what is the best mac for a college student

Plus, “it’s light, slim, and easy to carry,” he says. Zilberman recommends it, too, because of its reliable operating system, updated scissor-style keyboard, and great hardware. Last year, he bought one for his own daughter as she headed back to college. “I have seen it many times where they get a laptop that is too heavy and have to buy a new one shortly after, because with all the books or other things they might need to have with them, two or three extra pounds make a big difference.” Jason Snell, host of the tech podcast Upgrade, is also a fan of the Air. “If this is going to be the device you take with you every day, most will appreciate lighter laptops,” he says. “I find that most people will use cloud services these days, since that is convenient and you get access to all your data from all of your devices.” The Air also has the benefit of being one of the most lightweight options on the market. Melendez also says the 8GB of RAM in the Air is great “for students who like to have a lot of tabs open at the same time,” or those who need to edit photos or videos. The M1 chip is very capable and it has been doing very well for any type of user,” he says. “It’s really all a student would need, no matter what they are going to study. Miguel Melendez, a PC expert at B&H Photo Video, recommends the latest version of the MacBook Air, which has Apple’s own M1 processor.

We spoke to Tiger, Regan, and seven other computer repair and tech experts about the best machines for every type of student. 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. “If you have a Mac and your campus mainly supports Windows, she warns, “you can be out of luck.” This doesn’t mean your laptop is unusable, but you may have to jump through some extra hoops for access to applications for certain classes or even printing around campus. Tiger also suggests checking what systems your campus uses before making your purchase. Just make sure you find something rugged, says Charlie Regan, CEO of Nerds on Site. “We have only a couple colleges with specific recommendations: Architecture requires a very high-end PC, and education may require a medium-size, middle-of-the-road Macbook Pro.” Since the majority of students will use their computers to surf the web, take notes, answer emails, attend Zoom classes, and use word processors like Word or Google Docs, most midrange laptops - or maybe even a good Chromebook - will be sufficient. “It really depends on what you’re going to do with your laptop and what your major is,” says Sue Tiger, manager of Tech Zone at the University of Illinois. Photos: RetailersĬhoosing a laptop for college is a big decision that’s heavily influenced by your budget and your day-to-day needs.

What is the best mac for a college student