MacBook for High Schooler

Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 12:38

I am thinking of buying a Macbook for my son who is about to start high school next week. We have looked at pros and cons, and the major reason for buying it is the longevity of apple device. I need some advice before I buy:

  1. Macbook Pro (M1) or Macbook Air (M1): on paper specs look very similar. Is it worth spending extra $300-$400 on pro?
  2. Where to buy? At the moment JBHiFi is having a 10% off sale, and Officeworks is selling it for few cents less so they don't have to price beat. I heard about a JBHiFi voucher which you can get for 5% less. Any idea where I can get that from?
  3. Accidental Damage/theft protection? Any advice on that would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Computing Apple Computer Laptop

Comments

  • hatchbackracehorse on 21/01/2021 - 12:51
    +3

    I don't want to engage in the Mac/PC debate here.

    Apple offers student discounts, currently with free AirPods on some purchases. May be worth a look as well.

    • Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 13:07

      I checked it, I think they offer student discounts only to uni students. Even with the student discount its more expensive than JBHiFi sale.

      • crentist on 21/01/2021 - 13:17

        They don't check student status. But it may prevent Applecare.

      • Randxyz123 on 21/01/2021 - 13:51
        +2

        They offer the student discount to all students. Also, you might be able to get a price match from apple.

        If the JB price isn’t much less then I’d recommend going direct through apple for the free AirPods.

        Apple care is well worth it IMO for accidental damage. Check with your home/contents insurer for theft.

  • GG57 on 21/01/2021 - 12:58

    Just out of interest, does the school recommend iOS over others?

    • Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 13:09
      +1

      No recommendation. They just want students to bring a laptop with physical keyboard and min 8GB RAM & 256GB HDD/SDD.

    • iDroid on 21/01/2021 - 23:07
      +4

      does the school recommend iOS MacOS over others?

  • Twix on 21/01/2021 - 13:04

    AppleCare covers accidental damage.

    • Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 13:06

      Do I have to buy the MacBook from Apple store? Or can I just buy from JbHiFi and get it added?

      • Twix on 21/01/2021 - 13:08
        +1

        Either one.

        How to buy

        Purchase AppleCare+ with your new Mac. Or buy it within 60 days of your Mac purchase:

        Online (requires you to verify your serial number)
        At an Apple Store (requires inspection of your Mac and proof of purchase)
        By calling 1300-321-456

  • tichet18 on 21/01/2021 - 13:09
    +3

    The only difference between the Macbook Pro and Air is the existence of a fan. It's not worth the extra dollars. May as well spend the extra cash on higher storage or ram.

    There's no usable difference between the two.

    • perhaps on 21/01/2021 - 13:27
      +1

      More battery life on the Pro

    • MelbEng on 21/01/2021 - 13:29
      +7

      There are more differences than that. However, I’d recommend the Air.

    • Cave Fire on 21/01/2021 - 15:03
      +2

      The lesser weight and slimness of the air is an important difference for a younger user.

  • Alan Laz on 21/01/2021 - 13:13
    +1

    There's a ChromeOS laptop mentioned here for about $700 running an i5 and 8GB ram being sold by the sweatshop.

    I bought it for a 2021 Year 7 student. I'm paying enough in private school fees already.

    Touch screen too

    • Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 13:21

      The school has specifically asked for Windows 7 or later OR MAC OSX 10.7 or later

      • iampoor on 21/01/2021 - 13:35

        What about this?

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/599146

      • Alan Laz on 21/01/2021 - 14:29
        +3

        Might need to challenge that.

        Anyone recommending Windows 7 "or later" in a contemporary high school environment is either lazy or too out of date to update their knowledge

        • MontyMacaw on 22/01/2021 - 10:01

          Or aware of budget problems for some people. Schools don’t need high spec computing to teach most of the curriculum.

  • crentist on 21/01/2021 - 13:38
    +5
    1. Air
    2. Apple Edu Store
    3. Applecare, or get a used/cheap machine.

    Brand new expensive laptops for high school kids seems like a bad idea. I know enough adults who manage to destroy laptops, without being in the rough and tumble environment of a high school. Might end up in a puddle or in the rain, or smashed up after they fell on the bag. Which sound a bit upsetting, but a bit more interesting than a teenager too concerned about babying his precious laptop to occasionally run around and get into trouble

  • daalinz on 21/01/2021 - 14:29
    +1

    Air is fine for high school or uni as long as you don't need high spec for graphics design, photo editing, software development, virtualisation, etc.

    • zoltanc on 21/01/2021 - 15:10
      +2

      Yeah, from the reviews I have seen, if you due a lot of intensive tasks (e.g. video editing, latest and greatest games) the Air will just slow down once it gets too hot, but the Pro has fans which will kick in.

  • zoltanc on 21/01/2021 - 15:13
    +1

    No one has answered the question about discounted gift cards, so here is all you need to know…

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/discounted_egift_cards

    • Ironh59 on 21/01/2021 - 21:12

      Thank you!

  • EFC94 on 21/01/2021 - 16:25
    +1

    My air has got me through 4/5 years of uni so far and still works perfectly fine, battery life has lowered a little from when I first got it, however its not an issue for me and if it was then I don't think a replacement battery is too expensive. I only use it for the basic word / excel / internet / streaming type stuff, so I assume it will suit your child for their needs as well.

  • [Deactivated] on 21/01/2021 - 19:39
    +1

    The m1 will do just got one and will give to my daughter for uni this year, she has a 2012 13” mbpr that she used all through high school, bit slow now but still working.

  • azm on 21/01/2021 - 23:43
    +1

    IMHO MacBooks seemed to be a good investment. I purchased one for my daughter 3 years ago and it is still working fine while her friends will have to buy a new Windows laptop.

    • Ramrunner on 22/01/2021 - 12:07
      +2

      I'm sorry but if that is true then your friends have skimped on buying a good quality Windows notebook.

      I have a Asus Zenbook UX31A from 2012 still hooning along just fine.

      Still looks amazing too.

      I don't mind either Macs or Windows but comparing longevity should be done like for like. My Zenbook cost almost $2k at the time, close to the price of a similar Mac of that era, yet it has well and truly taken the Pepsi challenge against it.

      I don't agree Macs last longer. Maybe compared to cheap Windows variants sure, but there are some REALLY good quality Windows notebooks now.

  • Chakko on 22/01/2021 - 08:09

    I tutor my niece and I have found that the operating system thing is a little irrelevant in that a lot of the school content is browser-based and the rest is a whole lot of Google image search, Wikipedia and youtube (when I don't know the answer).

    Aside from dollars, it boils down to what the kid wants to use and what you're comfortable using when you need to help them. From what I've witnessed, there's also some social clout attached to having a Mac.

    As has been noted above, an Air is more than enough if they're just doing regular school work. Definitely look into a protective case. My niece dropped her Air. The keyboard warped and it no longer closes but it still works!

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