Haha. You are hilarious. "A few k" in the bank for when your car breaks down/world ends, yes, if you can afford to do this, a good idea. Then to use that money to buy a luxurious notebook computer, that's just about the last thing your emergency savings is for.
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Financing Retina MacBook Pro Advice
- Thread starter krspykreme2
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That's just pure ignorance right there. Raising kids and getting them into college is expensive enough without frivolous electronics purchases.
The majority of college students (and their parents) are going into debt just by attending school. Lots of college bound kids had extracurricular activities in high school and could work part-time low-wage jobs at best. To make the claim that a kid right out of high school should have $3k laying around is just un-informed at best.
Most colleges require a computer, but also give access to computers for students to use. With some exceptionally rare examples, most college kids can get by with nothing more than your base level sub-$500 laptop from Best Buy or Dell. The idea that everyone needs a Macbook Pro because they intend to dabble in a little photo editing is ridiculous.
Sorry for the OT, but I don't get it. Is the OP asking for advice about a specific topic or asking your opinions on what is he doing? 
"if you cant afford it, don't buy it" .. i ignored this when i was a student and wanted a car, everything went pear shaped and i ended up in debt.
If there is even the slight possibility you may run in to difficulty then please don't let the temptation beat you.
If you are certain you can afford it then go ahead, that is what finance is for... When i setup my business i wanted a MBP and didn't want to spend a big chunk of capital in one go so i took out finance and managed it perfectly fine, but on the other had i did have the money to settle it if the worst happened.
If there is even the slight possibility you may run in to difficulty then please don't let the temptation beat you.
If you are certain you can afford it then go ahead, that is what finance is for... When i setup my business i wanted a MBP and didn't want to spend a big chunk of capital in one go so i took out finance and managed it perfectly fine, but on the other had i did have the money to settle it if the worst happened.
There are student lines of credit and student loans you can use for legitimate purposes, like books and a computer. A computer really is a requirement. I would look into those first.
I would AVOID 0% interest credit cards. It is not easy to pay off $2500 in a year with no income. Then check out what the 17.5% interest does, it's very interesting math. And painful.
Now for the soapbox, a $2500 laptop is NOT required. The latest and greatest laptop is really not necessary. You can find a refurbished 2010 or 2011 MBP for half that, with a warranty. A decent PC laptop is $500.
I would AVOID 0% interest credit cards. It is not easy to pay off $2500 in a year with no income. Then check out what the 17.5% interest does, it's very interesting math. And painful.
Now for the soapbox, a $2500 laptop is NOT required. The latest and greatest laptop is really not necessary. You can find a refurbished 2010 or 2011 MBP for half that, with a warranty. A decent PC laptop is $500.
If you dont have any credit I dont think you will get approved for any of the options listed above (except maybe the student line of credit option)
My advise to you is save up over the summer and wait until you have the full amount at the end of september to buy it.... Or get your parents or some adult to finance it for you with the promise that you will pay them and they will incur no interest in the meantime... But again you have to find someone that trusts you and I dont know your track record so I don't know if that works or not.
Since you were not asking peoples advice on whether you should get a computer that you can't afford for the moment, I would recommend the Barclays card if you are accepted. It will give you more time to pay it off if something happens. Insurance is also a must for this laptop. It will give you some peace of mind.
I did the 12 month no interest on my MacBooks.
But why not apply, and see if u get it, it may take some time
But why not apply, and see if u get it, it may take some time
Adding my voice to those saying "If you can't afford it, don't buy it."
Coming from experience here, don't start down the path of relying on credit. You're young, bad things are most likely going to happen to you financially at some point. Don't build up unnecessary debt. It *will* bite you in the ass eventually, and that stigma can follow you for years, even after you get things cleaned up.
However, you most likely *do* need a laptop for college.
Two real options, both an order of magnitude less expensive than the rMBP:
1) Macbook Air - The Air is cheap, fast, and reliable. It's also very *light*. You can get an Air for less than half the cost of the rMBP, which will eat college work for breakfast, get damn good battery life, and won't break your back. Won't play games as well, but you can pick up a 360/PS3 for that (or get your roommate to foot that particular bill, in exchange for a few beers ;P )
2) Some low-mid range Windows laptop - Cheaper still, probably better specs, and you'd be able to play PC games on it. It'll almost certainly be heavier, have worse battery life, and of course, it won't be a Mac. But you'll save some cash. If you choose to go this route, stay away from Dell if you can - horrible build quality. I've had better luck with HPs at work, where we order them in bulk, although there's a bit of a gap between their consumer line and the business models we order.
Whatever you choose, consider getting some insurance on it. College is hell on gadgets, and when (not if!) something bad happens, you'll want to know you can replace it with a minimum of hassle.
Coming from experience here, don't start down the path of relying on credit. You're young, bad things are most likely going to happen to you financially at some point. Don't build up unnecessary debt. It *will* bite you in the ass eventually, and that stigma can follow you for years, even after you get things cleaned up.
However, you most likely *do* need a laptop for college.
Two real options, both an order of magnitude less expensive than the rMBP:
1) Macbook Air - The Air is cheap, fast, and reliable. It's also very *light*. You can get an Air for less than half the cost of the rMBP, which will eat college work for breakfast, get damn good battery life, and won't break your back. Won't play games as well, but you can pick up a 360/PS3 for that (or get your roommate to foot that particular bill, in exchange for a few beers ;P )
2) Some low-mid range Windows laptop - Cheaper still, probably better specs, and you'd be able to play PC games on it. It'll almost certainly be heavier, have worse battery life, and of course, it won't be a Mac. But you'll save some cash. If you choose to go this route, stay away from Dell if you can - horrible build quality. I've had better luck with HPs at work, where we order them in bulk, although there's a bit of a gap between their consumer line and the business models we order.
Whatever you choose, consider getting some insurance on it. College is hell on gadgets, and when (not if!) something bad happens, you'll want to know you can replace it with a minimum of hassle.
without knowing any details of your job situation, why don't you just work for a month and a bit? even a minimum wage job should give you like $1600/month depending on where you are.
and i'm going to assume that since you're all of a sudden going to get funds in september, which is when most student loans come into effect, you're just going to use that money to buy it?
why not just get the base model which could readily be in your local apple store? any reason you need the upgrades?
All those saying "Can't afford, don't buy" are spot on. I wish some of you would put your 2 cents into some of those other "college student, want to convince myself I need the rMBP" threads. The amount of stupidity in those threads is amazing.
I understand college students want something nicer, especially considering how much they use their computers over 4 years of study. But dropping $2k on a laptop when they have barely a penny to their name is ridiculous!
$2k is a large dent into a years worth of state school tuition. Getting a mac for college is a great idea, but a retina is unnecessary. All those extras are really just for show, and on a college student's budget it is essential to cut all extra costs.
Save yourself some money, your friends will only oooh and aaah for a day or two. Is that really worth $2k?
All this is moot if you come from money and your parents are paying for it. If thats the case then by all means spend as much of their money as possible.
I understand college students want something nicer, especially considering how much they use their computers over 4 years of study. But dropping $2k on a laptop when they have barely a penny to their name is ridiculous!
$2k is a large dent into a years worth of state school tuition. Getting a mac for college is a great idea, but a retina is unnecessary. All those extras are really just for show, and on a college student's budget it is essential to cut all extra costs.
Save yourself some money, your friends will only oooh and aaah for a day or two. Is that really worth $2k?
All this is moot if you come from money and your parents are paying for it. If thats the case then by all means spend as much of their money as possible.
Sorry for the OT, but I don't get it. Is the OP asking for advice about a specific topic or asking your opinions on what is he doing?
If he does not want opinions, then he shouldn't be asking the internet.
The OP asks in the original post for suggestions on how to do it. It's incredibly straightforward to anyone, to the OP himself, the situation, but you're all being incredibly off topic. He is free to do whatever he wants. He's asking something specific, and fortunately some hav understood.
Mind your business.
It's pretty simple - if you have no credit you won't get a $2200 credit line with any credit card company.
I would apply for an AMEX Blue Student and use it for monthly bills - which you pay in full each month. Build up some credit - but DO NOT SLIP INTO DEBT! Pay it each month in full, if you slip, end the account ASAP. My preference is an AMEX gold card where I have no choice but to pay in full, but it has a yearly cost.
As for the laptop, wait till September when you have the money to pay it off and buy it then. Pretty simple.
I would apply for an AMEX Blue Student and use it for monthly bills - which you pay in full each month. Build up some credit - but DO NOT SLIP INTO DEBT! Pay it each month in full, if you slip, end the account ASAP. My preference is an AMEX gold card where I have no choice but to pay in full, but it has a yearly cost.
As for the laptop, wait till September when you have the money to pay it off and buy it then. Pretty simple.
Who died and made you the off-topic police? Let people have their say. The advice given here has been very solid, brutal and honest. When a youngster is considering going into debt over a superfluous purchase, it's the responsible thing for adults to speak up and share advice and wisdom. I can't fathom why this upsets you. Were you the black board monitor at school?
And PhotoShop will cost you more than the laptop. LOL!
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Until you've saved up enough to pay cash, don't buy anything. You can get started quickly and start learning by buying an inexpensive laptop, installing Linux and using Open Source software such as Open Office and Gimp. Once you've saved up enough cash you can then safely upgrade to a MacBook and PhotoShop.
$.02
Do you need a rMBP? I bet any of the refurbished 15" MBP that's up on Apple Online store would easily suffice for the 4 years of college.
Save save save, and do not place yourself in the mentality of "I can't afford it now but I really want it so I'll just pay it off over time." College is expensive as is and hope you realize putting yourself essentially in debt before you even start college is a bad idea.
Here's my question, did you ask your parents? I'm assuming you know their answer which is why you came here asking for advice on MR. I'm not trying to be a dick, just looking out for a fellow MR who's about to make a bad financial decision.
Save save save, and do not place yourself in the mentality of "I can't afford it now but I really want it so I'll just pay it off over time." College is expensive as is and hope you realize putting yourself essentially in debt before you even start college is a bad idea.
Here's my question, did you ask your parents? I'm assuming you know their answer which is why you came here asking for advice on MR. I'm not trying to be a dick, just looking out for a fellow MR who's about to make a bad financial decision.
I signed up for the RBS citizens loan and got the high end rMBP because it will need to last me for the next three years. I've had my current one since Late 08 so I'm in desperate need of an upgrade. I got approved for the loan and i don't mind the low interest rate that i got of 11% mainly because I'm not paying it, the Government is. I will be making payments for the first 2 months but after my financial aid (federal and state grants) from school will kick in and pay it off. So my advice is, if your in school and receive financial aid straight to your pocket i'd probably get a loan or use a CC so you can pay it off ASAP.
please don't do this
Really, man. Don't do it. Get a nice cheap refurb or used 2011 Macbook Air, it is a great computer, and will be everything you need in college. Spending #2-3k on a laptop for college is, a word, stupid. If you are going into a program that requires higher end equipment (some aspects of engineering, comp sci, graphic design) you probably won't be doing computer intensive work as a freshman anyway, and if you are, the school will provide you access to the necessary equipment. If you really think you need to run major software on day one, get a used Macbook Pro. And, this is all assuming a Mac is a good idea at all--if you are going into some sort of technical field, you will need what you have to be compatible with the school's systems, and you may be better off with Windows. Do yourself a favor, don't blow money you don't have on something you don't need, when you are about to embark on the most expensive four years of your life as it is.
Really, man. Don't do it. Get a nice cheap refurb or used 2011 Macbook Air, it is a great computer, and will be everything you need in college. Spending #2-3k on a laptop for college is, a word, stupid. If you are going into a program that requires higher end equipment (some aspects of engineering, comp sci, graphic design) you probably won't be doing computer intensive work as a freshman anyway, and if you are, the school will provide you access to the necessary equipment. If you really think you need to run major software on day one, get a used Macbook Pro. And, this is all assuming a Mac is a good idea at all--if you are going into some sort of technical field, you will need what you have to be compatible with the school's systems, and you may be better off with Windows. Do yourself a favor, don't blow money you don't have on something you don't need, when you are about to embark on the most expensive four years of your life as it is.
That would make sense if people around him said that. It makes absolutely no sense to receive this sort of undesired information from strangers on a forum. Youngster or not doesn't make a difference. He's not 8, and you are no one to tell him what to do. If he was 50, would that make a difference? No, I suppose. I'd respect his decision and help as far as I can (and not having experience in financing a laptop, I'm admittedly not useful here).