School ‘Books

by Charles W. Moore

It’s that time of year again already. Seems like summer had hardly started, and now we’re bearing down on Labor Day weekend, after which the regular routines start up again, especially for those pursuing an education.

A computer is a necessity at university level, and Increasingly so for high school and grade school as well, and for students, portables will be the best solution in most cases because of their compactness, and with wireless Internet access available anywhere on most campuses, in libraries, and at cafés, why wouldn’t you want to cut the desktop tether and enjoy the freedom, versatility and convenience of a laptop?

Apple has always been strong in the education arena, although in recent years, there has been some controversy with the argument from some quarters that a Windows machine would be a better choice, since that’s what 90+ percent of the “real-world” uses. I never thought that assertion held much water, so to speak; Macs, especially in the OS X era, are pretty compatible these days.

However, it's been blown completely out of the water this year, with the availability of Intel-powered Macs that can run Windows when it's necessary for compatibility using either Apple's free Boot Camp Windows-enabling software or the third-party Parallels virtualization solution that runs Windows in its own window in OS X so you can switch between platforms without rebooting, and with no performance compromises, while still supporting the superior Mac OS experience when Windows compatibility is not an issue, and of course in blissful obliviousness to the Windows malware onslaught when on the Mac "side."

My daughter made it through four years at a basically Mac-unfriendly University with few problems, finding that Microsoft Office provided most of the file compatibility she needed. For her freshman and sophomore years, she used a couple of PowerBook 1400s, backed up by the old PowerBook 5300 that had seen her through high school. With an Ethernet PC Card adapter, she was able to connect to the hard-wired broadband Internet in her dorm.

In her third year, she moved up to a 1.2 GHz 12 inch G4 iBook, with which she finished her undergraduate career in fine style.

This year, if you’re in a Mac frame of mind and buying new, the obvious choice for most academic users will be the MacBook, which at $1,099 for the base 1.83 GHz model is far and away the most power and value or the money Apple has ever offered in a portable computer, and one that should be amply capable of handling anything most students will ever require of it and more. Even if one’s budget could support the higher price of a MacBook Pro, in my estimation the MacBook, with its tough polycarbonate case, slightly more compact dimensions, and lighter weight makes more sense for life in the academic world than does the more fragile aluminum-skinned MacBook Pro. An exception to this might be if you are going to be doing high-end graphics work or are a serious gamer, in which case the MacBook Pro’s larger display and more powerful video support would likely be a tipping point in its favor. A case can also be made for having the MacBook Pro’s backlit keyboard for computing in dimly lit lecture halls.

For MacBook buyers, the main decision dilemma is whether one can live with the combo CDRW- DVD-ROM drive in the entry-level 1.83 GHz machine, or to go with the slightly faster $1,299 2.0 GHz MacBook that has a DVD-burning SuperDrive, or to let it all hang out and get the top-of-the-line $1,499 black version (which also comes with a larger hard drive). The deciding factor should really really the optical drives, since the slightly higher performance provided by the 117 MHz faster 2.0 GHz CPU would the barely noticeable in most real world use.

White or black is a matter of subjective preference. Personally, if the black MacBook was glossy-finished like the black iPod, I would find it quite enticing, but matte black, a la the old G3 Series PowerBook, doesn’t really turn my crank, and I’m a big fan of glossy-white computers like my G3 iBook, so I could quite happily go for the middle $1,299 model.

Buying a enough hard drive capacity up front is not as crucial an issue with the MacBook as it was with the iBook, since upgrading the MacBook’s hard drive is very easy. If a 60 or 80 gigabyte drive sounds like enough for now, you can always go larger later if the need arises.

I do recommend getting at least one gigabyte of RAM and preferably 1.5 gigabytes or 2 gigabytes, although Apple isn’t the best place to buy RAM upgrades from a cost perspective. The MacBook uses the same sort of RAM as many PC models, so you can save money by shopping around. Try our RAM comparison page at PCPrices/Mac for comparison shopping.

If you’re on a tight budget for the school year, and even the $1099 MacBook sounds a bit steep for your wallet, my suggestion for a school ‘Book would be a refurbished or iBook or 12-inch PowerBook. There is a vast selection of dual USB iBooks available from early 500 MHz G3 models that are now selling for about $250-$300, to the last generation 1.33 GHz and 1.42 GHz models at $750-$1000 (and a vast range in between). Twelve-inch PowerBooks are holding their value amazingly well on Apple’s Certified Refurbished page, but I’ve heard of last-generation 1.5 GHz units selling used for as little as $899.00.

I’ve always found it difficult to decide whether I like the 12-inch iBook or the 12-inch PowerBook better, but they are both fine computers, and particularly the final version G4 models, should be capable of providing excellent service for several years yet.

For running OS X on a G4 Apple laptop you should have at least 640 MB or 768 MB of RAM minimum (the 1.33 GHz 12-inch and 1.42 GHz 14-inch iBook support up to 1.5 gigabytes of RAM), and with any of these G4 machines, and especially the iBooks, hard drive capacity at purchase time is an important consideration, since upgrading the hard drive involves almost complete this assembly of the computer.

You will also most likely want a laptop bag or backpack, or at least a sleeve case to carry your computer, and I would also suggest getting an external keyboard, pointing device, and a laptop stand for more comfort and better ergonomics when at the desktop. A good computer chair is also part of the ergonomics dynamic, and while you can spend a lot of money on one of these, I’ve found that even inexpensive task chairs with a pneumatically-adjustable center pedestal from department stores like Wal-Mart or Target can be quite satisfactory, and a lot better than using something makeshift.

Also, I highly recommend getting an external FireWire or USB 2 hard drive for backing up your files. My daughter used USB pen drives for backing her most important work, but in her case that was mostly text files, which don’t require much space. I can’t stress the importance of keeping regular backups enough. Just do it.

One downside of portable computers is that they are easier to steal than most desktops, and a theft could really ruin your day (and possibly your semester). Consequently, buying a Kensington Notebook Security Cable and Lock, of which there are several models available, could be one of the best $30 - $55 you ever spent.

cmoore@powerbookcentral.com

Find the lowest price on a new Mac at PCPrices/Mac.
Get a free iPod nano with your new MacBook or MacBook Pro with this Apple EDU promotion, good through Sept 16th.