Which Mac laptop is best for me?

Student Lounge College Life
1

I’m going off to college in the fall and I want a Mac. What I want:
-portability and nothing too huge. Something I can shove in my bag and take places with ease.
-long battery life
-a durable computer that will last for all 4 years
-a good processor so things load quickly

I don’t do any gaming or things like that. I just need a computer that I won’t have to replace for all four years.

Money is no object. So what would work for me, and what are the pros and cons of the air, MacBook, and MacBook Pro?

2

Right now I’m mainly between the 13 inch MacBook Air and the 13 inch MacBook Pro with retina display. Obviously the pro has the better display and processor.

But is a 2.7 ghz processor necessary for me? I’m just a normal day to day user, I’m not an engineering major or anything like that. Would I be able to make do with the Air, or is the Pro a better investment?

3

MAcbook Air lighter by half pounds but display is low res.

I say go for the macbook pro. it’s more future proof. ( retina)

macbook air or pro will be both snappy for you. don’t worry about processing speed.

4

Spend the extra bucks and buy the MacBook Pro. It is a nice machine that will last the years and you won’t regret it. I recommend buying a Speck case or something of the sorts for it as well.

5

If money is no object, definitely go for the Pro. In terms of size, 13" is the most popular because of its portability (and some say the 15" is overpriced).

6

@nanotechnology Only because the 15" Pro is overpriced.

7

The brand new Macbook seems pretty sweet and on par with what the Pro offers.

8

Go to the store and check them out, pick them up, look at the screen and really get a feel for them. We did this and my daughter picked the 13 inch air as the battery life is 2 hours longer and she thought it felt much lighter than the 13 pro, even though it is only 1/2 pound lighter. The retina display was not as important as battery and weight to her, we did bump up the storage as 128gb seemed limiting.

9

@nanotechnology Also, I forgot to mention the GPU. It’s a midrange first-gen GCN chip. In other words, COMPLETE CRAP.

@doschicos You mean the 12 inch one that’s just called “Macbook”? If so, DO NOT BUY IT. That is all.

10

Im currently using a 13" pro and it is reliable. I hear MacBooks can last between 5-7 years so it will last throughout college.

11

@2016senior The 13 inch model is very good. The 15 inch is criminally overpriced, and the 12 inch macbook is awful.

12

@hungryteenager - Tell me why you hate the new macbook.

@2016senior - Both my kids got 5-7 years on their macbooks before they started having issues. I’m actually on an 6 year old one right now.

13

@doschicos I got mine in December for a birthday/Chanukah present so hopefully it will last throughout college for me (rising senior in high school). Thank god for apple music bc I will no longer pirate music.

14

@doschicos The 12 inch one? Anemic processing power. You’re paying $1300 for $300 performance.