Hello everyone, I'm new here. I have recently been contemplating on getting a macbook pro for graduate school. My major would be in economics so I would be using it a lot for economic and statistical softwares (i.e. e-views, stata), aside from the regular paper submissions and presentations. My exposure to apple products is limited to my iphone and ipad, and would like the experts thoughts on any issues i should encounter when running the mentioned softwares on macbook's windows platform? Are these softwares compatible with IOS? Would I be better off sticking with windows? Thank you so much for your inputs. Sincerely, Justin
You can check on your ipad's app store and see if there is a similar app for what you need, then assess. Why are you thinking of switching in the first place?
Thanks Kaebee. I'll be taking my post grad abroad. So the laptop would also be my primary means of communication with my family. My wife suggested that I get a macbook for Facetime as we hear its a pretty solid platform (better than skype etc.). Also, based on experience, windows laptops age pretty quickly and tend to slowdown after sometime. I think it would be more practical to get a laptop that would last me the entire duration of my program which is two years. Again thank you for the reply.
Mmm.....software first. Then hardware. As an alternative, there are on-line statistical analysis tools (an example of software as a service), both free and paid.
hmmm. from your post. you already have ipad and iphone. yoo can always facetime with your wife from those. Like what Raypin said. Software first. Choose the software you need, then see on what OS it is compatible with. Windows or Mac, then go with that. In fairness, Windows does have Skype and Viber for laptops and desktops, not to mention the old "reliable" YM. which all have equivalent iOS apps.
Yes, Windows do tend to get slow over time, but as long as you only install the softwares that you need, then it should keep fairly decent. i.e. if you use a windows laptop purely for paper submissions, and don't install games, or download a lot of stuff, then it should hold up for some time.
Hi Justin, i was in almost the predicament, i did my post grad abroad but i got a macbook because of a photography hobby i did before my post grad term. Anyway, getting a macbook is defintely a good choice, i vouched for the hardware quality, you wouldnt want trouble with your macbook while away from home. But even if you did almost all apple repair centers speak a universal language, just dont forget applecare. Like you i had to use statistical and number software for my research and thesis. Most of them were available in windows. The university computer labs have them for free for as long as you use the computers or (im assuming your university has this) they can give you remote desktop access to the software via your webrowser... found this to be too troublesome, so i invested in Parallels and installed a windows VM for my statistical software only in windows platform.. that said, id recommend you buy the new macbook air. portability is really a big plus. i still remember lugging around the weight of the macbook with a few books in a backpack......its a small suggestion but i believe you'll appreciate the weight. Being a student "again" will require you to move around more and this will definitley help ...unless you are into gaming oh and the os for the macbook is OSX...IOS goes to your mobile devices
As marjoejoe mentioned... you can run both mac OS and windows OS on a mac hardware, in your case, a mac laptop. If your statistics software is window only, boot in windows on your mac, and run the software. Or, try to search if your windows software has a mac equivalent. Try inquiring with the software company also if they have an iPad/iPhone (iOS) implement. A mac laptop also has international warranty and apple has a good mileage for after sales service. Don't forget to buy applecare to extend your 1 year warranty to 3 years if your planning to use it for a longer time.
There are Mac versions of those programs, and I'm sure that, where you're going, (a) there are many Mac users and (b) they can easily set it up for you or teach you how. I don't think you even need to run Windows, but as our friends above say, you always can if you want to.
Thank you so much for the valuable inputs guys. I think I'm now leaning towards getting a mac (either the pro or the air). @ marjoejoejoe, did you somehow encounter glitches when running the stat softwares via the windows OS? And where can I possibly get the best deal on bnew macbooks or air? Again thank you so much.
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