What Microsoft Should I Get For College Mac

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At first glance, Surface Pro looks like a MacBook Air with a Retina display and is priced like one too. Start adding options, though, and you quickly reach MacBook Pro pricing. But with only one port, like a MacBook, but USB-A rather than the newer USB-C. So, depending on how you look at it, Surface Laptop might be the best of all the MacBook worlds. Or the worst.

Turn the computer you have into the Mac you want. With Apple Trade In, give us your eligible computer for credit toward your next Mac. If your computer isn’t eligible for credit, we’ll recycle it for free. 2018-5-31  Newegg/Lenovo The least expensive Mac you can buy is the $500 Mac Mini, but you can get super-basic Windows PCs for under $300 that will work just fine for.

Which is it?

TL;DR: Do you need to run macOS?

If you know you want to run macOS, you have to get a Mac. If you want to run Windows, you can get a Surface Laptop or a Mac — the latter lets you run both. Keep reading the rest for more details, but if running Mac software, including developing for iOS, are key to you, your decision tree is already done.

Surface Laptop vs. 13-inch MacBook Air

Microsoft's Surface Laptop looks like a MacBook Air, is as light and portable as an Air, and is priced like an Air, so that's the easiest comparison to get started with. There are several important differences, though.

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Surface Laptop comes in Burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and graphite gold, while MacBook Air only comes in aluminum. It also has a high-density, multi-touch capable display, something Apple has never gotten around to adding to the Air. Plus, Surface Laptop has current-generation Intel Kaby Lake processors while MacBook Air hasn't had a spec bump in years.

On the down side, Surface Laptop has only a single USB-A port + DisplayPort (and a proprietary Surface Connect port) while the MacBook Air has two USB-A ports and a Thunderbolt 2 port. It also has a faux-fabric finish around the keyboard and trackpad which… may not hold up to dirt and grime the way MacBook Air aluminum will.

What Microsoft Should I Get For College Mac
  • If you need to run macOS on as inexpensive a laptop as possible, you need to get a MacBook Air.
  • Otherwise, unless and until Apple updates it's entry level, Surface Laptop is the better bang for your buck.

Surface Laptop vs. 12-inch MacBook

Because the Surface Laptop has only one USB port, it's easy to draw comparisons to similarly single-ported 12-inch MacBook. There are, however, differences.

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MacBook has a USB-C port, the modern standard that the entire industry is moving towards. Surface Laptop has USB-A, the legacy standard the entire industry is moving away from. Both will require dongles or docks, though MacBook will require them less as time goes on and Surface Laptop will require them more.

Both have high-density displays, though MacBook lacks the multi-touch functionality of the Surface Laptop. It also lacks the faux-fabric finish around the keyboard and trackpad which…may not hold up to dirt and grime the way Apple's aluminum will.

Surface Laptop comes in Burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and graphite gold, while MacBook comes in silver, space gray, gold, and rose gold. Surface Laptop, however, has an Intel Core i5 or i7 processor which, while requiring a fan and increasingly noise, is more powerful than the virtually silent Intel coreM series in the MacBook.

  • If having the absolute smallest, lightest, and quietest — and potentially pinkest! — computer is imperative to you, get the MacBook.
  • If you want more power, a multi-touch display, and a cobalt blue color option, get the Surface Laptop.

Surface Laptop vs. 13-inch MacBook Pro

Surface Laptop might look like and be priced like a MacBook Air, but start upgrading it and you quickly reach MacBook Pro price points. With a few differences, of course.

No matter how much you pay for a Surface Laptop, you still only get the one, legacy USB-A port that sounds like a good idea today but will become more and more of a constraint over the next few years. MacBook Pro, on the other hands, comes with the option for two or four USB-C / Thunderbolt 3 ports that may need a dongle now but will become table stakes in a year or two.

Surface Laptop comes in Burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and graphite gold, while MacBook Pro only comes in silver and space gray. MacBook Pro lacks the faux-fabric finish around the keyboard and trackpad which… may not hold up to dirt and grime the way Apple's aluminum will.

Both have high-density displays, though MacBook lacks the multi-touch functionality of the Surface Laptop. MacBook Pro does have the option for Touch Bar, a multi-touch strip that replaces the function keys with something more dynamic, though arguably not much more useful. Better, though, Touch ID, which lets you use your fingerprint to log in and authenticate for apps and purchases, including Apple Pay.

Surface Laptop is a generation ahead when it comes to Intel processors but it's arguable how much, if at all, that helps with graphics. Apple stayed on Skylake, in part, for Iris Pro options that didn't yet exist on Kaby Lake. If graphics are more important to you than central processing, you may be better off with MacBook Pro.

  • If a multi-touch display or brighter color options are a must, go with Surface Laptop.
  • If Touch ID and more numerous, advanced ports are what you need, go with MacBook Pro.

Still undecided or have more questions?

If you're still not sold on either the MacBook or the Surface Laptop, take a breath. The higher-end Surface Laptops won't be shipping for a while and Apple is rumored to be updating the MacBook lineup as soon as June. Take your time, check out all the options, and see which one suits you best.

If you still have questions, drop them in the comments below!

MacBook Pro

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BestMacBook for StudentsiMore2020

Whether you're still in high school or racing across your college campus, a laptop is an essential piece of equipment for every student. Apple makes some of the best laptops around with its MacBook lineup. Whether it's a powerful MacBook Pro, or a light and portable MacBook Air, Apple's laptops will power you through any task you'll meet. For most students, the 2020 MacBook Air is the best choice. It has enough power to face most any academic challenge you come up against, while still offering up to 12 hours of battery life.

Best Overall: MacBook Air (2020)

Most students looking for a new MacBook should pick up the MacBook Air. It's less expensive than other MacBooks, as well as lighter. And though it might not be as powerful as the MacBook Pro, it offers enough power for the average student to get through their daily scholastic workload, especially when outfitted with the optional quad-core Intel Core i7 processor.

The 2020 MacBook Air should also have enough battery to take you from class to class. Like previous versions, the latest iteration of the MacBook Air features up to 12 hours of battery life. This version also features an improved, scissor switch-based Magic Keyboard, just like the 16-inch MacBook Pro.

The MacBook Pro is probably overkill for most students. Sure, some will be able to take advantage of its more powerful processors available to it. Still, if most of what you're doing is writing papers, putting together presentations, or doing research on the web, you probably don't need the level of power a MacBook Pro offers.

Pros:

  • Great balance of price and power
  • Light and portable
  • Scissor switch keyboard is back
  • Touch ID
  • Up to 12 hours of battery life

Best Overall

MacBook Air (2020)

Sweet spot of power, portability, and price.

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Lightweight, yet with enough power to get you through most academic tasks, the MacBook Air is the perfect student computer.

Source: iMore

Because the 2019 MacBook Air uses the same processor as the 2018 model, you can save a good deal of money by going with the 2017 model of MacBook Pro. No Retina display, no Touch ID, but it's still a fairly capable machine, even if the processor is a few years old at this point.

You should also have enough battery life to get through your daily workload. Like the more recent models, the 2017 MacBook Air is rated for up to 12 hours of battery life.

While I'd still recommend the newest MacBook Air for most people, the 2017 model is still a solid alternative if you're looking to save some money. It's not flashy, and it won't win any awards for speed, but it'll still be a dependable device throughout your academic life.

Pros:

  • Relatively cheap
  • Still a solid performer
  • USB-A ports
  • SD card slot
  • Excellent battery life

Best Value

MacBook Air (2017)

A capable computer for the money.

The 2017 revision of the MacBook Air is still a capable machine that will get you through most of your tasks without hassle.

Source: Rene Ritchie / iMore

The 16-inch MacBook Pro is the computer to get if you need the most power that you can afford in a portable package. You can configure it with several options, whether you need that eight-core processor, 64GB of RAM, or 8TB of storage.

But even at its base configuration, a six-core Intel Core i7 with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and an AMD Radeon Pro 5300M GPU, it'll still handle any task a student can set to it besides the most computationally intense workflows. If you want a no-doubt-about-it machine, get this MacBook Pro.

Pros:

  • Latest Intel processors
  • Configurable up to 8TB of storage
  • Myriad of expansion options
  • Bigger display

Cons:

  • Bigger than other options
  • More expensive
  • May be overkill for most

Best for Power Users

16-inch MacBook Pro (2019)

Most bang for your buck.

The 2016 MacBook Pro will perform great at any task you set it and should last you well after your academic career is over.

Best Power Alternative: 13-inch MacBook Pro (2019)

Though this model won't reach the heights of the 16-inch model, for those students that need or want more power than the MacBook Air can offer while sacrificing as little portability as possible, the 13-inch MacBook Pro is a good choice.

It's missing some advantages of the 16-inch model, namely the bigger screen, large storage options, and discrete GPU. However, it's powered by recent Intel quad-core Core i5 processors, so you'll still have enough power for fairly demanding tasks, such as photo and video editing, graphic design, and mobile music production.

Pros:

  • Balances portability and power
  • More portable than 16-inch model
  • Option for up to four Thunderbolt 3 ports

Cons:

  • No discrete GPU
  • Limited to quad-core processors
  • Limited storage choices

Best Power Alternative

13-inch MacBook Pro (2019)

A big step up from a MacBook Air.

This is the MacBook you should get if you need a step up in power from the MacBook Air.

Bottom line

Whether you need a computer for high school or college, the most recent MacBook Air is the right choice for most students. Whether you're writing papers, putting together a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation, or even editing some images for a photography class, the MacBook Air will be a reliable performer in your academic pursuits.

It doesn't have the power of something like the 16-inch MacBook Pro, nor even the 13-inch MacBook Pro. But it's still a capable machine at a solid price. The Retina display is beautiful and vibrant, and the built-in Touch ID sensor makes everything from authorizing operating system tasks to paying for things online with Apple Pay more convenient and secure.

The MacBook Air, for a long time, was the best Mac for most people, including students. Thanks to recent revisions, it occupies that space again, offering a light, portable package with enough power and battery life to get you through an entire day of school.

Credits — The team that worked on this guide

Joseph Keller is a senior writer at iMore. An Apple user for more than a decade and a half, he spends his time learning the ins and outs of iOS and macOS, always finding ways of getting the most out of his iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Rene Ritchie has been covering the personal technology industry for a decade. An outspoken analyst and critic, he writes at iMore.com/vector, podcasts at applepodcasts.com/vector, and you can find his show at youtube.com/vector. Follow him @reneritchie on Twitter and Instagram

What Microsoft Should I Get For College Mac And Outlook

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What Microsoft Should I Get For College Mac And Mac

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Your Mac Mini will the be the coolest around

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If you're a pro who tends to push their Mac Mini to the limit, you might be looking for a way to keep it cool under pressure. While there aren't any cooling pads specifically for the Mac Mini, we've compiled some good options for you.