Private mac-only high school needs new laptops but the macbook is EOL - advice o?

[macitwork1]

Hello,

I currently work for a private high school in the United States. We currently have a school of about 400 students and have mac labs with imacs (3rd and 4th gens) and three laptop carts with 60 total original style macbooks.

Over the summer, we had a bunch of the laptops go missing (I don't know the circumstances, just started here last month) and we contacted apple who would still get us the regular macbooks for now as they still have stock for financial institutions.

The problem however is that this will most likely be the last shipment we ever get of these since they are EOL leaving only the MBP and AIR. Can I have some advice on the following:

1. If we decide to stick with the original macbook style, where are the best online stores to get refurbished models when apple exhausts it's current supply?


2. Our main issue with going with Air or Pro is the durability, glossy screen type (lots of windows in the school rooms and we perferred the matte screen on the original) no optical drive on the air, and price for the pros. I have a mbp and it's been pretty beat up through wear and tear and still works fine and the screen is perfect - how do they compare in durability to the old style macs?

3. Another option is to look at the google chromebooks since we use google apps for almost everything. Our management has specifically stated nothing with windows is going out on the floor so this is the only non apple option.


Thank you for your help

 

[Macman45]

The Air

Would not be a good choice in a school situation I don't think, kids can be really tough on stuff, and whilst the Air is a fantastic piece of kit, I don't think it's what you need.

I use mine for studio work, but it's in a hard shell case and never leaves my side.

That leaves the MBP which is probably your best option for durability and longevity of service. I'm not well up on stuff the other side of the pond these days I'm an expat New Yorker, but still have friends at Apple over in the states.

I would contact Apple in the first instance and see what kind of deal you can get going forward.....Remember the range will be revamped shortly, leaving Apple with perfectly good older machines on the shelves.

If you get no joy there, PM me and I will put you in touch with my Mac guru.

She is based in Houston, but will know who you need to call over there to get things going. My gut instinct is that you may well be able to nail a great deal if you buy shortly. You don't say exactly what the students are using the machines for, and that is of course the driving factor behind the spec. You choose

Food for thought

Jeffrey

 

[macitwork1]

Thank you,

These machines are really just for basic high school work with google docs being the main program the kids use for word processing and web surfing. We don't need the MBP power, there just arnt any other choices new than the Air.

I will contact apple again today and see what we can do going forward and try to setup something with a refurbished deal/quote for when the new stock is gone.

If I still have issues I will get in touch with you

 

[rdowns]

MacBooks still available for education customers.


https://www.macrumors.com/2011/07/2...still-available-for-educational-institutions/

 

[GigaWire]

The Macbook is not EOL for education customers. I would talk to your Apple rep.

 

[Gasu E.]

Thought: if it's just web-surfing and word processing, what about iPads? I'm sure that this would create some transition problems for your school right now; but I'm curious how that would work as a long-term strategy.

 

[macitwork1]

Currently they are not EOL for schools, but the apple rep stated that they are going to be totally eol when the final stock dries up. We can still get them now, but are trying to plan for the future.

 

[Cursed]

My college has been using 17" MBPs for about a year now and they seem to be in fairly good condition. The outer casings obviously aren't perfect but I haven't seen any damage inside or on the screens.

If anything I'd think they'd be more durable than the original generation Macbooks which were made out of that nice chippable plastic.

 

[velocityg4]

The Macbook Pro's are quite solid. Given that they are aluminum I would get the hard shells to protect them from dents and keyboard skins.

The Airs I have dealt with seem rather sturdy but definitely do not feel as robust as the Pro. I would stick with the Pro's as they will also have a much longer lifespan than the MBA or MB due to the faster CPU and ability to go to 8GB on the RAM.

It's a shame that you can't get the matte screen on the 13" Pro. Though some companies do make anti-glare screen protectors for the MBP. Which you could test on a machine or two before rolling them out on all of them. You also get the added benefit of just replacing the protector once a year and save the screen from being scratched up.

 

[waloshin]

Thank you,

These machines are really just for basic high school work with google docs being the main program the kids use for word processing and web surfing. We don't need the MBP power, there just arnt any other choices new than the Air.

I will contact apple again today and see what we can do going forward and try to setup something with a refurbished deal/quote for when the new stock is gone.

If I still have issues I will get in touch with you

Openoffice works well too.