I have no clue where to start when it comes to computers. Could any of you please help me? Please excuse my horrible writing I am not very good at englash. Thank you for much.
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What Macbook would be best for my daughter?
- Thread starter Robert Spera
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Consider MacBook Air 13"
Macbook Air at Apple Store
Very lightweight; bigger internal storage option for more money; No optical (DVD/CD) drive, but can purchase external one if needed
Macbook Air at Apple Store
Very lightweight; bigger internal storage option for more money; No optical (DVD/CD) drive, but can purchase external one if needed
Really? I though the Macbook Pro is like top notch and the thing to have. Please explain to me why a air would be better for my daughter.
If she was going into film, photography, programming, etc. the additional power of the Pro is a must. Simple word processing and web browsing will require nothing more than an Air in most cases.
HOWEVER, the optical drive (CD/DVD), Ethernet port (wired Internet), more disc space (more room for files), and upgradable RAM (makes it faster) are all still pretty essential for college (assuming this will be her only computer), however this could change in a few years.
Check with the college based on the curriculum. Some have very specific requirements, and some like my daughters engineering school don't support Mac's. Anyone that makes a recommendation at this point for a specific machine more often than not is just recommending what they have rather than trying to know what may be very specific requirements for your daughters needs.
I'd go with a 13" Macbook Pro. I've had both a 15" Pro and a 13" Air in the last couple of years and while the Air better suits my needs now days, the Pro would definitely been a better choice if I were still a student. The user upgradeable RAM would make the laptop usable for a longer period of time (The last thing a college student wants to spend money on halfway through school is a new laptop). The DVD/ optical drive would be nice to have also. The only real drawback to the Mackbook Pro is the added weight to carry around, but the 13" makes a real difference over the 15 or 17" model.
Your daughter is also eligible for student discounts on computers and software. Check with her university bookstore for details. They can also give recommendations based on what she plans to study.
Best thing to do would be to go to an Apple Store with her, talk to a sales representative there, have her try out both the Air and the Pro. We can only recommend based on our opinions, but she'll be the one using it!
Let her get an understanding of what she'll be using.
But, since you asked for suggestions, this is what I can suggest from my side/point of view:
I'm a majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Accounting and Film Production. And I am a photographer, by hobby.
The Pro is the best choice for me. Mainly for the film and photography, I need a fast working laptop with a good amount of hard disk space. Plus, I like to play games when I'm waiting for my next class.
However, for something like Accounting, I really don't need much power for word processing and etc. So, an Air will work great. A student in my Accounting class just uses an iPad for all his courses, and it works perfectly for him.
There is no "thing to have" really..computers are for personal use, and you should only get the one that suits you (her, in this case) best.
Just think of these questions:
P.S: You might want to wait for the next generation MacBooks maybe..? They'll probably come out soon. MacRumors Buying Guide has them marked as "Don't Buy!" So, you might want to hold off for a bit. =)
Let her get an understanding of what she'll be using.
But, since you asked for suggestions, this is what I can suggest from my side/point of view:
I'm a majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Accounting and Film Production. And I am a photographer, by hobby.
The Pro is the best choice for me. Mainly for the film and photography, I need a fast working laptop with a good amount of hard disk space. Plus, I like to play games when I'm waiting for my next class.
However, for something like Accounting, I really don't need much power for word processing and etc. So, an Air will work great. A student in my Accounting class just uses an iPad for all his courses, and it works perfectly for him.
There is no "thing to have" really..computers are for personal use, and you should only get the one that suits you (her, in this case) best.
Just think of these questions:
- - Does her major/field require high processing speed? (Film Production/Photography, a Pro is a must. Other fields may vary.)
- - Does she need a lot of hard disk space? (Like, the base 13" Pro has 500GB | base 13" Air has 128 GB)
- - How much weight does she want to carry around college? (Take her to an Apple store before purchase, let her understand the weight difference between Air and Pro)
P.S: You might want to wait for the next generation MacBooks maybe..? They'll probably come out soon. MacRumors Buying Guide has them marked as "Don't Buy!" So, you might want to hold off for a bit. =)
Base MBP. Check to see if HiRes Anti-glare 15" or Glossy/Non High Res is good enough for her at a local Apple store.
15" MBP is a sweet spot. I don't see a point in owning an Air if you're going to be doing work on it, other than word processing and browsing the web.
If it's a browsing machine, even a cheap PC would be fine.
15" MBP is a sweet spot. I don't see a point in owning an Air if you're going to be doing work on it, other than word processing and browsing the web.
If it's a browsing machine, even a cheap PC would be fine.
Have you considered asking what she wants?
I know when I was 17, I knew way more about computers than my parents ever did
My recommendation: MacBook Air. And for one reason only.
{suspense}
Screen resolution! The 13in MBA has the same resolution as the base 15in MBP without the extra 4 pounds or unnecessary bells and whistles. I highly doubt she'll have an external monitor, so screen resolution is key!
And keep in mind you're asking this in the MBP sub forum... if you asked this in the MBA sub forum, you'd get a different answer
The 13in MBP could be had for cheaper though, so might as well go for that. I highly doubt she'd care for the advanced speeds of an SSD, but I also don't think she'll need a DVD drive, ethernet, or screen with a higher color gamut. Who knows though. Just get her what she likes best
And really? Recommending almost a $2000 machine for someone who we don't even know what they're working on or majoring in? May as well throw in another $1000 and go Mac Pro!
I know when I was 17, I knew way more about computers than my parents ever did
My recommendation: MacBook Air. And for one reason only.
{suspense}
Screen resolution! The 13in MBA has the same resolution as the base 15in MBP without the extra 4 pounds or unnecessary bells and whistles. I highly doubt she'll have an external monitor, so screen resolution is key!
And keep in mind you're asking this in the MBP sub forum... if you asked this in the MBA sub forum, you'd get a different answer
The 13in MBP could be had for cheaper though, so might as well go for that. I highly doubt she'd care for the advanced speeds of an SSD, but I also don't think she'll need a DVD drive, ethernet, or screen with a higher color gamut. Who knows though. Just get her what she likes best
Possibly one of the most ignorant things I've read on these boards. My MBA runs circles around my 2011 iMac, which has a quad-core i5 and 12GB of RAM. I virtualize Windows 7 Ultimate alongside Lion daily, do all sorts of work in Cadence, MATLAB, LTSpice, and other engineering programs and I still prefer it over my iMac. You've obviously never even tried to work on an MBA.
And really? Recommending almost a $2000 machine for someone who we don't even know what they're working on or majoring in? May as well throw in another $1000 and go Mac Pro!
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Just go to best buy or apple store and let her pick out what she likes. She can ask all the questions with the "genius". I don't understand what makes you think we're going to know any better than she would?
I hope that's a joke, Kyle.
How can a top end MBA be faster than a Quad Core desktop CPU?
Your MBA can have a max of 1.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5.
You're not much of an engineer are you?
Point is, if someone doesn't know if they're going to do heavier tasks in the future, wouldn't it be better to future proof yourself a bit and get a base 15" MBP?
As others have said, it depends on what she will be using it for. But even if it's just for word processing I would recommend the 13" MacBook Pro which starts at $1199 compared to a 13" MacBook Air that starts at $1449. She may not need the power of the Pro but it is a much wiser purchase since it has a DVD drive, faster CPU, bigger hard drive and is cheaper!
Don't pay more for less.
Don't pay more for less.
13" MBA 128GB model is actually only $100 more than the 13" MBP so it starts at $1299 and the 256 GB model is 1599.
neilpryde23 is correct, the US Apple site must have directed me to the Australian shop. But as I mentioned the MBP is better value.
13 inch Macbook Air or 13 inch Macbook Pro
Both good machines and the safest bet, the 11 inch Macbook Air is a little small and overpriced for what you get, 15 inch macbook pro is overkill unless she requires high end graphics, the 13 inch Macbook pro is a smarter buy especially if you wait for the new releases in the next 3 weeks.
Both good machines and the safest bet, the 11 inch Macbook Air is a little small and overpriced for what you get, 15 inch macbook pro is overkill unless she requires high end graphics, the 13 inch Macbook pro is a smarter buy especially if you wait for the new releases in the next 3 weeks.