The purpose of the Laptop Program is to provide a powerful productivity machine in conjunction with peace of mind for parents and students. We are able to offer program participants all-inclusive on-site support that constitutes our Premiere level services. With our trained repair staff and parts in stock, our Premiere services offer program members significantly better than industry standard repair times with zero additional cost: if you break it, spill on it, or get a virus this will not cost you extra through the Carlson Laptop Program.

While students are not required to purchase a laptop, we strongly recommend that students purchase a laptop through the Carlson School Laptop Program, taking advantage of the all-inclusive on-site support. If you choose to not participate in the Laptop Program, our Standard and Plus level services are still available to you. However, our Premiere level services are only available to Laptop Program Members.

The freshmen and transfer class entering in fall will be able to participate in the laptop program. Current Carlson School students who register for upcoming fall semester courses will also have the opportunity to participate in the program.

Our all-inclusive program offers all of the following at no extra cost:

• On-site support at the Carlson School
• Parts in-stock and better than industry standard repair times
• 4-year warranty
• 4-year accidental damage coverage
• Data backup and re-image
• Wireless printing
• No program installation required—Laptops are pre-loaded with the Microsoft Office 2013 Suite (which includes Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint), and anti-virus software
• Powered laptop lockers to recharge while safely stored

This year, the Carlson School of Management is offering the Lenovo ThinkPad Twist. The Lenovo ThinkPad Twist is perfect for a student on the go. This versatile model transforms from a laptop for work at your desk, to a tablet for taking notes in class, to a stand-up display for sharing your screen in a study group. The ThinkPad Twist is a sturdy machine that offers the robust computing power for which the Lenovo ThinkPad is known. Features of the ThinkPad Twist include:

• Slim Ultrabook™ design with a 5-finger multi-touch display for precise control
• Active Protection System™ to protect your hard drive from damage if the computer is dropped
• Magnesium alloy construction and Corning® Gorilla® Glass, to prevent breakage and scratches
• Intel Trusted Platform Module (TPM), to keep your data secure
• Weighs 3.5 pounds, provides up to 6 hours’ battery life, and comes equipped with 500GB of storage and 8GB of memory
• Magnesium-alloy chassis roll cage
• TrackPoint device (center button allows users to move in any direction)
• ThinkLight (helps users work in low light conditions)
• Active Protection System (hard drive "airbag" system)
• ThinkPad keyboard (legendary keyboard lets users work with standard-sized keys)

To see the ThinkPad Twist model specification, click here.

Students will purchase this year's model directly from Lenovo through a secured University of Minnesota website. Laptop sales will begin June 3 and run through August 16. Special early bird pricing is available from June 3—June 21.  Please contact uglaptop@umn.edu with any questions.

The Carlson School is not responsible for lost or stolen machines. Therefore, students are responsible for insuring their machines. The Carlson School Laptop Program will provide an optional third-party vendor to offer a low cost insurance solution. Students will work directly with their insurance vendors for machine replacements. The 2013 Laptop Program is working with LoJack through Lenovo for this optional insurance.

The Carlson School's Laptop Repair Center provides IT Student Services Premiere level services, which include complete on-site hardware and software support and repairs for current students enrolled in the laptop program. The Laptop Repair Center staff are vendor certified and have appropriate parts in-stock. We strive to complete repairs and return your machine within one business day. However, this does vary during peak repair times (first two weeks of fall and spring semesters, early December, and after spring break).

All Carlson students who choose not to participate in the Carlson School Laptop Program will receive the full benefits of IT Student Services. Standard and Plus service, which include such things as basic troubleshooting, problem routing, malware detection, and basic hardware diagnostics. For more on our service categories, please refer to the Standard and Plus Services (SLA) document for further details.

Are Macs Compatible?

The Carlson School emulates corporate America by supporting a PC/Windows environment. In our experience, comfort with a PC/Windows platform is an important skill in today's business environment. Students may choose a Mac for their collegiate experience. However, given that 97% of businesses report using a PC/Windows platform, students will be expected to have the skills to work within that platform in their internships and full-time careers.

In most cases, utilizing a Mac at Carlson will require students to install a costly and technical workaround, and you will be unable to utilize the wireless printing capabilities available to PC users. Labs are available in both Hanson Hall and Carlson, but hours and number of machines are limited.

Course Compatibility Issues

Carlson School faculty develop and design their curriculum and assignments around Microsoft Windows and Office for Windows. They do not test functionality for Mac, and we cannot guarantee they will provide supplemental Mac instructions. However, faculty will not test the new functionality. We will not know until we receive more student feedback.

If you are considering a Management Information Sciences major, you will want to give serious consideration about whether you will want a Mac. The MIS program heavily relies on the Microsoft Developer Network Platform specifically designed around a Microsoft Operating System.

Wireless Printing Issues

The Carlson School features wireless printing to our students. Unfortunately, the Mac OS is missing a key network component necessary for communicating with Active Directory and therefore wireless printing is not an option for Mac OS.

The Workaround

If students want a full mobile computing experience for their group work, we highly recommend they purchase additional software that provides them the ability to switch their Mac to Windows when needed. Installing the workaround requires in-depth technical ability and costs extra money. You do have the option to pay the University Bookstore for this service.
List of software required for the workaround:

• Boot Camp or Parallels $40 (software to run the virtual instance of Windows)
• Windows Operating System $199 (full version not upgrade license)
• Office for Windows* $40

*If you want to avoid future unknowns, you may consider purchasing Office for Windows. As a University student, you have an opportunity to purchase one Microsoft Office license at a reduced rate. You would then install Office for Windows within the virtual instance of Windows. You can purchase discounted software here.

Support

The University Bookstore offers certified Mac support for the entire campus. Due to limited resources, Carlson IT Student Services does not support Mac and will not be able to assist in configuring virtual installations.

The Carlson School of Management encourages faculty to use laptop technology in the classroom.

Students should keep in mind that the use of laptops should add to the classroom environment, not detract from it. Therefore, when class is in session, students must use their laptop only as directed by their professor.

No. Tax and shipping are not included and the amount will vary depending upon the state you purchase and ship your equipment. You should plan to ship to your home address, and leave adequate shipping time to receive your machine before moving to campus.

Before you buy questions may be directed to: uglaptop@umn.edu.

After you receive your laptop, direct questions to csomhelp@umn.edu.