14yo girl - MacBook Air?

[CedricDiggory]

Hi I hope this is okay to post here I’m just after a bit of advice.

I’m currently 13 but will be 14 by Christmas. This year I’m really fancying a MacBook Air 13”. I know that this is a huge thing and if I do have it then it will be my only present. I have been wanting one for almost a year now.

I have lots of reasons for wanting a laptop, specifically a MacBook. I’m currently in year 9, so I have my GCSEs coming up next year. I have a lot of homework because of this. I need a laptop to be able to do my work on.

I have an iPhone and iPad already so I think a MacBook would be ideal to sinc all of my data on and to store photos as my phone storage is quite small. From my MacBook I would be able to FaceTime people and iMessage them. For me this is a big part because most of my friends use apple devices so I can talk to them on that. I do however have my phone and iPad that I can do both of these things on.

A man I was talking to in Apple said that it could easily last me until uni and it is very durable. I want to believe this but as it came from the salesman trying to sell me a MacBook I find it hard to believe.

I want to be able to use the internet, watch Netflix, play games (only sims really), do schoolwork, video call and use social media.

I am aware that you can do nearly all of this on just a normal laptop and that’s where I’m stuck.

I know we could afford a MacBook but probably not comfortably.
I also love having things to unwrap on Christmas Day - if I have a MacBook it will be just that.

So, have you got any advice or laptop recommendations for me please?
Anything would be greatly appreciated

Do you want to do any media work on it? I teach your age and all our pupils bring their own computers. Things I've noticed:
Macs are way faster. They boot up much quicker and load pages etc far more reliably.
Macs are much, much better for video editing, downloading songs etc.
they do last a long time.

But, they're not infallible and you could buy several cheaper laptops for the price of a macbook. If you're not using thme for media I work, I would say that the advantages don't make them worth the extra money.

(and if you're doing a LOT of media work you need a pro)

001001 - I know about parental controls - please don't patronise me. I said that I can control his laptop in addition, from my computer. Therefore, if he wants me to add more time, add a website to the allowed sites, etc - I don't need to switch to kick him off his laptop, switch to the administrator accounts, etc.. I simply go to the control panel on my computer and can make the adjustments where.

Soup - if you save an item to the desktop - it automatically saves to the cloud and is thus available to all you devices automatically (if you have apple devices). This is also true of safari - you can be on a page on your laptop, leave it open at home and go back to that page later from your phone or iPad as safari caches all sites from all your devices in one place.

You can do it from another PC though.... Jeepers

001 - not sure if your reply was to me. Regarding parental control, my Mac would not be able to control a non-apple external laptop. Are you saying that a PC can control an external apple laptop?

Mmmm 800 quid for a Christmas present for a 14 year old? My DD didn’t get one until she was 19 and at uni, we got the extended warranty at that point, which is good since the fan packed up when it was 13 months old.

No way would she have got one any younger, by 18 she had spilt a can of Vimto on one laptop, dropped another down two flights of stairs and destroyed a third with viruses and crumbs. The one that survived was the stairs laptop - as a result I would highly recommend a Dell!

You do it through the Microsoft account.

I do have a microsoft account. Can you explain how my microsoft account can control my son's computer when my microsoft account is not on there? Genuine question - I'm trying to figure out how this is possible. Does the microsoft account have the ability to control times he is allowed on the computer, max time per day, etc? Can it limit which apps and utilities he is allowed to use?

Cedric, my dd is 14 this year and is very sensible with money (unless it's buying harry potter t-shirts and pj's from Primark!) She has been saving for a very long time and had a good £500 in the bank. She then decided last Xmas she wanted a laptop and that she would probably choose a MacBook. When asked by any family/friend what she wanted for Xmas she said a contribution toward her laptop. Everyone gave her money, including us and she had another few hundred to add to her existing savings. We took her to research the different options including non Apple ones so that she was aware of the financial commitment she was making. She decided against the Air and that the Pro was the best option for her needs. In May, she finally saved enough once she'd included Easter egg and birthday money, and she bought her beloved Pro. She does all her homework & revision on it, listens to all her music, facetimes, watches films etc and gets really good value out of it. I love using it (we have an old Air) as it is much nice to use and doesn't overheat like the Air does. I'd say start saving now this Xmas and get a little job. You'll appreciate it so much more when you know you contributed toward it.

mominatrix

www.laptopmag.com/articles/parental-controls-windows-10

This link let's you know how :)

Thanks 001 for the link - I'm off to learn how to make my child even more frustrated (he thinks I'm too parental control happy!).

Pro was the best option for her needs. In May, she finally saved enough once she'd included Easter egg and birthday money, and she bought her beloved Pro

Its a Mac Book Pro that my 12 year old granddaughter has.

So do I. She's always showing me fabulous things to do on it.

Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thank you very much for all of your replies, I have done some more research and thinking and come to the conclusion that I really don’t need a MacBook. I should just be grateful that I have an iPhone and iPad. For what I want it for it wouldn’t be the best one to get I think. I think I may be getting the same laptop as my brother has - it is very good and it’s what I need. I have also realised now that I only really wanted a MacBook for the Apple on the back . Anyways, thanks again