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My son could use a new laptop for middle school...

Ivabign

Ivabign

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Mar 27, 2011
424
45
SoCal
...and Apple has the refurb 2010 1.4GHz 11" with 2GB and 64GB for $699 with a year warranty.

He will use it to keep track of classwork and do some word processing and maybe do a little photo work.

He has a Windows gaming PC, so there is not a need for graphics...

I was thinking ipad - but Jeez - this seems like a great deal.

Am I right?

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It is gone now but will be back again - I have been tracking it - it is there for a few days - gets sold out - then comes back
 
Well if he's satisfied with his windows pc for gaming and hard tasks, the model you listed will be perfect for him.
Oh and don't expect any productive word processing in the iPad...
 
My sister bought that laptop for $699 only complaint is that it runs out of ram but overall good buy over the iPad. Make sure to get the lion update hers shipped with 10.6.1.
 
Technologically, it would be perfectly fine and a lot better than an iPad for actual content creation. Given the physical rigors of middle school usage, I'd recommend a keyboard cover (Moshi and Rearth make good ones) and a snap on case (or a sleeve if he's responsible enough to put it inside). The MacBook Air is perfectly fine for use by adults, but the old polycarb MacBooks were a little bit stronger in that regard (the aluminum can dent easily).
 
ipad is cute, but not good for work; you either type on a virtual keyboard or bring a bluetooth keyboard. both are awkward solutions, in my opinion.

i'm assuming you've asked your son what he wants; my friend wanted to buy an ipad for his mom, but she didn't even know what it was, and i'm almost certain she would have been disappointed with it.

maybe your son would rather have ONE computer, that can do both schoolwork and personal stuff, in which case you could look at some PC laptops with better graphics.

does he want the air? ... (or do you want the air?)

the 11 MBA is not fantastic for photo work, especially the 2010, though it can get the job done.

it's a good deal if you are certain you will never demand much of that computer. if that means you need a second computer for certain tasks, well, then balancing the equation is more complicated.
 
You can't really type on iPad and iPad = games. Get MBA for him if you actually want him to do HW on it. He must be a 1 lucky kid to use MAC at middle school.
 
How much do you love your kid? j/k

Will he need to run Windows on the laptop for school? Although he has a Windows PC for gaming, he'll probably want to play games on the laptop.

It might be cheaper to just get him a cheap Windows laptop.
 
stark4 said:
You can't really type on iPad and iPad = games. Get MBA for him if you actually want him to do HW on it. He must be a 1 lucky kid to use MAC at middle school.
Click to expand...

What's your experience of ipad like? I don't wanna ask on the ipad forum, everyone is just gonna say "it's great, go get it".
 
kulimer said:
What's your experience of ipad like? I don't wanna ask on the ipad forum, everyone is just gonna say "it's great, go get it".
Click to expand...

iPad is useful if you want to check something quick online. but other than that it's a big iPhone. Good for gaming if you play games. but for me it's a big waste of money. It's collecting dust right now.. i need to sell it quick.
 
kulimer said:
What's your experience of ipad like? I don't wanna ask on the ipad forum, everyone is just gonna say "it's great, go get it".
Click to expand...

Ever tried editing a word document on your phone?

It can be done, but is a pain in the rear.

Similar to the ipad. And if you want to buy a keyboard, may as well get a MBA, or go with another model like the asus slider (which is a tablet with an inbuilt sliding keyboard).
 
MBA would be great gift for your son. I am in high school (yes, I'm quite young). I have a 2011 macbook air and its pleasing. I don't see why he wouldn't be happy carrying around a macbook air other than for gaming in class (which you probably wouldn't want him to do).
 
Why would a middle schooler need a laptop to bring to school? I had a laptop when I was in high school but never even considered bringing it to school, there is just nothing you need it for. I can't imagine a middle schooler needing a laptop for anything school related. The only thing it would get used for is games. College is the only time a personal laptop becomes a necessity, and even then you can get by without one.
 
Brandon0448 said:
Why would a middle schooler need a laptop to bring to school? I had a laptop when I was in high school but never even considered bringing it to school, there is just nothing you need it for. I can't imagine a middle schooler needing a laptop for anything school related. The only thing it would get used for is games. College is the only time a personal laptop becomes a necessity, and even then you can get by without one.
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I agree. I'm not a big fan of giving laptops to kids in high school. If he needs a mac I would get a mac mini. It may be a little more expensive, but anything he does you'll be able to easily monitor
 
Brandon0448 said:
Why would a middle schooler need a laptop to bring to school? I had a laptop when I was in high school but never even considered bringing it to school, there is just nothing you need it for. I can't imagine a middle schooler needing a laptop for anything school related. The only thing it would get used for is games. College is the only time a personal laptop becomes a necessity, and even then you can get by without one.
Click to expand...

You would be surprised. In my school, children from as young as 10 years old buy their own laptops (or rather, their parents buy for them) to bring to school and use during daily lessons. :)
 
My laptop would have been taken away in elementary school, middle school, and high school. I barely took it to class in college. Pen and paper FTW.
 
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