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Hereโs a roundup of some of the best options for you to conยญsidยญer purยญchasยญing for the stuยญdent in your home or the young adult getยญting ready to leave the nest and head off to post-secยญondary school.
Weโve facยญtored in cost, secuยญriยญty, user-friendยญliยญness and sevยญerยญal othยญer feaยญtures that matยญter to any parยญent getยญting ready to invest in this imporยญtant eduยญcaยญtionยญal equipment.
Your first deciยญsion is this: what operยญatยญing sysยญtem (OS) do you want your child to become comยญfortยญable with? Your choice, essenยญtialยญly, is between Winยญdows 10 and Chrome OS, from Google.
Both sysยญtems come with feaยญtures like parental conยญtrols, access to video games, etc. โ but all should be approยญpriยญate to your childโs age. And donโt forยญget about buyยญing a water-resisยญtant keyยญboard, just in case the juice gets spilled!
1- Apple Laptops:
Macs, includยญing MacยญBook and MacยญBook Pro, are probยญaยญbly the most famous โ and cerยญtainยญly one of the most expenยญsive โ lapยญtops on the marยญket today.
Macs have plenยญty of great things, like the ease of use and tight secuยญriยญty; Apple may have some of the most โbulยญletยญproofโ techยญnolยญoยญgy availยญable today. So if secuยญriยญty is a top priยญorยญiยญty, conยญsidยญer a Mac, no matยญter what levยญel your child is at in school. Howยญevยญer, if you are equipยญping a young teenagยญer, get them a used Mac or pass down your own, if you have one, and get a new MacยญBook or MacยญBook Pro for yourself.
Young kids, in parยญticยญuยญlar, donโt need a lapยญtop as sophisยญtiยญcatยญed as these devices. Howยญevยญer, if you love Apple prodยญucts and want your chilยญdren to grow up Apple savvy, so to speak, save the splurge for yourself.
Apple has a โcyber storeโ withยญin the Amaยญzon webยญsite, so anyยญthing you purยญchase there is just as reliยญable as the one you would buy at a bricks and morยญtar Apple store. But be preยญpared to spend approxยญiยญmateยญly $1,600 (USD) for a new Mac for yourยญself, or more. See why we sugยญgest passยญing yours on to your child and getยญting a new one yourself?
Oh, and just a word here about the new Apple MacยญBook Pro 13-Inch: Appleโs keyยญboards were notoยญriยญousยญly uncomยญfortยญable for some users, and this modยญel is the last one of Appleโs lapยญtops to get the new, enhanced keyยญboard finally.
But othยญer feaยญtures of this Apple lapยญtop are betยญter, too: there are faster memยญoยญry and even more storยญage than what othยญer modยญels have had in the past.
2- Acer Chromebook 514:
This lapยญtop is availยญable on Amaยญzon for about $400 (USD) and is a terยญrifยญic option for chilยญdren just becomยญing familยญiar with computers.
Its aluยญminum back makes it stand up to bangs and drops, and itโs a budยญget-conยญscience choice that lasts all day when itโs unplugged โ perยญfect for long days spent in class or for the stuยญdent who conยญstantยญly forยญgets to plug it into recharge.
3- Asus VivoBook S15:
This is a terยญrifยญic lapยญtop that funcยญtions rather like an on-the-go deskยญtop. Itโs a great deal for the monยญey โ about $850 (USD) on Amaยญzon, and perยญforms well for high school stuยญdents and oldยญer kids alike.
Its slenยญder design makes it easy to tote around, and it comes equipped with a long-life batยญtery for those hours kids spend with their comยญputยญers unplugged.
This 15-inch noteยญbook won raves this past May from PC Magยญaยญzine, which praised it as a great, all-around lapยญtop for not too much monยญey. High praise, indeed.
4- Lenovo Chromebook Duet:
This lapยญtop was anothยญer winยญner with PC Magยญaยญzine this year, a standยญout for many reaยญsons, includยญing price. (Many modยญels are availยญable on Amaยญzon, startยญing at about $300 USD).
This lapยญtop is perยญfect for stuยญdents whose comยญputยญing needs are not too demandยญing and comยญpliยญcatยญed. It comes with 128 GB of flash memยญoยญry and essenยญtialยญly has three pieces to add up to bareยญly more than two pounds.
First, there is the aluยญminum alloy tablet; secยญond is the back panยญel with a kickยญstand so it can stand on a desk. And finalยญly, it has a keyยญboard with a touchยญpad. A minor comยญplaint is that the keyยญboard is a litยญtle small, which wonโt matยญter if your childโs hands are small, but they might matยญter latยญer on as they grow!
5- Dell Inspiron 14 7000 Series:
There are sevยญerยญal modยญels in this line of Dell prodยญucts, rangยญing in price from about $830 (USD) to over $1,100 (USD). But it has earned a lot of rave reviews from comยญputยญer experts for its effiยญcienยญcy, lightยญweight body and almost 24/7 batยญtery life.
It also gets great reviews for the 14-inch screen and overยญall perยญforยญmance and comes with 8 GB of RAM. Very impresยญsive, overยญall. (Many in the series are availยญable on Amazon.)
