Is a mac for me?

I'm pretty sure my next notebooks going to be a mac. I've tried all the other operating systems, windows and Linux. I'm definitely curious to try a mac, but would any of you recommend one for an electrical engineer major.

 

Before this turns into yet ANOTHER flame war, here is the best piece of advice you'll ever receive......Go to an Apple or Apple Authorized Reseller store and check it out for yourself. Only YOU are able to answer the question "Is a Mac for me?"

Everyone has an opinion, but ultimately you will have to make the decision for yourself.

 

Before you waste the time doing that, think about what programs you run.

Do they run in OSX? If not then you will either have to virtulize the OS, boot camp it or find alternatives.

 

Once you figure out the software side, you won't find as nicely build and esthetically pleasing computer as a MBP...

 

If you call ahead and tell them your a potential buyer then any Apple store should happily schedule all the time you need to help you make a decision. Walking you through the OS X and showing you the in's and out's of it. That's what I did before buying my Mac. Then you can see it for yourself instead of just reading about it on here.

 

Well, Engineering is not a very mac-friendly degree program or field.

This does not mean you cannot make it work, but it does mean you will have extra work (and expense) to get what your classes and/or job expects out of you.

More than likely all the software you will be using in school for engineering will be for Windows/*nix. This isn't really an issue as you can always run a virtual machine or boot up in another OS using bootcamp. Note, in the case of Windows, you will still have to purchase a copy of the OS. (not too bad for students or certain jobs though)

In the case of a job and wanting to use the Mac at work, it would be wise to talk to the IT department. Not all IT departments support Mac. Indeed, some actually ban them due to security issues. Again it is not impossible as companies like mine allow Macs, but you are basically your own support.

Note that while our IT department helps as best as possible, it will NOT help in any way with Unibody macbook hardware support due to the sheer number of problems. (the original run, I have no data on the current run due to no support for it.)

It all comes down to how your brain works. If the MacOS works best for you, then it works best for you.

 

I'm in EE and use a Mac exclusively. Sure, I do miss some programs on Windows, but those I cannot live without I just run in Parallels.

 

Like everyone would suggest, try the OS in any form or fashion, at a mac store or from a friend who owns a mac, before you purchase it due to hype.

The OS works for most people who try it but there are the few (like myself) who prefer the windows interface but ultimately its up to you to decide. We can't TELL you that a mac is good for you in summary.

 

As already mentioned, go into an Apple store, and have a decent play with one. See if OSX is for you. There is no questioning they look and feel bloody great.

 

Actually you can try it out.
IMO the GUI interface is quite limited I prefer using Terminal in my Linux I always use the terminal.
Since you are a Linux user you already have an edge.
It is possible you will find it almost identical to Linux/Solaris.

 

If you are comfortable with both Windows and Linux, OS X will not be a problem (and the command line is a *nix, so you already know how it works). As an engineering student, see if your school qualifies for a free or cheap Windows 7, or you can go through Dreamspark to get a student copy of Windows Server 2008 r2 for free.