Laptops have become a commodity to all college students. The personal computer serves many essential  purposes, from allowing one to work on assignments and projects to being able to catch up on shows from any location.

Today, we find a wide variety of laptops from many manufacturers each having distinct features that make them each student’s favorite. Chimes went around asking Calvin students about which laptop they use, why they use it, what they would prefer to use and which features were especially important to them.

As can be seen on campus, a lot of students use Apple’s MacBook laptops for school and everyday use.

It is ranked as the number one choice for Calvin students. A number of students said that they prefer to use a MacBook because they own other Apple products and can use iCloud to have easy access to their messages, files, contacts, and other data.

Karen Cudjoe (‘18) said, “If I lose my phone, I know I have my laptop to rely on.”

Secondly, the MacBook is less likely to get a virus compared to the Microsoft Computers, and also has generally pleasing aesthetics, according to Shurjo Maitra (‘18).

Even most non-Mac users said that they would prefer to get a MacBook if they could afford it.

One of the main factors students consider is the price. According to Steven Scott (‘20),  “PCs are generally cheaper.

That’s why they are used more compared to Macs which, by the way, have better quality.”

Beyond price concerns, students said that they considered the weight, processor speeds and ease of user interface when choosing a laptop. With all of these factors to balance, students often opt for PC’s. Many of these students prefered HP and Lenovo models. Lorena De Almeida  (‘17) said that her Lenovo laptop did not last very long but that she enjoyed using it.

On Amazon, top-selling laptops included several Asus models including the Aspire E, named the best laptop for college students by Lifewire.com, which costs $349.99 and the Chromebook R. Other popular models included the HP Stream laptops, the Chromebook Flip and Lenovo’s Thinkpad T430.Techradar called the Dell XPS 13 the best for students calling it “powerful, functional and aesthetically pleasing.”