Is the entry level (cheapest) MacBook Air a waste of time?

[MrsFogi]

I'm going to get a laptop for one of the dcs (9 yo). Ideally I'd like to get a mac as everything in the house is a mac and I would have no idea where to start if I went back to non-mac (also I suspect I'd end up having to pay for a virus checker etc) and if it went wrong it would stay wrong. Clearly macs are expensive but DH is telling me I need to get a much better spec that the entry level one as he claims the entry level one quite literally will not function . Dd will no doubt be playing mine craft on the computer but will mainly use it for school stuff, finding info on the internet and FaceTime I suppose (ie she's not going to be doing full-on gaming on it or uploading vast quantities of information).
So, technical-mners - will the entry level mac work or do I need to up spec/re-think? Is there anything else I should think about or know?

[nutgrabber]

It will more than adequate for a nine year old!

[PrincessOfChina]

I would have thought it would be fine for most people to be honest. Although if you're all Mac would it be a possibility to pass on your/DH's old one to DD and get a newer one for you? Might be worth a look if yours are getting older.