OT: Best Mac laptop for high school student?

[UCHuskies08]

Are you the one paying for it? Also the man asked for what the best "mac" is, so are we to suggest Dells and HPs?

It's true, a teenage girl could accomplish the same tasks using a $400 Walmart computer, but there is a massive difference in quality. I had my old MacBook Pro for nearly 7 years and it was still working like new the day I sold it (for nearly $400 nonetheless, great resale) before buying something new. Whereas every cheap, bottom shelf laptop my family has bought has been worthless plastic within 2 years.

A Toyota gets you to work just as well as a BMW can.

That's fine and my fiancee's 3 year old Macbook is a piece of trash, and my last HP lasted 5 years, so your experience isn't necessarily universal. You're also comparing one machine that is 3x more expensive ... it should last longer by definition.

That all being said, I'd take my Lenovo Yoga 3 over a MB Pro, straight up. First time I haven't thrown in a price qualifier in that statement. The Yoga 3 is the best PC laptop I've ever had, it's brilliant.

 

[Fishy]

All of my artisanal posts are lovingly crafted on a 2010 MacBook Pro. You can really tell the difference.

Your Yogi whatever makes crappy posts. You need a better computer.

To answer the original poster's question; the base 13" MacBook Air would be fine for your daughter. The smaller screen is portable as heck, but she'd appreciate the larger screen more often than not.

 

[August_West]

All of my artisanal posts are lovely crafted on a 2010 MacBook Pro. You can really tell the difference. Your Yogi whatever makes crappy posts. You need a better computer. To answer the original poster's question; the base 13" MacBook Air would be fine for your daughter. The smaller screen is portable as heck, but she'd appreciate the larger screen more often than not.

An Air would be fine today. But last 4-5 years? Not in my experience. My daughters air was sucking wind in 2 years. A 13 inch pro will definitely be able to hold up 4-5 years.

 

[August_West]

Just bought myself one of these at work under the guise of " gotta keep up to properly support the graphics department ".
3500 bucks. Pretty badass though.

 

[I Bleed Blue]

Just bought myself one of these at work under the guise of " gotta keep up to properly support the graphics department ".
3500 bucks. Pretty badass though.

Hellva company expense! She's a beauty!

 

[UConnLen]

Understand 100%. They way I look at it is I love cars. They mean a lot more to me than daily commuter transportation and I'm willing to pay to play. What year S4? I would very like to be driving a B8 S4 myself in the next couple years. Its a great drivers car (especially with the sport diff) and the supercharged V6 can safely pump 375-400 awhp with a tune and pulley's.

Macbook's are the Audi's and BMW of the computer world. Not necessary at all as other options can do similar things for cheaper, but as an all around package very few are in the same class. You get what you pay for, which is also why I'm a big Apple guy too and currently using my 15" retina MBP. It's a beast.

I've had a lot of really nice cars, going back to the late 60's including Z28, Supras, 3000GT, Lexus 400GS, Bimmer 645ci w/SMG tranny+paddle shifters, Infiniti G37XS w/paddle, and just bought a 2014 Audi S4 w/sport diff/ carbon fiber inlays, 505 watt B/O sound, 19" wheel pkg, Upgraded black ext paint w/ napa black/silver seats-virtually every option. It is a B8 w/paddle shifters and 5 settings for steering, tranny, suspension etc. (of course all my settings are dynamic mode!). Rated 333 hp/325 ft-lb torque for insurance purposes but if you read closely many feel it is closer to 400/400 STOCK! It is an awesome car w/ 0-60 times 4.4-4.5 sec which is as fast as a 450 hp Camaro they say. Drive one and you'll want one. I live in NL county but went to Valenti Audi in Watertown-nice people that have many CPO Audi S4's. And yes-the tune and pulleys will get those 60 times under 4 sec if you really need that LOL.

 

[8893]

Thanks all for the input. This has helped narrow the focus considerably.

Any thoughts on getting a refurbished one through Apple?

 

[TasteofUConn]

It's true, a teenage girl could accomplish the same tasks using a $400 Walmart computer [stuff about why cheap is bad] . . . A Toyota gets you to work just as well as a BMW can.

I'm not sure how your last sentence integrates with the first part? Is the Walmart computer the Toyota? or is it a Yugo?

I bought a Toshiba Satellite at Walmart for about 350 bucks w/Windows 8. I've had it for about a year and a half. I run Office on it, play some 1st person shooter games, surf, watch videos, and so on. There are a few Windows-type idiosyncracies, no doubt, and the audio is laughable, but it runs all I need it to run. No issues.

The cheapest Apple laptop appears to be a grand for a basic model.

Of course, everybody should spend their money on what they want - that's the beauty of it. You want a wallet that says "Bad MotherF-cker" on it, you can get it. You want to buy the car with the moon roof - it's yours.

But your Toyota/BMW analogy, I think, really hits the mark. The one gets you to work. The other gets you there as well, but with more luxury and style.

Finally, being the father of multiple females, I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't point out for the record that, if a female daughter tells you she "needs" such and such, but such and such won't work, it can usually be fairly translated as "the first is the one that the cool people have, which is why I want one too, and the second, while I acknowledge it would be perfectly suitable and a thriftier purchase, would drop me squarely in dorkville."

Everybody overspends on some thing that has value to them but not to others. If you don't you're boring.

 

[8893]

Finally, being the father of multiple females, I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't point out for the record that, if a female daughter tells you she "needs" such and such, but such and such won't work, it can usually be fairly translated as "the first is the one that the cool people have, which is why I want one too, and the second, while I acknowledge it would be perfectly suitable and a thriftier purchase, would drop me squarely in dorkville."

Understood fully. Note that the "need" is the laptop, which, up to now, has been my former, 10-year old Dell, the battery for which stopped taking a charge years ago, and on which the wireless no longer works.

The "want" is the Mac. We've been over the functionality, etc. and there are no misunderstandings about that.

I've relegated them all to dorkville in several respects throughout the years. It doesn't take much in our town, so I've tried to teach them early that keeping up with the Joneses (or Kardashians) is a recipe for a miserable life. And some things that her older sister (and many peers) find dorky, she finds to be cool; and vice-versa.

Funny thing about Apple products is how they tend to draw out such strong reactions from both those who are fans and those who are not. I have found that the stronger the opinions, the more likely they are to be irrational. It's just stuff. I'll never eliminate the influence of peer pressure, but I am trying to focus on things as to which the satisfaction with the purchase--for whatever reason--lasts long enough to justify the expense. For most people (including us), it seems that Apple products deliver on that score. By way of contrast, I'm none too thrilled that the oldest is already dissatisfied with her Sony laptop, which was not inexpensive either. But she insisted that was what she "wanted" at the time, and she knows that we are not revisiting that now.

 

[TasteofUConn]

I've relegated them all to dorkville in several respects throughout the years. It doesn't take much in our town, so I've tried to teach them early that keeping up with the Joneses (or Kardashians) is a recipe for a miserable life. And some things that her older sister (and many peers) find dorky, she finds to be cool; and vice-versa.

Sounds like we're cut from similar cloths in that regard. We pinched a lot of pennies, drove simple cars, and so on for many years. The bright side of that is we cut checks for college and the kids got to start their lives after college with no debt.

 

[Fishy]

Any thoughts on getting a refurbished one through Apple?

Fine - it will be like new.

If she's heading to college, she should qualify for educational pricing.

 

[temery]

Thanks all for the input. This has helped narrow the focus considerably.

Any thoughts on getting a refurbished one through Apple?

Fine - it will be like new.

Yep. I bought a refurbished one two months ago. Works great. No regrets.

 

[intlzncster]

That's fine and my fiancee's 3 year old Macbook is a piece of trash, and my last HP lasted 5 years, so your experience isn't necessarily universal. You're also comparing one machine that is 3x more expensive ... it should last longer by definition.

That all being said, I'd take my Lenovo Yoga 3 over a MB Pro, straight up. First time I haven't thrown in a price qualifier in that statement. The Yoga 3 is the best PC laptop I've ever had, it's brilliant.

Not referring to your specific experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to last three times longer to justify price. It can perform better over it's lifespan too.

Also, RE yoga 3, I heard the screen isn't the best color-wise. What's your experience? And how is the hinge?

I'm in the market and considering that one. Also considering
ASUS Zenbook UX303UB and DELL XPS 13. Waiting for new skylake chips though.

 

[intlzncster]

Does she like a good lambic?

Down Dove. Down.

 

[boba]

Thanks all for the input. This has helped narrow the focus considerably.

Any thoughts on getting a refurbished one through Apple?

Should be good. Many, if not all, of them are the floor demo's from Apple Stores so they are lightly used. Apple Care might be worth the expense given the primary user is a teenager.

 

[intlzncster]

An Air would be fine today. But last 4-5 years? Not in my experience. My daughters air was sucking wind in 2 years. A 13 inch pro will definitely be able to hold up 4-5 years.

The new Airs are definitely a jump in quality though. Yours was 2nd gen or so?

 

[intlzncster]

Just bought myself one of these at work under the guise of " gotta keep up to properly support the graphics department ".
3500 bucks. Pretty badass though.

Feel free to expense one my way. Thanks in advance.

 

[intlzncster]

Fine - it will be like new.

Should be good. Many, if not all, of them are the floor demo's from Apple Stores so they are lightly used. Apple Care might be worth the expense given the primary user is a teenager.

But why bother though? The price difference isn't that huge. And you can make it up in a few years if you want to sell your old one and upgrade. jmo

Of course you could sell the refurbished at the same pp too.

Applecare for a teenage girl is a pretty good idea. I've seen my mid-twenties girlfriends absolutely destroy their apple products....AC saved them a ton of money in the end.

 

[August_West]

The new Airs are definitely a jump in quality though. Yours was 2nd gen or so?

yes

 

[jleves]

Not referring to your specific experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to last three times longer to justify price. It can perform better over it's lifespan too.

Also, RE yoga 3, I heard the screen isn't the best color-wise. What's your experience? And how is the hinge?

I'm in the market and considering that one. Also considering
ASUS Zenbook UX303UB and DELL XPS 13. Waiting for new skylake chips though.

Surface Pro 4 will be announced Oct. 6 and may well be the 'laptop' to beat. There are rumors of a 14" variant. I have the Haswell XPS 15 and it's a great, albeit pricey, laptop. The resolution of the screen is ridiculous. The new XPS 13 has a proprietary for now screen (infinity display) that people rave about. A new Skylake XPS 15 with the same infinity display is expected in Oct as well. Not sure if 15" is too large but that will be a sweet rig but will easily run $2,000+.

I will almost definitely snag a SP 4 at release.

 

[intlzncster]

Surface Pro 4 will be announced Oct. 6 and may well be the 'laptop' to beat. There are rumors of a 14" variant. I have the Haswell XPS 15 and it's a great, albeit pricey, laptop. The resolution of the screen is ridiculous. The new XPS 13 has a proprietary for now screen (infinity display) that people rave about. A new Skylake XPS 15 with the same infinity display is expected in Oct as well. Not sure if 15" is too large but that will be a sweet rig but will easily run $2,000+.

I will almost definitely snag a SP 4 at release.

Thanks jleves. I'm dying for a new laptop here. Mine is resetting constantly, pissing me off to no end. After a lot of troubleshooting it's definitely the motherboard. But I'm holding out to get what I want.

15" might be a bit too large for my taste. Portability is key. 12-14 is my range. But you never know. Hoping to keep it under 1500, but we'll see.

 

[Fishy]

I have a Surface 3 at work - I had the first Surface previously. The first Surface was unusable, the 3 is better.

I'm not crazy about it.

If you need a laptop, it's not a good choice. If you need a tablet, it is an absolutely horrible choice. If you improbably need one thing that does both, it's okay.

The saving grace is that it is portable and it has LTE so I can use it when I'm out of the office.

I was in the Microsoft store last weekend to buy a computer for the kid and we saw the Dell XPS - the screen is really, really nice. (The kid got an HP Stream 360 - very inexpensive Windows touch laptop where the screen bends to make it into a tablet of sorts. Windows on a tablet still makes no sense, but the computer itself is surprisingly nice for $200 and change.)

 

[huskiesNhoos]

Not referring to your specific experience, but it doesn't necessarily have to last three times longer to justify price. It can perform better over it's lifespan too.

Also, RE yoga 3, I heard the screen isn't the best color-wise. What's your experience? And how is the hinge?

I'm in the market and considering that one. Also considering
ASUS Zenbook UX303UB and DELL XPS 13. Waiting for new skylake chips though.

I have the Asus zenbook UX32, and it's fantastic. I upgraded ram on it and put in a new SSD to run some of my work/school programs better. I don't know how the newer zenbooks hold up, but when I got it in 2013 it was one of the nicer ultra books around

 

[BUConn10]

I'm not sure how your last sentence integrates with the first part? Is the Walmart computer the Toyota? or is it a Yugo?

I bought a Toshiba Satellite at Walmart for about 350 bucks w/Windows 8. I've had it for about a year and a half. I run Office on it, play some 1st person shooter games, surf, watch videos, and so on. There are a few Windows-type idiosyncracies, no doubt, and the audio is laughable, but it runs all I need it to run. No issues.

The cheapest Apple laptop appears to be a grand for a basic model.

Of course, everybody should spend their money on what they want - that's the beauty of it. You want a wallet that says "Bad MotherF-cker" on it, you can get it. You want to buy the car with the moon roof - it's yours.

But your Toyota/BMW analogy, I think, really hits the mark. The one gets you to work. The other gets you there as well, but with more luxury and style.

Finally, being the father of multiple females, I'd be remiss in my duty if I didn't point out for the record that, if a female daughter tells you she "needs" such and such, but such and such won't work, it can usually be fairly translated as "the first is the one that the cool people have, which is why I want one too, and the second, while I acknowledge it would be perfectly suitable and a thriftier purchase, would drop me squarely in dorkville."

Everybody overspends on some thing that has value to them but not to others. If you don't you're boring.

I completely botched that last sentence. I meant to say that a Toyota gets you to work just like a BMW, but there's a reason some people gladly pay twice as much for the BMW.

 

[nomar]

Understood fully. Note that the "need" is the laptop, which, up to now, has been my former, 10-year old Dell, the battery for which stopped taking a charge years ago, and on which the wireless no longer works.

The "want" is the Mac. We've been over the functionality, etc. and there are no misunderstandings about that.

I've relegated them all to dorkville in several respects throughout the years. It doesn't take much in our town, so I've tried to teach them early that keeping up with the Joneses (or Kardashians) is a recipe for a miserable life. And some things that her older sister (and many peers) find dorky, she finds to be cool; and vice-versa.

Funny thing about Apple products is how they tend to draw out such strong reactions from both those who are fans and those who are not. I have found that the stronger the opinions, the more likely they are to be irrational. It's just stuff. I'll never eliminate the influence of peer pressure, but I am trying to focus on things as to which the satisfaction with the purchase--for whatever reason--lasts long enough to justify the expense. For most people (including us), it seems that Apple products deliver on that score. By way of contrast, I'm none too thrilled that the oldest is already dissatisfied with her Sony laptop, which was not inexpensive either. But she insisted that was what she "wanted" at the time, and she knows that we are not revisiting that now.

I'm no "fanboy" in the sense I don't have some crazed love for Apple and hatred for everything else, but I do only buy Apple products because once you go down that road, and everything syncs so well with everything else, it's hard to go back. I suppose I first bought a MacBook about 10-12 years ago (I'm on my third, but I kept upgrading not because my laptops died but because I was running out of room due to my growing mp3 collection-- pretty wasteful, but whatever) because every Windows-based computer I'd ever had froze up just about every 15 minutes. The MacBook was a breath of fresh air. And then I got an iPhone, and an iPad, etc... I know there are Windows-based laptops that work just fine, but I ain't going back anytime soon. I've had this 13" MBP for 4-5 years. Still working well.

I've never really had an Apple product crap out on me, except for my iPhone 4S, which was due to it being incompatible with the new ios that I was prompted to upgrade to -- don't get me started on that. That went beyond planned obsolescence into outright fraud. But I let them get away with it. Stockholm Syndrome kicked in.

As to your point about features, 8893, you're absolutely right. Spend the extra couple hundred dollars now. My story above about having to upgrade is all about being penny wise and pound foolish.