MacBook Pro for GCSE

[GreySheep]

Does anyone know if a MacBook Pro will be a good laptop to use for GCSE years?

I’m clueless on this but DD is into photography so know it’s good for that but wondering if it’s good as an all round laptop for the GCSE years too?

I’ve tried googling but it’s all so technical. I’d love to hear from any parents whose DC have used a MacBook Pro during GCSE courses or hear if any other laptop recommendations.

@Aragog So u have not seen the million of dollars apple have put into lobbying to stop right to repair then? Also u clearly have never tried to repair a macbook at all.

I think OP is excited about treating her daughter and I understand completely. The new 16" is a vast improvement without the stupid keyboard issues. No its not perfect or repairable but neither are Microsoft Surfaces etc.

No, never had to have a MacBook repaired as I have never had the need. Mine and dd's. plus the people I know have never need to.

I have had to have windows machines repaired - also not an easy job.

Have had an Phone repaired - very easy. Took it to Apple. Repaired for free, no hassle, no questions. Back with me within the week.

As previously said - personal preference. I've used Apple for years with no problems. Ive also used Windows machines for years - generally fine but time they don't last anywhere near as long, even expensive ones, but I know others who prefer them and have no issues. Their choice, my choice.

End of the day though - OP wants to buy an Apple machine. Her preference. No need to have to drag down other people's decisions just because our own personal preference is for a different system.

You can't compare insurance Vs AppleCare, they don't really have overlapping features. AppleCare gives unlimited telephone, web chat and instore technical support, and extended manufacturers warranty for 3 years, if the machine dies not your fault they just give you a new one. with two incidents of accidental damge at a £79 excess for screen replacement insurance won't cover that aftercare ... You just need to add it as a named item on your insurance for theft and loss cover.

I really am @CurmudgeonMisery. DD is the kid who makes do and is grateful for it. For once I just want to truly treat her.

The people you know have been lucky. If their machines are old enough, they would have escaped the keyboard and screen insanity. OP will no doubt get a 16" and her daughter will be delighted and won't have to deal with what are hopefully historic issues.

I think you and DD will love it. The new 16" is GORGEOUS.

Don’t find in store advice worth the trek in. My 16 year old knows more.3 teens with a variety of Apple devices and a software developer dh.Only has to claim once on household insurance in several years. They were fab.Dh has always been strongly against AppleCare. The money we’ve saved would have bought us a top of the range Pro.

You know your teen though op. My dc have always had decent cases and screen protectors. They are also v careful. They have a decent case for the pro which fits inside an insulated pocket in their rucksacks. They know they can’t leave their rucksack anywhere so only take it when absolutely necessary.

Enjoy op. It will save you the black screen of doom and agonisingly slow performance which you’ll undoubtably experience after a while if you buy anything else.

Sorry Air. Also obviously not got screen protector for Airs just phones. Get her a decent rucksack with a lap top pocket and a decent case if she’s planning on taking it anywhere.

@Bl00mingCactus that's not the same scheme as the personal student discount that Pomley was talking about that anyone can (easily) get if they are in post-secondary education or work in education. I'm guessing OP would know if her DC's school were part of that scheme.

Not necessarily but you can check online, ask them to register. We saved £200 per device so it’s worth doing.

From what you’ve written about your DD, she will be thrilled and sounds like the sort to look after it. There’s some real sourpusses and fun-sponges on this thread.

My DS has an Air that he got for his 16th birthday and I expect it to see him through to university. He’s not a child who asks for things or wants the latest trainers. He’s not flash and doesn’t go round showing it off.

He’s over the moon with it and has used it so much whereas the Lenovo he had before just never got used.

Have a look on the John Lewis website as we got £70 off Office for students.

@Aragog , it's not personal preference and I'm not saying they have to go windows I am just pointing out the truth that if u go out and buy a brand new macbook today it's not gonna last u and apple will charge excessive amounts of money to fix it if it breaks that is if they will even fix it for you, I was just making a point that windows laptops can offer a better experience if u pick correctly, u can even get premium high quality chrome books if you so desire, personally I dont use a laptop cause they are just plain bad compared to a desktop solution but as far as laptops go apple will always give you less for your money cause when u buy a macbook u pay for the brand, if u want that then buy a macbook, pay 3k dollars for a fancy machine that everyone glares at I'm not gonna stop anyone but u could get a hell of a lot better for the same price

We bought a pro in 2013 and it is still going strong with exactly the same performance as the day we bought it having been used consistently by 3 teens and a developer in the house. Frankly if it gives us grief now I’m not going to whine about having it repaired.

That is the point. They don’t generally need repairs. Had 4 other laptops all carefully researched by dh. Performance really started to flag within a couple of years and they just seemed like utter shite in comparison. Massive waste of money.

I still think it's personal preference, and as said previously I, my dd and none of the friends I know who regularly use Apple have had these issues nor any lagging, slowing down, keyboard issues, etc. In the years of using them. I have, however, had issues with windows machines.

Yes they are dear but people know that when they pay for them.

Funny how Google works. We use 'mumsnet' a lot for our 3 month old and I know a fair bit about Apple products so this thread appears! IKEA shopping for baby so will keep it brief. Ignore the nonsense about Chromebooks and cheap laptops. If your daughter is studying photography and plans to carry on that as a subject she will need a laptop that has a high level of colour accuracy on the screen. These don't come cheap windows or Mac and Mac is the best with DCI 3 colour gamut. Think green grass on screen is the same colour as real life (very important). If she's not into video high level editing the 16 inch MacBook Pro is overkill and at a level and university level a pain to carry. It is for real professional video editing. Don't get the air as it is underpowered for photo editing and screen not as good. A base level i5 13 inch MacBook Pro is the purchase (8GB 256GB as the 128GB too small). Make sure it's a 2018/19 model (quad core processor). Also if you know anyone who works in emergency services (blue light card) or student (ac.uk) then you can get up to 10% off. Hope this helps from a much user dad of computers and Mumsnet but first time poster.

The pre 2016 Macbooks were fantastic.
I have 2.
Its the 2016 and on one's that were compromised - BY DESIGN.
The new 16" looks like a welcome return to form.

@AnchorDownDeepBreath
Be advised that Chromebooks aren't anything close to a Windows replacement. They are closer to an android tablet than they are to windows or Mac machines. You also can't get the full versions of any Microsoft office program on them. What I would do would be to get a £500 windows laptop with decent RAM (6GB) and a decent SSD (256GB). Photography and word aren't that CPU intensive, so any CPU should do.

Absolutely they can run everything they need for GCSE including Microsoft office and they're hard-wearing things aswell

For wow factor and power consider a surface studio (portability doesn't seem to be needed) for power and portability a surface pro 7, or.surface book if you prefer the classic laptop design. MacBooks were great but build quality isn't what it used to be. Older MBPs are going strong as people here have testified, the newer models are not so reliable. The keyboard and trackpad are well documented failure points. Shame as they used to the gold standard.

@Pstrib that is not true as per my post. You need a colour accurate display for photography either high on Adobe RGB or DCI-P3 accuracy. Regardless if you go with with a Windows PC or Mac you pay for accurate colour calibration.

side note even as a Chromebook owner you are right. Also when adding layers to photographs in Adobe it can tax the CPU.

For a photography class a Mac would be well suited and probably a common sight.

Yes they're expensive but much less hassle than a Windows PC with all the forced/automatic restarts, unpredictable updates etc. And you know with a Mac that it's built to last.

Only thing I would say, if it all possible get either the 16 inch or wait for the next version of the 13 inch. The keyboard on current models (except the 16 which is brand new and uses a new keyboard) is noisy, shallow key travel and very temperamental. One bit of dust can leave you with things like double spaces that you have to keep editing out. Drives me crazy on mine.

This is an often overlooked point - because it's difficult to see from the beginning.

I work in the tech industry and have now / have owned all flavours of computer. After five years it's typically very hard to run current Windows software on Windows systems which become either very slow or unsupported.

With Macs I'm still running the very latest system and software on computer hardware twice that age. So my return on investment is far better with the Apple kit.

Also to the point about "money to burn" - anyone who has tried giving away let alone selling a five year old Dell laptop (assuming it wasn't in pieces by then) will understand that a higher price on Apple lot in the beginning can often be paid back in terms of resale price achieved later.

Swings and roundabouts. Personal preference. YMMV and so on.

Sounds great, OP- she will love it. My experience of buying tech is that you never regret spending a little more to get exactly what you want (assuming you can afford it) whereas you always regret going for the cheaper option. If she's using a lot of software for photo editing, a Pro makes absolute sense.