I am familiar only with PCs since I’m an engineer. But the website of D’s university states that she will need a Mac if she plans on majoring in graphic design, which is what she is thinking at this point. But wow, Macs are expensive! Is a Mac really necessary? If so, which model would be good for her? My parents are getting it for her, and I don’t want them to pay more than they have to.
Yes, my S who does a lot of design stuff won’t have anything else. I don’t think she needs the most hyped up one in terms of power though- that’s if you are going to be programming. We just got our D a Mac Air and they throw in some free stuff and student discount.
My D just got the Macbook Air. The student price from Apple was $949 and she got a free pair of Beats headphones ($299). D was able to download Microsoft office for free from her university onto the computer. She really only uses it to write papers and surf the web so we didn’t want to get her one with all the bells and whistles as it is wasted on her. My H hated how much it cost compared to a PC. He is an engineer also and told her he could get her a much faster high quality PC for less, but she saved up for 1/2 the Air so that’s what she got. She is using it this summer for an internship and says it is working great.
Buy the biggest RAM your money can buy. And splurge on storage, too.
Yea, if it’s graphic design, definitely a Mac. She will really feel left behind if she is one of a handful who does not have one as others will be able to do stuff on their computers that will feel very cumbersome to her.
Actually, nowadays, a PC can do the same stuff a Mac can… They all use Adobe software, after all, but I agree with Teri - your kid would not want to feel like she does not belong in her “tribe.” 
The rumor is that a new MacBook pro is coming out before September, and that should drop the price of the existing MacBook pro 13" laptop from 1200 to 999. I would not get the air for design stuff, it doesn’t have enough power.
I agree about not getting the Air for design - it’s not powerful enough. In addition to feeling cumbersome not having a Mac when that’s what’s recommended, she may not receive support or help if she needs it. Usually Apple does introduce new computers in September which will drop the price of existing models so if she can wait til then, that’s what I’d do. Also get as much RAM as you can afford - at least 16 GB
My S has a BFA in Graphic Design and studio art. His program exclusively used Apple. With that said he mainly used his Mac laptop for paper writing. The Art department had an exclusive lab just for art majors that was filled with Apple desktop computers with high quality monitors loaded with all the required software. He did most of his large project work in the lab. The lab was open 24 hours. He had his laptop stolen in a apartment robbery his Jr year. 6 yrs later the replacement laptop still is going strong. though he did get at college graduation a nice desktop which he has at home for his freelance work.
He also uses an IPad to show his portfolio when interviewing for jobs.
Thanks for all the great info! Sounds like we should wait a little while.
Agree with the other posters: I would not buy Air for graphic design. A 15 inch MacBook Pro would be the best option, but she can get by with a 13 inch and use an external monitor in her dorm and the computers in the lab. 13 inch will give her the portability when needed (my kid uses her purse to carry her Mac). Definitely the more memory the better! The lab might be always open, but it is always nice to have a backup option.
We went to the Apple store and the young salesman said he got his girlfriend a 13-inch MacBook Pro because she’s into graphic design. He did a good job of selling! He said he thinks it’s about time for a new Mac to come out, but you never know. I think we will wait a little while, then go for it. Thanks to my mom and dad, of course!
I’d contact your D’s U about discounts and preferred/recommended models for their students. I know the webmaster we use loves macs exclusively.
Both of our kids strongly prefer PCs. D was in cinema and S was in engineering. They started out with big, heavy PC laptops. After both of the had theirs die, D borrowed an old MacBook for a semester and then both bought PC netbooks and monitors and desktops so they had the portability and he bigger screens. They basically used Th netbook like a portable hard drive.
Of course, YMMV.
@MaineLonghorn - I think you can get the student discount online through Apple you don’t have to go through her actual school to get the discount.It usually saves you a few hundred. They also usually offer some added incentive later in the summer prior to school starting.
Also my S is now on his 4th employer since graduating in 2011. All his graphic design workplaces have used Mac.
When I used my kid’s school to order the Macs and had them shipped to my home, I didn’t have to pay taxes. This year I got 2 Mac books for the girls and one Mac Air for myself through my kid’s school. My kids only use their laptop for regular stuff, but they love the macbook, and I love my Air.
If you don’t want to wait until the new ones come out, consider waiting to see if Massachusetts has its tax-free weekend in August, and buying it from a Massachusetts Apple store. Then you’ll save on the sales tax, which does add up (we did that for our daughter last year).
You don’t necessarily need to wait for a tax-free weekend in Mass. Got mom’s Macbook Pro through the NH Apple store at Rockingham mall using the student discount I had as a grad student. Even factoring in travel costs which would have occurred anyways in my case at the time as I was visiting Boston area friends I came out way ahead.
Personally, I am platform agnostic and enjoy experiencing what each operating system has to offer…whether, Mac, Windows, Linux, BSD, etc.
I love, love, love my MacBook Pro. I have had it for four years. I had it re-imaged recently and it runs really fast again. S and D also have this same computer. S is kind of hard on his electronics, but his Mac is still going strong after six years! I think D has had hers for seven. We all bought ours with a college student discount.
I find the Apple support people to be very helpful and extremely patient.
I would get her a 13" display MacBook Pro, and upgrade to the 256 GB memory. For graphic design, I would also consider upgrading to the 16GB SDRAM.
I agree with others that it is important for students to have the same type of computer as the other students. There are times when having a different computer can make it a lot more difficult to get help because the software is often somewhat different.
Why 13"?
Most graphical design students/professionals I know want as much screen real estate as possible for their work.
While a 17" macbook pro would be too unwieldy from a portability standpoint due to size, a 15" macbook pro isn’t much larger* than a 13" macbook pro sizewise…but the larger screen real estate is one most graphical design students/professionals appreciate. Especially if they need to work on the go without access to larger desktop monitors.
- The size/weight difference is actually negligible IME while the difference in screen real estate is noticeable.