iMac or MacBook!

Nursing Students Pre-Nursing

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Ok all! I want to get a computer but don't know if i should get the MacBook or iMac. I have an iPad but want a computer to do the things I choose not to do on the iPad. Please help!

I know there are already a ton of pro-mac/pro-pc posts in this topic, but here are my two cents. I have a MacBook Air... and I LOVE it. It's 4 years old and it's been through hell and back. I've dropped it on the travertine floor more times than I'd like to admit, my almost 3 year old has dropped stuff on it and spilled on it several times, it's nice and light so it travels with me pretty much everywhere I go, and in my opinion it's super easy to navigate. My father-in-law made the switch from PC to Mac about a year ago and his take on it is "You have to dumb yourself down to use a Mac. PC makes everything more complicated. What takes a PC 6 clicks to do, a Mac can do in 2." Even my very anti-mac husband uses my laptop significantly more than he uses his windows laptop (like he hasn't turned his on in over 6 months). If you are willing to make an investment a Mac is the way to go.

Now to get to your original post, go with the MacBook. It's portable and it can do everything an iMac can do. I use mine in class and if you get Office for Mac (which I HIGHLY recommend) you can even record the lecture as you're taking notes and it will sync up what your professor is saying to what you're typing. Just use the "Word Notebook Layout" click the Audio Notes tab and click record. Simple as that.

Asus

I swear by that brand because they have by far the best internals and pretty good support. Never had a problem with any of my 3 of them. im even on one now thats about 6 years old

Are you a wizard? I ask because I just walked out of Microcenter with a touchscreen ASUS. :)

Mobility is now worth $3000? :sarcastic:

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No. But it's worth $949 for the 12hr Mac Air.

Better off spending $249 on ps3 than custom gaming PC.

Specializes in Oncology, Critical Care.
No. But it's worth $949 for the 12hr Mac Air.

Better off spending $249 on ps3 than custom gaming PC.

last i checked games are cheaper for pc, plus my pc will never sell my credit card numbers and personal information or go offline for a few weeks. And the reason why to not get a ps3 over a gaming rig is because i can sell of servers on my desktop and pay for itself in a month.

As far as costs go, thats up to you. Its the user, not the technology as someone stated. You wont notice a difference between a pc or a mac except for software. For nursing school you dont need to spend more than $500 to be all set, but if you choose to go for a mac, go for it. Just be happy with it.

No. But it's worth $949 for the 12hr Mac Air.

Better off spending $249 on ps3 than custom gaming PC.

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2013/008/2/2/_wallpaper__glorious_pc_gaming_master_race_by_admiralserenity-d5qvxos.png

The two are practically the same except one goes into your backpack and one stays at home. If your classes allow laptops for notes (and thats your preferred way to take notes), I would suggest the laptop. However, if you like taking notes by hand and reviewing them later, a desktop does just fine. We have both. I love Mac products! My school's philosophy is to take notes on paper and then that same day, type out all your notes to clean things up. If you take them on the computer to begin with, sometimes it's harder to go back and review them because they're already neat and when you scroll you might miss something. Another option is to take your notes on your iPad and connect them to your iMac.

last i checked games are cheaper for pc, plus my pc will never sell my credit card numbers and personal information or go offline for a few weeks. And the reason why to not get a ps3 over a gaming rig is because i can sell of servers on my desktop and pay for itself in a month.

As far as costs go, thats up to you. Its the user, not the technology as someone stated. You wont notice a difference between a pc or a mac except for software. For nursing school you dont need to spend more than $500 to be all set, but if you choose to go for a mac, go for it. Just be happy with it.

None of my classes nor I, require any gaming.

$500 pc laptop would be enough for nursing school. $1000 for a Mac air is worth every penny if figured into budget.

I only mentioned ps3 for people who like occasional games on big screen without spending over $300 . Even a WII would be economical.

Money better spent on 10 year old vacation vs 10 year old computer.

Specializes in Critical Care, Med-Surg, Psych, Geri, LTC, Tele,.

I got the Mac book pro in 09. No viruses ever. Had to get new cord in 2012- apple replaced it free. Now in 2013 I need a new battery. It saw me through prereqs and Lvn school. I also ran 3 home businesses with it. Love it! Cost $900 after rebate. Totally compatible with almost all websites and discs.

how about just a pc? theres no need to spend $1k on a laptop when a $400 one does the same job. being realistic, nursing school isn't cheap, no reason to make it more expensive.

My brother told me this before I bought my macbook pro for school and I'm glad I didn't listen. I really feel like of all my years using PC's nothing compares to the quality of my mac personally. To me my laptop was in an investment and I know a handful of people who have had their macbooks for YEARS, one of them being one of the first macbooks that came out. They're incredibly reliable. My sister has had an HP that constantly gave problems until it crashed and was no good. She now has a Sony VAIO and it was great for the first 3 years but now it brings nothing but problems. She only used it to browse the web, watch dvds, and for schoolwork. Also had a friend who has gone through 2 dells, which didn't last either. To the OP: My point is invest in quality, not what is cheap when it comes to your school computer.

I had one of those old macs as my first computer. Went to a new iMac then an older MacBook then a Dell, another pc, then a Sony vaio. After my Sony bit the dust I got a MacBook white which I loved but unfortunately my old roommate threw across the room and needs the screen fixed. I then bought a 300 dollar acer that doesn't even have a cd drive and haven't touched it in months. I convinced my mom to get a MacBook white when her Dell crapped the bed so now I steal hers! She loves it. I'm not a gamer but I've done so many things on my Mac!

I just wanted to check back in for 2019 and let everyone know that I’m STILL using the same MacBook from 2010 that I mentioned in my original post. I’ve only had one issue a few years back with the battery and it mysteriously went away. It has lasted through pre-reqs, nursing school (BSN), and grad school! ? Okay, that’s all!

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