Laptop for college

[Anonymous]

So we are starting to think about a laptop for college. Thinking Apple. Where is the best place to get a good deal? The Apple Store, Costco, Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy, … ?

[Anonymous]

Apple has a good deal right now.
Student discount plus $150 giftcard..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we are starting to think about a laptop for college. Thinking Apple. Where is the best place to get a good deal? The Apple Store, Costco, Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy, … ?

I’d check with the college and see if there are requirements/suggestions as to the type of laptop you should get; that should be the primary driver.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So we are starting to think about a laptop for college. Thinking Apple. Where is the best place to get a good deal? The Apple Store, Costco, Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy, … ?

I’d check with the college and see if there are requirements/suggestions as to the type of laptop you should get; that should be the primary driver.

Np: I checked. No real guidance.

[Anonymous]

still one of the highest rated Apple laptops on New York Times

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-MacBook-13-inch-256GB-Storage/dp/B08N5LNQCX/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=MD6NA7S5FJU0&keywords=apple+m1+macbook+air&qid=1688487906&sprefix=apple+m1%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-1-spons&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.2b70bf2b-6730-4ccf-ab97-eb60747b8daf&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So we are starting to think about a laptop for college. Thinking Apple. Where is the best place to get a good deal? The Apple Store, Costco, Amazon Prime Day, Best Buy, … ?

All of the above. Shop around. Apple also has an outlet store online.

What the student uses the computer for will impact how much memory, what chip, etc. you would want to get. Above is a link to a machine with only 8 gb ram, which seems pretty weak in 2023, but it all depends on the student's needs and budget.

[Anonymous]

OP - Thanks everyone!

[Anonymous]

is the air or pro better for a college student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:is the air or pro better for a college student?

Depends on what they’re majoring in IMO. If it’s a major where they might need to run software on their machine (CS, engineering etc.) that needs real computing power then a pro would make sense. If they’re using it for writing papers and researching than an air would be better.

[Anonymous]

What you get an apple Mac Pro or a PC for an engineering student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you get an apple Mac Pro or a PC for an engineering student?

DC’s university recommends against Macs for engineering. We just got him a Dell XPS, 13th generation with the upgraded graphics card. Some the applications they use don’t work well on Macs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you get an apple Mac Pro or a PC for an engineering student?

Ask your school. Ours says either is fine and runs the software they use.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What you get an apple Mac Pro or a PC for an engineering student?

1. check your DC's school for guidance on what to buy. Follow that guidance. Also, many colleges sell "bundles" with the laptop computer, standard applications, and on-campus support at discounted prices.

2. If DC's school has no guidance, then its your choice. Commonly used engineering software (e.g., MS Office, Matlab, Mathematica) generally work well on both MacOS or Windows.

My STEM workplace is 2/3 MacOS and 1/3 Windows. Applications we use are available for and work well on both machines. Most computers at my work have 16GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. We have no problems with file compatibility.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:is the air or pro better for a college student?

Depends on what they’re majoring in IMO. If it’s a major where they might need to run software on their machine (CS, engineering etc.) that needs real computing power then a pro would make sense. If they’re using it for writing papers and researching than an air would be better.

with newer mac (m1/m2 chip), air is just as powerful - so i would get an air if you are thinking about getting a mac

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:is the air or pro better for a college student?

Got the M2 air because it's so much lighter.