powerbook 12 in or thinkpad 14 in

[vdubbug]

I am temple u student and I will be going into the business school next semester. I need to buy a computer in like 2 weeks and I am considering the powerbook and thinkpad. They are both simular in weight and somewhat in size(the slightly bigger thinkpad isnt an issue.)
My main question is will the powerbook be able to deal with business applications? I already talked to the school and they said I would be able to have a mac but not many people have them. I am afraid that there will be a day were i need windows. So is there anyone here with a powerbook in business school? PLus the thinkpad is so expensive, and looks no where near as cool as the powerbook. but i think i might miss windows

Plus i am really sick of waiting for updates for the powerbook.

 

[devilot]

My main question is will the powerbook be able to deal with business applications? I already talked to the school and they said I would be able to have a mac but not many people have them.

So what is the real issue? Your school has already told you that a Mac can handle your needs-- why does it matter if 'not many people have them?' Are you worried about trouble shooting? I'm sure that your school will have someone on the IT staff who can assist, and if not, rest assured that the good people of MR will come up w/ great solutions at all hours of the day-- something your IT staff probably could not boast.

I am afraid that there will be a day were i need windows.

Well, going back to what you said earlier, if you ever really needed Windows, then you could easily find someone who'll let you quickly use their machine, right? Or I'm sure, that as a major university, there will be Windows PCs that you, as a student could access and use.

 

[KittenKrusher]

I would say the Powerbook but this is of course a Mac site. As already stated, if you do find a time where you need windows, more than enough people have them, plus I am sure your school has atleast 1 windows machine you could use.

If it isn't a too heavy app, VPC might even be helpful.

 

[live4ever]

Post the list of applications required for every class you plan on taking.

This will be a big help in determining if a PowerBook is feasible.

 

[FFTT]

What business applications are you talking about?

Microsoft Office for Mac has most of your needs covered.
iWork with Keynote for your presentations.
FileMaker Pro 8 covers you for a shareable database.
Merlin for Project management.
Mathematica 5.2 if your into heavy number crunching.
Adobe Acrobat Pro for writing and editing pdfs

There's so much out there and more added every day by OS X developers,
you'll be fine.

And you'll be running with ZERO viruses, adware, spyware and general
Windows security and maintenance issues.

 

[SummerBreeze]

Go for the PowerBook. I'm assuming you want it to last you through business school, and Macs are usually used for longer than PC's (I've still got a six year old iMac running strong). I haven't had a problem taking my PowerBook to college with me, it plays nice with the other computers on the network and opens all the presentations and documents that my professors throw at me.

 

[Chrispy]

I would say you would probably be better off going with the powerbook. It will give you less headaches in the long run. If you really need to run windows just use a university lab computer or a friends. Having a powerbook is much more fun that a PC with Internet Exploder... errr I mean Internet Explorer I think the thinkpad line is a fantasitc line of computers but you will eventually run into issues with windows that have to be corrected.

 

[crazydreaming]

Seriously, you are asking this question on a "Mac Rumors" site.

What answer did you think we are going to give?

 

[lopresmb]

if using this on a academic network espicially where you have students who access this network for general computing needs, be aware that viruses, worms and trojan horses run freakin rampant. If for no other reason than this you'd be in better shape with the mac (plus you'd have a mac, so you'd just be happier anyhow)...

 

[yoda13]

go with the Mac, I don't think you'll be sorry. I use a Mac in an all windows environment in my dept. at the uni and have no problems.

 

[VanMac]

PB all the way.

I have MS Office for the mac, and it is much nicer then the windows version.

 

[iDM]

the Mac is capable of doing every application i needed when i was in the Business School. Try if you can to imagine a world with zero to barely any error messages(the only error messages I get are when I use Microsoft Products, no joke) and an OS that is simple to use, easy to understand and learn and graphically pleasing and that is what I believe would be your experience with the Powerbook

I guess it is a little hard for me to give you an unbiased opinion however, because after using Windows for 12 years and now Mac OSX for 2 years, i would *NEVER* even think about buying another PC.

 

[ozone]

Having used a ThinkPad, I have to say it is built like a rock. I have used both Apple and IBM keyboards on laptops: the IBM keyboard is the BEST - no questions asked, and many laptop users swear by them. However, the PB is very close second. Most likely, it won't matter, unless you're extremely picky. Also, the ThinkPad trackpoint is very nice. Many swear by them after trying them out for a while. IBM's onboard software support is also very good.

That being said, IBM does use Windows - and it still suffers from Windows related problems - so it's up to you as to what OS you want.

You should really find out what programs your profs expect you to use. If everything is Mac compatible, then at least you have one less worry.

 

[brepublican]

PB all the way.

I have MS Office for the mac, and it is much nicer then the windows version.

Another vote for the PB. Office:mac rocks!

Trust me, you will not regret it. Unless you plan on playing half-life 2. In which case I wouldnt get the Thinkpad anyway (I'd go for my current Dell desktop). Highly improbable in Business School though, so no worries...

 

[plinden]

If you need a PC and can afford it, get a Thinkpad. I have one and it's a very decent machine. But if you need a laptop and not necessarily a PC, get a Mac.

 

[bodeh6]

.... but i think i might miss windows....

Are you kidding me. I left Windows almost 2 months ago and have not looked back not even once. I still have a Windows 98 Desktop in the family office, but I hardly use it anymore unless somebody in my family is enjoying WiFi on my iBook. Mac OS X user interface cleans the slate of any other OS. It is powerful and clean. When I use my bro or sis's Win XP laptop, I wonder how they ever use it. After using OS X, XP seems so confusing and counter-intuitive.

 

[40167]

Well im going for business administration; I carry a Thinkpad all the way.

Now with that said, I do still like Powerbooks... always loved the design; but the Thinkpad is also rock solid. As for software, well that depends on what you like really; if you like OSX then go get the Powerbook. (The only thing you might run into, is if your business teacher uses the same software used in law school from time to time; forgot the name offhand, but you needed a pc because they would reboot your system from the network and load their software so your left with only a word processor and being able to save to the network; it gets rid of cheating [or so they say])

I dual boot here, I got XP and FreeBSD... FreeBSD is the "workhorse", XP is kinda just on here for tech support stuff to be quite honest. I keep ghost on there so if someone needs a windows reinstall or whatever, I just copy it over and im done. From that we can say that you probibly dont need windows though, as I chug along fine running FreeBSD. If you needed windows you could just run virtualpc for those little things.

You seem to be leaning toward a mac, so get the mac... for me ive always liked FreeBSD and being tech support for the local school district, I kinda still needed a windows box to make my life easy when fixing things.

 

[budugu]

A small word of caution!

I donot know about business apps but there could be a few things you want to be sure ... first VPN does your univ have a decent VPN support for Mac. Most of the university resources are on it. Stable versions of software... MATLAB exsists on windows/linux/mac/HP-UX/solaris/AIX... and you will no believe that i cannot use my MATLAB (right now i am in that phase) ... every time there is X or Java related update on Mac ... Had to switch back to windows/unix machines for simulations (your prof will not care)... As good as keynote looks ... if you are distributing the presentation for editing ... your prof will not take pdfs and ps stuff ... they will ask for a ppt ... so keynote (iknow makes crappy saves as ppts) is not a substitute for office:mac (which is good) ... be sure if you have any work / productivity apps ... microsoft project, outlook tools etc ... if every one in your study/project group has a particular OS then it might be difficult to fit yourself for sharing and stuff. if it is for a course work ... it will he *REALLY PAINFUL* to ask arround or switch computers when you know you have an assignment/report due the next day. There are a lot of unfriendly webpages on mac for example philips NV, GAP, BCG and a lot of other stuff... they donot work completely... becareful if you need to take online tests and use online black board kind of stuff ... (i am not saying it does not work but check !! check!!) ... Finally check the IBM widescreen thinkpads ... with X700 and also titanium finish ... last but not the least ...price you can buy a ZT IBM thinkpad (default 3 year warranty generally )+ ibook (or atleast a mini or refurb imac..or some thing to experience and use Mac OSX for general photos and other crap) for a loaded powerbook + warranty... so there you go ..

 

[maxterpiece]

I have heard a lot of good things about Thinkpads. There is a reason that IBM kept the Thinkpad division (even though they spun it off as lenovo) when they decided to get out of the PC making business: it's because their simple and well made design has a niche of very loyal following (sound familiar?). I know from helping my girlfriend pick out a PC laptop that we both agreed that the Thinkpad keyboard is head and shoulders better than the keyboard on any other PC laptop. I am a huge fan of the powerbook keyboards, but I have to say that the IBM keyboards felt nicer. I type about 75wpm so I'm a bit of a keyboard stickler and trying out the Thinkpad made me want one.

As far as compatibility issues and virus issues go, I would say it is a bit of a wash. You will avoid a lot of headaches and feel a lot more comfortable just in your general computer using experience on the mac, but it'll be pretty annoying when you run into some kind of compatibility issue. That's not to say that that issue won't have a solution you can find for the mac, it's just it won't be as simple -- the business world is still pretty much windows oriented. Likewise with the IBM you can feel confident that it will always do what everyone else in your class's computer can do, but you will be pretty annoyed at always having to keep an eye out for viruses/spyware.
They are both very nice computers. I would go check out each one and play with the hardware then go for whichever one you are more drawn to. Features are nice, but if you feel comfortable and like your computer then you won't be as likely to get frustrated with it when you run into a problem.

 

[Chundles]

I donot know about business apps but there could be a few things you want to be sure ... first VPN does your univ have a decent VPN support for Mac. Most of the university resources are on it. Stable versions of software... MATLAB exsists on windows/linux/mac/HP-UX/solaris/AIX... and you will no believe that i cannot use my MATLAB (right now i am in that phase) ... every time there is X or Java related update on Mac ... Had to switch back to windows/unix machines for simulations (your prof will not care)... As good as keynote looks ... if you are distributing the presentation for editing ... your prof will not take pdfs and ps stuff ... they will ask for a ppt ... so keynote (iknow makes crappy saves as ppts) is not a substitute for office:mac (which is good) ... be sure if you have any work / productivity apps ... microsoft project, outlook tools etc ... if every one in your study/project group has a particular OS then it might be difficult to fit yourself for sharing and stuff. if it is for a course work ... it will he *REALLY PAINFUL* to ask arround or switch computers when you know you have an assignment/report due the next day. There are a lot of unfriendly webpages on mac for example philips NV, GAP, BCG and a lot of other stuff... they donot work completely... becareful if you need to take online tests and use online black board kind of stuff ... (i am not saying it does not work but check !! check!!) ... Finally check the IBM widescreen thinkpads ... with X700 and also titanium finish ... last but not the least ...price you can buy a ZT IBM thinkpad (default 3 year warranty generally )+ ibook (or atleast a mini or refurb imac..or some thing to experience and use Mac OSX for general photos and other crap) for a loaded powerbook + warranty... so there you go ..

Mate!! Where is your punctuation??? The only thing I could read in that was "REALLY PAINFUL."

Get the PowerBook and Office:mac, you'll be fine.