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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

Original poster

Do we really need to buy an £800 Mac for DDs A Levels?

29 replies

BaublesinSummer · 25/07/2023 13:42

My DD16 is starting A Levels in September in Graphics, Photography and Biology and has been told by the college that she needs a laptop. We have Macs at home - two laptops for me and DS19 and an iMac for my DH.

DH says we now need to buy a reconditioned Mac for DD, as it’s the best thing for creative work and because it will sync with our other Macs at home (we have Family Sharing etc).

A reconditioned Mac with the minimum spec requirements however is going to be around £800! We have a huge number of outgoings currently and I just didn’t anticipate this expense.

I was going to get the art department at her college to advise, but unfortunately the college has now closed for the summer, so I wondered if anyone here has had DCs who did similar courses and wondered what they bought for them.

OP posts:
Original poster
BaublesinSummer · 25/07/2023 13:44

I should mention that I've suggested DD using one of our existing laptops, but they don't have the minimum spec requirements apparently, as they are quite old.

OP posts:
FadedRed · 25/07/2023 13:47

Speaking from experience then as your DD will most likely to continue to university or Art College after A levels, then yes, she needs a Mac.

savethegorgeousbees · 25/07/2023 13:48

FadedRed · 25/07/2023 13:47

Speaking from experience then as your DD will most likely to continue to university or Art College after A levels, then yes, she needs a Mac.

Totally agree.

FadedRed · 25/07/2023 13:49

Oh and Photography can be quite an expensive A level and University choice, though your house interior can really benefit from some original art.

Original poster
BaublesinSummer · 25/07/2023 13:51

DD would like to go on to do a degree in Illustration at university, so maybe we do need to splash out then.

OP posts:
NancyJoan · 25/07/2023 13:52

With those A-levels, she really will need a Mac.

TheCyclingGorilla · 25/07/2023 13:53

We're buying one on tick from a Well Known Catalogue Company. It's the only way to get one, albeit in 12 Easy Payments (spolier alert, not exactly easy). I hate Apple products, but I give them credit for their security protocols. My DD has an iPad and iPhone already so they all link together. (The iPhone is on tick too, but her Grandad bought the iPad).

SnoopyDoopy1 · 25/07/2023 13:56

I don't think she needs a Mac. I completed my whole arts degree on a windows laptop and there was literally no issues at all. You can get a really high spec windows machine for much less than a Mac.

You're better off buying a high spec MacBook Pro when she's at the level she needs it - i.e if she decides to do a graphics degree or upon graduation if she decides to freelance. There's not much point buying the cheapest lower spec one right now as depending on what software she uses, she might need something more powerful. It's easy to upgrade RAM etc on a Windows machine if you need to, but not on a Mac.

I work as a graphic designer now and have a top of the range MacBook Pro now which serves me well, but it absolutely was not essential until I was working.

monpetitlapin · 25/07/2023 14:06

No she doesn't need a Mac but it's nice to have and the Mac Fangirls are going to love this thread as an opportunity to tell you you "need" one.

I am typing this on a top spec MacBook Pro but I work in marketing and do a lot of graphic design using photoshop, indesign and lightroom. I also process video footage using Premiere for our video advertising. At work, my laptop is a Windows one, and while it would be nicer to work on a Mac, it's absolutely not essential, especially if you're not 100% sure she's going to take these subjects forward after A-level. Remember she can also work on the school computers.

Don't get into financial difficulty for a status symbol. Remember a lot of Mac owners are in quite a decent income bracket. If she wants a Mac she could get a summer job and save for it.

ivycastle · 25/07/2023 14:08

You could do it on Windows but a Mac would be a lot nicer.

Phineyj · 25/07/2023 14:09

Have you looked at Backmarket? I don't know about Macs, but we got a good 2nd hand Surface on there.

monpetitlapin · 25/07/2023 14:12

BaublesinSummer · 25/07/2023 13:51

DD would like to go on to do a degree in Illustration at university, so maybe we do need to splash out then.

As @SnoopyDoopy1 mentioned, you would be much better off waiting until she actually needs it (i.e. is starting uni) because technology will have moved on by then and you'll be able to get this year's models as second hand with the (very good) M1/M2 processor for a lot less.

Whatever you buy now, she might well need to upgrade to a newer one by the time she's in the first or second year of uni so she can still run the software she needs so it's not a "one and done" sort of purchase.

TrueScrumptious · 25/07/2023 14:14

My DD did A level photography and did not have a Mac. Maybe there was one at school she used, though, as we don’t have one at home. She got an A*, so it didn’t hold her back. I don’t know about Graphics, though.

PhotoDad · 26/07/2023 13:47

DD's big hobby was photography all through secondary school and sixth form (and she won various prizes for it). Now she is studying illustration at art school. She has a Windows laptop and a graphics tablet which connects to it which she much prefers to using the Macs at her uni. Turned out cheaper than the Mac route (and spare money went towards lenses instead).

On a related note, OP might like to look at a thread which has lots of opinions and info about art/design at uni (and the designers here might want to scan it and see if there's anything they'd like to add or correct....!)

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/higher_education/4795276-art-and-design-at-university-for-past-present-and-future-students-and-parents

benfoldsfivefan · 03/08/2023 18:43

I would wait until the autumn and speak to her art teacher before committing to a purchase of a laptop or a MacBook.

Also, Amazon let you pay on instalments for big ticket items and you pay no interest. It’s £166 a month for five months for a MacBook Air.

SheerLucks · 05/08/2023 14:21

@PhotoDad thanks that's really helpful!

TizerorFizz · 06/08/2023 11:10

Macs are used by nearly everyone creative. However if you need to run cad you need something that’s got enough capacity.

AccidentallySuckedTheStrippersDick · 06/08/2023 11:36

NEEDS a Mac? No. Absolutely not. My son is in his second year of a degree in art and animation and he uses a Huion HD Kamvas ( I think it's a 16 inch). And he absolutely swears by it. He uses his pc to type up course work and his tablet gets around 10- 12 hour of use a day , went to college, goes to uni with him and it's still going strong after 3 years and is like new. The reviews on them are AMAZING. Defo worth a look.

PhotoDad · 06/08/2023 11:39

AccidentallySuckedTheStrippersDick · 06/08/2023 11:36

NEEDS a Mac? No. Absolutely not. My son is in his second year of a degree in art and animation and he uses a Huion HD Kamvas ( I think it's a 16 inch). And he absolutely swears by it. He uses his pc to type up course work and his tablet gets around 10- 12 hour of use a day , went to college, goes to uni with him and it's still going strong after 3 years and is like new. The reviews on them are AMAZING. Defo worth a look.

That's exactly what my DD has! Needed a new stylus when the old one wouldn't hold a charge (after many years of constant use) but a wonderful piece of kit.

PhotoDad · 06/08/2023 11:40

Sorry, got muddled, the stylus doesn't need charging. This one simply stopped working for reasons unknown!

Wisenotboring · 06/08/2023 11:42

Not for biology, but maybe for the other two?

BabylonianChild · 06/08/2023 11:58

Also be aware that Macs are not more expensive than PCs long-term, they simply last a lot longer and are better quality. They also use less electricity have better battery life, are quieter and don’t get crazy hot like decent PC laptops do.

I worked in the design industry for decades and Macs are the standard but you can get away with a PC if you plan on replacing it every few years.

Personally I love using my iPad Pro with Apple Pencil connected to my MBP.

CountTo10 · 06/08/2023 12:16

My son has just completed a dredger in Illustration. He bought himself a Windows Surface Pro laptop. Not sure if they're any cheaper. He specialises in digital art and photography so a Mac isn't essential although if you are a Mac family it may make sense.

AccidentallySuckedTheStrippersDick · 06/08/2023 13:20

PhotoDad · 06/08/2023 11:40

Sorry, got muddled, the stylus doesn't need charging. This one simply stopped working for reasons unknown!

Yeah my son uses his so much he goes through stylus tips and black gloves like toddlers go through wax crayons on a freshly painted white wall 😂🤷🏼‍♀️

Pieceofpurplesky · 06/08/2023 14:10

DS did A Level photography last year and having a Mac was a huge help as the ones at school were not great. He has gone on to use this at university as his laptop there. He does not do photography but still takes photos as a sideline. We had to sell existing laptops and various other things and he saved Christmas and Birthday money (and grandparents contributed). It has been worth it though

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