Posted: 4/27/2015 4:15:32 PM EDT
|
My daughter is about to finish her first year at College. The grades are good and she is taking school serious. She is asking for a MacBook Pro to replace the laptop we bought for her last year.
I looked around and saw that these things are not cheap. Is there anywhere to get a better deal on them? Do they ever go on sale? Does Apple keep the price fixed like the Iphones? Would I be better waiting until school starts again hoping that they might go on sale? |
|
There's a wide range of prices now for MBPs because they still make a non-retina model, and two different sized screens.
If you want to buy new, your daughter can use her school ID to prove she's a current student and you get a bit of a discount, depending on the exact model. |
|
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing
This site does a decent job tracking third-party deals: http://deals.appleinsider.com/ |
|
Quoted:
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/campaigns/education_pricing This site does a decent job tracking third-party deals: http://deals.appleinsider.com/ What he said. |
|
Quoted:
If you bought her one last year, I don't know of any major that would need a replacement let alone a Mac Pro unless she's in art or graphic design and needs to run Adobe apps. I bought her a pretty inexpensive notebook until she proved that she would take school serious. She kept het part of the bargain, so I will try to keep mine. I know it a lot of money, but the same people that tell you its too expensive don't have a problem dropping another $1,000 on their 87th gun. |
|
Quoted: I bought her a pretty inexpensive notebook until she proved that she would take school serious. She kept het part of the bargain, so I will try to keep mine. I know it a lot of money, but the same people that tell you its too expensive don't have a problem dropping another $1,000 on their 87th gun. Quoted: Quoted: If you bought her one last year, I don't know of any major that would need a replacement let alone a Mac Pro unless she's in art or graphic design and needs to run Adobe apps. I bought her a pretty inexpensive notebook until she proved that she would take school serious. She kept het part of the bargain, so I will try to keep mine. I know it a lot of money, but the same people that tell you its too expensive don't have a problem dropping another $1,000 on their 87th gun. Get her the Macbook Pro. Also ask her if she can get a free copy of Microsoft Office for Mac through her school. If not, get that for her as well. I'm on my first Macbook, I finally decided to give it a try after years of Microsoft PC's. So glad I did. The Macbook is awesome. |
|
The schools onsite computer sales ususally has okay prices education wise for macs. They don't vary in the price structure drastically similar to the rest of the apple product line. What is her major? I dig my iPad and iPhone, but it didn't seem to make sense to me working in engineering to get one. There were a few guys who had them when I went through school through. e.g. If her program used AutoDesk inventor a ton I would think it would be a pita, but I do like MacBooks. |
|
If she kept her part of the bargain, you should keep yours. I have been a Mac user for years and there is nothing like them. It is a bit cumbersome for me as some of the engineering CAD applications aren't available for the Mac and I use parallels to provide me a Windows environment when I need to use the CAD apps. Apple recently revamped the MacBook and they offer a MacBook and a MacBook Pro. You can get the MacBook for between $1300 and $1600 not including any educational discounts. The PRO version adds several hundred dollars to these prices. Don't know if she really needs what the PRO offers. If you do it now, you may be able to find last years models at an even better price. Good luck |
|
Is there any particular reason she needs the added capability of the Pro versus the Air?
I went back to school right after the Airs came out, bought an 11", and it was perfect. Heck, it's still perfect for the most part, I'm typing on it right now. It still works as good as the day I bought it over 4 years ago. If I ever do replace it, it will be because I want newer features to do things like stream to Apple TV and for want of a "Retina" screen. It amused me just now to realize this thing is well over 4 years old. |
|
Quoted: If she kept her part of the bargain, you should keep yours. I have been a Mac user for years and there is nothing like them. It is a bit cumbersome for me as some of the engineering CAD applications aren't available for the Mac and I use parallels to provide me a Windows environment when I need to use the CAD apps. Apple recently revamped the MacBook and they offer a MacBook and a MacBook Pro. You can get the MacBook for between $1300 and $1600 not including any educational discounts. The PRO version adds several hundred dollars to these prices. Don't know if she really needs what the PRO offers. If you do it now, you may be able to find last years models at an even better price. Good luck How do you find parallels handles 3D CAD? |
| I use a 3D electromagnetic simulator for circuit and antenna design and it runs just like on a PC. This being said, I should note that my PRO has a solid state drive and 16GB of RAM along with the highest performance processor and video card that Apple offered. |
|
Quoted:
I bought her a pretty inexpensive notebook until she proved that she would take school serious. She kept het part of the bargain, so I will try to keep mine. I know it a lot of money, but the same people that tell you its too expensive don't have a problem dropping another $1,000 on their 87th gun. So you bought her a HiPoint .45 and now she wants an Ed Brown? Seems like there's a middle ground here unless you promised her an Ed Brown, I mean MacBookPro. Thing is that many "inexpensive notebooks" are as capable or more capable than an MBP. The real answer is find out what she needs and what she wants. Light weight and moderate (1280x800 for example) screen resolution might be far more use to her than heavy flashy retina display. Conversely a high-res display might be key for her work (graphic arts, whatever). Aside from "But, it's a HiPoint!" you two should figure out what she's missing feature and function-wise. Consider that a flashy notebook may be more theft-prone etc than one less so. Much like there's nothing older than last year's Cadillac, there's nothing older than last generation Apple gear - so look to places like CowBoom.COM for used/refurbished to save substantial $. Something like a Surface 3 Pro might be a good choice, albeit not cheap either. LOTS to choose from, especially if "Runs MacOS" isn't a requirement.... Richard |
|
The price you find in one place is very likely the price you will find them in other places.
IMHO, the cost of a mac will be cheaper over the long run. The build quality of my mac is 1000% better than the build quality of any of my preceding computers. I'd start developing case-issues about 1 year in, with failure at about 2 years. My mac has been going strong for 1 year now, carried every day. Battery used every day. Still looks new if I wipe it off. I'm sold. If I get 3 years out of it, I get to equal a new computer at $330/year, but not have to worry about my data, shopping for it, etc. Better quality screen. Lighter. Thinner. Good keyboard, backlit. SSD. True "all day"battery. When you look at the cost over the lifespan of the device, it's much cheaper to buy once, cry once. I got the "low end" macbook pro. 13" screen and all that. Was ~$1000. Just FYI. |
|
Quoted:
The price you find in one place is very likely the price you will find them in other places. IMHO, the cost of a mac will be cheaper over the long run. The build quality of my mac is 1000% better than the build quality of any of my preceding computers. I'd start developing case-issues about 1 year in, with failure at about 2 years. My mac has been going strong for 1 year now, carried every day. Battery used every day. Still looks new if I wipe it off. I'm sold. If I get 3 years out of it, I get to equal a new computer at $330/year, but not have to worry about my data, shopping for it, etc. Better quality screen. Lighter. Thinner. Good keyboard, backlit. SSD. True "all day"battery. When you look at the cost over the lifespan of the device, it's much cheaper to buy once, cry once. I got the "low end" macbook pro. 13" screen and all that. Was ~$1000. Just FYI. This Air is not only more than 4 years old now, it still gives me several hours of battery life. Not the 6+ I got when it was new, but still plenty (haven't really tested it, though - maybe 2-3?). |
|
Quoted:
The schools onsite computer sales ususally has okay prices education wise for macs. They don't vary in the price structure drastically similar to the rest of the apple product line. What is her major? I dig my iPad and iPhone, but it didn't seem to make sense to me working in engineering to get one. There were a few guys who had them when I went through school through. e.g. If her program used AutoDesk inventor a ton I would think it would be a pita, but I do like MacBooks. Accounting major |
|
Quoted:
My daughter is about to finish her first year at College. The grades are good and she is taking school serious. She is asking for a MacBook Pro to replace the laptop we bought for her last year. I looked around and saw that these things are not cheap. Is there anywhere to get a better deal on them? Do they ever go on sale? Does Apple keep the price fixed like the Iphones? Would I be better waiting until school starts again hoping that they might go on sale? 1) She can get a cheaper price through the college 2) Why buy new? A few places I'd recommend checking out: Other World Computing, B&H Photo, and Adorama. |
|
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air.
I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. |
|
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. |
|
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. Processing power and screen. If you need something to do basic word processing and email and some basic school coursework, an Air might be exactly what you need. if you need the processing power and screen size, you need the pro. I have a 2009 pro, it's getting a bit long in the tooth but I've still managed to complete 80% of my MS on it so far (information assurance, forensics, etc), and I use the hell out of it. I even drive a 27" 2560x1440 screen with it, though that pushes it pretty hard so I drop the resolution down to 1080p a lot of the time to get a bit more performance out of it when I need to trade the screen real estate for it. |
|
Quoted:
See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. Quoted:
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. An adapter for VGA and a second screen is key. 
|
|
http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals
Keep an eye on the Apple refurb section and be ready to jump if something that meets your specs pops up. You'll get the same warranty and support as a new one and can save a couple hundred bucks. Cosmetically they are new. Be aware that the Retina models have soldered RAM and are not upgradeable. Buy what you expect to need for the lifetime of the laptop. OWC sells SSD upgrades for most of the Retina models if that's a concern down the road. |
|
I'm still using my 2007 MacBook Pro, now on the 4th battery, max out the ram and added a Samsun SSD. Is she in the Art, Music, CS or Engineering? If not, the regular MacBook or MacBook Air will be better. MacBook Pro models are portable workstation grade laptop. Most of the MBP owner really don't need it. Don't need a MBP for MS Office or Facebook. |
|
Quoted:
An adapter for VGA and a second screen is key. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. An adapter for VGA and a second screen is key. Mini-DP -> DP/HDMI. VGA is long obsolete. |
|
Quoted:
personally, I buy refurbs from Apple since they have the as-new warranty. In this case, as it's a gift for a job well done, I'd buy a new one so she can have the OOBE, get the stickers, and all that. I thought they put the stickers and such in with the refurbs -- did they stop doing that? |
|
Quoted:
I thought they put the stickers and such in with the refurbs -- did they stop doing that? Quoted:
Quoted:
personally, I buy refurbs from Apple since they have the as-new warranty. In this case, as it's a gift for a job well done, I'd buy a new one so she can have the OOBE, get the stickers, and all that. I thought they put the stickers and such in with the refurbs -- did they stop doing that? Last one I bought had them. Only difference was a brown cardboard box instead of the normal packaging. |
|
Apple sells refurbished and clearance merchandise.
I have never used this but I have only heard good comments. Many corporations allow their employees discounts at Apple. Maybe you or a family member can get a discount that way. Can she get a discount because she is a student? Ask Apple. |
|
Quoted:
Mini-DP -> DP/HDMI. VGA is long obsolete. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. An adapter for VGA and a second screen is key. Mini-DP -> DP/HDMI. VGA is long obsolete. True, but I have plenty laying around. maybe I'm obsolete.
|
|
Quoted:
Last one I bought had them. Only difference was a brown cardboard box instead of the normal packaging. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
personally, I buy refurbs from Apple since they have the as-new warranty. In this case, as it's a gift for a job well done, I'd buy a new one so she can have the OOBE, get the stickers, and all that. I thought they put the stickers and such in with the refurbs -- did they stop doing that? Last one I bought had them. Only difference was a brown cardboard box instead of the normal packaging. Last Air refurb I bought was in the brown box with the power supply and the plastic over the screen. This was about two years ago, maybe I got one that slipped through without the kit. |
|
Quoted:
Last one I bought had them. Only difference was a brown cardboard box instead of the normal packaging. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
personally, I buy refurbs from Apple since they have the as-new warranty. In this case, as it's a gift for a job well done, I'd buy a new one so she can have the OOBE, get the stickers, and all that. I thought they put the stickers and such in with the refurbs -- did they stop doing that? Last one I bought had them. Only difference was a brown cardboard box instead of the normal packaging. That's how I remember it, it's been a while since I bought one though. |
|
Quoted:
Mini-DP -> DP/HDMI. VGA is long obsolete. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. See his last post. If she's an accounting major, that 15" screen could be key. An adapter for VGA and a second screen is key. Mini-DP -> DP/HDMI. VGA is long obsolete. I have 14 studies pulled up right now and am running safari, powerpoint, mendeley, spotify, outlook, six word documents, and one PERRLA document. Haven't seen the spinning rainbow yet. I have a dell tower that has HDMI to my LED TV in the man room. And I'll throw my screen to the TV if I need something larger than 13" |
|
Quoted:
That's from my iPhone and w crappy wifi connection that kept freezing. Quoted:
Quoted:
Damn man. How are you going to keep track of the three identical threads about this? 09ers. That's from my iPhone and w crappy wifi connection that kept freezing. Lol. Been there! |
|
Microcenter and BestBuy often have discounts. You can buy a refurbished unit from Apple that will look new and come with the standard warranty. She can use her education discount. In my opinion the 13" MBP for $1299.00 is the perfect balance between price, power and portability. I found while I was in college the 15" MBP was too big to fit on a desk comfortably but the 13" was perfect, but that's subjective. Get an external monitor, keyboard, mouse and displayport<->DVI adaptor if she needs to have a home docking station with a big display. |
Apple is the debil. 
Look at Refurbished Macs. Your daughter as a full time student gets a wee bit of a discount with her school ID. |
|
As someone else posted, look at the refurbs. http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac
They have the same warranty as NIB, basically identical in every way, except cheaper. Consider a 13" Air rather than 13" MBP, unless she really needs all the drive space. Lighter, better battery life, similar performance for most purposes. |
|
Quoted: For school, I'm not sure why you would get the Pro over the Air. I also cannot see why anyone would get a Macbook over a Macbook Air. I love my Air and use it way more than my (older) 11" Pro. The battery life is amazing and screen is great. I don't think I would want a 15" either, as the 13" is plenty wide and not overly cumbersome. My work machine is a 13" Retina MacBook Pro from late 2014. It has a quad core i7 CPU and the larger keyboard is easier to type on than the 11" MBAs. It's not as thin or light as an MBA, but has 2 USB ports and 2 Thunderbolt ports, and is still very portable. |