I’ll be heading back tomorrow for a more detailed go-round with the various vendors, but today I stopped into the Acadia Laptop Showcase at the Fountain Commons in order to get a glimpse at what the various vendors have to offer. I’m not going to offer my own opinion in full detail (That’ll be for the Ath, it seems), but I will say this much: thanks to everyone who came out. The future of the Acadia Advantage is important to this university, and a student voice is integral. Too often I think students are left out of this process, so this is a great opportunity to test and see if these computers meet your needs.
Personally, I’ll disclose that if I return to Acadia next year I will be buying an Apple laptop – this was going to be the case before they were one of the potential vendors, and nothing I saw today really changed that fact. I heard a few rumblings here and there about the representative being a bit prickly, but in the end a fair number of students were gravitating towards the shiny boxes.
But let me pose a few questions about each model, in an attempt to gather some information and stir up some discussion.
Apple:
- What knowledge did you gain regarding operating a Windows environment through Boot Camp?
- How much are you willing to spend for a MacBook?
- Did you leave the table with a sense of the difference between the MacBook and the MacBook Pro? And compared to PCs?
HP:
- Were you as put off as I was by the lack of pricing/specifications on the models?
- Did you think the tablet PC was cool, or just a distraction from the rest of their presentation?
- Is a Biometric thumb scanner SERIOUSLY a selling point for anyone?
Toshiba:
- How concerned were you about the specifications on the Toshiba laptops?
- Is size an issue for you? (I don’t think Toshiba had a laptop under 15.4″)
- Do you feel that these models were designed for student use?
Dell:
- Are you willing to pay $1500 for an upgraded version of the current Acadia laptop?
- Are you interested in a high-end gaming rig, or was that not of any interest?
- Do you feel wary about Dell in general based on the performance of the existing laptops?
If you want to take some time to answer any of these questions, or offer your own comments, feel free to post below! And if you haven’t yet visited the Laptop Showcase, it is on tomorrow (Wednesday) from 10am to 7pm.
The Myles Files 
11 comments
Comments feed for this article
January 29, 2008 at 5:59 pm
Zoe
haha talk about leading questions Myles, but I hope we get Apples too and I was talking with one my profs before she headed out to it and she had the same feelings, so let’s hope the rest of the student body joins in.
January 29, 2008 at 6:23 pm
Nick
Apple:
The only question that I’ll address is price: I’d be willing to spring for the basic macbook if Acadia can knock em down to the $800-$1000 price range.
HP:
I think tablet computers are definitely worth looking into. For those who are in Math/economics courses and would like to take notes on their computers it is really the best way to go about things, and when I was there the spec sheets were all there and had prices on them.
Toshiba:
Terrible presentation. Their laptops were all largely the same gigantic 6lb model (no heavier than what we have now, but I crave portability). There were no computers offering non-Intel Integrated Graphics options – which would not suit anyone who might like to play the occasional game. When I questioned the Toshiba rep on this he said “With the money you save buying these less expensive models you can buy yourself a pretty nice xbox”.
Dell:
There is very little chance I would consider the Latitude D630 as I’m not overly pleased with my current D620. The XPS model laptop was a little large for my tastes, but would make a decent choice for many students as it’s extremely customizable, and the cheapest model offered by Dell. I loved Dell’s tablet and ultra-portable computers, but their price hates my wallet. Acadia may be able to bring their prices down, but not near enough for my tastes.
My 3 pics: Macbook, HP Tablet (only beats dells because it’s offered for $700 less BEFORE Acadia negotiates), and the dell Ultra Portable.
Just my two cents!
Cheers,
Nick
January 29, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Alex
I’m not going to go into great detail about my decisions, but I am definitely going to have to go with Apple on this one. I felt that they had the best presentation, and were by far the most approachable of the group (I can only speak for the reps that I spoke with personally, but whatev).
My only real concern is that only the MacBook Pro supports DAQ cards, which are pretty much essential to some of my chem labs where you need a large amount of data, but there are definitely other, much better ways of doing that that don’t involve the cards.
January 29, 2008 at 7:50 pm
Stan
I found that the Apple rep i spoke to was pretty dismissive of questions and comparisons to the dell, hp, and toshiba models. also their warranty is kind of suspect…one year with the option to upgrade to 3 years at between 200 and 300 dollars depending on which model you went for. although i’m not gonna lie…if they knock the price down to 800 bucks then i’m all over it and for arts students and students interested in digital creation of any sort it’s the best choice.
HP I found was the most suited for student living. the “gyro” hard drive seems like a good feature as our laptops usually take a beating. it was definitely the worst looking of the laptops (the actual laptop not the tablet) they also seemed to have the best built in warranty at three years. as far as biometrics…not a great selling point but any sort of security function is an added bonus.
The toshibas seemed the worst suited to us as students. they were ugly, had weird coatings on their screens and the guy presenting seemed more like a corporate shill then someone who was trying to win a contract. I can’t believe that xbox statement that he made to nick…useless.
Dell still as a lot of choice and they brought a lot of models to show. the XPS looked decent and would be the cheapest to turn into a decent media machine. the tablet and ultra portable models looked great but were on the expensive side and i’m not interested in the replacement for our current D620…
all in all i’m not concerned by screen size or the lack of specs because by the time we actually buy a system the hardware will have changed or we’ll be given the option to spec out our own system.
January 29, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Myles
Stan, you raise a good point: I know that the MacBook Pros in particular are due for an upgrade, as sites like MacRumors have them listed as “Don’t Buy – Update Soon.” I’ll have to ask tomorrow where they stand in terms of these potential new models in the pipeline, considering these laptops will not be sold to students until the early summer at the earliest.
And yes, Zoe, the questions are somewhat leading in their development, but I guess it’s less of “What did you think?” and more “Did you encounter these problems?” So, they’re leading by design.
Thanks for the feedback, folks, and keep it coming!
January 30, 2008 at 11:59 am
Hannes
Apple:
1. I’m an apple user at Acadia. Running OS X and have a VM Fusion installed, which allows you to run Windows in the background. So there isn’t even a need to use bootcamp (which requires restarting the OS every time to switch). On the other hand, with the new Office 2008 for mac, I find there isn’t even a need for Windows anymore, as the Office Suites are so similar. In fact, I found that Office is quicker and runs more stable on a Mac, than on a PC.
2. Another reason why I would advocate Mac’s (specifically MacBooks) at Acadia is because they meet the basic needs of most students. They are stable, don’t get ‘any’ viruses and are small enough to carry around the whole day (unlike their competition). If anyone needs anything more powerful, they get a Powerbook.
3. The price is an issue with Apple. Acadia should find a way to decrease the price, for example through leasing options with Banks. Nevertheless I’d be willing to pay the premium price for a Mac because I find they last longer, and just generally give a better return for the amount paid.
4. with adequate training options at the beginning of the semester, anyone will be able to use a Mac within a couple of weeks at almost the same level as a Windows computer before.
The only two reasons I find is why ‘students’ would look for another non-mac option is because they have specific academic needs, such as the case of the Chemist (as mentioned in a previous post). Or secondly, if they have gaming needs, and want ‘hardcore’ gamers hardware.
I also believe that generally, discussions should focus on the ‘basic’ user at Acadia, as most students are NOT experts with computers, and therefore only require basic hardware and software.
Cheers,
Hannes
January 30, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Alex #2
Just to point out, Apple’s iWorks (their equivalent to MS Office for Mac) is arguably much better software than Office for PC or Mac. And both products generate documents that are 100% inter-compatible.
February 2, 2008 at 6:31 pm
jb
For the gaming question, what games are you interested in?
The fact of the matter is that unless you spend $1500+ you’re not playing ANYTHING state of the art (game-wise) on a laptop; that’s a questionable statement in itself. To tell you the truth, if you want a pc that will game then you’re going to have to invest some dough into a desktop computer. That’s how the industry works.
If you want to play some games that are 2-5 years old? Sure no problem. Integrated graphics all the way with low resolutions on the game hands down. No problem at all. You want to play 2008 games? Good luck.
Seriously, you would buy a laptop because reps at a booth were approachable? They’re paid to be approachable. Who cares. When the reps leave, what are you left with? I’ll tell you what I think you’re left with. A fuzzy and warm feeling inside. And that’s it. Smooth operators man. hahah.
February 2, 2008 at 6:54 pm
jb
PS with regards to the apple post above by Hannes
#1. You run two operating systems at a time? Say goodbye to your resources. Ok so you say that you don’t use windows at all. That’s fine too. Say goodbye to windows programs (what ever they may be).. which is fine, I don’t use a mac so I don’t know what I’m missing – I have access to windows programs.
Furthermore, my computers seem to run Microsoft office. A PC with 200MHz and 128mb ram can run microsoft office stably. I don’t get what your point is. Your mac can run office programs. Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Are you doing heavy encoding in an office program? I don’t get it. Really.
#2. I would not advocate computers to students that are more expensive, and computers that can not achieve higher performance than computers that cost less. So you mention ‘stable’ again. Know how to avoid virii, spyware, etc and possibly run a software firewall (which i have not found the need to do myself) and you find that your pc runs REALLY fast.
#3. Price .IS. an issue with Apple. Period. I don’t remember the last time any of my computers crashed and they’re all pcs. Stop kidding everyone – we know Apple pays your salary hannes.
#4. Why not advocate some basic training in computer maintenance to students? After all, with a pc you can achieve a much better bang for buck – plus you never have to boot a second operating system just to get to some normal features of the competition.
I was using a dell PC for over 2 years and it was as good as the day I bought it. I mean really, what hardware component exactly are you talking about? I know with the dells at this school I have seen a bunch of hard drives fail. Are you claiming that Apple uses superior hard drives? No. They use the same hard drives PCs are using. What lasts longer? Are you saying that because you’ve never had your apple laptop fail on you that they last longer? Well, I guess in your experience, hey they do last longer. In my experience however, within the last 12 years I’ve not had a pc die on me. In my experience, computers become obsolete before they die.
The only reason Macs don’t have viruses is because they control so little market share that it would be useless to a hacker to infect macs. The virus wouldn’t spread.
Attempting to spread a Mac virus would have the same effect as swiping the shoes of everyone who has blue hair in north america. It’s stupid because NOBODY has blue hair – the effect is insignificant at best.
Cheers
February 2, 2008 at 7:08 pm
jb
oh, the two button mouse thing is also pretty cool… man oh man would I ever miss that second button…
February 6, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Amelia
Hey!- I probably shouldn’t even be commenting here, I found your site through google- I hope you don’t mind.
I am a high school student coming to Acadia this September. I have always used PCs (because of pricing) but am not impressed with their performance, as compared to Macs, of which I am a huge fan. I have done a lot of research, which only confirmed my belief that Macs are superior (for my needs) and that Dell is NOT the way to go…
I do a lot of video editing, and am at the point where I am desperate to buy a Macbook, the only thing holding me back is the prospect that my $2000 will be somewhat wasted if I show up in September and my customized soulmate of a laptop is not ‘accepted’. Anyway, I hope they put the list out soon- and that Apple is on it- I feel that it would be insane to bar such great technology which is so widely used today. Once again- hope I can comment here, and thanks for your reviews, it was a great help to read!
Best!