“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.
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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
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