Way WAY OT: Preferred Laptop for College?
Wayyyy OT post here.
My "everything is great" daughter, an incoming freshman, decided to wait until move-in week to let me know her computer is dying. That would have been nice to know over the Summer. But whatever. Time for a new laptop. She limped along with a Chromebook through high school and did fine. But now I sense she's gonna need something a little more robust than a Chromebook. So, help me spend my money. What laptop is the perfect college student laptop?
Should I just head to the Apple Store and grab a Macbook Air? Because apparently that's the law.
I'm not a technical guy so all advice appreciated.
August 23rd, 2022 at 2:55 PM ^
Unless she’s a hardcore gamer or likes waiting 3 minutes for her computer to boot up, get a MacBook Air
August 23rd, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
Windows machines haven't taken 3 minutes to boot up for at least a decade.
I am a self-described apple hater but I do think for a college freshman who is not an engineer a MacBook Air is probably the "best" choice unless budget is a concern, if only for the fact that just about everyone else will have one.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
This is pretty solid advice; I speak as someone who resists Apple, too. She will want Word for Mac installed, I imagine. You may not be as surprised as I was to find that she's doing a lot of her classwork on her phone, though, not always using the laptop. My daughter does.
Because we had an old one, my daughter took her super-cheap three-year-old Acer Chromebook with her to school, too, plans to use if for the internet and getting with us, her parents, now that she is in her dorm. Especially with more people using Windows apps and Google Docs, there is probably an argument that she could get away--for less money--just using that. (Will depend, too, on what she's going into, as people note below.) Some of the Chromebooks nowadays are pretty sweet, but Macs are durable. I told my daughter hers would have to last through law school.
August 24th, 2022 at 1:02 AM ^
There’s no need for Word when you can use Google Docs. Pretty sure most kids these days aren’t using MS Office apps
August 24th, 2022 at 10:17 AM ^
My daughter said the same thing -- she plans on living with Google Apps regardless of the Office 365. Microsoft must HATE Google at this point. Google controlled the high school classroom, and all these kids come to college already comfortable with the Google ecosystem.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:07 PM ^
Yeah, unnecessary crapping on Windows machines aside a MacBook Air makes the most sense for budget and user needs for most college students. You are going to be paying a premium for the capability but in terms of support and usability it makes sense.
August 23rd, 2022 at 8:05 PM ^
OP specified non-engineer, but for those enrolling therein: My daughters went to Kettering, not UM, but both needed to get MS-based machines to supplement their MacBooks. I loaned them fairly dated laptops I have, which worked fine. But they definitely could not just use the Apple products in engineering.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:02 PM ^
Good choice. I bought all three of my kids MacBook/Airs when they headed off to college 2013 to 2021. 2 of the 3 machines are still running and no complaints from a course work standpoint.
I have mid level Dell's for work (Windows 10) they are pretty much instant on and take no time to boot up other than going through updates.
August 23rd, 2022 at 7:43 PM ^
MacBook Air for my now Junior
MacBook Air for me for work
MacBook Air soon for my HS Senior
August 23rd, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
Is she an English major, ML major, 3D computer graphics student?
August 23rd, 2022 at 2:59 PM ^
Liberal Arts. She's thinking Psychology.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:18 PM ^
It's been a minute since I was at Michigan, but in the college of engineering it was 90% PCs, and elsewhere was 90% macs.
A decent macbook should be just fine.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:00 PM ^
If you are into Apple, Macbook Air is the way to go.
If you want Windows PC, Dell XPS is the best laptop I have every owned and purchased one for my daughter loaded with top end graphics card, 4k display, SSD, and memory for much less than I would pay for an equivalent Apple laptop.
August 23rd, 2022 at 5:00 PM ^
seconded on Dell XPS. got my son and daughter one each for school.
August 23rd, 2022 at 5:03 PM ^
To piggyback off the idea that suitable PCs can do just as much for less money... I owned an HP Envy for about 4 years and it accomplished all of my goals as far as school work. I think I paid 700 or 800 dollars for it. I believe the Macbooks at the time were about 1200. Definitely didn't need to spend that much money on something that accomplished the same goals.
Also, as has been previously stated, PCs do not take more than 10 seconds to boot up nowadays unless there is something wrong with it.
Edit: Just found this on Best Buy for 500 dollars. More capabilities than a MacBook at half the price - https://www.bestbuy.com/site/hp-envy-x360-2-in-1-15-6-touch-screen-laptop-amd-ryzen-5-8gb-memory-256gb-ssd-nightfall-black/6502184.p?skuId=6502184
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:01 PM ^
Ive been in my current role now for 8 years. In that span I have had 3 Lenovo Think Pads die on me. Im not particularly hard on them and use them for typical office work. I would suggest an HP, Dell or MacBook.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:28 PM ^
I've hated with the fire of a thousand suns every HP EliteBook I've ever had through my previous employer. Every single one was garbage, and I went through about 3 in 5 years. I still have the Dell Latitude laptop I was issued 3 years ago when I started with my current employer and it's still running pretty strong, aside from all the nanny-ware they've installed.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:02 PM ^
MacBook Air or 14 inch MacBook Pro. Back in the mid 2010s, it seemed like 80-90% of U-M campus had Macs. The only ones who didn’t were either serious gamers or didn’t want to pony up the money. I was a cheapass and tried to make do with $600 PC but then the thing crashed after just 2 years and I ended up buying a MacBook Pro which I’m still using 7 years later.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:27 PM ^
I hate apple, but agree on the pro. I got one for the wife 10 years ago and it's still fine. It'll last op's daughter through graduate school.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:04 PM ^
First, I need to make it clear that I worked for Dell for many years. I was a Dell customer before I worked there.
The Dell Inspiron product line is a "mid-line" product with reasonable specs. You can get a Core i5 processor, a reasonable sized SSD, and 8GB of core memory. The 14" screen size is a good option...not too big and not too heavy.
My daughter used an Inspiron all the way through UM and she never had a problem with it.
Then again, you could always get her the 13" XPS laptop and be a hero dad.
Also, make sure you install some cloud data backup software to make sure catastrophe doesn't result in the loss of everything!
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:12 PM ^
Do you have a recommendation for good cloud data backup software?
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:02 PM ^
I haven't comparison-shopped for this service in ages, but have been using Carbonite for many years successfully.
August 23rd, 2022 at 5:31 PM ^
I use SugarSync because it does continuous backup. I learned about them while working at Dell. Good software, reasonable price. With continuous backup, you change a file and the changes get immediately backed up to the cloud. No need to run a backup job. You can also access your files/data from all of your devices. I’m not sure if Microsoft or Apple includes these capabilities in the base software these days, but some Googling for “continuous backup” might answer that question.
August 23rd, 2022 at 10:09 PM ^
Research Acronis. They offer a cloud backup option. Or subscribe to DropBox for either backing up the entire C: drive or selected folders/files.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:07 PM ^
Macs are good. You can get more features for less money on windows laptops, which are also excellent. But Macs have a lot of the best features you need built into the price, and the new Apple chips are dynamite and simply not equaled by PC offerings.
There are certain features that now drive me to windows laptops, but I still have an older Mac laptop that still works great. The Windows laptops I get aren’t bargains either.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
I think there's also a good amount of value to have more pieces of the Apple "ecosystem" - the watch, the phone, the airpods, the macbook - they all play together very nicely and seamlessly. While you pay a bit more (generally not too much), you do get a decent amount of value out of it.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:09 PM ^
This worked great for me:
August 23rd, 2022 at 6:30 PM ^
Youngster!!! This worked great for me...
August 23rd, 2022 at 8:57 PM ^
This is what I used as a reporter for the Middlesex News Service in Boston when I got out of college in 84. . . I was hot stuff!
August 23rd, 2022 at 11:20 PM ^
I would love to have another one of these again with a 1541 disk drive ,8,1
August 23rd, 2022 at 8:37 PM ^
Logged into upvote. I still have mine and it still boots up, but the screen kicked the bucket.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:14 PM ^
Whether Mac or Windows, make sure it has a Solid State Drive (SSD). That's a real difference maker when it comes to boot time, and access time.
I have an HP with 256GB SSD and I've been pretty happy with it.
EDIT -- does your daughter's school have a recommended laptop platform for compatibility with other things on campus?
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
Yeah, 100%. They're a lot more common now so it doesn't seem as worthwhile to mention, but SSDs are a huuuuuuge deal.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:22 PM ^
Windows - https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/series/swift3
MacBook M1 for a Mac
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:28 PM ^
Never been much of a Mac user, the overly restrictive OS is painful to me, but for typical daily use, it'd be hard to overlook the battery efficiency of the M1 Silicon chipset. Battery life is just insane compared to x86.
EDIT: I should complete my thought by saying that I've used Lenovo X1 Carbon's for several years now. On the PC side, it's the best combo of size/weight//durability/power/battery/a half-decent keyboard.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:35 PM ^
MacBook Air, but buy it from the UM Computer Showcase. It's usually sold at about a 5% discount (a lot when you're dealing with a computer) when computers are rarely if ever sold at a discount by the big-box stores or by Apple itself. Plus they usually throw in a bunch of free software she'll need. Best of luck!
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:29 PM ^
Excellent advice to hit up the UMCS, but also check out Costco as they often have sales on Macs, even up to $200 off.
I know all the cool kids love Macs, as did my kids, but when my daughter recently had some type of hardcore Excel class, her Excel on Mac was not compatible with a lot of the course stuff and she ended up borrowing my LG Gram - which I LOVE!
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:39 PM ^
Allow me to echo the sentiment: unless she's a gamer, you have price concerns, or there is some other circumstance that needs a PC, the Macbook Air is the way to go. Everyone in LS&A is going to use one.
Look, I kind of hate Apple's proprietary tendencies, but I recognize it's a great computer. The M1 was a major leap forward, and though Intel has reclaimed some of the performance crowns it'll be somewhat hard to notice the difference. M2 is excellent, and with its great power efficiency it's going to feel just as snappy with exceptional battery life.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:57 PM ^
I had one of those at my last job.
My Linux installed VivoBook has better battery life, the Mac has just as many needs for reboots and such as any Windows device, and the keyboard on the Mac is pure fucking shit.
There are two things Apple does well these days -- cameras and displays. Other than that, it's a completely overrated and overpriced POS with a cult following still latched on to the glory days of led by their now dead CEO.
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:39 PM ^
In the event you do get her an M1 Macbook Air and she needs to use Windows, you can purchase Parallels which is software that will allow you to install Windows on your mac and run it in a Virtual Machine on your Mac. It costs $100 so it isn't cheap but she will have the best of both worlds in one laptop. There is a discount for students @ $49/yr
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:13 PM ^
You don't even need parallels, you can just partition the hard drive and install windows to the partition. When you want windows, you just boot up to windows without having to run a virtual PC.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:19 PM ^
Having done this on a couple of older Airs I'd say "just" is doing a LOT of heavy lifting there, especially for your average user. Parallels is a solid product for the case you'd need a windows box, as is something like VirtualBox (which is free) or VMWare.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:30 PM ^
You can't do this with the M1 MacBooks as it is a different architecture. Currently, I believe Parallels is the only option to access Windows and it has to be done through their VM.
August 23rd, 2022 at 4:40 PM ^
Echoing what ndev said: You cannot do this anymore. You could on the intel macs and I did that on two of my machines (note that you also have to buy Windows whether running parallels or not--the OS costs money if you don't buy a machine where it is pre-installed).
The M1 and new M2 chips do not share Intel's architecture and are not compatible with the OS in a dual-boot situation. So if you need Windows for something it's either parallels or a different computer.
FWIW I doubt there is much that a college student needs that a Mac won't do. Given the ubiquity of Macs in the University set, anything that is really important for student activity is probably Mac-vetted already.
August 23rd, 2022 at 6:09 PM ^
Word, thank you all for the heads-up as this will possibly affect one of my future purchases! I specifically looked up "M1 dual boot mac with Windows" and got some bad info. That's my bad!
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:50 PM ^
Cheap, portable, and folds over into a tablet form for pen-based note taking if you want.
Lenovo Yoga 6 13 2-in-1 13.3" Touch Screen Laptop AMD Ryzen 5 8GB Memory 256GB SSD Abyss Blue with Fabric Cover 82ND006YUS/82ND0009US - Best Buy
August 23rd, 2022 at 3:54 PM ^
Chromebook for FTW.
They've come a long way since people thought of them as appliances for elementary school classrooms.
Updates with one are better than both Mac and Windows.
Security is baked into a Chromebook -- you don't need to do a single thing for endpoint protection... unlike Mac and Windows.
A modern Chromebook will save you $1,000 - $1,500 over a Mac.
I used one when I worked at Google and if it's good enough for them it should be good enough for a student.
August 23rd, 2022 at 8:19 PM ^
FWIW, I dogfooded the pixelbook while at google and wanted to launch it into the sun. I lasted a week before going back to my MacBook.
August 23rd, 2022 at 8:26 PM ^
I didn't get a pixel... I had the ASUS C-series. Wonderful machine!
August 24th, 2022 at 10:23 AM ^
OP here. So get this. My daughter who we're discussing is at Albion. And Chromebooks at Albion can't connect wirelessly to the Albion network or Wi-Fi. They have to Cat-5 in. So yeah -- F that. No way she's gonna look for Cat-5 plugs at each building she's in. So it's either Macbook or PC.