Best Mac for students
Thinking of buying a Mac or MacBook for school, college or university work? Here, in our best Mac for students guide, we take a look at Apple’s current Mac line-up to find out which Mac is best for students. We’ll examine whether you should get a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro for college, or if another Mac might actually be a better choice.
If you’re looking for stability, security and a reliable and easy to use operating system then Apple’s Mac’s come highly recommended. If might seem that Macs are expensive compared to their Windows alternatives, however the added premium is justified, and, as you will see if you read on, you don’t have to break the bank to buy one.
To find out how to get an Apple Student Discount, go to page 67.
MACBOOK AIR
Models for sale were originally released November 2020.
What is it? The MacBook Air is Apple’s affordable line of laptops. It currently offers two 13in models.
Who’s it for? The MacBook Air is ideal for the budget conscious. It’s also for anyone who is always on the go, doesn’t want to be bogged down by a regular-size laptop and needs a computer that’s more versatile than an iPad.
What are the specifications?
The two MacBook Air models have Apple’s M1 system on a chip, which features an 8-core CPU, 16-core Neural Engine, and 8GB of RAM (upgradeable to 16GB). Apple claims 15 hours of battery life for wireless web and 18 hours Apple TV app movie playback.
The main difference between the models offered is the GPU and storage. The £999 model has a 7-core GPU and a 256GB SSD, while the £1,249 model has an 8-core GPU and a 512GB SSD.
How do I connect stuff? The MacBook Air has only a pair of Thunderbolt/USB 4 connectors. If you want to connect
