Having recently completed the daunting process of buying a laptop for college, I though I'd share what Iearned.
Knowing that I would need a computer for college, the first big decision I had to make was whether I wanted a Mac or a PC. Despite the misleading Dell sitting in the kitchen, my family is firmly a Mac family. After talking to family, it seemed that Mac was the way to go.
Now, I had to chose between the four models of laptops at the apple store. Here is the good news and bad news about each type.
Macbook (White): The regular macbook is white with the standard amount of memory, RAM, etc. This is the standard Mac laptop, and it is available in a version with slightly more memory. Some people think that it does not have enough memory, but that problem can be easily remedied by buying an external hard-drive to back up your data. It is fairly light.
Macbook (Black): The black macbook is the same as the white macbook except it contains more memory, RAM, etc. then even the upgraded version of the Macbook (White). In my opinion, the extra memory and RAM aren't necessary. The black macbook, however, does sport a sleeker design. It is about the same weight as the white macbook.
Macbook Pro: The Macbook Pro is a significantly more powerful machine. It is a large step up from the black macbook. If you are just becoming an undergraduate, this type of machine is not necessary. Being significantly more powerful, it is also significantly heavier, and truthfully, a pain to lug around the campus. I do not recommend this model in the least bit.
Macbook Air: The Macbook Air is a new model and is extraordinarily light and thin. The ad features it being placed in the standard 9x11 envelope and fitting comfertably. In addition to being very light, it is also very new, and there has not been enough time to work out all the bugs and kinks from it.
I went with the Macbook (White) with slightly more memory. It was a good comprimise for me because it gives me slightly more power, but it is not too heavy. I still believe the black macbook is over the top for a college student.
In a deal that lasts through septemeber, I recieved a free iPod Touch with the purchase of my macbook. A nice surprise. It is a must to buy games for this, see the itunes site for details.
I also received a free printer/faxer/scanner with my macbook. I was not even aware of this deal before I set foot in the apple store and was pleasantly surprised.
The Way To Shop:
Go to your local apple site, (for example, apple.com/cheerycreek), and find the personal shopper link. Using this, I reserved an employee at the apple store for a full hour and had his complete attention. He walked me through how the macbook works and showed me all of the different options. One of the hi-lights of this experience was how pleasant and helpful all the employees were. The manager of the store even came over and thanked us for shopping apple.
Some Things To Know:
None of the macbooks come with a good word processor. You either have to buy Microsoft Office, or the Apple equivilant. The Apple equivilant is about half as expensive, but I still recommend going Office. Office is the standard, and will be used by nearly everyone on campus.
Make sure to buy your macbook far before classes start. You want to have a chance to get used to working on it and trying out all of the features.
Good Luck!