, accommodation, coffee, etc.
You can get Windows laptops that are powerful enough to get you through college for less than $200.
More realistically, you’ll be spending around $500 to get a laptop that has the most important features like enough storage for your files, enough memory for your browsing, and a processor that’s going to keep you going.
Windows offer a far larger selection of laptops to choose from and most of those options come with even more customizable features so you can find the laptop that works best for you.
Mac fails in this because you basically have two options with very limited customizability and you’re still going to pay nearly $2000 for it.
Some may find this range of variety intimidating and to be honest, it may be for some. To have thousands of laptops to choose from can be overwhelming.
Many Mac users will claim that Windows are far less durable over time. However, Windows computers can be just as long-lasting as Macs with proper care.
Where Windows laptops can fail is virus protection. Virus protection software (in the form of a trial subscription) often comes preloaded on your Windows laptop.
Personally, I’ve never fallen for this gimmick and it’s one of the most frustrating things about owning a Windows laptop. Getting rid of bloatware is a headache which Mac users do not have to worry about.
Windows laptops are more susceptible to getting viruses and malware than Macs but this is easily rectifiable by the user.
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Overall, this question really comes down to personal preference. Personally, my Windows computer got me through 6 years of university and is still alive and kicking. I only upgraded to a better Windows computer so I could run games better. That’s my preference.
The truth is, both Windows and Mac laptops will be able to get you through your college career. They both have their advantages and disadvantages and it ultimately comes down to your preference and comfort.
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There is a never-ending debate as to whether Macs are “better” than PC’s. “Better” is of course a subjective term; for instance, while Macs are generally acknowledged to be easier to use, if you’re a long-time Windows user the first time you sit in front of a Mac, it certainly won’t seem that way.
In any case, here follows a list of differentiators… if nothing else, these are reasonable arguments as to why you should consider buying a Mac.
1. Macs are actually cheaper in the long run
Sure, you can buy a Windows PC for fewer up-front dollars. But the true cost of ownership should be calculated based on not only the acquisition cost, but the residual value after you sell it or trade it in. It’s the difference between those two numbers that really tells you what your computer costs to own. When you calculate the cost of ownership in that way, Macs win easily. All you have to do is compare the value of a Windows PC from, say, three years ago (which is often close to zero), and compare that to what you can get for your 3-year-old Mac. It’s virtually always no contest.
2. Macs are much easier to buy
We tried shopping for a PC just to compare, and after about 15 minutes our eyes glazed over. When you have so many choices, not only of manufacturers, but bells and whistles and speeds and sizes, it’s almost impossible to know whether you’re getting the right, or best, deal. With the Mac, it’s much easier to narrow down your search quickly, PLUS, be assured you’re getting a well-made and well-respected product, included being loaded with a whole bunch of great software you’d have to buy extra on a PC. On top of all that, there’s no equivalent to PowerMax in the PC world. Our friendly and expert staff is happy to help you through the entire process.
Note: We received a message from someone who took umbrage at the above, saying he thought it was “incredibly ignorant.” We responded with the following, which may or may not appease those of you who share that opinion, but it is our opinion and we’re sticking by it:
Simplicity isn’t for everyone, of course, and many IT professionals and computer geeks will look at the plethora of options available in the Windows world and not only not be fazed by them, but delight in the choices. Those same people often get frustrated that if you want to run the Mac OS, your choices are essentially limited to Apple, and then the limited choices they give you within that. But it sure makes it easier “for the rest of us” to make a decision, which is why we entitled that paragraph: “Macs are much easier to buy.” Obviously, with either, you can just see one and click “buy,” but with a PC, you’ll never be sure whether Samsung or Dell or HP or Acer or Toshiba or who knows how many other brands to choose from was the “best” one, all with their different video cards and storage options and screen sizes, not to mention the presumed or expected quality. That’s a lot of choices, and that makes it harder. That’s all we’re saying.
3. In general, when Apple makes assumptions with its software, it gets it right, Microsoft often gets it wrong
Surely this is subjective, but when you run Microsoft’s software, even on a Mac, it loves to run interference, making assumptions as to what you’re doing and trying to stay a step ahead. Most often, however, it just gets annoying. For instance, by default, if you type a “1)” in Entourage or Word, suddenly the next paragraph automatically starts with a “2)” even if you don’t want it. Most people spend more time undoing the presumptions than benefitting by them… Microsoft is just horrible at getting in the way.
4. Viruses
While this has changed just a little as Apple has gained ground on Microsoft, Mac users are still living in relative bliss with the lack of viruses, spyware and malware. We’re not saying they can’t get them, but it’s just far less of a problem for Mac users than it is for Windows users.
5. Time Machine and the Cloud
Not nearly enough people back up their hard drives (because it should be everyone), but Apple’s Time Machine makes it so elegant and simple that all you really need to do is hook up a drive and turn Time Machine on. And it’s not just a back-up, but you can go back in time to find a document you deleted. Apple is further assisting with backing up with the utilization of iCloud, something especially appreciated in this age of people using multiple devices, such as the iPhone and iPad.
6. When something goes wrong…
Microsoft makes the software. Dell, or Sony, or HP, or seemingly a million other manufacturers, make the Windows PC. Then you have third-party drivers and whatever else for all the peripherals. When you have a problem, everyone points a finger at everyone else. With the Mac, the issue rests more often just with Apple. Of course, any customer of PowerMax who has ever had a question or problem can attest to the friendly expertise we also provide to help sort it all out for them as well.
7. Apple makes upgrading its OS simple, Microsoft still keeps it complicated
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Apple smoothly transitions its customers to its latest OS for free. Windows can’t even use a consistent naming scheme: the versions include: 7, 8, XP, Vista, CE, NT, 98, 2000. The best we can say about that is that their scattered approach to naming matches their scattered approach to their OS.
8. Microsoft is for people who love tinkering with computers, Apple is for people who just want to get their work done
What’s pretty much true is that the back-end, server-infrastructure kinds of things is well-handled by Microsoft, because it’s in the “land of the geeks,” who love to dig into the machinery and tinker with all the settings and understand all the acronyms. Those kind of people like Windows on the front end as well because they understand all the crazy intricacies and complications of the computer system. Apple isn’t nearly as big in the IT world, and that’s okay, because its front end user interface for “the rest of us” doesn’t require us to be computer whizzes to get things done.
9. Let’s face it, Apple understands style
While there are a zillion different styles of PC out there, pretty much everyone agrees that the style, elegance, and just plain “hipness” of the Mac has yet to be beat. They just look cool. Most importantly, because they can stay out of the “I can make it cheaper” fray in the PC world, Apple’s quality is second-to-none.
10. You can run Windows on a Mac anyway, so why not get the best of both worlds?
Apple allows Windows to be installed via its own Boot Camp, or you can use a third-party virtualization program, such as Parallels, VMWare Fusion or VirtualBox. So why not both save money in the long run and have access to virtually any desktop software you want?