Computer Related > Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? Buying / Selling
Thread Author: Fenlander Replies: 16
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 18:39 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Fenlander
Always good computer advice here in the past so...

Eldest is fed up with carting her conventional laptop (15.6" screen I think) about Uni so wants something smaller/lighter for her remaining two years.

Her study use is the usual office programs for word/excel/powerpoint type stuff plus net access. Then for personal use it's net browsing, Netflix, Facebook etc.

We've agreed to fund 50% which would allow her to go to the giddy heights of a MacBook.

I have no experience at all of this type of thing keeping to desktops and full size laptops.

Any thoughts or links to good choices appreciated.
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 18:45 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - No FM2R
Can you break down her usage a bit more?

i.e. perhaps she needs MS Office and x, y and z in her flat, but perhaps only needs net access and note taking on the move. Or not, but investigate.

Because perhaps the conventional laptop at home, essentially used as a desktop, could be paired with a tablet for wandering around.

Data sync between them is pretty easy.

If, however, she needs all the things you state all the time, then she probably already has the right solution.

I guess a physically smaller laptop could work.

Changing to a Mac will not solve any of the mentioned problems, albeit that perhaps she just wants one.
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 18:50 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Zero
Assuming you have discounted pads.....

IF (and its a big IF) you can afford it, then a MacBook air is the single most useful, portable rounded and delightful computing experience.

www.apple.com/uk/shop/buy-mac/macbook-air?afid=p238%257CsY8hI3Kvz-dc_mtid_187079nc38483_pcrid_64626336481_&cid=aos-uk-kwg-pla-mac-slid-&product=MJVM2B/A&step=config

Next choice would be a windows slab

www.asus.com/UK/Notebooks_Ultrabooks/ASUS_Transformer_Book_T100_Chi/


WAY down the list would be a chrome book - too limited and lacking in resources


The Macbook air would be an investment, the single best computer i have ever laid my fingers on


But you HAVE discounted a pad (iPad or Android) haven't you?
Last edited by: Zero on Fri 24 Jul 15 at 18:51
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 20:06 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Fenlander
No not discounted pads... not even thought of that option. What about typing up notes etc from labwork with no keyboard?

Not sure if she really needs all things in all places. I know she works a fair bit in the library on campus so would need all facilities there.... and at flat of course. She wants it to go in a smallish rucksack or dedicated neat bag.

Thankfully she isn't that aspirational re material goods so has no specific wish for an Apple product... but if it does the job and has advantages then the finances are there.

Anyway tell more about pads... we don't have one in the home at all but were admiring the apparent smooth efficiency when a visitor had an iPad here last week.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Fri 24 Jul 15 at 20:07
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 20:18 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Zero
>> No not discounted pads... not even thought of that option. What about typing up notes
>> etc from labwork with no keyboard?

One buys a bluetooth keyboard. You can get a keyboard that acts as a case for the pad.

>> Anyway tell more about pads... we don't have one in the home at all but
>> were admiring the apparent smooth efficiency when a visitor had an iPad here last week.

And that sums it up - smooth efficiency. And simplicity, and portability. Very much portability.

You pay for that with much less flexibility, kludges for file transfers, and less control over file housekeeping.

Pop into your nearest Apple Store (Cambridge I guess) for a demo.

I am not aspirational about "must have" brands, and very Anti Apple as a brand and business, However I can't deny the quality and thought that goes into their products, and the macbook air is the pinnacle of that.
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 20:29 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - rtj70
The new Macbook sits between the two Macbook Air models in terms of screen size and is meant to be very nice. But only a single USB-C port for charging and everything else so needs a dock/port replicator type thing ideally.

I currently have a work laptop (13" Windows sort) and my own Macbook Pro 13" Retina. I took both to Germany when on business/training last year. The Macbook Pro is a fraction of the weight/bulk but I needed to work laptop too. The Retina display is really really good - but you would not use it at native 2560x1600 resolution. It is bright and sharp. Connected to a 25" UHD screen it's good to use too.

When using it for Sky Go (which uses Silverlight by Microsoft, as does Netflix) the CPU use goes through the roof and therefore the fan kicks in quite easily. But oddly enough, Netflix doesn't...

The argument for a Macbook of some sort instead of a lighter/smaller PC has not been made in your posts. Plenty of good Windows laptops/convertibles, especially in the Macbook price ranges.

My work laptop only has a 13" screen. Way to small to be editing design documents for work. It's only 1366 x 768. Widescreen is not a benefit here. I've found productivity improve with my new monitor. And I get a new, heavier, bigger work laptop soon... 15+" Full HD screen and quad core Core i7 and 32GB RAM. I would not want to take that to Munich!

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New Fri 24 Jul 15 22:34 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - smokie
I've had an Asus Transformer for a couple of years now, on Android. it has a detachable keyboard which is handy. Here's one with Windows on.

www.microsoftstore.com/store/msuk/en_GB/pdp/productID.312382600?VID=312382700&srccode=cii_18615224&cpncode=37-67012653-2&WT.mc_id=PLA_UK_GooglePLA

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New Fri 24 Jul 15 22:49 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Fenlander
Hmm... bit to think about. I'll next see her tomorrow afternoon so will ask about usage in more detail.

Something to throw in the mix... we have a spare year old really nice PC with 19" monitor that's going spare. What about setting that up in her flat and then her having a "whatever" just for the round uni stuff with the ability to connect it to the desktop at the end of the day??

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New Fri 24 Jul 15 23:05 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Alastairw
The boy used a Google Nexus for keeping lecture notes etc. Actual laptop very rarely left his room. Unfortunately he very rarely left the bar, judging by results.
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New Fri 24 Jul 15 23:14 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - No FM2R
I know one university student, so that gives you an idea of the depth of my knowledge.

She uses a Samsung Android tablet in a case, there the USB keyboard is the bottom of the case. It is just fine for not taking, web browsing, video watching and skype.

Ideally she would have a desktop in her flat, but there's not room, so she uses a laptop in that role. Not ideal, but it works.

She uses the laptop for creating / major editing.

Android and Laptop sync selected directories, and she uses dropbox.

There is WiFi available in her university which makes it all cheap[free] and easy to keep files in sync.

Her phone is also an Android and also syncs.

It all works well for her and she wanders about just carrying a slim bag with a tablet in it - slightly smaller than an A4 pad, I'd guess.

I can find out the exact model if you wish, but that's more personal choice.

Personally I would not recommend an iPad, although my wife has one, I find it cumbersome to do anything and damned expensive to buy.
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New Wed 29 Jul 15 10:26 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Fenlander
OK it's taken this long to pin her down to chat about this.

Seems she does too much keyboard work during the day to consider a tablet and she's not keen on a tablet with an add-on keyboard either. Says she hates using pads and doesn't need that ultimate portability.

So it's some sort of compact "laptop" she's thinking of. There is Wi-Fi in both uni and her accom. I think it might be useful to be able to have a permanent larger screen in her accom so that for complex documents & Netflix etc viewing is easier.

Given we are all Windows at home and it's all I slightly understand to help her out when there are issues I wonder if the MacBook would be a bad idea? Still not been convinced just what is special about them... apart from folks seeing you have one. I have a twenty-something relative who manages to get her Macbook into almost every pic she puts on Facebook!
Last edited by: Fenlander on Wed 29 Jul 15 at 10:27
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New Wed 29 Jul 15 10:48 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - No FM2R
Is there anything wrong with her current laptop? (other than the fact that it doesn't suit her)

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New Wed 29 Jul 15 13:26 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Zero

>> idea? Still not been convinced just what is special about them... apart from folks seeing
>> you have one. I have a twenty-something relative who manages to get her Macbook into
>> almost every pic she puts on Facebook!

I refer the honourable gentleman to the reply I gave earlier

IF (and its a big IF) you can afford it, then a MacBook air is the single most useful, portable rounded and delightful computing experience.

She will know how to use it out of the box, and you will never need to help her out with issues. I have had this macbook air for 4 years and its NEVER had to be tinkered with to make it work or get it back to its original speed. It goes for weeks without ever being rebooted.
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New Wed 29 Jul 15 14:06 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Mapmaker
>> It goes for weeks without ever being rebooted.

Our IT guy tells me that it's because Apples "rebuild"(?) themselves even whilst they're still turned on.

There was a new Air passed round the office a couple of weeks ago. We all hated the keyboard, like a ZX81 keyboard.
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New Thu 30 Jul 15 12:25 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Mapmaker
>>She will know how to use it out of the box, and you will never need to help her out with issues.

I've never got that. I found the iPhone a wholly illogical piece of kit and it took a lot of getting used to.

I *hate* using an apple mac; why take a well-designed, robust product, and cripple it with an operating system that doesn't behave the same way as the computers everybody else uses. It's all about the keyboard shortcuts that *don't work* on a Mac.
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New Thu 30 Jul 15 12:44 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - No FM2R
My sister-in-law has a MAC. I find it irritating when she needs me to do something for her.

It may well work perfectly logically, perhaps even better than it works on a PC. But its just an a*** having to work out which way Apple insist on you doing it, different to any other device you ever use.

Ditto iPad & iPhone.

My friend has a recording studio in his house and much of that can be accessed by Apple devices - now that makes perfect sense because the integration between various Apple devices for arty-farty creative stuff seems excellent so in that case learning a different and constrictive way is worthwhile.

But that isn't what I need or want. Nothing Apple brings me any particular advantage that justifies learning how the things do stuff. Quite obviously it does for many other people, but not me.
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New Mon 28 Sep 15 21:29 
 Macbook, Chromebook etc for student?? - Fenlander
It may be of some interest to know what I helped her towards buying in the end.

This Asus... www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/laptops-portable-pcs/asus-zenbook-ux305-1264384/review

It's a lovely quality feeling lightweight bit of kit that... so far... is performing well.
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