Thinking About Buying a Laptop - General

I want some opinions on what I people think I should do. For school I would like a laptop I think, a Macbook of some sort is very high in the list. I've got a predicament of sorts though. My grandfather has given me a MacBook Air but it's the very first iteration of it, as such it's fairly heavy, doesn't have amazing battery life and runs like a toaster, it seems like it is fine for doing what I need (First night having and trying it) which is simply word processing for school and playing music so it's not too boring. The idea of using this one might end shortly depending on if the (abused) battery still holds a nice charge after 6ish years. Here's my thoughts though, should I maybe invest in a new laptop? If I invest in a laptop I'd be keeping it for at least three years probably, primarily for the last year of highschool and then post secondary if I decide to do that, either way I'm looking at around three years out of the laptop minimum. Do you guys feel that investing in a new laptop would be worth it for post secondary? Does it seem essential or can I skate by with this ancient MacBook Air? I'm willing to spend up to CAD$1600 which would give me a 13" MacBook Pro with retina display and the 256GB SSD, or for merely CAD$1000 I could have the 13" MacBook Air. Would having a laptop really be as useful as it seems it might be? This is all coming from someone who has never owned a laptop, only a desktop (Windows at that too, first Mac). On top of the advantage of new hardware if I were to buy a new laptop, the OS would also be up to date, whereas this MacBook Air is only running Snow Leopard (Two, soon to be three major versions behind once Yosemite comes out).

I don't know much but I'd say stick with your current one for now if it works for you, and get a new one when you get to college/university.

You really don't need a flash and hip new laptop (of any kind) for tertiary education unless you want to flaunt your wealth, any laptop will do and that Air should be fine. Probably the most you will need it for is typing up assignments at home. Even if you go into a course which requires an IDE for a programming task, CAD for a modelling task etc you don't exactly need a supercomputer. If you're thinking of something that you could use while on breaks to wind down, I'd recommend a tablet instead. They have heaps longer battery life (at least comparing my iPad Mini to my Toshiba laptop), are nowhere near as cumbersome as even a MacBook Air and generally do most of the same things that a laptop can do anyways - watch YouTube, listen to music, browse Facepunch, play games, open PDFs, .docs (I recommend FileApp for this, has other features such as file management) and even word processing or making spreadsheets if you must.

If you happen to play quiet a few games though, I'd suggest looking at Acers laptops. I got my current laptop as a graduation gift almost two years ago and it's holding up really well. It can play most new games fairly well, and I have yet to have any serious issues with it. I'm not sure if you normally use Windows though since it seems like you're quiet set on getting a Mac, but if Windows isn't an issue I'd take a look at this laptop: [url]http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.MMCAA.004[/url] It's 850 USD which is about 942 CAD so it's in your price range, it's got a 1TB HD, and it's just the next model up from the one I have so it's pretty reliable.

Or you could go for a refurbished Lenovo Thinkpad T420. They seem excellent for college and university, as they have a decent battery life, and good performance.

Don't do it! [sp] buy a crap top for college purposes and a decent desktop 4 fun[/sp]

Thinkpad.

Wait until there is a promo or deal.

[QUOTE=Mikesword221;46073942]If you happen to play quiet a few games though, I'd suggest looking at Acers laptops. I got my current laptop as a graduation gift almost two years ago and it's holding up really well. It can play most new games fairly well, and I have yet to have any serious issues with it. I'm not sure if you normally use Windows though since it seems like you're quiet set on getting a Mac, but if Windows isn't an issue I'd take a look at this laptop: [url]http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/model/NX.MMCAA.004[/url] It's 850 USD which is about 942 CAD so it's in your price range, it's got a 1TB HD, and it's just the next model up from the one I have so it's pretty reliable.[/QUOTE] I don't have an issue with windows really, but Macs just tend to work, and that's what I'm after. My windows machine rapidly becomes slow to start and such, or decides it doesn't like something and I don't want that. I just want a laptop that will work every time, no matter what, and Apple can deliver that. After my first day at school, and a sort of test I put the laptop through to see how the battery would do I'm not super impressed. I typed on it for a thing I did in one class, and after 50 minutes of typing it was sitting at around 56% battery, down from 100%. I don't think the battery is in great condition that's a bit of a concern to me but oh well, I think I'll probably stick with this for now. Seems to work great and really isn't abused apart from the battery.

[QUOTE=Guzbone;46077709]I don't have an issue with windows really, but Macs just tend to work, and that's what I'm after. My windows machine rapidly becomes slow to start and such, or decides it doesn't like something and I don't want that. I just want a laptop that will work every time, no matter what, and Apple can deliver that. After my first day at school, and a sort of test I put the laptop through to see how the battery would do I'm not super impressed. I typed on it for a thing I did in one class, and after 50 minutes of typing it was sitting at around 56% battery, down from 100%. I don't think the battery is in great condition that's a bit of a concern to me but oh well, I think I'll probably stick with this for now. Seems to work great and really isn't abused apart from the battery.[/QUOTE] Tbh you probably shouldn't be using a computer of any kind in class anyways, eg if you're in a lecture or something like that you should only really be writing down summaries of key points rather than copying word for word, and in that case hand writing is sufficient for keeping up while actually listening to what the lecturer is saying.

Play lose lose on your Macbook Air and your Macbook Air will be faster!

[QUOTE=Antdawg;46077791]Tbh you probably shouldn't be using a computer of any kind in class anyways, eg if you're in a lecture or something like that you should only really be writing down summaries of key points rather than copying word for word, and in that case hand writing is sufficient for keeping up while actually listening to what the lecturer is saying.[/QUOTE] It wasn't during a lecture or something, it was for doing a couple paragraphs for the marketing management course I'm in. The other thing I've used it for now and plan to use it for is writing up stuff for my english class, especially if I stay after school to work.

what are you studying in college?

Jesus christ why does everyone wish to waste so much money on macbooks All you need a laptop for in University/College is word processing, spreadsheets, music, and a web browser If your current one still works by then, keep it and use it If it's a matter of charge, I'm sure there are plenty of wall outlets around. Doing this Nets you $1600 which you can then spend on more important things Also Note taking on a laptop is empirically worse than by hand as studies show (when taken on the fly during a lecture) In some cases it just isn't practical when you are doing lots of maths and don't have the freedom to draw out all the details. If you want a happy medium, perhaps try a note taking tablet.

I have been taking therapy to improve m handwriting, and the lady helping me out indeed confirmed it. Handwriting can make you remember better what you actually processed than when using a computer. But because my handwriting is so awful and slow, I rather use a computer with 90 WPM by average.

Don't buy a $2500 Macbook Pro only because it's Apple like that other guy did. :v: