<p>Shell: first of all, you can get a decent laptop from Craigslist for about 200.00. Say, an IbM thinkpad which is sturdy and reliable. (no bells and whistles but…sturdy) I would do this. WHY? Because kids are now going over to PADS as opposed to laptops, but this is an emerging market, and the new generation of ipad clones will not be available for some time. If your son is going to be going into a graphics/art related field, then yes, you will need an apple related system. ALSO, the ipad clones boast 6-8 hour battery life. Make sure you add the Lojack software.
By the way, Acer makes some terrific, discount 6-8 hour smaller laptops. (10")Better power than a netbook, but smaller than standard issue laptops.</p>