06-29-2012, 03:58 AM | #106 | |
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Re Mac, since I'm currently running on a pre-Lion Mac, I thought I'd ask because most OS X Lion users won't own a OS X Lion USB stick and I wasn't sure if OS X Lion could be completely reinstalled directly from their recovery partition, or if any user data might end up in recovery partition. Essentially in the past the way I'd clean old Mac and move to new Mac was: back up old Mac to external drive using Time Machine, startup from Mac OS installation disk (now it would be USB stick or recovery partition) and use disk utility to erase old Mac's internal drive (now not the entire drive but just the user partition if running disk utility from the recovery partition, and I agree single pass of zeros is sufficient) then reinstall the OS onto internal disk (now the user partition), startup from internal disk normally and create a demo account on old Mac if necessary, sell old Mac, buy new Mac, use Migration Assistant on new Mac to transfer stuff to new Mac from the Time Machine backup on the external drive. Re iPad, I'd somehow missed seeing or forgot about that "Reset" menu way down at the bottom in Settings. Thanks again. Last edited by unboggling; 06-29-2012 at 05:40 AM. |
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07-03-2012, 08:08 AM | #107 |
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I think it's pretty clear now that for college purposes, the MAC would be a sure-fire choice.
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07-03-2012, 11:38 AM | #108 | |
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Kind of like with cars. Any running car will get me where I'm going. I've had a lot of cars. My favorite was a 5 year old used Camaro RS in the 1980s. The most comfortable car I ever owned was a 20 year old used Mercedes in Germany. My fastest sleekest car was a new Nissan 300ZX, which a few months after purchase crashed at 100 mph on the Audubon. The clunkiest was an old used VW bug. It's not easy to say which was the best car, because my needs changed over time, all had pros and cons, they were of various ages and various engineering quality, they were in different environments. But I sure liked that Camaro. I think my niece had a Mac craving before the subject even came up. Last edited by unboggling; 07-03-2012 at 11:48 AM. |
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07-03-2012, 12:56 PM | #109 |
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It seems far from clear to me. The $1000 she could save by going for a mid-range Windows laptop could probably be much more usefully spent for a cash-strapped student.
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07-03-2012, 01:24 PM | #110 |
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While it is true that students are perpetually cash-strapped, a laptop is something that most of them will use daily and will often take with them to the library, classes, trips home, etc., so portability and battery life are often a priority. It is also something that isn't purchased very often (by students at least), so it stands to reason that they would want something that would last through their time at university, and thus they may want something with a bit beefier specs. I personally don't have a problem with spending more than the average laptop costs when purchasing one, seeing as I use it several hours a day.
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07-06-2012, 12:29 AM | #111 | |
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Back to cars. I bought a new Suburu Forester a few years ago when I wanted to replace my 15 year old bottom-of-the-line Nissan pickup, which I could have had fixed for a few hundred dollars. I don't go off-road, drive much in snow, or live an active outdoors/sports-related life so I don't need the Forester's standard all-wheel drive or cargo space. (I hardly ever used the cargo space on the Nissan either.) So why did I buy that Forester? I was tired of the Nissan pickup and wanted a change. I saw a Suburu ad on TV and suddenly remembered I'd owned a reliable Suburu 30 years ago and liked it. So I looked at Suburus. I liked the Forester's look and feel. Its color. Its stance. The twin tailpipes on the Forester reminded me of my old Camaro RS. That's all. Not practical specs. Not horsepower. Not all wheel drive. Not cargo space. Not mpg. Not budget. Not cost-benefit analysis. I venture to guess I am not unique in making buying decisions that way. Last edited by unboggling; 07-06-2012 at 12:45 AM. |
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07-06-2012, 08:08 AM | #112 |
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wow. students in other countries are so advanced ) here, we make do just fine with pen and paper. in fact, i find it works best during classes where i have to draw graphs and essentially be quick when the prof recites instead of writing on the board. besides, most of the profs don't allow laptops in class.
of course, when it comes to doing work outside the classroom, i just use a netbook since all i use are productivity programs like ms office...i couldn't quite figure out why i would need so much power that macs provide. but i hear that apple offers a student discount. is it a substantial discount? |
07-06-2012, 09:25 AM | #113 | |
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07-06-2012, 09:51 AM | #114 | |
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personally, i don't like bringing laptops to class. it's so bulky and it's hard to keep up. also, it helps me to focus when i have to write it down by myself. most students end up not paying attention if they can rely on the tech later on. |
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07-06-2012, 11:30 AM | #115 | |
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Please let me know where I can buy a mid-range Windows laptop for minus $50, I'll take ten! apple has bought up so much production capacity in china, that other manufacturers are struggling to match their prices, particularly in the "ultrabook" range. i agree that a brand-new 15" macbook pro is way overkill for 90% of students. but a second-hand macbook air is pretty hard to beat... |
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07-06-2012, 03:05 PM | #116 | ||||
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HarryT and sumguy, you're both repeating yourselves. She knows if she changes her mind she can sell the MB Pro and get something else. Last edited by unboggling; 07-06-2012 at 03:20 PM. |
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07-06-2012, 08:59 PM | #117 |
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just get her a netbook for a fraction of the cost
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07-07-2012, 01:58 AM | #118 | |
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Macs may be expensive initially, but they hold their value well and have a great resale value as well. |
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07-07-2012, 04:03 AM | #119 |
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I've used Dell laptops for years, and have never had a single problem with them. I'd thoroughly recommend them.
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07-07-2012, 10:39 AM | #120 | |
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As for me, my Mac has been fine and still is, but then again so are my windows laptops too. All devices will have a % failure rate, some of us will just be unlucky enough to be the ones making up that number |
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