do i need a laptop?

[jwxie518]

I want to buy a Mac Book Pro 15" with 128GB SSD (I will buy one from newegg). The price is around $2000 but then I realize it's better to wait for SSD to get mature and since I am still not in BUSINESS, there is no need for such an expensive machine.

I am only a college freshmen. Do you think I really need a laptop now? Do I need a laptop during class time?

I don't like to spend time arguing with my parents about getting a Mac. I am also applying to transfer out to MIT, Columbia, and a few other better college (though CCNY's Grove School of Engineering has a very high reputation as a Engineering School)....

[Showstopper]

If it is not needed, then I would not get it. Its tough getting by.

[Jordan]

You have to ask yourself, will you use it? Will you actually carry it with you to places and use the "mobile" aspect of it? Once you get to college you will probably want a laptop a lot more than a desktop but I don't see why you couldn't survive with either. In college I think it is easier because you can take the laptop to class with you and record the teacher and/or takes notes or surf the web while your fellow classmates are still trying to figure out what the teacher said.

[jwxie518]

Yeah I agree. I forgot to mention that I was going to get a MBP 13 2.26Ghz the one that cost $1,099 with a free iPod Touch and a free printer up to $100 which I can have it for free if I spend $1200 on the Mac...

I don't know what to decide. I know I will give up on the expensive one ($2000+), and to be more serious there is no need for such an expensive machine now. I am not people like Jordan or Showstopper, you guys are in the field already and has a job to support yourself.

But even with the $1,099 one , I know I have free time and gaps between classes almost everyday. I could go to the school library and use the computer or just not to use the computer at all, because I might spend most of the time reading, solving problems or trying to study my notes....

It's a tough decision....
I could also use my phone to navigate the web though the screen is -,- small...

[Jordan]

Have you thought about getting a netbook? What you described above would be a perfect use for it and is very cheap compared to what you want to spend.

[jwxie518]

Have you thought about getting a netbook? What you described above would be a perfect use for it and is very cheap compared to what you want to spend.

well yeah... but it's kinda weird to spend $300 on a Netbook while I could use that $300 and plus just $900 more to get more... the C/P value isn't wroth it to me... I might ask my sister to buy a netbook for herself and get her old laptop, load up Ubuntu there.... and use it...

[WingedPanther]

My wife got a netbook for that exact reason: to be able to surf between classes. Then she found out her school's IT department REQUIRED a particular anti-virus program before they'd let her connect, even though the AV wouldn't run on her Linux box. :/

[jwxie518]

Thank you WP. I emailed our school technical help desk, and should receive a reply soon.
And great thanks to every reply I received. As of now, I decided to get my sister's 4 years old Acer laptop as she has complained about the **** slow speed and since my father just got a 2nd hand Sony Vaio laptop. I told her to get that Sony computer so I could load up Ubuntu (and XP if they do REQUIRED AN AV) to her old machine...

I think this will cut down budget. I checked many netbooks today and found they are pretty decent. IMO I will only get the $250 HP 110 Mini one but I think since there is a left over laptop, I will give that good one to my sister since she isn't into computer, I guess she won't spend time fixing problems (heat and the booting are problems on her old laptop)... so instead I will take it....

[Turk4n]

Well, if you're going to use the laptop for surfing, programming,emailing,chatting and nothing more?
Then go for a netbook, however if you're going to use a laptop for light-gaming,surfing,programming,emailing,chatting and editing movies slideshows and etc. Buy a macbook.
However if your into really into to do everything and want to have a mobile station for it. Then you should get a Macbook Pro(Max the specs) or get a high-end PC.
P.S - Make up your mind !

[jwxie518]

hehehe I had already made up my mind. I took my sister's old laptop (it's Acer, Mobile Celeon M CPU) 512mb that's around 3-4 years already. I loaded up 9.04 Ubuntu last night, very good. Smooth. I am trying to load up Server edition later, putting Nignx instead of Apache (I did that to my P3 CPU 128MB machine)
Now I could get back to Linux world, I guess???