Are MacBooks worth the money?

nurse12

New member
Oct 29, 2014
4
0
0
Visit site
I need a new laptop for school and it seems like everytime I buy a laptop from future shop I am buying a new one due to hardware issues, over heating, etc. I want to buy a MacBook but do not know if it is worth the money especially since I am a big fan of Microsoft! I was thinking of purchasing a 13' MacBook Air - thanks for all your input
 

taz323

Moderator
Mar 10, 2013
20,497
61
48
Visit site
Hi and welcome to iMore, for me, yes. It's light and portable and haven't had any issues with it.
Its a matter of what your comfortable with and what fits your needs the most.
 

LVMHgirl

Well-known member
Oct 7, 2011
909
27
28
Visit site
Totally worth it! Super portable and awesome battery life. Love my MBA 13" :)

Get as much storage as possible when you purchase it.
 

nurse12

New member
Oct 29, 2014
4
0
0
Visit site
Thank you everyone! Does anyone have any suggestions on storage? I use my computer for essays. Social media, Netflix and music. Since I will be purchasing Apple care I do not want to purchase extra storage if I do not need it. I will be visiting the Apple Store today but do not want them to try selling me something I don't need because I will most likely fall for it, thanks again!
 

nurse12

New member
Oct 29, 2014
4
0
0
Visit site
ahhh I had my mind set on buying a MBA today but now that I have googled the surface pro I do not know what to get. Definitely will look into this tablet/laptop - thank you!!
 

HankAZ

Banned
Jul 26, 2012
6,092
0
0
Visit site
Thank you everyone! Does anyone have any suggestions on storage? I use my computer for essays. Social media, Netflix and music. Since I will be purchasing Apple care I do not want to purchase extra storage if I do not need it. I will be visiting the Apple Store today but do not want them to try selling me something I don't need because I will most likely fall for it, thanks again!

IMO, the Mac brand and specifically MacBook Airs are very much worth their price.

With regards to the amount of storage, based on your current needs, I?d say that the 128GB SSD would be plenty. Also, if you purchase the 13" MBA, they have SD card slot (the 11" MBA does not). I have a couple of PNY StorEdge SD cards - they are half height SD cards, that fit into the slot and do not stick out. The cost is relatively low (about $40 for a 64GB card). While they don?t increase the internal storage of your MBA, the do provide additional storage in the form of what appears to OS X as a second drive. I have some photos, documents and movies stored on mine.

And welcome to iMore!
 

audit

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2009
182
4
0
Visit site
I picked up the base model 13' MBA a couple months ago to replace my iPad that I gave my daughter for school, I find that I rarely use my Win7 laptop anymore except for video and photo work. It's much easier carrying my MBA around in my backpack with my work laptop in case I need to do something personal at work. It's also saved me a lot when I wasn't home but had it with me and had to login to my servers to fix something where before I would end up driving home because I didn't feel like lugging around my laptop around. I use it for email, music, web. Actually just pulled it out for the first time in 2 weeks this morning and it still had 80% battery life. It's well worth the money IMHO.
 

Illustrator Joe

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2013
437
0
0
Visit site
ahhh I had my mind set on buying a MBA today but now that I have googled the surface pro I do not know what to get. Definitely will look into this tablet/laptop - thank you!!

Coming from a surface, For basic computing needs the Macbook Air is the way to go. The Surface is cool, and has some useful features but for just basic functions of the computer (which it sounds like are your needs) I found the Surface to be infuriating to use.
 

katesbb

Well-known member
Nov 25, 2012
140
0
0
Visit site
Do you own an iPhone?

If so, there are some neat new features letting iPhones and Macs work together (Handoff, Continuity).
 

jmr1015

Well-known member
Aug 27, 2013
717
0
0
Visit site
Yes, MacBooks are definitely worth the money. The build quality is great. My MacBook Pro, despite its age, runs the newest OS X Yosemite without much issue. I did upgrade the RAM from 2gb to 8gb back when Mavericks was announced, just in case. Since I was coming from a long history of Windows desktops and laptops, I originally had the HDD partitioned and set up with Boot Camp so I could still boot Windows and run Office Professional... so if you really love Windows, you have options. Me, personally, in the past few years, I've booted up Windows so infrequently, that I forgot I had it. When I was reminded (by a post on this forum) I decided to restore my HDD and delete all my Windows files. I don't miss Windows at all.
 

nurse12

New member
Oct 29, 2014
4
0
0
Visit site
Thank you to everyone that replied to this thread. I purchased a 13' MBA today and LOVEE it, it'll take some getting use to but I installed Microsoft office so I can still type all my essays on that format so I got the best of both worlds and it's so light! So happy with my purchase
 

Illustrator Joe

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2013
437
0
0
Visit site
Thank you to everyone that replied to this thread. I purchased a 13' MBA today and LOVEE it, it'll take some getting use to but I installed Microsoft office so I can still type all my essays on that format so I got the best of both worlds and it's so light! So happy with my purchase

I think you will get used to it faster than you think. And you will never look back! :)
 

eyecrispy

iPhone 7, iPad Pro & Apple Watch Champion
Sep 26, 2012
4,278
0
0
Visit site
Congrats! You'll get used to it in no time. It's very intuitive. I switched 5 yrs ago and have never looked back. The only time I use a Windows device is at work bc I have to.
 

Just_Me_D

Ambassador Team Leader, Senior Moderator
Moderator
Jan 8, 2012
59,709
632
113
Visit site
I need a new laptop for school and it seems like everytime I buy a laptop from future shop I am buying a new one due to hardware issues, over heating, etc. I want to buy a MacBook but do not know if it is worth the money especially since I am a big fan of Microsoft! I was thinking of purchasing a 13' MacBook Air - thanks for all your input

Whether it is "worth the money" will depend on you and how well it helps you in your day to day computing needs. For *me*, the MacBook was worth it, but not initially because the Windows OS was too ingrained in me. Yet, once I gave it a little time, I came to enjoy the MacBook and now, I can't see myself returning to a Windows machine. If you are indeed a fan of Microsoft (and there's nothing wrong with that), you may be best served to get a new Windows laptop. There will not be little to no learning curve for you and you'll instantly be comfortable with it. Furthermore, don't let your sole reason for getting a MacBook be based because your peers are getting one or have gotten one. Think for yourself....:)
 

Illustrator Joe

Well-known member
Jan 28, 2013
437
0
0
Visit site
Congrats! You'll get used to it in no time. It's very intuitive. I switched 5 yrs ago and have never looked back. The only time I use a Windows device is at work bc I have to.

Same. I have 2 computers on my desk at work. Older Mac Pro running Yosemite (like a champ) and some HP windows 7 catastrophe. Luckily I only use the windows machine about 10% of my day.
 

Premium1

Trusted Member
Aug 17, 2011
3,610
43
0
Visit site
I love my MacBook. Never had any issues with my non retina MacBook. I think they are worth the money.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Trending Posts

Forum statistics

Threads
260,011
Messages
1,765,305
Members
441,220
Latest member
waeriyadh