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RESOLVED: Geez...my spoiled daughter was disappointed when I gave her a new 11" MBA!

dmk1974

dmk1974

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Sep 16, 2008
2,491
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My daughter has a 2010 white MacBook (latest model...as of today) that has the warranty expiring soon. So, instead of buying the AppleCare, I thought I'd be a great Dad and surprise her with a new 11" base model MacBook Air (and then sell the MacBook).

I give it too her yesterday thinking she'd like it (since she said she thought they were cool at the local Apple Store last week), but after like 15 seconds, she says she doesn't want it because there's no disc drive in it for music and DVDs. I told her that I can rip those and just put the file on the MBA or whatever, but then still said that she needs that (despite all the other benefits of the newer and lighter MBA).

For my use, my 2011 MBP is better than an MBA, but clearly I'm not listening to the voice of the customer/user in this case! But geez...she's SEVEN! She is really smart and detailed and knows what she wants, but I see myself taking my son on weekend getaways every month starting in a few years or so from now :)
 
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dmk1974 said:
My daughter has a 2010 white MacBook (latest model...as of today) that has the warranty expiring soon. So, instead of buying the AppleCare, I thought I'd be a great Dad and surprise her with a new 11" base model MacBook Air (and then sell the MacBook).

I give it too her yesterday thinking she'd like it (since she said she thought they were cool at the local Apple Store last week), but after like 15 seconds, she says she doesn't want it because there's no disc drive in it for music and DVDs. I told her that I can rip those and just put the file on the MBA or whatever, but then still said that she needs that (despite all the other benefits of the newer and lighter MBA).

For my use, my 2011 MBP is better than an MBA, but clearly I'm not listening to the voice of the customer/user in this case! But geez...she's SEVEN! She is really smart and detailed and knows what she wants, but I see myself taking my son on weekend getaways every month starting in a few years or so from now :)
Click to expand...

I'm having difficulty following this. Maybe I should see somebody?
 
Lol, before I read that she was seven, I thought she was a teenager. If only a had a Macbook at seven...
 
I wonder how many base 13" MBPs Apple sells... its like the "everyone's" Macbook these days for the average person. I guess in reality, the world isn't quite ready to give up the optical drive.
 
[redacted for wrong opinion based on wrong reading of the OP]

But still in the end, you'll begin to segregate your 7-yr-old daughter in favor of your boy just because you kind of got her something she didn't want and she told you that? Come on, man...
 
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Menge said:
you knew she wouldn't like it when you bought it.
Click to expand...

He surprised her with it. He did not know she wouldn't like it when he bought it. It was after he gave it to her that she said it wouldn't be ideal for her.
 
smeade said:
He surprised her with it. He did not know she wouldn't like it when he bought it. It was after he gave it to her that she said it wouldn't be ideal for her.
Click to expand...

Damn! I just re-read it. And I had read it twice before. Crap... My previous post was wrong. Sorry, OP :p

Last paragraph of it still is my opinion.
 
mac jones,

Sorry, the main point I was trying to get across is that I was really surprised to her reaction that, while new, the thinner MBA didn't have a key feature that was important to her that the MB had. This is the kind of stuff that adults of course (and tech nerds like me) review to make sure the device is the right one for my needs. I was moreso expecting that a kid would like the thinner, newer, shiny gadget.

I am kinda proud of her that she is pretty detailed and knows what she likes!

Menge,

I was just making a joke that as she hits the early teen years, I may just let her mother hang with her once a month and I'll take the boy somewhere :)
 
I must be getting old. Kids in my time were stoked over magnifying glasses with which ants got a tan...
 
I guess it proves the MBA isn't for everyone. Some may view as the optical drive as useless, others clearly need it.
 
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She's SEVEN?? Aren't those Fisher Price or Leap Frog computers more appropriate than a MacBook
Air? Or does she need to render in Photoshop for quick, on the go, airplane business travel? :D
 
give her a MacBook Air SuperDrive

give her a MBA superdrive,
this is what it says on the website
Compact and convenient, the MacBook Air SuperDrive connects to your MacBook Air computer .. with a single USB cable and fits easily into a travel bag. It lets you install software and play and burn both CDs and DVDs, including double-layer DVDs.
 
Apple Expert said:
I guess it proves the MBA isn't for everyone.
Click to expand...
She's 7! I'm sorry if I sound rude, but she seems like a brat. You (an awesome Dad) just spent at least $1000 on a MBA and she somehow is "complaining" about it. If anything you can get a usb cd/dvd drive from Apple for $80. But that's sickening to hear. There's nothing a 7 year old does that an Air isn't capable of doing. Where has the R-E-S-P-E-C-T gone?
 
Apple Expert said:
I guess it proves the MBA isn't for everyone. Some may view as the optical drive as useless, others clearly need it.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I guess that's why Apple gives us a few choices to pick from!

What would you guys rather have? Lighter and more portable with some scaled back features/speed? Or a bit bulkier and faster with more upgradeability options?
 
If my child said that to me after I spent that much money, I'd take it back - regardless of the child's age :p.
 
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Why does everyone keep calling this seven year old girl a brat? While I believe a MacBook Air is a ridiculous thing for a seven year old girl, you can't fault her for not knowing or understanding its worth. Furthermore, when you're a kid you value your possessions more and for a longer period of time. How many childhood toys did you have that you weren't ready to part with until many years later? Her MacBook is only a year old (3 years newer than mine, lol) She's a kid -- she should be commended for wanting to keep what she has, rather than junking it for the next shiny new thing. That shows me more positive vales in a seven year old than one who is ready to throw her things in the trash after a year. Just saying! :)
 
johndoejohndoes said:
She's 7! I'm sorry if I sound rude, but she seems like a brat. You (an awesome Dad) just spent at least $1000 on a MBA and she somehow is "complaining" about it. If anything you can get a usb cd/dvd drive from Apple for $80. But that's sickening to hear. There's nothing a 7 year old does that an Air isn't capable of doing. Where has the R-E-S-P-E-C-T gone?
Click to expand...

I got it as an open-box at Best Buy so after my RZ certs and tax, it was "only" about $720. Figure selling off her white MB would be about a wash then.

No kidding though! When she almost immediately said she didn't want it, I was like, what the hell? Now, I suppose if my Dad (who's 64) bought me a nice Windows laptop for some reason and he thought he was being really great about it, I'd give a nicer reaction, even though that Windows laptop doesn't at all suit my needs vs my MBP.
 
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