<p>Now facing the purchase of laptops for two BS-bound children, I am wondering what advice people may have to offer, given their own lessons learned, preferences, etc. (Please bear in mind with any advice you may offer that I am a technical idiot.) </p>
<p>I understand that constraining factors include one's budget, but beyond that, neither of the schools where our two are headed insist on a particular model or type (e.g., PC/Windows). Neither school insists that students have a laptop, but both do recommend it, if possible.</p>
<p>Thank you -- and forgive me if I have missed an established link/thread on this issue.</p>
<p>I am also interested in any responses. I have heard that full FA kids at Andover get a Dell laptop as part of their package. Anyone know what kind they are (Inspiron, Studio, XPS)? Also, do any of the manufacturers have any special deals for particular schools?</p>
<p>Macbooks are great and you can buy refubished units from directly from Apple at a significant discount. They have full warranty. I’ve bought 3 refurbished computers from them in the past year and they all appeared to be new, not refurbished. Today they have Macbook Air computers for $999. Here’s a link - [Refurbished</a> Mac - Apple Store (U.S.)](<a href=“Refurbished Mac Deals - Apple”>http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac?mco=MTE3NjY)</p>
<p>I agree Izzy, it is a work of art! I’m trying to finalize this buying decision soon b/c this is my son’s main grad present. </p>
<p>I noted that in addition to the aluminum unibody, there’s also a new 13 in. with a white shell with all the specs of the AL lower end model but $300 cheaper at $1000. For those interested in a refurb @$1,000, it may be worthwhile to investigate the new, straight-out-the-box, 13 in white model at the same price given the problems many have experienced with mac refurbs. Now I’m sure mac refurb lovers everywhere will fiercely defend their buying choices with personal anecdotes but there’s seems to be a trend with random shutdowns, etc. so much so that some stories will bring a tear to your eyes.</p>
<p>I’m just saying…“Caveat emptor” with regard to refurbs.</p>
<p>My son went through 4 years with a 13" MacBook (ideal for flying). We got the maximum three year Apple Care plan (which allowed us to do an emergency replacement once when his hard drive failed (I think because the laptop got dropped) - a lifesaver to be sure). I also got him one high capacity external hard drive to keep all his music on. Also, I had an extra, used 17" flat screen monitor from work which I have him. He’d plug it into his laptop and use that in his dorm room. Apple costs a little more, but wow, so few problems later. Well worth it.</p>
<p>ThacherParent - great tip on the care plan. I’m definitely looking into it…On the plus side, I’ll inherit the mini-laptop he currently uses. So small, I can almost drop in my medium sized purse! Although it’s PC based, and used, this is making me really really happy!</p>
<p>My mother bought, for herself because she’s begun grad classes, a new aluminum body Macbook for $1300. We both love it, and it solidified my decision to buy a Macbook for boarding school.
Apple has discounts for students, and my uncle (who works for a university) has gotten us the $1500 upgraded Macbook for about the same price my mom paid for hers.
I believe that an aluminum body, 250 GB Macbook is the perfect laptop for a high school student going to BS. This is because:
A Macbook Pro is a little large for a student to be carrying around campus, and a HS student doesn’t need the extra power you get with the extra couple hundred of dollars.
The lower-end Macbook or the old plastic bodied Macbook don’t really have the power, on the other hand, and though they’re cheaper, it’s worth the upgrade, especially since HS students are music powerhouses and typically do some sort of photo or video editing at some point.</p>
<p>Macbook, the basic, white model, 13 inch, with a 250 GB hard drive. We also signed up for the Apple Care plan. Laptops are not as sturdy as desktop models, due to their size and the rough life they lead. </p>
<p>I recommend a Mac, if only due to the virus question. Whether you buy a Mac or PC, you need a security program. You’ll also need USB flash drives, to back up documents. Add in a laptop case or padded sleeve. Ebay’s a good place to look for laptop cases.</p>
<p>I should add, Apple does offer discounts for boarding school students. If you look under their offers for college students, at some point you can get to a screen on which you can specify the school. Our child’s boarding school is listed.</p>
<p>Once we chose the school, the store remembers our school, probably through cookies. I’m sure you could buy laptops for two children, attending two schools, but you may need to call them for directions. </p>
<p>Adults working in education are also eligible for a discount.</p>
<p>You might want to wait until around August if you are thinking of buying an new MacBook or Apple computer. The last 2 years they have offered a back to school special where, not only do you get a school discount, but they through in a free i-pod and $100 credit toward a printer.</p>
<p>Student’s advice: I have had a macbook (older white version) for two years and have been using it every day at my current (day) school. it has fallen out of my (top) locker, off benches, and everything else imaginable and it is virtually damage free. Now, I’m not saying get one for your kids so that they can go and drop them off the roof just for the fun of it, but personally, I think they are teenage proof. also, (my current school at least) is much more mac compatible than Windows compatible, and its a lot harder to get help with using certain programs if you are using a windows, because of that, about 80 of the 85 kids in my grade use macs.
If you child is into media (music, photos, videos ect…) the mac is definately the right choice. it’s really easy to organize photos with iPhoto, create movies with iMovie (plus macs have a built in webcam) and itunes is easy to use (though that is a window’s feature too) the new iLife '09 just came out too! (an update for iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD and maybe a few other programs)
there are a few cons though that I can think of:
-macs are definitely more expensive than many windows computers, but some schools have the education discount (not just colleges) check the list on apple.com to see if your school qualifies
-the battery life is not the best I’ve ever seen. it isn’t too big a problem but pretty much of I can get through three classes a day on my battery (starting from 100% without charging it during the day)
-I don’t know about the newer versions of the macbook, but the majority of my grade has the older white and black versions, and I would say that in the past two years, there have been at least 5-10 hard drive crashed (out of 85 people) so just be sure to back up onto an external hard drive. if you have a warranty and it isn’t your fault if it crashes, it can probably be replaced for free.</p>
<p>The deal creative was talking about (when you buy a macbook and get a free ipod) is that for every year? Are they going to do that this year? because I would really love to take advantage of that. And do you need to go to an apple seller or can you do it online?</p>
<p>If you prefer PCs I recommend HPs. I have a 15 inch that I used a lot at BS. It has good speakers and a wide screen which are good for watching movies. My friends and I always watched movies together on it because we could all see and hear it. I’d ask at schools about how they deal with repairs. I know my friends with macs often took a cab to the store if something went wrong, but there were multiple people to fix PCs on campus.</p>
<p>Daughter’s Mac has lasted through 4 years of back pack abuse at BS. </p>
<p>She moans that she can’t play the latest video games or watch movies. (See mother laughing behind daughter’s back. Hee Hee Hee) </p>
<p>Not having the fastest newest most capable laptop can sometimes be a good thing. A BS computur just needs to access the school web desk, be able to handle math class software and word processing. Beyond that, use the school’s computers.</p>
Mac is awesome.</p>