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High School Laptop Recomendations?

J

Joyrider07

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 26, 2011
16
0
I need a laptop for september, and macs are preferred(YES!!). I am looking at the 13" MBP and MBA. My primary uses will be word processing, surfing the web, netflix, and some video/picture editing on the side. Was planning to get the MBP but the new MBA is very tempting. Do you thing the new MBA would work for my uses? I will need it for the next four years, and mynparents are concerned on its durability. Will it work for me, or should I stick with the MBP?
Any reccomendations?
And with either, should i modify it in any way?
 
Honestly, I'd save the money and buy a pos HD for hs and then get a maxed out mbp for college when it really matters.
 
im gonna be a Freshman in high school this year and i got the 13" mbp......and i love it, the mba is great but you will run out of space on the hard drive so quickly that you will have to spend even more money on an external drive.... just get the pro its awesome.....with the pro no mods needed yet....if u order online though u can get a 500 gb for only 50 bucks extra.
 
Your parents are worried about durability???? Go buy yourself a f'n Panasonic Toughbook.
 
The screen on the Air sucks, ULV processors, stuck with 4GB of RAM, can't upgrade with normal 2.5" drives(have to get expensive blades), no Ethernet/FireWire, less battery life...Yes, the air is a good deal thinner and lighter, but it's not worth all that you give up.

If you can't tell, I'm a Pro supporter.
 
I use to have a 2008 iMac, as well as a 2.4 Core 2 Duo Ghz Macbook Pro with 4 GB RAM a big hard drive. I recently sold both of those, and purchased a 13" Macbook Air (the 2010 Model) with 4 GB RAM, 256 SSD and 2.1 C2D. I can honestly say it is the best computer I have ever owned. The SSD really makes a difference, the battery life is awesome, and it would be everything you would need to do the things you mentioned. Plus, the screen is higher resolution than the 13" MBP. That was big for me. And also, I would suggest looking at refurbs through Apple's online store. I bought mine through Apple's site and saved about $200. Good luck!
Joyrider07 said:
I need a laptop for september, and macs are preferred(YES!!). I am looking at the 13" MBP and MBA. My primary uses will be word processing, surfing the web, netflix, and some video/picture editing on the side. Was planning to get the MBP but the new MBA is very tempting. Do you thing the new MBA would work for my uses? I will need it for the next four years, and my parents are concerned on its durability(such a thin product). Will it work for me, or should I stick with the MBP?
Any reccomendations?
And with either, should i modify it in any way?
Click to expand...
 
Joyrider07 said:
I need a laptop for september, and macs are preferred(YES!!). I am looking at the 13" MBP and MBA. My primary uses will be word processing, surfing the web, netflix, and some video/picture editing on the side. Was planning to get the MBP but the new MBA is very tempting. Do you thing the new MBA would work for my uses? I will need it for the next four years, and my parents are concerned on its durability(such a thin product). Will it work for me, or should I stick with the MBP?
Any reccomendations?
And with either, should i modify it in any way?
Click to expand...

Macbook Air 2011:
word processing <-- yes
web browsing <-- yes
netflix <-- yes
video/picture editing <-- yes, though the screen is not as good as the Pro's

Macbook Pro 2011:
word processing <-- yes
web browsing <-- yes
netflix <-- yes
video/picture editing <-- yes

So really... it comes down to this: Visit your local Apple store and give both models a look. And even give the 11-inch a chance (just look it over in store to be certain that you've really looked everything over). Note the lack of a disc drive in the Airs (not a huge deal in this day and age), and the less slots (less USB slots & other things, etc).

I'd say you can't go wrong with an Air and you can't go wrong with a 13-inch Pro.
 
Get the pro while you are in High school since mobility isn't a big issue. They'll hold their value better than airs and then you can grab an air for college to lighten the load.
 
Since when did High Schools require laptops? >.<.

But I agree, you really can't go wrong with these 2011 MBA's.
 
If you don't need the larger storage of the Pro, I'd go for the base 13" Air. It is only $100 more ($180 more if you need the Superdrive for any reason), and since the Sandy Bridge is new it will last you 4 years easily. Don't be fooled by the design. It's pretty durable with some common sense (get a nice neoprene sleeve for it, don't throw it around, and keep it away from liquids). Remember, it was the Air where Apple first debuted the unibody design.
 
u dont even need a laptop for high school. i assume u have a family computer but buying a laptop for HS is really a waste. when u go to college, thats when it counts to go all out with a macbook pro.

if u really want a laptop, like the one dude posted, buy a cheap laptop. it will be more than enough for your use
 
randomrazr said:
u dont even need a laptop for high school. i assume u have a family computer but buying a laptop for HS is really a waste. when u go to college, thats when it counts to go all out with a macbook pro.

if u really want a laptop, like the one dude posted, buy a cheap laptop. it will be more than enough for your use
Click to expand...

My brother goes to one of those new tech schools where they all use MB and textbooks are irrelevant. If you are at one of those schools, get either a HP dm4 (Staples has them for really cheap with a student discount) or a used MBP off craigslist. If you don't go to one of those schools, a laptop really isn't needed. Not because we don't want you to, but because carrying a laptop around in HS doesn't compare to college use. In college, you would take your laptop almost everywhere to the library, class, and lounge to do work and this use is higher if you live on campus. In HS, you would be going home every day so the laptop isn't as necessary and good as a desktop computer.

Just my opinion. :)
 
randomrazr said:
u dont even need a laptop for high school. i assume u have a family computer but buying a laptop for HS is really a waste. when u go to college, thats when it counts to go all out with a macbook pro.

if u really want a laptop, like the one dude posted, buy a cheap laptop. it will be more than enough for your use
Click to expand...

disagree (1).

I just graduated high school and am typing this on the laptop that I have used for the past four years. As a student who took advanced placement and dual credit courses, I needed this computer. If the family would have had to share the family computer with me, they would have been in trouble. There were many nights where I was typing away like a mad woman on this laptop in my room on the latest paper or assignment. I'm getting a MBP for college but in all honesty a lot of HS students need that computer.
 
Just because you didn't need a laptop in highschool doesn't mean the OP doesn't. Either because his HS requires one, his parents don't want to share their computer, or whatever his reason is is kinda irrelevant IMO. If (s)he wants a laptop, and his/her parents are down to buy him one, it's not really my place to judge his reasons.

I say get a new base 13" pro and 3 years of AppleCare. I don't get why anyone would say to get a $500 POS clunker to use for 4 years; if your family is in the position to get you a Mac, why not? You shouldn't has to suffer with a junk laptop through highschool if you don't have to; and to everyone who's thinking something along the lines of "it's crazy to spend $1xxx on a laptop for a kid," to some (more like a ton of, but won't get into semantics) people it's not like that is a lot of money to spend, let alone on something that will last a few years.

To recap; no reason not to get a good laptop, I say 13" pro and 3 years of AppleCare. Enjoy
 
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