I made the switch to Mac just under a year ago, and although I've been happy with the switch, it certainly isn't for everyone.The best college MacBook Apple The best MacBook for college packs powerful performance into a compact, 13-inch laptop, but expands the connectivity options to four USB-C ports instead of two.Scarf? Check. I also used to have a Lenovo Y50. My previous laptops were the 2015' Macbook Pro 13, the Dell XPS 13, and the Asus Zenbook. Mac vs Windows: I currently use a 128gb 2017 Macbook Pro 13''.How much should you (or, more likely, your parents) plan to spend? How much horsepower do you really need? Could a Chromebook get the job done? How about a tablet?The best Mac laptop for most people is the 13-inch MacBook Air with Appleās M1 processor. For college students in particular, it can be tough to pick the right model. (Sorry, kids.) And with a new school year often comes the need for a new laptop. Whether you're writing papers, putting together a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation, or even editing some images for a photography class, the MacBook Air will be a reliable performer in your academic pursuits.It's mid-summer, and that can mean only one thing: School is coming.
Best 2017 For College Free Beats Headphones2-in-1) powerhouse Lenovo Yoga C930. There's also a promotion that includes free Beats headphones.There are lots of other worthwhile choices in this category, including the nearly perfect Dell XPS 13 and convertible (i.e. Right now, for example, students can get a MacBook Air starting at $999, instead of the $1,099 regular price. But Apple often offers student discounts that can help ease the pain.Meanwhile, the Surface's rear-hinge design has always made it awkward to use on your lap, and it might also be a poor fit on those little auditorium-seat desks.Similarly, Apple has tried to turn iPads into laptops, but once again I think it's a foolish hybridization. I honestly don't see the point for the same money you can get a 13.3-inch laptop or convertible. The tablet alone starts at $899 the keyboard will run you another $130. For starters, Microsoft stubbornly continues to charge extra for the keyboard instead of just bundling it. Could you get by with a tablet and keyboard?Perhaps, but ask yourself: What's the real benefit? Most students need a keyboard for taking notes and writing papers, so do you really need one that's removable? Are you ever going to use the screen all by itself - especially if it's a large, unwieldy screen, like 12-13 inches? A detachable keyboard is one more thing to keep charged, one more thing to lose or accidentally leave behind in your dorm room.Lots of students are drawn to the 12.3-inch Microsoft Surface Pro 6, but I don't like it.(SSDs have no moving parts and therefore consume less power.)OK, but can you really get by on, say, 256GB of storage, or even 128GB? That's what you're likely to find in a lot of the more affordable laptop models. That means forgoing the 1TB traditional hard drive in favor of a smaller-capacity solid-state drive (SSD), which will make even a lower-end laptop run at a faster clip while at the same time helping extend battery life. Don't sweat the storageOnce upon a time, the rule for buying a computer - any computer - was "buy the largest hard drive you can afford." These days, it's usually preferable to choose speed over size. Same lap/small-desk issues as the Surface, too.I'm not saying a tablet-keyboard combo can't work for some students, but I think a convertible makes a ton more sense - and gives you a lot more buying options. (And if you add a matching keyboard cover, you're definitely in for a cramped experience.) A 13.3-inch iPad solves those issues, but now you're looking at a much higher price tag - and a tablet that's far too large to use comfortably as a tablet. App for mac to play aviFailing that, Office.com (and Office apps for Android and iOS) offer free versions of the major applications with basic features enabled. Microsoft currently offers the suite at no charge for students and teachers all you need is a valid school email address. Forget Microsoft Office - unless it's freeCheck with your school to see if you can get Office 365 for free!Most students will need a basic suite of productivity tools - word processor, spreadsheet manager, presentation builder - to handle the basics of school work.Good news: You may be able to get Microsoft Office 365 for Education for free. Documents (such as school papers) consume very little space, and will likely be housed on Google Drive or Office Online anyway. Shop the campus storeMany college campuses have computer stores that claim to offer the best discounts on student laptops. I'm partial to both LibreOffice and WPS Office the latter is a particularly good choice if you're already acquainted with Microsoft Office, as it has a very similar interface. And if the school doesn't specifically require Microsoft's suite, most students can easily get by with the likes of Google Docs, which of course is free.Alternately, for a more "traditional" productivity software experience, consider a free Office alternative. It's about as bare-bones as a laptop can get, but it's also about as inexpensive as they get. This is exactly the time of year when stores like Best Buy and manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo start offering back-to-school discounts on laptops and accessories.Right now, for example, Walmart has the Acer CB3 15.6-inch Chromebook for just $149. What are my options?For starters, watch for sales. Students tend to keep late hours, so 24/7 phone support is definitely a desirable feature.
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