Is a Mac Book a good investment for a college student?

[TexasHusker]

I am figuring that any college student these days needs some sort of laptop.

Ideally, I'd like to purchase one laptop that gets my son through 4 years of school. I have always heard people say "get a mac" even though I have never personally done so due to the price.

What do you guys think about a MacBook a few days before he's off for college? Is this an item that can make it 4 years? Does it come with software already on it for spreadsheets etc?

[WDELTA]

I bought my first MacBook in either 2013 or 2014. Can’t quite remember. I always bought $500ish laptops before that died super quick. I’m still using that MacBook and don’t plan to replace for years.

With that said I am not student, but can’t imagine that typing papers would change the performance at all.

I couldn’t even tell you if I paid $1200 or $2200 at this point. But it was worth it.

[kork13]

My brother had his Mac Book for about 8 years though his senior year of high school, college, and a few years afterward. He only replaced it because the charge port eventually failed & would have been too costly to fix. Otherwise, besides replacing the battery pack once or twice (it was a known defect for that year's Mac Books), it was a champ, and served him very well. I've had mine for 4 years so far, and it still runs great as well... I've never had an issue with it. My previous laptop was also a Mac, same story, though it was stolen after owning it for ~3 years.

In my opinion, Mac computers do a great job, last a very long time, and can be very good for just about anyone. However, a consideration for students specifically, they may be required to use software programs that are not compatible with Macs. This is most especially the case for engineering/math students, at least based on my time in college (admittedly about a decade ago... And wow, saying that makes me feel old).

If he wants a Mac, he's used one & is comfortable with them, and you can easily afford it, I'd say "Sure, why not". Otherwise, a mid-range Windows laptop should be just fine for him, and would probably cost about half that of a Mac.

[Tabs]

A Macbook is an absolutely terrible idea for a college student. They are extremely overpriced, and their technical specs are mediocre at best.

They were once favored for two things, and that is status symbol and superior multimedia editing. Unfortunately, Apple products have lost some of that luster due to their middling specs, although it's still a safe bet if your child cares anything about what their peers think about their choices of tech. The other, multimedia handling, has also lost its technical edge substantially now that a lot of rival products have been optimized for the nVidia GPU for example. The latter assumes that your child is also a content creator and not just a consumer, which not everyone is.

As an alternative, I recommend a decent Chromebook like a Samsung Chromebook Pro. The one good thing about Chrome as an OS is that it is automatically updated for free, and is very secure out of the box. Performance is comparable to the Mac, even on the screen quality front. All this at half the cost of a Macbook, and will definitely last for 4 years.

The downside is that it doesn't have the same level of "cool factor" found in Mac products, but being a Samsung product, it's still not terrible. Your kid can match it with a Galaxy series phone, which is becoming just about as popular as iPhones. Bonus that the Chromebook will also run his phone's Android apps, which is a nice integration that is not possible on the Apple side.

[FLA]

we've been a mac family for probably 15 years. My MacBooks last me 5yrs minimum. My kids went off to college with them and have had no compatibility problems. I have never had one get a virus and my kids downloaded the stupid stuff kids download over the years. The tech support is awesome- you have the Genius Bar in store or telephone support. They say they may charge you for phone support on products outside of warranty but I have never been charged, in fact they give me their email in case I still have problems with the issue we discussed. I called about an 8 yr old iPod and they helped me. They are reliable, I can count on one hand the number of times I got the equivalent of the blue screen of death over the years. They are intuitive to use. If he has an iPhone, I'd say it's a no brainer choice. Can't say enough good things about them. Good luck in your choice.

[bjl584]

I don't have any experience with Apple, but most of college and the business world is windows based, so I'd probably lean toward a laptop running Microsoft. Asus makes a good product for a decent price. Check Newegg.com.

[GoodSteward]

I'm with Tabs. They are overpriced for what you get, and currently, they are having a big issue with the newer style keys (butterfly keys). If you do get one, I would get one that is a couple years old, maybe refurbished so it comes with a new battery and still gets support from Apple.

Couple things to remember (this is from my perspective being in IT for around 18 years, and I've worked on Macs, HPs, Dells, Custom Windows, Android, iOS, etc).

1. Apple's internal hardware is the SAME as everybody else's, and usually, they are a generation behind the "top of the line" due to their product cycle. They use the same intel CPUs as all the othe windows users, same SSD technology, and the same ram. However, this is irrelevant since most modern CPUs, RAM, and Hard drives have nearly no perceivable gain in real-world applications for years. Which leads to number 2.

2. Don't be fooled by specs, most people overbuy. I read about the newest CPUs, RAM, drives, motherboards, etc fairly often, especially if I'm building a PC. The gain each year is only about 10% from the top of the line to the top of the line. If I put a computer from 5 years ago with an i5 cpu, 8gb ram, and an SSD beside a brand new one with the same (but this years model of them) I almost promise you won't FEEL hardly any difference opening word, chrome, or simple things as long as both are freshly installed with windows. The biggest difference will be in heavy lifting like audio or video decoding.

3. Apple costs more because of their name and monopoly over Mac OS, not ability. You can't officially install Mac OS on something that isn't officially supported, and how is it officially supported? They have chips on their stuff that validate with the software. You can't just slap together a computer with the same parts as a mac, and put Mac OS on it. There is a chip on the motherboard that has to allow it. This is why they cost so much more for the exact same specs. Your $2,000 Mac can process just as fast as a $900 PC, so long as the specs are the same. Mac costs more because of the logo and Mac OS on it. To some, it's worth it.

3. Mac does typically make superior hardware in most cases (outside casing, physical aspects, etc). Part of why regular laptops are so cheap is because of all the cheap parts they use on the outside. You can get all metal designs like macs in windows PC's, but the price starts to get closer to the Macs (but still a good bit less).

4. Mac and PC will do the same thing or most people, but windows still has a major edge in overall software support. Just depends on what they plan to do with it.

5. Mac has a better ecosystem if you care about that. If you are already an Apple user (iPhone, iPad, etc) then a mac will sync up with all that and work well. This might be important to you.

6. Depending on the field he is going into, he would be better off using whatever is common there. I know in most office work, PC is still at the top. However, the design department for our company all have Macs because that is what they were trained on in college. Just something to think about.

Mac has come a long way and they are good. But, from a power users perspective, I prefer windows all day. Plus, you can get more performance for your money with windows.

As for the chrome book idea, i'm a little iffy. I really like my wife's Samsung Chromebook plus, but again I'm a power user so it is missing way too much for me still.

[corn18]

I have been a Mac guy for the last 10 years. Love the OS, ambivalent on the hardware. From 1989 until 10 years ago, I was a hardcore Windows guy and loved building my own machines and overclocking them with water cooling and high performance parts. Windows sucked, but Macs wouldn't allow the geek in me to change anything.

I bought my daughter a MacBook Pro for college and she liked it but when she spilled coffee on it and needed a replacement, she opted for a Win10 flip book kindof thing and loves it.

So, pick your OS and then buy the hardware. If your son isn's a Mac lover, I wouldn't turn him into one for college. 90% are not.

As an interesting aside, I use a MBP for my work computer running VMware and Windows 10. Windows runs more reliably on my Mac than it did on the company computer.

Sometimes I long for the days of reloading Windows and replacing hardware.

[Jluke]

I'll echo what Kork13 said... does the college have a recommended platform - mac vs pc?

I was forced to buy a Mac all in one desktop back in '95 b/c my college was mac based. luckily it lasted all 4 years but I had to lug that thing up/down stairs each year I moved in/out.

you could probably buy 2-4 pc laptops ($500ish) before you get to the price of the mac (1100-2000 these days??)

of course ask your son as he may have a preference.

[disneysteve]

We've been an Apple family since 1994. iMac, iPhones, iPods, AppleTV, etc.

When it came time for DD to buy a laptop for college 4 years ago, it was a no-brainer. She got a MacBook Air and loves it. She does everything from writing term papers to fairly advanced video editing. It is light, sleek, sturdy, and immune to viruses and malware.

Years ago, you had to worry about software compatibility but pretty much everything today is web-based so that's no longer an issue. A Mac and a PC will both take you to the same internet.

If you care about price, one thing to consider is buying used. Check if you are anywhere near an Experimac location (experimac.com). They sell refurbed Apple products for great prices. We bought my mom a MacBook a few months ago for $475. Yes it's a few years old but it still looks and run like it's brand new and it easily does everything she needs it for. You might want to go a bit newer for him but they should have something that gets you closer to the price point of a PC while still getting all of the advantages of a Mac. I'm actually planning to go there when I'm ready to replace our desktop iMac (which is 8 years old and starting to show its age).

[TexasHusker]

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. Weighing all these comments I’m leaning Mac for several reasons that have been mentioned. Better immunity to viruses, support, seeming durability.

On eBay, I see a lot of factory refurb models. Is this a no-no?

[GoodSteward]

I have been a Mac guy for the last 10 years. Love the OS, ambivalent on the hardware. From 1989 until 10 years ago, I was a hardcore Windows guy and loved building my own machines and overclocking them with water cooling and high performance parts. Windows sucked, but Macs wouldn't allow the geek in me to change anything.

I bought my daughter a MacBook Pro for college and she liked it but when she spilled coffee on it and needed a replacement, she opted for a Win10 flip book kindof thing and loves it.

So, pick your OS and then buy the hardware. If your son isn's a Mac lover, I wouldn't turn him into one for college. 90% are not.

As an interesting aside, I use a MBP for my work computer running VMware and Windows 10. Windows runs more reliably on my Mac than it did on the company computer.

Sometimes I long for the days of reloading Windows and replacing hardware.

I tried Mac, and I've had to support it here as well. I just don't like it, myself. It is neat to start with being new, but then you realize it's so limited (for what I do).

For a long time, our company would buy the highest end Mac's ($5k) and then have to buy parallels (VM software) and a full retail copy of windows just to run Office for windows because the Mac counterpart was terrible. lol

With Office 365, we quit doing that since it's the same on both.

[disneysteve]

On eBay, I see a lot of factory refurb models. Is this a no-no?

I know a lot of people who have bought computers and phones on ebay. It's just not something I'm comfortable doing personally. When I'm spending hundreds of dollars, I want to know who I'm buying from. I have bought refurbed items directly from Apple. That's worth checking on. You won't save a lot but you'll get a little break. The other option is an established Apple reseller like the one I mentioned above.

Ebay can be fine and you can get some great deals. It all depends on your comfort level. If they've been around a while and have good feedback, you should be fine.

[creditcardfree]

My oldest daughter (and I) have MacBook Pro's. I love it for the immunity to viruses as well. A big, big plus for me.

My daughter needed it for the graphics capabilities and is a Graphic Design major. She uses the Adobe Suite of products, such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator and a few others. She uses it for her part time job at college doing graphic design for the music department. She has had it now four years and will need it at school for another 1.5 years. It will likely need a new battery soon as she uses it a lot! I'm sure she could have bought a PC and done all the same, but she had used a Mac Air in high school (one to one computing school) and loved it. We actually purchased the summer after her junior year in high school from the local community college, since she had dual credit classes she was eligible for the student rate and there was no sales tax.

I highly suggest seeing what the benefits are offered at the school your son is attending. My daughter was able to get the Microsoft office products added to her Mac for $20 or $25. She will have those forever on her computer.

We bought our youngest daughter a PC, Dell XPS13 earlier this year. She is about to go to college for Industrial Engineering. This was one of four computers suggested by the Engineering Department at the school. We tried to buy from them for the discount and to save the sales tax, however, they were out of stock and changing what they were offering this years incoming students. My husband was insistent on getting the computer BEFORE the fall, so we did order it through Dell and the deal wasn't too much different. I personally wanted her to wait to get the more current offering.

I need to double check but I think we can also get a Microsoft office package through the school at a discount. Should ask and possibly buy when we go for orientation next month.

Those are my 2 cents. I think it comes down to personal preference.

[creditcardfree]

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses. Weighing all these comments I’m leaning Mac for several reasons that have been mentioned. Better immunity to viruses, support, seeming durability.

On eBay, I see a lot of factory refurb models. Is this a no-no?

I just heard that Apple is now selling the refurbished MacBook Pro's on their website.