<p>My son got into Vassar (EDII) and we're going to get him a new laptop for his birthday this week. We want it to be appropriate to take to school in the fall -- to classes (maybe), the library, etc. He wants a Mac (never had one before and I know nothing about them. He seems to have used them at school and is not a stranger to them.). Airbook too flimsy? MacBook? MacBook Pro? any specifications I should know about? thank you!</p>
<p>Also do students generally take notes via pen and notebook, or type onto a laptop?</p>
<p>Thanks, hope this isn't too silly a question.</p>
<p>My 13 inch macbook pro has served me well, although not as a vassar student (a 2015 hopeful!). I personally think the airbooks are pointless - the 13 inch pro is plenty light and it’s much more convenient to have all the necessary drives. I can’t imagine a computer without a CD drive and I think the Airs only have one USB - which is unfortunate if you want, say, a USB mouse and a jump drive. I don’t think thats worth the extra cash.</p>
<p>The pro is sturdy, I’ve dropped it before (not my fault! more like I had it rudely knocked out of my arms. I take care of my baby) and it survived, I’ve heard the plastic macbooks crack more easily.</p>
<p>I have heard the one advantage of a 15-inch over a 13-inch is that you can get two word documents or a word document and a webpage side by side. Dunno if that’s worth the extra cash.</p>
<p>If your son doesn’t need the laptop now and you are considering a Mac, you might want to wait until June. Apple usually offers an education package with a discount (around $200) and a free iTouch then. You can get the education discount earlier than that; just show them the admissions letter. But the iTouch offer isn’t until June. We just had a February birthday, too, and gave our child a photo of the Macbook she wants and then will buy the actual computer in June.</p>
<p>Another important reason to wait is that Apple will be releasing an updated version of the MacBook Pro in the near future. It’s been reported that the updated MacBook Pro will have the new Intel Sandy Bridge processor. Very significant.</p>
<p>Well…um…for a number of reasons…we bought him a regular old Macbook yesterday. His 18th birthday is on Thursday – just like Steve’s, apparently – and we acted rashly and hedonistically. I know he’ll enjoy it.</p>
<p>(they only gave a $50 educational discount)</p>