I had a IIe and I'm thinking it might be time to buy another Apple computer but for my daughter now since her COVID computer is acting up.

With education pricing, I'm looking at about $2,200 plus tax for a 14" MacBook Pro, 12 core M4 Pro, 24GB memory, 1TB SSD, and the anit-glare coating. Is this the best value at this time?

I know, what is she going to use it for? Photography, video editing, music production, etc. are the classes she's wanting to take in college.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: trapper189,

I would bump the RAM to the next tier for the core. If she does any video editing, it will help. Other than that, good spec

That MacBook sounds like a good choice to me. But I think that you ought to check with her school.

Apple also offers student discounts.

Does the school recommend a MacBook Pro for that course of study? If the school teaches on Windows, your purchase would be wasted.

If she’s going to be doing a lot of video editing, I would consider the larger screen, and as mentioned more RAM.

When you decide to buy, check with these folks. I have done business with them a few times and they are good to go.

https://ipowerresale.com/

Check Apple refurbs. Good as new, spotless with identical warranty and minimum 15% off. Those specs should handle photo/video fine. Apple memory works “different” than PC and 24gb should be plenty.

College student or if you’re a veteran buying for her is good for another 10% off.

Beware, the MBP’s are hefty. I just sold my ‘23 MBP 14” to “downgrade” to the current 13” MacBook Air. I have a 15” portable monitor if I need more real estate.

Hold off until March. Apple is going to release the Macbook Pro M5 and I'm hearing there will not be a price increase.

Apple MacBook Rumors: New M5 MacBook Pros Could Arrive March 4

https://www.cnet.com/tech/comp...rices-release-dates/

"New MacBook Pro models featuring M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to launch by March 4, 2026, or early in the first half of 2026, offering 15-25% performance improvements over M4 models. These upcoming models will retain the current design, focusing on increased AI capabilities and efficiency. A more significant redesign with OLED displays is expected in late 2026 or 2027"


I had the exact model, with the same specs. on order and cancelled it once I found out the new models were right around the corner. Besides, if you check the ship date on the model you're looking for, it will not ship until mid-March. The M4 Pro and M4 Max models have been drying up at many retail outlets. Another indication the new models are about to be released.

When the time comes, you might also consider the 96W USB-C fast charger for $20 extra.

quote:

Originally posted by Pipe Smoker:
That MacBook sounds like a good choice to me. But I think that you ought to check with her school.

Apple also offers student discounts.

She could save $100 bucks or so with the student discount.

I have used my MB Pro M4 Pro 16 inch display 48 GM RAM for a year now. Excellent machine. Definitely get the antiglare screen, though, for much better visuals. Also, get the Dell 4K 27 inch Thunderbolt monitor for $700 to work with the laptop. No need to purchase the Studio Display for 3X the cost.

That's what I'm thinking 14" for portability and monitor in the dorm. Her current laptop is 14" and she says it's fine for the limited classes available at the community college. NYU says Windows for their engineering and business schools, but I'm not finding anything specific for the classes or majors she's interested in.

I got the kids Latitude 7400 somethings from the Dell Outlet for the COVID BS, but they aren't the tanks the Latitudes used to be. Hers randomly freezes and she has to hold the power button down to her it to reboot. I've spent 6 hours trying to fix it, but the logs, including temperature, don't indicate what's going on. Everything is up to date, cleaned the fan, and run memory and systems tests.

I think we got almost 5 years out of it and I'm good with that. I don't see anything on Dell's outlet that seems to have the MacBook Pro's build quality and screen quality for the money, she's not a gamer, so a MacBook Pro is tempting. I got her an iPad Pro with the M4 chip to take notes with when she started taking the college classes in high school. I could probably get her a keyboard for that to keep her going this semester and her first semester at NYU. I figured making the change now would be easier than this fall with the new school and city.

quote:

Originally posted by onegeek:
Does the school recommend a MacBook Pro for that course of study? If the school teaches on Windows, your purchase would be wasted.

Perhaps not, recent macOS machines have no trouble running Win 10 and 11 in VMs, not to mention older versions. Unless you require high-speed access to video (like that needed for high-refresh-rates in newer games), you probably wouldn't even notice that you are on a virtual machine.

The opposite, running macOS in a VM on a Windows system is hampered by licensing issues, but is certainly possible.

It may also be possible to install and run an ARM version of Windows directly on newish Apple hardware. but I haven't tried this yet. Older Intel-based Macs have no impediments to running Windows "natively."

quote:

Originally posted by architect:
It may also be possible to install and run an ARM version of Windows directly on newish Apple hardware. but I haven't tried this yet. Older Intel-based Macs have no impediments to running Windows "natively."

I used bootcamp on my Intel based 2015 Macbook Pro to boot between MacOS and Windows. It came in handy at times but rarely got used after buying my latest Lenovo Thinkpad.

The new Mac laptops are insanely capable. For most college students, an Air with the SSD bumped to 512GB or 1TB and the 16 GB Unified memory is more computer than they will actually need. Education pricing should bring this home for under $1300. Spring for the Creator Studio suite and a good iCloud+ subscription and she might be set.

The above advice to verify this works for the school’s specific curriculum is also key.

quote:

Originally posted by onegeek:
Does the school recommend a MacBook Pro for that course of study? If the school teaches on Windows, your purchase would be wasted.

If she’s going to be doing a lot of video editing, I would consider the larger screen, and as mentioned more RAM.

100% of the new college grads (all engineers) I’ve ever hired have had Macs in college. Windows machines don’t last as long, and very few academics use the OS. It is the defacto standard for music production, photo and video editing (I have a M4Pro 14 core/48GB/2TB that runs my home studio with Pro Tools, Logic, Lightroom/PS) I’d say it’s a safe bet.

I was able to find the film school is Mac and it looks like music is Mac as well.

On a side note, apparently I've been living under a rock. Apple's prices for memory and SSD upgrades have always been absurd, but looking at current prices for those items elsewhere makes Apple's ask almost reasonable.

^^ Yup, the problem is AI...Somehow the global demand and resulting shortage (scarcity?) of DDR5 memory has caused the pricing for SSDs and non-DDR5 memory to DOUBLE in the last six months!

Fortunately, for those looking to buy new computers in the short term, Apple has LTAs for sourcing RAM. The new MacBooks projected to release in early March are not expected to have significant price increases.

Computer ordered. Says 2-3 weeks and then 14 days to return. If the new ones are announced and that much better or the price on this one drops, we’re covered.

You have nothing to lose by ordering the M4 Pro. Apple really does make it easy to return if you feel the new models are worth it.


This was in my feed this morning.

Apple CONFIRMS New Products THIS Monday!

Just a FYI...

The new Macbook M5 Pro and M5 Max models are on the Apple website this morning.


"Pre-order new models starting at 6:15 a.m. PT on 3.4 March 4th


https://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/

Available starting 3.11