Seeking advice buying a MacBook Pro for college!!

Shaunh3374

Hi ,
In September I will be starting college and leaving home. I am hoping to study education and to become a teacher. I will be in need of a new laptop. I have a budget of €1,200 and am looking at buying an Apple MacBook Pro 13 inch non-retina base model for €1150 through the apple education store. I love technology and have many apple products - I am looking at the Pro due to the better processor and more features I could use in college and in the future. I wish to get the Mac as I don't like the new Windows 8 software my parents have on their new desktop.
I am looking for advice: I am wondering of people's experiences buying through the apple education store, I am wondering what people think of this laptop, is the baseline model sufficient and what is the mac like for college? Finally after purchasing the mac off apple how long does it take to actually get your product.
Many thanks in advance for your help!
X

whiterebel

There is a dedicated Apple Mac forum here mac

Most of those questions have been asked numerous times, so have a look back through a few pages.

FourFourRED

Don't buy the non-retina model. Go with a refurbished 2013 retina model for €1,149 when it comes back in stock instead if you ask me. Especially with the new OS coming in October being optimised for retina displays.

discombobulate

In fairness for the course your doing you don't need near that spec of a laptop. Windows 8 is great if you install a start button such as classic shell. You'd get a great spec laptop that fulfil your needs with about 600 quid spare beer money.

Shaunh3374

It's just I like the fact that the 2012 non-retina model has a built in SuperDrive! I think that this will be very handy in college ??

Zcott

Be realistic: when was the last time you used the cd drive?

FourFourRED

Shaunh3374 wrote: »

It's just I like the fact that the 2012 non-retina model has a built in SuperDrive! I think that this will be very handy in college ??

That won't be handy at all tbh everything in college this days is mostly online now and in the cloud. You could always purchase a seperate SuperDrive for the machine if it was ever needed.

evlgmaojr27ypu

Shaunh3374 wrote: »

It's just I like the fact that the 2012 non-retina model has a built in SuperDrive! I think that this will be very handy in college ??

I have my current MacBook Pro for 3 years now.. and I have hardly used the superdrive (prob like 10 times) and was mostly to burn CDs

They are a technology of the past

Shaunh3374

Okay thanks all!
However when apple unveils new software and operating systems (ie like mavericks) do all the macs recieve the upgrade for free or do you recieve it for a few years free of charge and have to pay for the ones after that? How does upgrading your system work on the mac?? X

Zcott

You upgrade through the Mac App Store and all IS upgrades are free as long as your Mac supports them. Which all Macs for the last six years do.