“It’s time for CNNMoney.com’s back-to-school tech shopping guide,” Peter Lewis writes for Fortune. “Both the personal computer and the Internet have been around longer than most college students today have been alive, but that doesn’t mean buying a PC has gotten any easier. In fact, there are more choices and more technologies to puzzle over than ever before, complicated by the recent arrival of Intel-based Apple Macintoshes, new microprocessors from Intel and AMD, and arrival early next year of multiple new versions of Microsoft Windows Vista.”
Lewis writes, “We’ll devote most of our attention to computers, particularly laptop computers, because the Internet-connected PC is the most powerful and versatile educational (and entertainment) tool ever invented… That said, a desktop machine makes sense for students who are pursuing computationally intensive courses, like science or engineering, filmmaking, art and photography, or music bootlegging.”
“Mac or Windows? My preference is Apple’s Macintosh, because the Macintosh operating system software is more refined than Windows and less susceptible to viruses, worms and other nasty malware. Also, all newer Macs are built around Intel microprocessors and can, with a little tweaking, run both Windows and Macintosh software, giving them great flexibility,” Lewis writes.
Lewis writes, “It’s a myth that Macs cost a lot more than comparable Windows-based computers; when they are configured the same, the Mac is often the better value, and that is likely to be especially true when Windows Vista, the next generation of Windows operating system, makes its debut sometime in the spring semester.”
Lewis reports, “PC Magazine’s annual customer satisfaction poll of thousands of PC users found that Apple had the highest rating among desktop customers, followed by Sony. HP/Compaq and IBM/Lenovo brought up the rear… According to PC Magazine’s annual survey of customer satisfaction, Apple [also] ranked highest in laptops, followed by IBM/Lenovo and Fujitsu. Averatec and HP/Compaq finished at the bottom.”
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
My switch from Windows XP to Apple Mac OS X – August 30, 2006
$399 for Windows Vista Ultimate?! (Hint: Get a Mac) – August 29, 2006
The Seattle Times: Apple Macbook is best computer for school – August 26, 2006
Apple touts virus-free Macs – August 25, 2006
The Age: Switch to Apple Mac; just say no to Microsoft Windows – August 15, 2006
Switching To The Mac: A Guide For Windows Users – June 15, 2006
So… go and get that Mac!
Hell yeah muthertrucker!!!
Switching to Intel and allowing Windows to run on Mac hardware are the most brilliant moves Apple has ever made.
Sheesh…um it is NO viruses or malware on OSX period. “…less susceptible to viruses…” show me one virus for a mac!! Where is the MDN take when you need one
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The tide has turned. Most reporters are parroting the same thing, except now it’s “more refined” and “less malware”. That’s OK with me. The more it’s printed, the more it’s going to hammered into people’s brain that it’s true. Macs got ahead by staying on taget and delivering quality to it’s customers. Watching what’s happening to Dell and M$ is pure schadenfreude.
The “switch” and allowing Doze to run on a Mac might be brilliant for Apple, but on the other hand, buying a Mac and running Doze on it is absolutely NOT brilliant.
The unclean Doze masses somehow feel that MS compatibility blesses the new MacIntels with acceptability
personally my shop has been MS free for almost 4 years
stop reading MDN and go ge a mac right now!!
Sounds good to me!
It’s okay that reports write things, like less prone to malware and viruses. If some viral nastiness does ever appear on a Mac… never say never… no one can ever be accused of saying otherwise.
Humans are full of curiosity.
Windows Switchers are no exception.
Let them have their security blanket.
Before long they will want to check out how the other side lives,
get the bang for their buck would be the excuse.
Eventually they too will figure out how it all just seemlessly works together,
and how flawed their favourite B side is,
when one day they realise they haven’t used that old
Windows in ages and its just wasting hard drive space…
Queue the Trolls, at which point I just sit and wait..
… and smile.
Let them have their security blanket”
Unfortunately, for Windows users, they actually have to pay for their security blanket (Symantec, McAfee) because MS doesn’t provide security.
MDN: “decided”
When I decided to buy a Mac, it was the smartest decision that I had ever made.
Exactly, Crappola!!!