LibAnswers: Student Digital Skills and Assistive Technology

We would advise getting a Windows laptop or computer.

Macs are excellent computers too, but some software that you may need for your university assignments or DMU free home licenses of particular software may not be available for Mac operating systems. Also, keep in mind that most businesses use Windows computers and it is a good opportunity to learn how to use Windows computers while at university, even if you are a Mac user.

Some design and production university programmes may predominantly use Macs. Check with your programme.

As for Chromebooks, we recommend that you opt for a Windows or Mac instead. The Chromebook is a cloud-based operating system and you will not be able to download and install desktop versions of many important applications. Instead, you will be running Android versions of apps (like Android mobile phones).

For example, your MS Word application will not have all the features you may need to format your Word document for report writing. For example, the Add Sections Breaks option is not available in Word Online. You will need section breaks to have the report's page number starting as 1 on the first page of your report. If you do not use section breaks, page numbers added to the footer will appear on every page of your document, including your Title page.

On a Chromebook, you will also not be able to download other desktop applications that you may need for your studies. Even if you were able to find a Chromebook version of an application, it will be a watered-down online version of the desktop app. You will also need to be online to effectively use your Chromebook.