Mac notebook question?.... (1 Viewer)

[todd s]

My family has never had a Mac. But, my daughter is turning 13 in March and wants to get the Mac notebook. My wife heard their was some new version or software coming out and we should wait. Is this true? Also, anything I should know about when getting a Mac notebook? Also, any suggestions where to purchase one?

Thanks!

 

[Andrew Pratt]

The Mac Operating System is about to get updated to a release called Leopard. We don't have a hard set date from Apple yet on when that might be other then they've said it'll be out by the end of October. The rumour sites are all saying around Oct 26th I believe and they're typically fairly accurate on this type of thing but its really anyone's guess at this point.

As for what else to know? Well for starters you should know that there's some rather steep discounts for students on Apple products so you may want to look into that before buying and since its a laptop for a kid I'd strongly urge you to consider getting AppleCare (warranty) and a good backback with a laptop case built in.
Depending on what she plans on using the MacBook for you have some options regarding word processing applications etc. Microsoft has Office for Mac available for about $99. Its a little dated as they're about to release an updated version but it works just fine and would very likely do anything she'd need. iWork will come with the laptop though and it has its own Apple branded word processor that's also very capable and compatible with Microsoft so I wouldn't automatically assume you need to buy Office.

 

[todd s]

Thanks for the info Andrew. She won't be taking it out of her room or at least the house. So she shouldn't need a case. She gets a lot of homework from some of her teachers that she has to download in Word format. So Office might be needed. Also, where can she get the student discount? And how much should we expect to pay?

Thanks!

 

[DaveF]

I second what was said: it's so close to the next OS version, you should wait a few more days until that's released -- or at least until there's an announcement for free upgrade to pre-release buyers.

For the edu discount, you can go to your local Apple store and ask them; be sure to take a student ID. Or you can use the online store:
http://store.apple.com/Catalog/US/Im...utingpage.html

In general there is the discount varies from college to college (and company to company), and I've no idea what it would be for a K-12 school.

 

[Carlo_M]

October 26 (Friday???) is the rumored release date of Leopard. That shouldn't slip too much, early November at the latest (knock on wood). Unless you have a pressing need for the laptop, I too would counsel waiting. In fact, if you can wait a little bit, the Macbooks are rumored to be getting a slight upgrade right around the same time of Leopard's release (not the pros, just the regular Macbooks, which do not yet use the Santa Rosa chipset that the Pros and the iMacs do).

 

[SethH]

13" MacBook starts at $999 with discount
15" MacBook starts at $1799 with discount

Since this isn't expected to leave her room, I would personally get this:
20" iMac starts at $1149 with discount.

13" is a very small screen. Makes for a great machine if portability is the primary concern, but not very practical for daily work -- especially if the laptop is not being moved around.

 

[DaveF]

15" MacBook Pro starts at ...

 

[SethH]

$1799


One other thing to mention. Apple does not specify that they offer discounts for K-12 students. They do offer discounts for K-12 teachers and staff. It's definitely worth going to an Apple store and asking about though.

 

[DaveF]

Sorry, I was pointing out that the 15" is a "MacBook Pro", not a "MacBook" as you posted the first time.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

There is a Microsoft Office upgrade program for buyers who've purchased it since mid-September -- you send in the box top, a form and $15 and they'll send you the Office 2008 DVD when it ships. Currently they're saying March.

 

[SethH]

Sorry 'bout that. I'm a little slow sometimes

 

[Michael_K_Sr]

I think the implication here is that kids treat computers more harshly and leave them more prone to physical damage. AppleCare will not cover physical damage such as a drop or a liquid spill. It may be worthwhile as long-term insurance against premature component failure, but it it shouldn't be construed as protection against reckless handling.