I want to use it to get me through three more years of highschool, plus however many years of college (at least four). I hear macs are the only computers that can last that long. I also want not good, but great performance. For everything from music editing, to word processing, Internet surfing, and whatever college throws at me. I'm a homeschooler so I need a portable compute that will be easy to carry around. That means I want a thirteen inch computer. I'm open to a computer that runs windows however I don't want the little glitches that come with a windows computer. I also can't decide how much power I want. Are the 13 inch Mbps with i7s worth re extra money for what I will be doing. Does anybody think the next gen of 13 inch Mbps will have quad cores? I'm not looking for a bunch of specs (although they do help) just practical advice to guide me toward a blazing fast, long lasting, fun to use laptop. (it will also be used for light gaming). Over all, I need a computer that meets all the reqhiremtents I've mentioned. I am not biased on brands, I just want a top notch computer.
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I need help choosing a computer. I'm leaning toward a MacBook pro but I'm stilunsure.
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Having a computer last potentially 7 years and still work well and be fast is not easy. They just get outdated, so even the top spec computer now that's within your criteria will be pretty severely outdated in 7 years.
The problem is that software is always evolving but the hardware on your computer stays the same. If you're doing basic tasks like browsing the web and typing documents, then you'll have no issue for seven years. I wouldn't count on it for playing videogames or movie/music editing in seven years. It'll work, but be too slow to be worth it. You simply can't estimate how long it will last. Plus, who's to say the laptop won't physically crap out on you?
Your expectations are unrealistic so I'm not sure what to tell you. You can't do anything about it.
That being said, the MBP is a great computer and should last you for a while. I plan on keeping mine for another 3 years. (It's already 1 year old).
Your expectations are unrealistic so I'm not sure what to tell you. You can't do anything about it.
That being said, the MBP is a great computer and should last you for a while. I plan on keeping mine for another 3 years. (It's already 1 year old).
I think I'm going to disagree slightly with the others. I think you can accomplish what you want, judging by what you stated, but that doesn't mean you should count on it.
What do you plan on studying? Unless you are going to be doing video work or things that involve stressful computer tasks, you have a decent chance of a MPB being serviceable for 7 years. You will reach a point where you will no longer be able to update it or run new software though, so it really depends on what you want to do with it. If you go that route I wouldn't skimp on disk size or memory.
Listen to music, do research, write papers, make presentations... I don't think that is an unrealistic expectation. By that I mean, it isn't something that will take a miracle to achieve, but you can't take it to the bank that it will last that long, either. Especially since it is a laptop that will see a lot of waking up from sleep and a fair amount of rebooting. I know people who have had MPB for 5 years and they still hum along marvelously, but without the latest software.
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best. Pray about it with your parents, read as much as you can, and you will be lead to a wise decision.
What do you plan on studying? Unless you are going to be doing video work or things that involve stressful computer tasks, you have a decent chance of a MPB being serviceable for 7 years. You will reach a point where you will no longer be able to update it or run new software though, so it really depends on what you want to do with it. If you go that route I wouldn't skimp on disk size or memory.
Listen to music, do research, write papers, make presentations... I don't think that is an unrealistic expectation. By that I mean, it isn't something that will take a miracle to achieve, but you can't take it to the bank that it will last that long, either. Especially since it is a laptop that will see a lot of waking up from sleep and a fair amount of rebooting. I know people who have had MPB for 5 years and they still hum along marvelously, but without the latest software.
Whatever you choose, I wish you the best. Pray about it with your parents, read as much as you can, and you will be lead to a wise decision.
Thanks for the feedback everyone.
I have thought about the realisticness of a computer lasting seven years. To answer some questions I hope to go into political science or pre-law (probably followed by law school). A couple of you have mentioned that the hardware might be good but the software might be outdated. That's alright with me as long as the software can be updated... Can it? As for music editing, I play guitar but I have no dreams of becoming a recording artist or whatever. I appreciate the feed back. Thank you for telling me
What I need to hear and no what I want to hear.
I have thought about the realisticness of a computer lasting seven years. To answer some questions I hope to go into political science or pre-law (probably followed by law school). A couple of you have mentioned that the hardware might be good but the software might be outdated. That's alright with me as long as the software can be updated... Can it? As for music editing, I play guitar but I have no dreams of becoming a recording artist or whatever. I appreciate the feed back. Thank you for telling me
What I need to hear and no what I want to hear.
By the time your warranty expires, you'll just be starting college. That means all of your college career, your computer will be sans-warranty. I wouldn't dream of trying to do that - especially as laptops become more ubiquitous, and computer labs less so.
If I was in your shoes, I'd buy a Dell business computer for $800, (look at the Vostro 3450) including the 3 year warranty, and in 3 years, get another Dell business computer for $800, including a 3 year warranty, and then see what happens for your last year at school.
For $719 + tax, you can get an i5 CPU, backlit keyboard, the same graphics card in the 13" MBP, and a 3 year, on-site next business day warranty. For $120 more, you can get an ATI 6630m video card, and the laptop in a spiffy bronze instead of silver. Plus, it has the benefit of keeping your OS up to date. Click
P.S. Law school. I'm not sure, but I know a year or two ago, people were complaining because in order to take a certain test, you NEEDED to run Windows on your computer, not in a VM, to take it. I'm not sure of the situation now, or in 7 years from now, but that's something to look into.
If I was in your shoes, I'd buy a Dell business computer for $800, (look at the Vostro 3450) including the 3 year warranty, and in 3 years, get another Dell business computer for $800, including a 3 year warranty, and then see what happens for your last year at school.
For $719 + tax, you can get an i5 CPU, backlit keyboard, the same graphics card in the 13" MBP, and a 3 year, on-site next business day warranty. For $120 more, you can get an ATI 6630m video card, and the laptop in a spiffy bronze instead of silver. Plus, it has the benefit of keeping your OS up to date. Click
P.S. Law school. I'm not sure, but I know a year or two ago, people were complaining because in order to take a certain test, you NEEDED to run Windows on your computer, not in a VM, to take it. I'm not sure of the situation now, or in 7 years from now, but that's something to look into.
Simple rule of thumb is buy the fastest computer that you can afford.
Apples are more pricey tough as a whole they are well built and last well.
Upgrading innards apart fro RAM is not easy in Apple computers as a whole (except for Pros).
If Windows is a must, you may have to fork out for the Windows OS and install it on a separate partition of your hard drive, though this isn't a major issue apart from expense.
I'd be a little careful though expecting >5 years out of a computer, esp any laptop. And we will be on to the last rendition of OSX with Lion's release. I don't think we can easily predict that the Mac OS will be like in 7 years.
Apples are more pricey tough as a whole they are well built and last well.
Upgrading innards apart fro RAM is not easy in Apple computers as a whole (except for Pros).
If Windows is a must, you may have to fork out for the Windows OS and install it on a separate partition of your hard drive, though this isn't a major issue apart from expense.
I'd be a little careful though expecting >5 years out of a computer, esp any laptop. And we will be on to the last rendition of OSX with Lion's release. I don't think we can easily predict that the Mac OS will be like in 7 years.