My daughter starts college in August. She told me she needs to get a Mac Book Pro or Mac Book Air. I have never bought a computer in my life. Which one should I get? Is there a used Market that I can get one at a lower price or should I just buy a brand new one for her. Any help would be Welcome.
Need Help from Computer guys
- Thread starter Drew0311
- Start date
What does she want to study? If engineering or something technical get the pro, anything else the MacBook Air is pretty solid. If you’re worried about price that’s understandable, but they last forever. My wife still has her MacBook from ‘06 (we’ve upgraded since then, but it still works)
Apple seems to have a planned obsolescence deal going with their operating systems, so I would go new. Used aren't that cheap anyway, unless you buy it privately which is a crapshoot. Not sure why she would need the pro, but I suppose it depends on what she'll use it for.
Did you try turning it off and back on...opps sorry thats my automatic IT response.
Is there a specific reason she needs a Mac? Airs are generally less expensive. A MacBook Pro would be more for higher-end use.
I would recommend buying new or refurbished directly from Apple as you get a 1-year manufacturer warranty. Resellers can be hit and miss on what you get for quality.
https://www.apple.com/us-edu/store
https://www.apple.com/us-edu/shop/refurbished
I would recommend buying new or refurbished directly from Apple as you get a 1-year manufacturer warranty. Resellers can be hit and miss on what you get for quality.
https://www.apple.com/us-edu/store
https://www.apple.com/us-edu/shop/refurbished
Area of study matters. Both my kids got Macs. My son said PC would have been better ( Ag college). Daughter is business and hasn’t really given an opinion.
She is going into Radiation Science. I don't think it requires the biggest and best thing out there. So I think the little lower priced Mac Air would probably be the best option.
MacBook Airs are great computers. Some applications are Windows/Mac specific. If it is recommended by her course of study to get a Mac, then get a MacBook Air.
If you look at any upgrades, a RAM boost to 16 GB would be the best option. I've seen many HS kids go on to college that just "want" a MacBook and then find out they need to have Microsoft applications for classwork.
I'm a huge fan of Mac computers. They last a long time and perform better than others I've owned. My wife had a MacBook from 2009 that she used until last year, but it still works. I have one at home from 2012 that works fine yet, but probably needs a new battery so I don't use it often anymore.
If she hasn't already, look at the IT website for the college or the department, they may have recommendations, or she could even drop them an email, I'm sure they'd be happy to help her.
Do be careful of trying to find out if the school work requires Windows software. Macs are fine at what they do. They're much more cumbersome when they're emulating Windows OS anyway.
I would get recommend looking into what kind of applications her area of study will be using before deciding between an Apple or Windows OS. A lot of studies probably will be using Windows based applications but there are some where Apple is a better choice too. I have no idea what would be needed for Radiation Science but I know if you were going into something like the college of business or ag you'd likely want to go with a Windows OS as most of the stuff those students would use would be Windows based applications.
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Having owned both models. The Air model can be quite fragile. Its super thin and it does not take wear and tear well. I would go for the Macbook Pro.
I suggest that you go with a new model and get an extended tech support plan for the unit. Look for a plan that offers onsite support. Class work is very dependent on having a functional computer and the student can’t afford to be without the computer while it has been sent in for repair.
Go MacBook Pro, and make sure you lookup the education pricing. No hassle at all with the purchase for me, they didn't even have some kind of verification process that she was a student. Significant price reduction by doing so that way.
Second @clonebb suggestion of waiting until after the Apple yearly thing.
Second @clonebb suggestion of waiting until after the Apple yearly thing.
Maybe you have done this already, but my suggestion would be to check with the school. My daughter kept telling me that she needed a macbook as well, so we checked with the business college and they gave us the exact model number and specifications she needed for a laptop PC. Also, you can get a lot better deals through the school than just buying it on your own.
Buy through the bookstore and you get student prices and no sales tax. If you wait long enough apple usually gives free ear buds also. Unless an engineer, an air is fine and just buy a good case.
I have PC laptops that are 5 and 10 years old. No cases. So it comes down to the care you take of them.
@Drew0311 not sure where your daughter is going to college but just a FYI: the Memorial Union @ ISU is tax free. If you're going to drop $1500-$2k that does add up.