So I have been selected to be eligible to loan a macbook air 13 inch for free for 4 years, and I can either give it back or buy it after 4 years. Not sure if I can give it back earlier…but is this a good idea?
I guess it depends. If you don’t have a laptop, and don’t necessarily want to spend that much money right now, take the loan. But even after you graduate, you’ll need one (grad school, jobs). So either way, you’ll probably end up buying one.
If its free, heck yeah. How did you manage that deal?
I read somewhere that U of M was trying to put more computers in the hands of students who may not necessarily be able to afford one out of pocket on top of all the other costs. I’d take it. It’s a great gift and will make some things so much easier.
@wayneandgarth I was just contacted o.o
@96blue Great. I don’t know if it matters though, but would they be monitoring me on the macbook? Lol.
Should I take the Air then? The Pro is much heavier…but I kind of want the Retina display because I have 1080p tv shows I wanna watch.
I would be interested in doing something like this, how were you contacted/ is there a link to the program?
I was sent a specific form to fill out. I think it’s for low-income families.
seeing comments like this is why it annoys the heck out of me when I see people using food stamps at whole foods or central market.
“but I kind of want the Retina display because I have 1080p tv shows I wanna watch”
Really? You are getting a need based free laptop. And they try to tell me this country doesn’t have an entitlement issue.
Why should it matter to you @bearcats, the Mac is free either way? The same goes for the food stamps. Why do you feel the need to limit what someone else can have?
I think bearcat’s comment is germane. The post says its a free MacBook Air. The poster doesn’t know whether to take the free MacBook Air because he/she wants a macbook pro instead to watch 1080p TV.
I agree that if the poster wants 1080p and can afford to buy his/her own, they should not accept the free, need-based Mac air, and leave the opportunity for someone truly in need.
If, on the other hand, the poster cannot afford a MacBook Pro, then they should likewise be grateful for the free Mac air book 
Its kinda like saying I need a Maserati when someone’s offering you a ride to the store to get milk
You can buy any flat screen smart tv at bestbuy for a few hundred bucks…a properly configured MacBook Pro costs five to ten times that and has features really only graphic designers, film producers, and music techs need. The notion of needing one to watch TV is ludicrous, at least in a conversation with a young person about what they need for college when they’re from a high need family or for that matter any family that is remotely cost conscious
Okay yeah I am dreaming. I can’t afford macbook pro, but I was planning to work during college to buy one.
Then take the MacBook Air and you’ll be set for getting through as you truly don’t need a MacBook Pro to do well in school When you’re done your degree and it obsolesces, and then you land a good job, you can then treat yourself if you’re still so-inclined.
Yeah you’re right. It’s essentially a free computer…lol.
Thanks.