I’m guessing that most of us here - myself included - are more particular than most when it comes to taking care of our gear (tech stuff anyway - my wardrobe looks like one step up from flood victim). E.g., we’ve still got a functioning 2009 MBP in the family that is cosmetically in better shape than the vast majority of late model laptops in the wild but again, I’ve got a particular focus in that regard. I’ve got a graduating high schooler about to depart for college and we’ve decided to get him a 13" M4 MBA. Although the kid is whip-smart and crushing it academically, his practical smarts leave something to be desired (think Midvale School for the Gifted).
I’m very happy with my FIshSkyn top and bottom cover for my M1 MBP, and it shows absolutely no wear from being transported regularly in a non-Mac specific backpack, but it’s also not subject to the rigors of college life and an absent-minded professor mindset. What solutions have you used in similar situations? Looking for actual experience here. I bounce back and forth between a Fishskyn & a serious advising to some kind of mil-spec kevlar shield.
No, not about sex, but about taking responsibility and that Mom & Dad will not be replacing his laptop because he throws it around like a baseball and doesn’t take care of it.
I know from my childhood that things that I bought for myself with hard earned, hard saved money got the maximum TLC treatment while anything given to me as a gift, even “necessary” stuff, got treated like yesterday’s trash.
Candidly, I don’t know how to change this behavior so all I can do is wish you the best of luck!
I’d suggest going downscale. Why not the M1 MBA from Walmart for $649? Or something used? Or even a Windows PC? What do other students at his university use or recommend? With a few exceptions, students don’t need a powerful computer for their schoolwork.
Our son who started college (Computer Science) in the late 1990s went to school with a computer that I cobbled together from spare parts. Other students tended to have shiny new computers (most people didn’t have computers at home to take with them, so they had to buy new). Well because of his familiarity with computers he got the job of the dorm IT person which he continued to do for several years. The old computer he used served him fine for his classes and he got a good job offfer when he graduated!
Not that he was perfect, he managed to “total” three family cars. Somehow after he graduated and had to buy his own cars his cars have magically managed to stay in one piece. It’s important to have some skin in the game.
First … I presume that your son’s college does not have a requirement for WindowsOS systems over macOS. Secondly, does the university provide a recommended laptop + protection plan option?
With macOS for a first time college student, I would recommend splurging on screen size, not processor. A 15" M3 will do better on the eyes than the 14" M4 (and may be cheaper). No one types fast enough in a word processor to need the extra speed, but everyone eventually gets tired of squinting.
Add an iPad. Note taking is far easier on an iPad than on a portable computer.
Absolutely add an external SSD. And teach your son the reasons why it is critical to back up to it routinely. Be brutal about this lesson. Sneak in one day and reformat his hard drive. Oops! No backups. Oh … so sad. (But of course you will have made a backup before reformatting).
And to your question … I swear by my Everki bag. I am on my second one. Holds my MBP 16" and my iPad and various sundry additions.
An argument can be made that young eyes do well on smaller screens and smaller screen/laptop footprint might survive backpack/sling/naked carry accidents slightly better than larger laptops? (F=MA etc.)
Years ago I used a hardshell case from Speck. It protected against scratches and dents, and if I had to do daily traveling with a laptop, I’d use one again.
The only downside was increased static electricity when removing it from a bag or protective sleeve.
Well, it looks like the Apple part of this discussion is not relevant. From the school IT dept website:
*Note: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic Engineering Technology, and TLI students: We definitely do NOT recommend MacOS for you.
So while I’ll still be considering additional protection, it looks like I’ll be shopping for Windows machines. shivers
The kid is not the computer nerd his dad is, so dual booting / parallels / Linux is not the best solution.
At least since I’ll be shopping at Costco first, we’ll have the 2x warranty coverage plus the $99 3 year / no deductible / extended warranty including accidental damage. FWIW, my wife has used that coverage for other electronics successfully.
I taught, part time, Electrical Engineering courses for 25 years before retiring 10 years ago. In the later years I used a MacBook (various models) in class, but I did have to rely on Parallels because most of the engineering applications were Windows only. The school now recommends/requires students to have a Windows computer, and, frankly thanks to Apple Silicon, I would have to do the same if teaching now.
In my “real job” as an engineer, I used Windows and Linux at my desk. Linux was used in the manufacturing area for product testing and calibration, and most development done under Windows, including project management with web-based but Internet Explorer-requiring tools, none of this could be done under MacOS. I did bring in my own, spare, Mac mini which I used for documentation.
I fix computers for a living and I recommend business class laptops as in Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude, HP Elitebook for most people who are not gamers. Very rugged, made to be mildly abused, better parts availability than any consumer laptop.
I saw a lot of student laptops while teaching and I agree about avoiding consumer models. The students who had consumer laptops seem to have them falling apart after a year. Unfortunately most of my students could not afford quality models.
(But of course you will have made a backup before reformatting).
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