Apple or PC?

Looks like the Mac heads have spoken; they're always really vocal about the Macs' advantages. I might be a little biased, being an Apple dealer, but our customers are happy, well adjusted people who don't freak out every time a new virus makes the rounds or drives are getting hacked from network connections. When's the last time you heard someone say that they just love their Dell?

Use PC's at work, but been a Mac user at home since '94. On my 3rd PowerBook - great machine/OS. For the needs you describe, get a Mac and don't look back. You'll be very, very happy with it.

Even though there are hordes of viruses for Windows programs floating around, the Apple software is actually more vulnerable in terms of holes in the operating system. If someone wanted to be really malicious and write viruses suited to each type of operating system, it would be easier for them to "destroy" an Apple computer than it would for them to "whack up" a fully updated Windows based PC system. This doesn't happen very often though because those that are writing viruses are trying to attack the most computers that they can at one time. Given that Mac's are but a very small percentage of all computers sold and operated for personal use, they are basically overlooked by the hackers and malicious malcontents.

Having said that, the other folks have pointed out the lack of compatability of software with a Mac based system. Depending on your specific needs, this may or may not be important to you. If it isn't important, and with all of the above in mind, i would probably go with a Mac if looking for a laptop. Everyone i know with a Mac laptop is happy with it whereas most with Windows based PC's want to hit their with a hammer, regardless of make or model. Sean
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PC / DOS / Windows user since DOS 2.0 Number of viruses contracted: ZERO (number of years using antivirus and security products - 16-18 or so, since the early DOS versions of McAfee virus scan) I've also owned and used Macs during my college years.

Currently using: Windows XP and Linux (Suse 9.x) I use these because they're what most of the business world uses, and where the greatest variety of software exists.

Major misconception perpetuated here: Macs aren't immune to virii/spyware, they're just insignificant as targets compared to Windows. Neither is Linux immune. That doesn't make either any more or less "secure", it just makes them more or less "targeted'. This does mean that, as long as this remains true, you have to exercise less vigilance to stay clean when you're not using the more prevalent OS. It means nothing else.

Windows is not necessarily any weaker than the others are ignored. Think about that for a second - the greatest impact for a malware writer is where the greatest userbase lies. This has nothing to do with the superiority of one platform over another.

They all have their merits and their faults. At some point, some computer users realize they could be happy with any of them, as long as they have a basic facility with computers.
Macintosh is the easiest to use, which is a strong and popular selling-point. However, many of the other things you read here and elsewhere about the superiority or inferiority of the different operating systems simply aren't well-considered or factual, and are the naive products of fandom. I see much of this in this thread. I'm a BA in CS and have worked as a Systems Administrator for 10 years - I've used a few computers myself, including lots of them that redefine the concept of ease-of-use in the negative sense. I've less of an opinion now on this question than before I started, because I can see that most of these offerings operate within a pretty tight range of one another, and their similarities are greater than their differences. Compare this with the consumer operating system picture 15 years ago, when the different operating system families couldn't even communicate with one another on the same network without a proverbial act of congress.

My advice would be to go with what your school recommends - that's the best advice, because their recommendation will hopefully based on what is best supported by their IT staff, and best for running any ancillary "curriculum-ware" they're aware of. Either MAC or Windows would be a fine choice, and likely your school will recommend one or the other, or both.

I've been a continuous exclusive mac user since the original 128k mac in 1984. I now have a 14 inch ibook which is actually a bity faster than my 20 inch G4 imac. So I'm quite the committed Mac-oholic.
That said I would add one other element to the discussion. Please also consider what you may plan to do after college. If you are thinking of going into mainstream corporate America, then you may wish to have some familiarity with a PC windows based system.
If your college is Mac friendly, then I would strongly recommend a mac laptop. But it may be wise to also at least spend some time getting familiar with the PC operating system. It may be a poor example but perhaps you could think of it like learning to drive a standard shift car. Although most of my cars have been automatic, I am glad that I learned on a stick. Sometimes, although it may be rare, the only car available is a stick. So if you at least know how to drive a stick car, then you can comfortably drive an automatic knowing that if your are in Europe or the Carribean and need to rent a car, you can drive whatever they have.