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My college computer

D

discomandavis

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 18, 2007
43
0
I am getting ready to buy my computer for college. I am trying to decide wether to get a new iMac or a new MacBook. I would love the iMac but i kinda would liek to have something i could take to class. So I kinda want the ibook. What im thinking about doing is getting the iMac then buying one of these machines
ibookg3_700.jpg
to take to class
tell me what you think i should do??
-marshal
 
Please, don't think about buying a Clamshell iBook. They're terribly out of date.

My suggestion is a refurbished MacBook.
 
Where did you even find a clamshell ibook? If nothing else get a refurbished Previous generation iMac and a refurbished MacBook.
 
wtf?

dude , your either trying to make a joke out of this or you have been living under a rock for about lets see...8 years? ibooks were manufactured up until 2006 and clamshell ibooks were made in the late 90's so wtf? If i might make a sugestion i would highly reccomend this as a much better alternative http://www.apple.com/macbook/macbook.html
to any ibook hope that helps with your decision.
 
I go to college (I am a Junior now) and I originally bought a notebook for use in class..

Totally useless for me... Only thing it did for me is help me slack off.

I think notes are best taken with pen and paper.


I sold the Notebook and now I have a 24" iMac.
 
This thread got me thinking. My son graduates this May and I'm buying him a laptop for school. He's already got a nicely tricked out PC for gaming that I built for him. But, he'll be getting a macbook for graduation because of the gaming issue. Lack thereof on Mac. :)

Seriously, no telling what projects he'll get thrown in college. Having a mac to go with his PC desktop should give him the best of both worlds. I've been using my imac for about a year now. I'm a true convert. I love the damn thing. I just wished my company's software would work on Mac. Unfortunately, it won't and I'm still having to use the company's Windows XP laptop.
 
wakerider017 said:
I go to college (I am a Junior now) and I originally bought a notebook for use in class..

Totally useless for me... Only thing it did for me is help me slack off.

I think notes are best taken with pen and paper.


I sold the Notebook and now I have a 24" iMac.
Click to expand...

that is so right on. laptops are not needed in college at ALL (i have had both and never take my laptop to campus)
 
i have both (see sig) my pb sits in the case. I only use my pb for my computer related class (ie photoshop, AE, web design)
 
dukebound85 said:
that is so right on. laptops are not needed in college at ALL (i have had both and never take my laptop to campus)
Click to expand...

Ya, most of the time it takes too long to take notes on a computer anyway. What if you have to draw a picture or type a symbol like Beta.

My school has a couple hundred nice Dells (C2D) in the Library that I use in between classes if need be.

Additionally websites like Macrumors and Facebook are way to tempting during a boring lecture.
 
wakerider017 said:
I go to college (I am a Junior now) and I originally bought a notebook for use in class..

Totally useless for me... Only thing it did for me is help me slack off.

I think notes are best taken with pen and paper.
Click to expand...
Amen. Pen and paper is by far the best. It keeps you from being distracted, and you retain that information better.

dukebound85 said:
that is so right on. laptops are not needed in college at ALL (i have had both and never take my laptop to campus)
Click to expand...

I disagree somewhat. I like taking my notebook because when I'm not in class, it's really easy to go to a café and make use of it. Sure there are library computers, but I'm just more comfortable using mine. All my bookmarks are there, and all of my documents etc.
 
If you're going to get the clamshell iBook so that you have a computer to take to class to take notes, that's probably fine, but I wouldn't rely on it as your primary computer. Personally, I prefer pen and paper, but I know some people can type faster than they can write, so a laptop makes more sense for them.
 
I never used a laptop in class in undergrad, but it's still nice to have if you want to do work somewhere other than your room.

(and btw - once you start taking notes on a laptop, it's impossible to go back to pen and paper. there's simply no way I could write fast enough to keep up with the lectures in law school)
 
iRachel said:
but I know some people can type faster than they can write, so a laptop makes more sense for them.
Click to expand...

I can type much faster than I can write by hand, but I still prefer pen and paper. It's weird. :eek:
 
CalBoy said:
I can type much faster than I can write by hand, but I still prefer pen and paper. It's weird. :eek:
Click to expand...

not weird at all - that's actually the way it is for me, too. I guess I should have been clearer about that.

Sometimes, it depends on the class, too. In most of them, I was able to keep up with the prof. taking notes by hand. But I did have one lecture where the guy talked so fast that I switched to my laptop in the second week so that I could keep up with him.
 
i've been considering a laptop for school...and i've been trying to pay attention to parts in lecture's where it would be nice, compared to when it wouldn't cut it. Most of the time it would be fine. But it would fall short on classes like calculus, physics, and chemistry far too fast. Those classes are too demanding to miss notes because you are trying to find the best way to write it so it makes sense.
I would say get the iMac to enjoy when your not in class, and get a pen and pad for note taking.:apple:
 
I carry a notebook to school every day.

I never use it for note taking. The notebook is for looking up information, collaborating with team members in other classes, etc. I use it extensively between classes, but keep it turned off in most of my classes.

It's all about willpower. If you can have a notebook for reference use during class, and can keep messengers and sounds disabled, you're set.

I see some college kids using a notebook to watch movies and play games. For some reason they're not getting an A or B this semester.
 
I *personally think* laptops are a terrible distraction in class. Whenever I look at the students in front of me using their laptops, its all IM, email, limewire, etc.. Its too tempting if the lecture gets boring to "multitask". A lot of times there are figures on the board or formulas that are much easier to copy down with pen and paper. A number of my professors won't even allow laptops in the class anymore :(

Computers in the classroom sounded like a good idea!

That said, there are plenty of uses for a laptop on campus, but outside the classroom. Its pretty handy between classes to get work done, or to go work in the library, since your dorm room can be plenty distracting in its own right.
 
I never realized till now how much my laptop distracts me in class... and my iPhone too.

Never though of the fact that writing helps you retain information either.

Too bad I can't read my writing... dang chicken scratch.
 
erandall38 said:
I never realized till now how much my laptop distracts me in class... and my iPhone too.

Never though of the fact that writing helps you retain information either.

Too bad I can't read my writing... dang chicken scratch.
Click to expand...

My iPhone has been fantastic in class. I can look things up without being distracting, and contribute to class.

For instance, a professor was making an example of a company today with numbers that were a few hours old. I was able to interject with the latest numbers which helped him prove a point. It's pretty nice having that available.
 
thanks for the tips. yah for those of you who did not understand my statement. i was thinking of getting the clamshell for taking notes in class and buying an iMac as my primary computer. After reading all your notes i have decided to just buy the iMac and nothing else. I realized that i have major ADD so me and Wi-Fi in a boring class would not be good.
So im going to stick to a note-pad for now. But if apple comes out with a tablet then the tables might have turned and i will probably get that
 
I love taking notes on my computer! I am a really fast typist and it works well for the classes I am taking this semester. But for math... yeah, it doesn't work at all. I have really good self-control during class, and I know most people don't. I open up Pages and that's all I use. Anyway, taking notes on the computer is wonderful!
 
discomandavis said:
thanks for the tips. yah for those of you who did not understand my statement. i was thinking of getting the clamshell for taking notes in class and buying an iMac as my primary computer. After reading all your notes i have decided to just buy the iMac and nothing else. I realized that i have major ADD so me and Wi-Fi in a boring class would not be good.
So im going to stick to a note-pad for now. But if apple comes out with a tablet then the tables might have turned and i will probably get that
Click to expand...

Good idea. Some people haven't figured out that if they can see their screen in class, that everybody behind them can. That means personal photos, videos, chat, etc.
 
discomandavis said:
thanks for the tips. yah for those of you who did not understand my statement. i was thinking of getting the clamshell for taking notes in class and buying an iMac as my primary computer. After reading all your notes i have decided to just buy the iMac and nothing else. I realized that i have major ADD so me and Wi-Fi in a boring class would not be good.
So im going to stick to a note-pad for now. But if apple comes out with a tablet then the tables might have turned and i will probably get that
Click to expand...

I still think a macbook would be better for you. The ability to take your notebook to a partner's apartment/dorm and work on a project is invaluable. Not to mention the fact that you can take it to cafés, on buses, trains, etc, and pretty much anywhere else (aside from class) you might need to take it. There's no sense in giving up the portability of a macbook if you're not going to make use of the measly increase in processing power (what is it, .2GHZ more?) that you'd get out of the iMac.
 
im not saying im never gonna get a macbook. i jsut dont have the money right now to buy two new compouters. my plan is to buy the imac now for two semesters save up some more money and get a macbook. i just am trying to save money and if i do it all at once that is a bad idea. i could do it but then i'd be broke. lol but i will eventually own a macbook as well.
also on the project statement. considering that at lease 70% of kids at college have a laptop i will just have them come to my apartment to do the projects
 
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